‘Make sure you take time to recharge your batteries’

OFFICERS who are suffering fatigue at work must ensure they are taking their full entitlement of annual leave so they can properly rest away from the job.

Steve Taylor, Chairman of Essex Police Federation, said any officers struggling at work should get in touch so the Federation can support them.

He added that the force has already stopped officers working more than 50 hours in a week to help deal with the problem.

“We would ask officers ‘Are you getting your annual leave? Have you taken your entitlement? Can we get you away?’ Because if they have and they’re still feeling tired then we’re looking at their work environment,” said Mr Taylor.

“We would need to find out how many hours they are doing – their regular hours or is a regular amount of overtime prevalent?

“I already know that officers who work more than 50 hours a week – and that’s monitored on a weekly basis – they’re flagged up to the district commanders. Those district commanders then instruct that individual, ‘This overtime that you’re doing, it stops. Because you’re crossing the line into what’s too much’.

“Now invariably in those cases it’s self-inflicted overtime which are people looking to earn some more money, etc. And so the job balance is what you need to do for your bank balance and what you need to do for your wellbeing.”

Mr Taylor added that it was essential officers take all of their annual leave entitlement.

“Annual leave is really important to recharge those batteries,” he said. “And without the recharge, you just get more and more run down.

“You need a recharge every now and again, and if you’re struggling to get your annual leave, and that’s purely down to resources. We’ve not got as many people on as we’d like to have, and therefore it makes it that bit harder to get people off on leave, then that could be an explanation for why fatigue’s starting to play more of a part.”