More than 2,000 Metropolitan Police officers were signed off work due to stress, depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder in the past year.
The figures were described as “outrageous” by a policing leader who said more needed to be done to support those struggling with poor mental health.
Paula Dodds, chair of the Met Police Federation representing 30,000 rank-and-file officers in London, added: “Quite frankly, the support that officers get is not good enough.
“The provisions currently in place don’t help officers – we see an average of 400-600 traumatic events in our careers, and there’s no support for that.
“Chief officers need to be held to account and they need to do more.
“They rely on the Federation or the NHS to support officers and get them through their waiting lists. And it’s just not acceptable.
“Officers need regular screening to make sure they are in a good place mentally.
“There needs to be trauma training as well, so that every officer can identify if their colleagues are suffering and where they can be signposted to. Because what we can’t have is officers considering suicide. It’s unacceptable.
“Officers are leaving policing because they can’t take it any more.
“Which then means those officers that remain have an increased workload and witness more trauma.”
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has been forced into “substantial tough choices” despite funding increases from central and local government.
Amid an epidemic of violent crime, mobile phone snatches and shoplifting across London, senior officers warn the “rapidly shrinking Met” must slash services to respond to one million offences annually.
The force is axing 1,700 police, staff and community support officers.
Units protecting eight Royal Parks have been disbanded, despite fierce opposition from councils and victims, 371 safer schools officers are slashed, along with cuts to forensics, mounted police and the Flying Squad.
Across the UK, 17,700 police officers were signed off for mental health reasons in the financial year 2024-25. This is up 22% in 12 months and a huge 182% increase since the first survey in 2013.
Of 45 forces that provided figures to Police Oracle, 33 reported an increased number of officers being signed off for poor mental health.
Other forces reporting particularly high numbers include Police Scotland (1,203), Greater Manchester Police (1,050) and West Midlands Police (1,162).
The data is supported by the fact that 81% of respondents told the latest Police Federation of England and Wales pay and morale survey that they had experienced feelings of stress, low mood, anxiety or other difficulties with their health and wellbeing over the last year.
Of those people, 93% said this had been caused, or made worse, by work, with “workload being too high” (60%) and “having a poor work/life balance” (51%) being cited as the most common reason.
