Staff and officers at Lincolnshire Police are to be given two days off a year to aid their personal wellbeing, the force has announced.
It is hoped that the initiative – which is the first of its kind in UK policing – will improve how officers deal with the ‘significant demands’ of their job.
Chief Constable Bill Skelly said: “I have been most impressed by the commitment of Lincolnshire Police staff and officers but I am increasingly seeing the impact that this can have on their physical and mental well-being.”
“By encouraging our staff to take time to look after themselves I believe that we can make an improvement to how they feel at work. We hope that this will help to reduce sickness and improve levels of resilience across the organisation,” he said.
The news follows a survey published last year, which looked at the wellbeing of police staff across England and Wales.
The study revealed that 62% of respondents said they felt optimistic about the future ‘rarely’ or ‘none of the time’, while 39% of respondents reported work-related stress.
The announcement also comes after the force announced that it would be partnering with the University of Lincoln to provide fitness mentors to improve wellbeing.