POLICE ABSENCE NEEDS LONG-TERM STRATEGY

摘要

A former consultant occupational psychiatrist to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) claims that a major culture shift is needed in order to address the toll of long-term sickness absence in the police. However, his views are criticised as outdated by the MPS's current chief medical officer. Writing in the BMJ, Dr Derek Summerfield, now honorary senior lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London, says that during his time working for the MPS (2001-2004) 4.8% of the workforce was not on full operational duties 'mainly because of stress-related absence'- lost time equivalent to 180 police officers a month.