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The hidden health costs of policing

New research explores the health impacts of policing and the challenges of accessing

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Researchers at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) have published new findings into the physical and mental health impacts of working in policing, revealing the significantly higher risk of developing a range of health conditions faced by those working in the service.

The research, informed by interviews with frontline professionals, also showed that those working in policing often delay asking for help and, when they do, medical professionals can lack understanding of the workplace pressures they face, which can impact the support provided.

ARU’s Centre of Excellence for Equity in Uniformed Public Services (CEEUPS) works with policing partners and practitioners, including the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the National Police Wellbeing Service (Oscar Kilo), to better understand the challenges they face and to co-develop approaches to solving them.

In England and Wales in 2024/25, some sources identify that over 2.5 million working days, were lost to sickness amongst police officers and staff.

ARU researchers carried out a scoping study of medical literature to understand the evidence for the health impacts of working in policing, and interviewed police personnel and GPs to understand their experiences of ill health and providing care.

The study reveals police officers to be at a higher risk of a range of physical diseases including cardio-vascular disease, obesity and cancer, as well as reduced life expectancy. It also shows they may be at increased risk of a range of psychological conditions including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and suicidal ideation, as well as experiencing greater declines in general health over the course of their career, when compared with the general public.

Interviews with police and medical practitioners also showed that police personnel often avoid or delay seeking medical help, meaning that they may present later, with more severe symptoms, that may be more challenging to treat. When they do seek help, the research identified that GPs often had limited understandings of police personnel as a distinct patient cohort and had a lack of training or awareness about the potentially increased health risks police personnel face.

Medical practitioners also had limited awareness of the Police Covenant, which places a statutory duty on government and policing organisations to ensure that police personnel and their families are not disadvantaged as a result of their service in the police and to mitigate the impact that this may have on day-to-day life.

These combined factors were found to potentially impact on the delivery of appropriate, targeted, and timely care.

“As part of our work with policing partners, we want to understand the risks the police workforce face from the specific context of their roles, and therefore the ways they can be better protected. Our research has revealed a great deal of concerning evidence, but it also reveals major gaps in our knowledge which we need to explore.

“Much of the evidence we uncovered is from outside the UK. Although we know there are many parallels, more research is needed to better understand the health risks to police personnel in the UK context. Our review also identified critical gaps in our understanding of groups in policing other than white male police officers. Bridging these gaps and understanding these differences is critical to developing better, more equitable, preventative treatment pathways both within policing and the wider health sector.

“There is a strong moral argument for ensuring that we understand how to protect those who dedicate their lives to keeping us safe.  There is an equally strong argument for ensuring that our public institutions have the capacity and capability to deliver their missions on our behalf.  It is particularly important that we better understand how working in policing, and indeed other uniformed public services, impacts those who might be affected differently, such as women and those from Black or minoritised communities, so that we can ensure that there is equity of understanding, equity of focus, and equity of action in addressing these challenges. 

“These findings also serve as a vital evidence base for ARU’s partnership work with police forces across our entire portfolio of police education. By integrating these insights into our educational programmes, we are working to shift the cultures, ensuring that psychological safety and health literacy are prioritised as core professional competencies throughout policing careers.”

Lead author Richard Harding, Senior Research Fellow in CEEUPS

“It is well known that police officers face more traumatic incidents and deal with higher personal risk than the general population, but it is less understood that they are also susceptible to a range of physical and psychological health burdens as a result of their work and of the organisational and cultural environments they work within.

“The message from our participants was consistent around issues such as the stigma of admitting the need for help within policing, and the lack of appreciation of police personnel as a specific patient cohort amongst GPs. 

“Whilst the findings might appear stark, it is our belief that they start to point to solutions, as we work to better understand the risks police officers and staff face by researching the UK picture further. Wellbeing and health efforts must be designed and delivered from a more preventative perspective, and the Police Covenant must be supported to deliver on its mission, and GPs need to be equipped with the knowledge to support them in doing so.”

Co-author Dr Sarah Colley

Recommendations within the reports include:

  • Bridging knowledge gaps to better understand health risks in UK policing populations generally, but particularly amongst under-represented groups and police staff.
  • Ensuring that organisations focus on both prevention and treatment of health impacts.
  • Better understanding of the landscape, links and gaps between in-house and external public/private primary and secondary care and charity providers to deliver an effective response to these challenges.
  • Ensuring that the Police Covenant is supported to deliver its promise in this area, particularly in respect of a) the evidence of what the issues are and how they can be effectively tackled, and b) primary and secondary health service awareness and treatment pathways for health impacts linked to policing as a distinct occupational cohort similar to the military.

The findings and recommendations of this research have been shared with police forces, the Home Office, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the National Police Wellbeing Service.

The full reports can be viewed here: https://www.aru.ac.uk/research/our-research-institutes-and-centres/centre-of-excellence-for-equity-in-uniformed-public-services/research-projects/health-inequalities-in-policing