THE Scottish Government has hit back at criticism after a report found 35% of police officers have gone to work despite suffering from mental ill health.
Tabling a motion on the issue at Holyrood, LibDem leader Willie Rennie detailed a recent study of Police Scotland officers which outlined mental health problems.
He said the findings, which have yet to be published but were revealed by the LibDem leader this week, should “shake the Government to the core”.
The study, commissioned by Police Scotland and carried out by Canadian researchers, found 35% of officers reported going to work while mentally unwell, 57% said they had become stressed by a lack of resources and just 3% said they felt the force cared about their well-being.
READ MORE: Report highlights stress, exhaustion and depression among police
But Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick said: “Willie Rennie mentioned the research that was commissioned by Police Scotland and I think that’s an indication of an employer that’s taking the mental health of its staff seriously. That’s good practice, they’re wanting to understand what needs to be done. We’re looking forward to analysing that research when it is published.”
He also said the Scottish Government has a 10-year mental health strategy aimed at drawing parity between mental and physical health.
Rennie had said police officers are “struggling with their mental health, being let down by those at the top and by those in this government”.
The study also found 21% of officers reported suffering from low mood, while a further 10% said they had turned to alcohol or prescription drugs to cope.
Rennie said: “That’s the officers that are meant to be keeping us safe in our communities, turning up to work with a mental illness. Just let that sink in for a minute. And the evidence is there that they don’t get enough support.”
FitzPatrick pointed out that the Scottish Government is committing £180,000 to extend the Lifelines Scotland programme. “Extending the programme will support the resilience and well-being of first responder staff in the blue light services to ensure that they feel supported, informed and valued,” he said.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel