Wellbeing

ANALYSIS: With police officers in the UK and Ireland operating under immense pressures, University of the West of England Senior Lecturers Dr Cody Porter and Dr Paul Gavin share findings from their recent research projects into specific sources of stress and its profound impacts on officers’ mental health in both jurisdictions, and call for a shift in the way mental health is treated – “not as an afterthought, but as an operational priority”.

ANALYSIS: Terrorist attacks targeting police officers in Nigeria resulted in the deaths of more than 900 officers between 2009 and 2022; Dr Usman A. Ojedokun, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at Nigeria’s University of Ibadan, looks at the statistics behind the attacks, the groups carrying them out, the weapons they use, and the lessons to learn from the current trends.

FEATURE: A new report into the “effectiveness and efficiency” of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), published by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, warns that budgetary constraints have led to the lowest number of officers in the PSNI’s history, hampering the best efforts of the chief constable, his officers and staff to provide a high-quality service and build trust with communities, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: A report on police investigations into crime in England and Wales, published recently by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, warns that overstretched officers, increased time pressures and a lack of experience are inhibiting the ability of officers and staff to develop an “investigative mindset” and hampering the quality and effectiveness of investigations, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INTERVIEW: A ‘solution-focused approach’ to interactions both with the public and within the force is currently being explored by New Zealand Police, as a way to improve outcomes for the community as well as officer wellbeing; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to psychologist Emma Burns of the Royal NZ Police College about the thinking behind the new approach, and how transforming conversations could eventually become the NZ Police go-to strategy.

INTERVIEW: As he approaches the first-year anniversary of taking up the top job with Saskatoon Police Service, Chief Cameron McBride spoke to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend about his 28 years with the Service, the inward focus on wellness and support for officers, the importance of community engagement, and the social, technological and retention challenges facing modern policing.

FEATURE: Earlier this year more than 40 academics and police practitioners gathered at Canterbury Christ Church University’s Centre for Policing Research (CCPR) to explore both the strategic importance of wellbeing and the practical steps being taken to support officers and staff in frontline and specialist roles, as Policing Insight’s Dr Carina O’Reilly reports.

OPINION: The Police Superintendents’ Association (PSA) and the Superintendents’ Association of Northern Ireland recently submitted evidence to the Police Remuneration Review Body on pay and conditions, calling for (amongst other things) a fully funded 4.8% pay rise across all ranks, and a new health and wellbeing structure for officers and staff; PSA National Secretary Chief Superintendent Warren Franklin explains the reasoning behind the submission, and the need for a long-term strategy going forwards.

ANALYSIS: Every day, police officers endure experiences that most people can’t even imagine – violence, tragedy, and life-or-death emotionally fuelled decisions – but what happens when the weight of that trauma becomes too much to bear? PhD researcher Lucy Davies of the Open University’s Centre of Policing Research & Learning (CPRL) explores how unprocessed trauma can quietly erode judgement, fuel emotion dysregulation and, in some cases, lead to the very misconduct that undermines public trust.

INNOVATION: Inspired by ‘café scientifiques’, the team from the Open University’s Centre for Policing Research and Learning (CPRL) have been working with forces across England and Wales to hold a series of ‘evidence cafés’ – informal gatherings designed to increases two-way dialogue between academics and practitioners and explore how research findings relate to real-world policing practices – as the CPRL’s Dr Keely Duddin, Kendal Wright, Frances Wright and Dr Nicky Miller explain.

FEATURE: A new report by the Queensland Human Rights Commission warns that Queensland Police Service must address issues of “systemic” discrimination and inequality that have become “deeply entrenched” in its culture if the organisation is to recruit and retain the talent it needs to deliver the level of service required in modern policing, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: The first report in a two-part review of the police response to extensive disorder across England and Wales last summer has praised officers for their “immense bravery”, but has highlighted concerns over the capacity and capability of forces to respond to such widespread violent disorder, the speed with which resources are mobilised, and the wellbeing support for frontline officers, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: As the Pacific Islands has increasingly become a transit hub and a destination for drug trafficking, the impact on the male workforce – including in the recruitment of male police officers – could worsen significantly; policing and law enforcement specialist Dr Melissa Jardine looks at the implications for both policing and the communities in the Islands, and what steps can be taken to tackle the issue.

INTERVIEW: Assistant Chief Constable Martin Brunning, Chair of the Investigator Wellbeing Sub-group of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Recruitment, Retention and Wellbeing of Investigators portfolio, and Sarah Jayne Bray, the portfolio Programme Manager, spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the need for a strategic approach to staff wellbeing, the importance of line managers prioritising one-to-ones with their staff, and how best practice identified in investigator wellbeing can be applied across the workforce.

ANALYSIS: The use of wearable technology to monitor health and wellbeing continues to expand significantly; Dr Carol Cox, Head of the Liverpool Centre of Advanced Policing Studies at Liverpool John Moore’s University, is leading a research team from the Centre in its work on the police use of such technology, and explains the challenges and benefits identified to date, as well as early indications from the latest study due to be released in April.

FEATURE: As law enforcement around the world embarks on meeting the challenges of 2025, Editor Keith Potter looks back over the key issues Policing Insight covered in 2024 – from technological threats and opportunities, to workforce wellbeing, the role of leadership, and the increasing focus on reform – and how these may affect the next 12 months.

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE: As most of us prepare to put our feet up for a fortnight to celebrate the festive period – and many police officers and staff get ready for some of their busiest nights of the year – Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter wonders why the Christmas wish of health and happiness in personal lives can’t also apply to the role of police officers and staff.

FEATURE: Latest findings from research with Queensland Police Service indicate that organisational and operational stressors such as poor leadership, work/life balance and lack of resources can be up to three times more harmful to officers’ mental health than trauma, as Griffith University Associate Professor and police psychologist Dr Jacqueline Drew told the recent Global Evidence-Based Policing Conference.

INTERVIEW: Ahead of the upcoming Investigator Wellbeing Week of Action, Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to Sarah-Jayne Bray, Programme Manager for the National Police Chiefs’ Council Recruitment, Retention and Wellbeing of Investigator Programme, and researchers Dr Liam Curran and Mark Dimelow, about the pressures and stressors facing senior investigating officers (SIOs), and what individuals and forces can do to improve SIO wellbeing.

ANALYSIS: New research has revealed the extent to which relatives of serving personnel carry the burdens of their loved ones’ public service; Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass reports on the findings of the Open University researchers, whose work was commissioned by Oscar Kilo, the College of Policing’s National Wellbeing Service.

FEATURE: Despite a growing move to delay post-incident officer interviews for at least 48 hours after an event, new research presented at last month’s Global Evidence-Based Policing Conference shows the better recall and increased accuracy of more immediate interviews; Griffith University Associate Professor Justin Ready, who led the research, also highlighted the benefits and challenges of incorporating body-word video footage into interviews, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

OPINION: With policing and public interactions increasingly filmed and shared online, and new force-led initiatives allowing the public to view video footage and critique the actions of officers in often testing circumstances, former Police Scotland Superintendent Martin Gallagher fears that policing is increasingly being drawn into a focus on how officers ‘perform’ rather than delivering outcomes for the public.

FEATURE: In the wake of the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Metropolitan Police Officer, Bedfordshire Police launched its Blue Bell network to support victims and witnesses of sexual misconduct within the force, and empower officers and staff to speak out; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to Bedfordshire Detective Chief Superintendent Zara Brown about the success of the initiative, tackling the “epidemic” of violence against women and girls, and the interest in the scheme from other forces and agencies.

FEATURE: The effect of tiredness and lack of sleep on motorists’ driving ability has long been recognised by police, but less attention has been focused on the effect of fatigue on police officers themselves; Chief Inspector Dr Yvonne Taylor of the National Police Wellbeing Service explores the impact of insufficient sleep particularly on shift working police officers, and what resource are available to officers and supervisors to address the issue.