CONCERNS over the mental health of police officers have been raised after it was revealed that more than 100,000 days were lost to mental health issues in under two years.

The “brutal toll” has led to claims the mental health of police officers is being “sidelined”.

A freedom of information request to Police Scotland has shown that 126,114 officer and staff days were lost due to mental health issues between January 2019 and September 2020.

The request was made by the LibDems who are now calling for a staff survey to be carried out urgently. LibDem MSP Liam McArthur said no staff surveys had been made since 2015 when just 8% of respondents said they thought the police force was genuinely interested in staff wellbeing.

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has said he expects the next survey will take place this month.

“These figures show the brutal toll that mental ill-health is taking on the national force but these figures only offer a glimpse of what officers and staff experience,” said McArthur.

“In the six years since the first full staff survey provided a worrying insight, Freedom of Information requests have repeatedly shown a situation getting worse. More days than ever are being lost to mental health. Covid can only have made things more difficult.

“The Scottish Government and Police Scotland need to make the new survey a priority, so they can get to grips with what’s going on behind the scenes. The mental health of officers and staff cannot be sidelined.”

Police Scotland’s director of people Jude Helliker said the safety and wellbeing of officers and staff was a key priority for Police Scotland.

“Policing is a rewarding and challenging vocation and I would encourage any officers and staff to discuss any concerns with their line manager or supervisor,” she said.

“In addition, there is a range of support mechanisms available to our people, including an employee assistance programme, a wellbeing champion network and post-trauma support. The chief constable has committed to bring forward additional initiatives to support wellbeing, including the rollout of mental fitness resilience and coping strategy training.

“We are fully committed to our people survey and will support participation to maximise the value of this important initiative and we will advise officers and staff as progress is made.”