More than two in five police officers killed between 2008 and 2019 died while travelling to or from work, a study has revealed.
A major review of officer safety by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said the finding “could not be ignored” and pledged to carry out further research into any links between shift work and road accidents.
The report said: “While the primary focus of the OSSR (officer and staff safety review) was to reduce the number and severity of assaults faced by our officers and staff, this finding could not be ignored.
“To that end, this review recommends a number of measures intended to reduce the number of road-related fatalities. These include the commissioning of research to examine the link between shift work and safe driving practices.”
Research showed that of 92 officers who died between 2008 and 2019, 39 were killed in road accidents while commuting to or from duties.
Kent Chief Constable Alan Pughsley, NPCC lead for officer safety, said: “We are doing a huge review on this to understand health and safety-wise, shift pattern or any other element that may or may not contribute to it.”
National vice-chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales Che Donald questioned if tiredness could be a factor in the accidents.
He said: “Losing colleagues under any set of circumstances is tragic but seeing such a worryingly high number of officers losing their lives whilst commuting to or from work sets alarm bells ringing.
“There may be multiple factors behind the reasons why, but it is likely fatigue would have played a part in many of these cases and officers have told us they feel their levels of fatigue poses a risk to their safety.
“The safety of police officers is absolutely paramount, and the Federation will continue to work with policing leaders as this vital piece of research to pinpoint the causes is carried out to help prevent further loss of life.”
