West Midlands Police (WMP) have experienced a significant increase in officer absences due to stress, rising by 45.4% between 2022 and 2025, according to data obtained through a Freedom of Information Request.
The number of days officers have taken off due to stress surged from 15,918 days in 2022 to 23,150 days in 2025. Within just the first three and a half months of 2025, officers had already taken 4,257 stress-related sick days. This marks 2025 as the year with the highest number of such absences in the past five years. In comparison, 2024 recorded 19,531 days, and 2023 saw 19,883 days off due to stress.
West Midlands Police acknowledges the challenging and often high-risk nature of roles held by its officers and police community support officers (PCSOs). To support their workforce, WMP offers various measures, including counseling services for traumatic incidents, regular health checks, and a 24/7 wellbeing service.
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The force also maintains a stringent process for managing absences, providing interventions and support to staff when needed, and actively works with officers to address and resolve issues affecting attendance.
A WMP spokesperson stated, “West Midlands Police has a committed workforce, and most officers and police staff maintain excellent attendance while consistently delivering high standards of service. We have a robust approach to managing absences, offering appropriate support where necessary. We continue to work closely with staff to resolve any challenges.”
Despite the rise in total stress-related absences over recent years, there was a slight reduction in days taken off for stress in 2024/25 compared to the previous year. The average days off per officer dropped from 38.3 days in 2023/24 to 36.0 days in 2024/25, reflecting ongoing efforts to support staff wellbeing.