New figures revealing the devastating number of police officer suicides and attempted suicides have been described as ‘shocking’ by South Wales Police Federation chair Phil Walker.
Phil said there was support for members who are struggling with their emotional and mental wellbeing, as he encouraged them not to bottle things up.
Now he’s added his voice to growing calls for all police suicides and attempted suicides to be recorded.
Police suicide
His comments came as data released by the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) showed that more than 100 police officers and staff died by suicide between 2022 and 2025. At least 70 of those were police officers.
During the same period, there have been more than 200 attempted suicides.
The Federation warned that the true figures are likely to be higher as forces are not currently required to record suicide or attempted suicide.
It said that because of that, policing is not currently regarded by the Office for National Statistics as an ‘occupation at risk’.
Phil said: “The figures are shocking. Every life lost is a tragedy, and then there is the impact on loved ones, colleagues, and friends.
“What’s even more startling is the fact that forces don’t have to record suicides and attempted suicides.
“Without proper recording, we will never fully understand the scale of the problem, and it becomes far harder to put the right support and steps in place.
“Which is why we back PFEW’s calls for mandatory recording, which is an essential step in ensuring we protect those who protect us.”
Suicide crisis
The Federation has set out a six-point plan to end the crisis:
• Chief Constables need to agree today to begin recording and reporting on suicide and attempted suicide in the workforce. We believe this needs to be a requirement set out in law and support Lord Bailey’s amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill which would make recording and reporting mandatory.
• Police conduct regulations need to mandate a 12-month limit for disciplinary investigations into police officers, whether that is by the IOPC or police forces.
• Health and Safety legislation needs to treat police suicide as an incident at work and therefore reportable and investigated under ‘RIDDOR’ rules.
• All forces should implement the Federation’s STEP (Suicide Trauma Education Prevention) campaign, a new national initiative launched by Hampshire Police Federation and backed by PFEW. It aims to tackle the rising number of police officer suicides and exposing the often-unseen trauma officers face when repeatedly attending suicide incidents. It calls for mandatory TRiM (Trauma Risk Management) interventions for any officer attending a suicide.
• The coronial system needs to reflect the unique aggravating or contributory factors of the role of police officers in suicide and ensure that the crisis is dealt with nationally rather than through a patchwork of “prevention of future deaths” reports after individual inquests.
• The Police Covenant needs to be funded to better support the welfare and wellbeing of police officers in the same way that the Armed Forces Covenant and Covenant Trust does.
Policing is unique
Phil added: “Policing is a job like no other, and every day we face difficult situations in keeping the public safe.
“The job can bring with it an emotional cost, and then there are the challenges that life throws up away from work.
“We must remember that police officers are only human and sometimes it can take its toll.
“Support is there for members. Please speak to a Fed rep or a trusted colleague, because you are never on your own.”
PFEW national chair Tiff Lynch said: “This silent crisis has to end. Policing is a unique job carrying unique risks and officers know that the work they do will scar them mentally and physically.
“What they shouldn’t have to deal with is inadequate welfare support and a box-ticking approach to the duty of care forces have in their people.”