A landmark police wellbeing survey in the United Kingdom has reinforced a message that will resonate with many Police Association members: policing is not suffering from a lack of resilience; it is suffering from a lack of recovery. 

The findings from the National Police Workforce and Wellbeing Survey 2026, which gathered responses from more than 55,000 police officers and staff across England and Wales, reveal a workforce grappling with exhaustion, burnout and relentless demand. 

More than half of respondents said they regularly felt physically exhausted, 45% reported feeling burnt out and almost two-thirds said they routinely worked beyond their contracted hours. Insufficient staffing and cover were identified as the primary drivers. 

For Kiwi Police staff, the findings are strikingly familiar.

The NZ Police Association’s 2025 Member Survey found that 85% of respondents had worked while overtired during the previous 12 months, 78% had worked while sick, and 56% had worked while mentally stressed or traumatised. More than half rated mental health as a serious problem within Police culture. 

Resilience to responsibility

While conducted on opposite sides of the world, both surveys point to the same conclusion: police wellbeing challenges are increasingly being recognised as organisational issues rather than individual ones. 

For many years, wellbeing initiatives in policing have focused largely on helping officers become more resilient. But a growing body of evidence suggests there are limits to what personal resilience can achieve when staff are dealing with chronic understaffing, heavy workloads, repeated trauma exposure and ongoing operational pressure. 

The UK survey reflects a significant shift in thinking.

National Police Wellbeing Service director Andy Rhodes told Police Oracle in August that officers and staff were sending a clear message about what they needed: “Our people are telling us they want more time to recover, and we are treating that as a national call to action.”

Police Association president Steve Watt says the UK findings reinforce concerns already being raised by members.

“The findings from the UK essentially mirror what our members told us in 2025. The issue isn’t a lack of commitment or resilience among police staff. Our people are passionate about the job and deeply committed to their communities. The challenge is the cumulative impact of workload, fatigue, trauma exposure and relentless demand.”

Steve says the conversation internationally is moving in the right direction.

“We’re seeing a shift away from expecting individuals to simply be more resilient and towards recognising that organisations have a responsibility to create healthy workplaces. That’s an important conversation for policing in New Zealand because wellbeing should be treated as a core operational requirement, not an optional extra.”

The missing ingredient

One of the strongest themes emerging from the UK survey is the need for recovery time.

For police staff, recovery means more than annual leave. It includes having enough people on the roster, adequate breaks, manageable workloads, time between shifts and sufficient support following exposure to traumatic events.

Nearly two-thirds of UK respondents reported regularly working extra hours, while large numbers said they were physically exhausted or burnt out. 

The picture is much the same in New Zealand. 

Steve says proper recovery should be viewed as essential, not optional.

He said fatigue management has been a key concern for members, with the recent bargaining settlement delivering improvements including increasing the minimum break between shifts from nine to 10 hours, strengthening right-to-disconnect provisions and committing to a review of the impact of workplace interruptions on employee fatigue. 

“One of the strongest messages from both surveys is that police need adequate time to top up the tank. Recovery isn’t a luxury; it’s an essential part of maintaining a healthy and effective workforce. Without sufficient staffing, manageable workloads and proper support following traumatic events, people simply cannot sustain the pressures of modern policing indefinitely.”

The surveys also highlight a growing recognition that fatigue is not simply a personal health concern. More and more police organisations are treating fatigue as a safety issue.

Physical and mental exhaustion can affect judgment, situational awareness, decision-making and reaction times, potentially placing both police employees and the public at greater risk. 

In New Zealand, members identified inadequate resources, pressure from above and lack of backup or breaks as significant contributors to workplace risk. 

Likewise, UK police leaders warned that workload pressures, fatigue, burnout and poor work-life balance affect not only workforce wellbeing but also policing’s ability to deliver the best possible service. 

Steve says the safety implications should not be overlooked: “Working while overtired, sick, stressed or traumatised is a major safety issue. Fatigue has implications for both our people and the public they serve.”

Turning findings into action

One key component in the UK survey covers what happens next.

The findings will help shape mandatory wellbeing standards across UK police jurisdictions. These will sit alongside national work focused on trauma, fatigue, psychological health and early intervention. Additional reviews will examine workload, leadership and wellbeing support. 

The goal is to ensure support does not depend on where someone works, who they work for or how well they cope alone. 

For Kiwis, the survey is a reminder that the challenges identified in the 2025 Member Survey are not unique. Around the world, police organisations are grappling with the same pressures. 

What is changing is how those pressures are being viewed.

Rather than asking police staff to simply harden up, there is growing recognition that efficient, effective policing requires healthy, supported people, and that means workplaces where recovery time, wellbeing and safety are treated as fundamental operational requirements, not afterthoughts.