POLICING is at risk of collapse with more officers taking time off work due to mental health, the boss of Cumbria's Police Federation has said.

Paul Williams said officers were struggling to cope with increasing pressure and demand and facing assaults on duty.

New figures show that police officers in England took more than 730,000 sick days last year – up from 320,000 ten years ago in 2012/13.

Thee rise in police officers taking time off due to mental health issues highlights 'the very real warning signs that policing is at risk of collapse', Mr Williams said.

He said: “These figures reflect the warning signs we have been sounding for some time now.

"Officers are feeling a huge strain in policing. The increasing bureaucracy and ever-more complex crimes are taking their toll, along with extra demand, beyond what we have ever seen before.

“Having just got over the hill of the pandemic, cops have not had a chance to breathe.

"There are now extra demands nationally, more calls for mutual aid, and an increase in crime, which places more demands and responsibility on a service where morale is already very low.”

He added: “Our officers are coming under attack every day and the hard-working majority are becoming increasingly broken.

“Officers are overworked, underpaid, under-recognised for the good work they do, yet publicly flogged for the bad. It’s no surprise that there is a huge increase in sickness.

“The Federation can support our cops to an extent, we don’t want officers to suffer alone.

"What we can't do is wave a magic wand and fix the damage caused by years of austerity and budget cuts.

"The Government needs to recognise the problem and truly invest in addressing it.”

The Home Office has been contacted for comment.