Mental Health Awareness Week feels incredibly important this year.

We’re living and working in difficult and challenging times. We have access to more information than ever before through the digital world we live in, the pressure we place on ourselves is intense, and the mental load as a result, is different to anything we’ve ever experienced.
 
 In policing, this feels particularly acute. We’re working in fractured communities, we sit at the centre of politics, despite remaining non-political in everything we do, and we take on more and more each year, often without recognition of the sacrifices being made and the toll this brings.

Policing is a profession built on commitment, resilience and service. Our officers and staff routinely run towards difficulty, absorb risk and shoulder responsibility that most people will never experience. That sense of duty is something to be proud of, but it can also come with a cost when the culture surrounding wellbeing does not give people the safety and confidence to look after their own mental health or to speak honestly about the pressures they face.

The theme of this year’s awareness week is ‘action’ and it is my call to our members and the wider workforce to take action in this regard. Let’s stop modelling ‘resilience’ when it comes to mental health and instead show truth and a commitment to protecting ourselves and others.

For many years we’ve worked to convince people that “it’s ok not to be ok”, but we are a long way from achieving full buy-in to this concept.

Presenteeism remains a real challenge across the service, and it can quietly erode both personal wellbeing and operational effectiveness. We’ve seen this most acutely in the superintending ranks, with psychological risk assessment data showing them to be the most ‘at risk’ in a range of factors from stress to anxiety and burnout, yet also that they take the least amount of leave.

But turning up when we are unwell, mentally or physically, is not safe and is not how we should lead by example.

It’s understandable why this happens. We’re a long way from a culture that is set up to make people feel safe in asking for help or showing any sign of weakness. But doing just this is a sign of professionalism and self‑awareness. 

Asking for help, whether that support comes from a supervisor, a trusted colleague, occupational health, peer support networks or external services, can prevent small issues becoming long‑term problems, it makes us better leaders, better police officers and ultimately means we provide a better service.

If we are serious about improving mental health in policing, we must be honest about the challenges we face. High demand, limited resources and increasing public expectations continue to place significant strain on officers and staff. Too often, these pressures are accepted as ‘just part of the job’, rather than being openly discussed and addressed.

We need to challenge the lingering culture that values endurance over wellbeing. Turning up when unwell, staying silent about stress, or normalising exhaustion should not be seen as commitment. 

We shouldn’t continue to accept when rest days or annual leave are not taken due to workload. The impact of this builds up.

We know from our recent surveys that 57% of members had not taken their annual leave in the last year, 28% have 2-4 weeks of annual leave outstanding and 73% have not taken the rest days owed to them in the last month. 58% cite operational commitments as preventing them from taking annual leave. (Further results can be found here.)

Workplace cultures should be encouraging the opposite of this. Annual leave and rest days are not a privilege or an earned ‘bonus’, they are a right and part of the work/life balance that is essential for good mental health.

Action means creating space for honest conversations about workload, demand and capacity, and ensuring people feel able to speak up without fear.

It also means using and sharing some of the fantastic wellbeing support services available to us in force or nationally via organisations such as Oscar Kilo. Sadly, not every force gives the right level of time and investment to wellbeing support services, but many do, and the difference they make can be seismic.

We asked members to talk about the impact of the wellbeing support they’d received as part of our conference last year. One said:

“Had I not accessed that support, one, I wouldn’t be in the role that I’m in now. But I [also] wouldn’t be here now. 

“The way I was operating in that state of high levels of stress, really high levels of depression, it wasn’t sustainable. It’s been so positive having access to that support and I’ve never looked back.”

The services are there to help. The people working in these departments are brilliant people, wanting to step in and make a difference, and they really do. 

At the Police Superintendents’ Association, we will continue to take action on behalf of our members and the wider workforce. We remain committed to advocating for a policing system that is properly resourced and equipped with the right infrastructure to support its people. This includes accessible occupational health services, timely mental health support, effective leadership development and realistic expectations placed on the workforce.

We’ll also continue to grow our own offering to members. Either through our peer support programme, supporting members who are at risk, through our collaboration with partners to support members at various stages of their career, or through our work with Oscar Kilo to ensure that superintendents are recognised for the unique and high-risk role they deliver.

As plans for policing reform continue, we will press for sustainable investment, evidence‑based wellbeing strategies and organisational cultures that prioritise care alongside performance.