The psychological impact of organisational and operational stressors on the wellbeing of UK detectives: a study of senior investigating officers

Abstract

Police personnel wellbeing has been researched academically for several years, yet limited research has focused on specific roles such as detectives. This is despite a growing retention and recruitment crisis in policing, including in investigative roles. This shortage persists even as overall workforce numbers increase. Improving officers’ mental health and wellbeing is critical for retention, efficiency and policing effectiveness. The present study is the first to examine organisational and operational stress among UK Senior Investigating Officers (SIOs) and psychological distress (anxiety and depression). A cross-sectional survey was completed by 275 SIOs, representing 27% of the national SIO workforce. Findings revealed high prevalence of mental health issues: 59 (21%) met the criteria for depression and 44 (16%) for anxiety. Organisational stress was consistently rated higher than operational stress across most groups. Regression analyses indicated that police stress was predicted by average weekly work hours, child homicide investigations, disaster investigations and personal trauma. Psychological distress was primarily predicted by organisational and operational stressors, accounting for 38% of variance, with operational stress being the strongest predictor. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions addressing organisational and operational stress to improve wellbeing and retention among SIOs.