Scottish Police Officers at Breaking Point from Daily Horrors and Lack of Support
Frontline officers in Scotland are struggling to cope with the psychological toll of witnessing horrific daily scenes including murders, child abuse cases, and fatal car crashes, according to their representatives. The Scottish Police Federation (SPF) has warned that constant strain combined with inadequate support is having a disastrous impact on officers and their families.
Survey Reveals Widespread Distress
A survey of nearly 700 police staff, shared exclusively with the Scottish Mail on Sunday, found that 93 percent of officers believe their work is negatively affecting their lives. The research involved 628 officers across constable, sergeant, inspector, and chief inspector ranks, examining their experiences and the personal impact of policing.
David Threadgold, SPF chairman, stated: "Officers at every level of Police Scotland are struggling to cope with what they're witnessing on a daily basis. It has always been the case that officers have to respond to calls that are often horrific - murders, abuse cases, car accidents, the death of children, but previously they felt supported by their organisation."
He continued: "The issue we're now seeing is that due to the fall in police officer numbers, the rising sickness absence levels and the fact our capacity is being squeezed so much by demand from health-related calls, officers are at breaking point."
Heartbreaking Accounts from the Frontline
Officers provided candid and distressing accounts of their experiences. One officer described attending a call where a three-year-old child was killed by a driver, saying: "I will never forget the child's face. I have a child and that night I went home, kissed my child who was asleep and drank alcohol alone."
Another officer recounted: "A vehicle evaded my road closure and struck a pedestrian sending them high into the air. They landed directly in front of my police vehicle. I still feel guilty because I was unable to stop the traffic and the noise of the impact still lives with me today."
The survey revealed that 92 percent of officers believe policing has negatively impacted them, yet two-thirds (67 percent) have never received training or support to manage trauma or identify signs of trauma in colleagues.
Support Services Found Inadequate
Officers who accessed Police Scotland's Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) service described it as unhelpful, with many calling it a "tick-box exercise" with "no value at all." One officer reported: "The process was a sergeant speaking to me but having to leave halfway through our talk as she was running late for something else. I received no follow up with regards to counselling."
Another officer said TRiM was "full of empty platitudes and didn't make me cope or feel better at all." When asked if Police Scotland was proactively dealing with trauma, 87 percent of officers responded "No."
Workforce Strategy Off Track
Most officers (95 percent) believe the force's strategy to create a "thriving workforce" by 2030 is not on track. One officer commented: "We are not a supportive organisation, and a culture of mistrust is prevalent as everyone appears to be out for themselves. Absence levels are at an all-time high and the stretched workforce is at breaking point."
Mr Threadgold added: "While information on health and wellbeing may be available, the reality is that training courses are almost exclusively delivered online with content that doesn't translate to the real world. Our officers are in dire need of support. That comes with being properly resourced, properly paid and allowed to focus on the delivery of policing."
He warned: "The current 'model' will only continue to see officer absence rise, an exacerbation of the retention crisis now beginning to have such an impact and a continued feeling that officers are not a priority for their own organisation. This has to change."
Police Scotland's Response
A Police Scotland spokesman referred to Chief Constable Jo Farrell's recent comments to the Scottish Police Authority, where she stated: "Our people are our greatest asset and policing can only succeed if they are physically and emotionally healthy and motivated to serve the people of Scotland."
She continued: "Building a thriving workforce is a key pillar of our vision and part of that is providing better support services like the employee assistance programme, expanding our trauma risk management service and delivering more Lifelines courses. At the same time it's crucial we provide the equipment and facilities which can improve experiences such as bodyworn video and better quality working environments."
