Record numbers of police officers in England and Wales are on long-term sick leave, with Home Office data indicating significant financial and operational impacts on forces. According to figures from the Home Office, the equivalent of 3,358 full-time officers were absent due to sickness lasting more than 28 days as of March 31, the date of the annual manpower survey. This represents a 71 percent increase since 2021, when 1,965 officers were recorded on long-term sick leave.
The officers absent on the snapshot date included 2,653 constables, 508 sergeants, 137 inspectors, and 59 officers of more senior rank. Their combined salary cost to the taxpayer is estimated at around £150 million annually, or nearly £3 million per week. The data excludes officers who reported sick on the day of the survey but captures only those absent for longer than four weeks.
The rise in long-term sickness has persisted for five consecutive years, reaching a record high. While the Home Office has not provided a definitive explanation for the increase, it attributes many absences to injuries sustained on duty, assaults against officers, and psychological conditions such as stress and trauma.
Among the forces, the Metropolitan Police recorded the highest number of officers on long-term sick leave at 750. This was followed by Greater Manchester Police with 209, West Midlands Police with 169, West Yorkshire Police with 152, and South Wales Police with 119. In relative terms, Cleveland Police had the highest proportion of officers absent, with 4.8 percent (72 of 1,504 full-time equivalent officers) off sick on the survey date. Overall, 2.3 percent of officers across England and Wales were on long-term sick leave, roughly one in every 43 officers.
Critics have linked the increasing sickness absences to factors such as poor management, increasing workloads, and a rise in violent assaults against officers. William Yarwood, campaigns director of The TaxPayers’ Alliance, expressed concern over the level of sickness absence at a time when police forces call for additional resources. He emphasized the need for police leadership to address sickness rates and improve management to ensure recruitment efforts are not undermined by officers being unavailable for frontline duties.
A spokesperson for the Police Federation highlighted that the figures serve as a warning about the pressures faced by officers. They pointed to relentless workloads, frequent exposure to trauma, increasing physical assaults, and a system that treats officers as an inexhaustible resource as underlying causes of long-term sickness.
These developments raise ongoing questions about the capacity of police forces to maintain operational strength amid rising demands and the toll that frontline policing takes on officer health and wellbeing.