Record numbers of police on long-term sick leave costs taxpayer nearly £3 million per week - with Federation blaming 'poor management, rising assaults and increasing workloads'

Published: 22:03, 1 August 2026 | Updated: 22:05, 1 August 2026 Record numbers of police are on long-term sick leave, with critics blaming poor management, rising levels of violence and increasing workloads for the problem. Home Office figures show that the equivalent of 3,358 full-time officers across 43 forces were absent through sickness, at a cost to the taxpayer of nearly £3 million a week. The figures do not include those who rang in sick on the day of the count, only those on long-term sick leave, which the Home Office defines as an absence of more than 28 days. It means every officer included in the total had already been off work for at least a month when the snapshot was taken during the annual manpower survey on March 31.  The total of long-term absent officers has risen for five years in a row to its record high and is up 71 per cent on 2021 when the figure stood at 1,965. The Home Office does not say what is driving the rise but confirms many officers are unable to work because of injuries, assaults and psychological conditions. The absent officers - the equivalent of 2,653 full-time constables, 508 sergeants, 137 inspectors and 59 of more senior rank - share a combined salary bill of around £150 million a year - the equivalent of nearly £3 million a week in wages. William Yarwood, campaigns director of The TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'Victims will be horrified that record numbers of police officers are off sick while forces plead for more resources. New Home Office figures show the equivalent of 3,358 full-time police officers across 43 forces were absent through sickness, at a cost to the taxpayer of nearly £3 million per week 'Taxpayers are funding close to £3 million a week in wages for officers unable to report for duty, at the very moment the public wants more bobbies on the beat and criminals behind bars. 'Police chiefs must get a grip on sickness absence, tackle poor management and make sure recruitment drives are not being swallowed up by officers stuck off the front line.' The Met Police had the most officers on sick leave - 750 - followed by Greater Manchester on 209, West Midlands on 169, West Yorkshire on 152 and South Wales on 119.  But as a share of its strength, Cleveland was worst affected, with 72 of its 1,504 full-time equivalent officers - 4.8 per cent, or one in 21 - off sick on the day of the count. Across England and Wales as a whole, 2.3 per cent of officers - one in 43 - were off sick. A Police Federation spokesman said last night: 'These figures are a clear warning. 'Long-term sickness is the inevitable result of relentless workloads, constant trauma, rising assaults, and a system that treats officers as an endless resource.'