Police chiefs in 'crisis' with half admitting morale down

Police chiefs have sounded the alarm over a "morale and wellbeing crisis" among leaders, with more than half admitting their morale is lower than a year ago.

- AMY-CLARE MARTIN

A survey of police superintendents and chief superintendents published from 49 forces uncovered extremely low levels of morale and motivation. The findings, published on World Mental Health Day, found 66 per cent described morale as low in their force, with 52 per cent saying their morale was lower than a year ago.

Only half of police leaders said their personal motivation was high – the lowest figure since the survey began eight years ago. In addition, only 38 per cent said they feel valued and three in 10 said they would not recommend policing to others. Nine in 10 said they do not feel respected by the government.

Nick Smart, chair of the Police Superintendents Association (PSA), has called for bespoke support for police leaders and wellbeing packages for officers at every rank as their annual survey has shown “irrefutable evidence” of a steadily declining picture of police morale.

He also called for an end to the postcode lottery in terms of support services for struggling officers working in an industry where they are at high risk of harm.