‘Constant pressures from all angles’: Understanding the mental health of UK police officers

Abstract

Policing in the United Kingdom can be challenging. The organisational (i.e., within the police force) and operational (i.e., when working in the field) stressors that police officers encounter can negatively impact their mental health. To investigate this 54 currently serving police officers completed an online survey. Most participants typically felt organisational and operational pressures led to a decline in their mental health, regardless of their years in service. This means that participants in their first year and those with over 25 years in service typically reported similar work-related stressors. This paper provides a qualitative overview of work-related stressors.