63% of those who left the police service pointed to the job’s negative effect on their family and personal life as a critical factor, a new Leavers Survey has shown.

The Police Federation of England and Wales captured the experiences of 2,654 officers who had left the job and discovered that reasons for them leaving, included long/irregular hours, high stress and no work/life balance.

The survey showed 27% of police officers are resigning before reaching pension age, with low morale and poor job satisfaction cited as the main reasons.

More than half of resigning police officers stated their mental health has been severely affected by the job.  

74% of resigners cited low morale as a major reason for leaving. 41% of resigners and 32% of retirees pointed to physical health issues as a reason.

60% said understaffing/the inability to meet team or unit demands drove their decision.

Mike Peake, Chair of Greater Manchester Police Federation, said: “The role of a police officer in GMP is getting harder and harder. Government funding falls short of what is needed, and there just isn’t enough police officers to cope with the demand that the second largest police force in England and Wales must deal with.

“The statistics that show that more officers are leaving before reaching pension age are alarming but sadly not surprising. The combination of having to work longer hours, having rest days cancelled, a rise in police assaults, and a growing culture of blame is now taking its toll.

“More and more police officers are now taking their work home and are unable to take much needed time off for rest and recuperation. Also, more officers are finding themselves the subject of long and drawn-out IOPC investigations which carries such a huge burden on not just those individual officers but also their families and loved ones.

“The retention of experienced officers cannot be underestimated if GMP are to continue to improve the service that it provides to its communities. More needs to be done at a local and national level to make police officers feel valued for the difficult role they carry out.

“As a start I would like to see Chief Officers and Politicians be more vocal and speak out in support of those officers who come under attack on what now seems to be a daily basis.”

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Firearms police officers facing trial over shooting suspects will receive anonymity up to the point of conviction, the Home Secretary has said.

Yvette Cooper’s announcement comes days after police officer Sgt Martyn Blake was cleared of murdering Chris Kaba.

Anonymity will stand on the rare instances firearms officers in England and Wales face criminal charges, Cooper said.

The reform to anonymity is part of a new package aimed at police accountability, which includes several measures proposed by the previous Government in March.

They include:

– Speeding up the process for the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) watchdog to send cases to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

– Raising the threshold for the IOPC to refer officers to the CPS

– Ensuring the highly specialised nature of certain policing tactics and tools is reflected in investigative guidance

Mike Peake, Chair of Greater Manchester Police Federation, said: “In life-or-death situations firearms officers face split second decision making to protect members of the public from dangerous offenders.

“The new legal presumption of anonymity for firearms officers involved in criminal proceedings is welcome news, and I am pleased that this decision is one of common sense which should offer armed officers some reassurance when carrying out their job.

“The need to buck the trend to find fault in everything the police do is long overdue as police officers currently find themselves in the difficult position of being damned if they do and damned if they don’t.

“The Government need to understand that policing today is a complex and demanding role that moves at an incredibly fast pace resulting in quick decision making in order to protect the public.

“When the public need us they expect our protection and police officers deserve the same protection from Government when they constantly put themselves at risk to protect others.

“GMP colleagues come to work to do the best they can and in return the least they should expect is for the Government to do the same for them.”

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GMP Federation Rep Lauren Bridge has helped organise a ‘wave of light’ remembrance event for parents in the force who have gone through the trauma of losing a baby.

The event was held ahead of a national ‘wave of light’ event tonight (15 October) at 7pm – with people encouraged to light a candle for an hour to mark the impact of baby loss.

Lauren, who is an active part of GMP’s maternity support network, helped organise the commemorative event at the force’s training school in Sedgley Park.

Those who attended were able to spend time supporting each other and lit candles to remember their own loss.

Lauren has worked alongside Insp Toni Jackson and Detective Superintendent Jude Holmes to help a number of officers in often intangible ways. Det Supt Holmes is due to retire in the coming days but was keen to attend this event to support fellow officers.

Baby loss is a sad but common event in many people’s lives, and the Federation can guide you to support networks to help you through this difficult period.

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