It can be a struggle to feel festive when you’re on the frontline…

It can sometimes feel difficult to get into the Christmas spirit. At the end of last week, media coverage in the UK of ‘Frantic Friday’, ‘Mad Friday’ and even ‘Black-Eye Friday’ highlighted the fact that forces were putting more officers out on patrol on the last Friday before Christmas, and accident and emergency departments were preparing for one of their busiest nights of the year, as revellers took on board way too much of those Christmas spirits.

While the level of drunkenness and violence may be worse in the UK than in many places, the holiday period brings its own pressures on emergency services in other countries too.

The greater demand on healthcare services and police in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, for example, is driven by a range of factors including the usual holiday accidents and injuries, fallout from family disputes, the spike in domestic violence, and even the impact of wildfires.

So by the time we’re approaching sharp end of the Christmas break, those on the frontline can be forgiven for not feeling particularly festive. Which makes it all the more impressive that so many officers and staff who are out there on the streets, in the control rooms, and undertaking all the jobs that still need to be done, are doing so in a professional manner, and where possible maintaining a sense of (albeit occasionally dark) humour.

We’ve heard a lot this year about the mental health pressures on the police workforce, and Christmas can certainly exacerbate those. It’s therefore even more important that officers and staff find a way to take time out over the festive period to enjoy the holidays, make the most of opportunities to spend time with family and friends, and recharge the batteries.

Sadly, it can also be a time of year when those struggling with loss or loneliness can find life especially tough, and that applies to the policing family as much as anyone. Speaking recently to a friend who unexpectedly lost his partner this year, he explained that while the big Christmas events would be okay as he would have people around him, it was the little things – sending cards from just himself rather than him and his wife, trying to work out what the ‘gift agreements’ were with relatives, and ham-fisted attempts at wrapping – that he was really dreading.

There will be police families going through similar challenges – including the relatives of Victoria Police’s Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, Tasmanian Police Constable Keith Smith, Gloucestershire PC Ian Minett, Essex PC Mat Parker, Suffolk PC Cheryl Lloyd, North Yorkshire Police PC Rosie Prior, Metropolitan Police PC Michael Bruce, and New Zealand Police Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming – who are among the officers who lost their lives in the line of duty in 2025.

Hopefully these families will be receiving plenty of support for their first Christmas without their loved ones. But it doesn’t need a loss of life for people to be in need of a helping hand or a friendly voice; if you think someone is struggling with the season, could do with a chat, or needs a coffee or a pint, then reach out. That call or text could be the best gift you give this Christmas.

And if that all sounds a bit gloomy, then apologies; but as much as those Black-Eye Friday revellers enjoyed Christmas their way, for many of us it is a time to take stock, realise how lucky we are to have what we have, and hopefully spread a little joy to others along the way.

As always, at Policing Insight we appreciate the efforts of all of those in the police family over the past year – as do the vast majority of the public – and particular the sacrifices many of you make over Christmas and the New Year.

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our readers; and most importantly, stay safe, and enjoy whatever time you manage to get with family and friends over the festive period.

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