PSNI has 550 officers off sick each day and another 1,080 are on restricted duties, says ChiefConPSNI Simon Byrne
Simon Byrne says the PSNi is working with its officers to give them the necessary helpChief Constable Simon Byrne has said the Police Service of Northern Ireland is facing a big challenge with the number of officers off on sick leave.In an interview with BBC News NI, Mr Byrne said he was particularly concerned by absences linked to psychological problems."We have seen an increase in the number of officers sick," said Mr Byrne.
"It is a real concern for us because the biggest change we have seen is the number of people off for psychological reasons.About 6,700 officers work for the PSNI but on a given day almost a quarter cannot work on the front line, either due to illness or having their duties restricted "We can speculate. Is it about the stress of working more with less resources and people just being burnt out?
"Or is it the effect of worrying about the cost-of-living crisis? Or is it just the drip-drip effect of policing traumatic incidents?" He said it was "a key challenge" for the PSNI and it was working to provide officers with the help they require.That limits the type of work they can carry out and keeps them away from frontline policing roles.
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