Behind the uniform lies unbearable trauma, rising suicides, and a culture that refuses to change. Our officers are cracking under the pressure — and no one is listening.
Policing is by far one of the toughest jobs in the country. No matter what officers do — they’re wrong. Disliked by some, despised by others, and often used as a political football. Yet behind the uniform are people — men and women who witness tragedy daily and are expected to carry on as if nothing happened.
Police officers and emergency service workers face unimaginable trauma. They attend scenes of domestic violence where women or children have been killed, then move straight on to public order calls where crowds shout abuse — “Shame on you!” — with no understanding of what those officers have just seen.
How does the human mind process that? What emotional damage does it leave behind?
The truth is, policing leaves scars you can’t see. Officers and emergency workers across the UK are experiencing severe trauma, yet are left to face it alone. For many, mental health support has become a tick-box exercise.
It’s not just the horrific calls they attend — it’s also the internal culture of policing that breaks them.
Recent figures reveal the depth of the problem. Almost one in five police officers and staff in the UK show symptoms consistent with PTSD or complex PTSD — roughly double the national average. Last year alone, 14,508 officers were signed off work because of stress, depression, anxiety or PTSD, the highest figure on record. Across England and Wales, more than 5,900 full-time officers were on long-term absence, with over 3,000 specifically off sick for mental health-related reasons.
In just the last few years, occupational health referrals for trauma exposure and psychological distress among frontline officers have almost tripled, rising from 1,265 to 3,383 cases annually. The crisis is not new — it is simply no longer possible to hide.
And yet, the silence remains deafening.
Moral trauma, also known as moral injury, is now widely recognised among officers. It’s the deep psychological harm caused when someone is forced to act against their moral code, witnesses injustice they cannot prevent, or feels betrayed by the very system meant to support them. It’s the corrosion of conscience that happens when good people are made to feel powerless.
Officers across the country are suffering in silence. Panic attacks, breakdowns, and suicides are rising — and yet, as one former officer told The Havering Daily, “no one really cares.”
Ask yourself this — could you run towards a fight where youths are swinging machetes? Could you face armed robbers or comfort the family of a suicide victim?
Last year, a man was found dead in a park after taking his own life. Dog walkers recognised him as their local officer. It was a chilling reminder that sometimes, even those sworn to protect us can’t protect themselves.
The Police Federation has confirmed at least 80 suspected police suicides between April 2021 and January 2024, including serving, retired, and staff members. Between 2011 and 2022, there were 242 suicides among serving officers and PCSOs in England and Wales. The organisation has repeatedly called for mandatory recording of police suicides, to ensure lessons are learned and proper care is provided.
Two people working tirelessly to support officers through this crisis are Gary Haynes from PTSD 999 and Toni White, a Peer Support Specialist. They are the ones picking up the pieces when our blue light workers finally crack.
Toni’s journey began in 2018, after sharing a post on men’s mental health online. The response opened her eyes to how severe the problem had become within policing.
“I started to work in the field and within days realised how bad things were,” she told The Havering Daily. “I made connections with senior leaders and saw first-hand how toxic things in policing really were. A study by Cambridge University revealed that the organisational culture was actually more damaging than the job itself. So now, I focus on moral injury as well.”
Although Toni supports women too, much of her work focuses on men’s mental health. “Policing is still very male-dominated, and suicide rates reflect that,” she said. “It’s still a tick-box exercise for most forces — and it’s getting worse as numbers fall and pressure rises.”
Toni described the reality she sees daily: “The initial trauma gets worse because the organisation does nothing. Officers are terrified of admitting they’re struggling because it’s viewed as a weakness. I’ve had officers on the phone, single-crewed, out on duty — having panic attacks. They don’t know where to turn.”
Gary Haynes, founder of PTSD 999, has dedicated his life to supporting emergency workers across the UK. His phone rings constantly with desperate calls for help.
“I have calls from officers who are suicidal — that’s not uncommon,” he said. “The pressure of the job is breaking them.”
Gary set up PTSD 999 to fill the void where official support so often fails. “The pressures they face are unlike any others,” he explained. “Our emergency service workers deal with repeated trauma every day. Our mission is simple — to provide comprehensive support and resources for those impacted by PTSD.”
Both Gary and Toni have become lifelines for those struggling in silence. But they also share the same frustration: nothing changes.
“It needs a whole organisational shift,” Toni said. “But let’s face it — they won’t change.”
Gary agreed: “It won’t change because they’re not prepared to change.”
Their work is life-saving, yet it shouldn’t fall on individuals to hold up the wellbeing of an entire workforce.
The time has come for a national mental health strategy for our 999 workers — not one run by bureaucrats or committees or colleges that do not understand the reality, but by people like Gary and Toni, who truly understand blue light trauma.
Because behind every uniform is a human being — and they are breaking.
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