Overtime demands impacting on wellbeing

SLEEP deprivation and a need to work overtime are impacting on officers’ health and wellbeing, says Essex Police Federation Chairman Steve Taylor.

With mental health and wellbeing being more widely discussed at National Federation level, it’s important that Essex members feel able to talk about the issue, he added.

“It’s frustrating in that like everything else mental health and wellbeing needs investment, but we’ve acknowledged there is a problem force wide which is the first step,” he said.

“It’s about a cultural change, any police officer will fill in and do overtime if the job demands it, it will be ‘there’s overtime going who wants it’ push, push, push.

“But let’s hang on a second because every bit of extra work we do is going to have an impact on work/life balance, on rest periods and sleep patterns.”

It’s already hard for officers to get enough sleep and to avoid the well-documented symptoms sleep deprivation can cause, due to the shift work most have to perform their duties under he says.

“Culturally we seem willing to allow colleagues to abuse their rest periods in the name of overtime,” he said.

“And yet sleep deprivation can have serious consequences. We understand that for many officers overtime is the only way they can manage financially and that’s another issue that needs looking at.

“Unfortunately, sometimes our ‘can-do’ attitude can be our own worst enemy, but we are looking at the issue. It’s a challenge of, course, to alter the culture but we need to stop pushing ourselves and our colleagues to the brink.”