Rise in poor police mental health driven by organisational relations that ‘erode officers’ sense of inner security’

12th May 2026Sarah Gibbons, Contributing Editor, Policing Insight 1 Comment

With concerns over the rise in poor mental health in policing, new research by criminologist and former police officer Dr Mark Brain, now an Associate Lecturer at the University of the West of England, suggests that far from being a product of exposure to traumatic incidents, mental ill-health in policing is largely driven by organisational issues such as poor management of professional standards investigations and an ongoing organisational “machismo” culture, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

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Rise in poor police mental health driven by organisational relations that ‘erode officers’ sense of inner security’

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