Around one in three, 35 per cent, of police surveyed said they had been abused or threatened by a member of the public while policing the pandemic, according to an academic study. Some 626 serving Hampshire police officers of various ranks and roles were surveyed in the summer of 2020, with further interviews conducted with 39 of those officers in the winter.
Dr Sarah Charman, from the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies at the University of Portsmouth, says: “Perhaps more than any other profession, the police have had to contend with an unenviable list of thorny Covid-19 related issues. The pandemic has changed both what the police do and how they do it, with potential long-lasting consequences for not only the relationship between the public and the police, but for police officers themselves.”
And Geoff Newiss, Research Associate at Portsmouth says: “Our research suggests that steps to improve police wellbeing are going to be much needed, yet ensuring they are effective is likely to be far from straight-forward. Some concerns – such as the additional threats to officers’ safety – might, hopefully, dissipate with the retreat of the virus. Others – such as home working, the heavy toll on frontline officers and public perceptions – will require careful consideration.”
Front-line officers, unable to work from home, recorded the lowest wellbeing scores. Custody staff, neighbourhood police and response and patrol officers reported an increased burden resulting from workload. A majority of officers interviewed commended Hampshire’s welfare support services for staff. Nearly three-quarters of the survey respondents knew where to access organisational support (72.7pc) with only 12.1pc saying they didn’t know how to access these services.
Just over 63pc agreed that the force was adapting well to changes in working conditions due to the pandemic, and just over 60pc stated that they felt equipped to manage personal and work demands. About half the officers questioned were able to work from home. They reported some benefits, such as improved mental health, greater productivity, a better work-life balance, and more flexibility to manage childcare. However, the study also showed potential downsides to police wellbeing; such as perceptions of unfairness, isolation, problems managing workload and separating work from home life.
Hampshire Assistant Chief Constable Maggie Blyth said: “Policing by consent is vital to us at Hampshire Constabulary, as is the trust and confidence of our diverse communities. The additional powers that policing has been given during the pandemic are temporary in line with The Coronavirus Act 2020 and the Health Protection Regulations 2021 and we have continued to focus on crime and reducing harm across Hampshire at the same time.
“The events of the last year have been unprecedented, not just for our communities, but also for our workforce. Wellbeing has been an important topic for policing in recent years with Oscar Kilo (National Police Wellbeing Service) launching in 2017. The pandemic has placed significant pressures upon officers and staff, but the results of this research show that Hampshire Constabulary is successfully delivering support to the officers that need it. We’re proud to have a comprehensive wellbeing scheme for our entire workforce. This comprises wide-ranging actions such as offering flu jabs, fitness challenges, improved physiotherapy and psychological screening, trauma support, information and advice about nutrition, sleep and other health matters.
“Our sickness rates (which also includes people isolating due to the test and trace processes) during the pandemic are testament to the ongoing success of this wellbeing programme. These rates have not exceeded an average of 3.6pc of the total workforce being unable to work at any given time. This means we have had one of the lowest sickness rates for policing in the UK during the pandemic.”
