The 2025 national police wellbeing survey, conducted by Leapwise for Oscar Kilo - The National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS), revealed a wide range of issues across policing. As forces and national policing leaders start to digest results and take action, Leapwise and Oscar Kilo are exploring some of the findings in more detail through a series of ‘deep dive’ articles and reports. The aim is for these reports to be rigorous but accessible – and delivered in time for them to inform reforms to improve police performance and workplace wellbeing and engagement.
Introduction
The 2025 National Police Wellbeing Survey was one of the largest surveys ever conducted in UK policing, providing a robust evidence base on the lived experiences of officers and staff across the service. This year, we partnered with Leapwise, a policing-specialist consultancy, to deliver a more agile, focused, and timely national wellbeing survey.
As the National Police Wellbeing Service, we support forces in creating healthy working environments and fulfilling their legal and moral duty of care. In line with our mission, and to complement the headline findings of the survey, we are publishing a series of ‘deep dive’ reports that explore key themes in greater detail.
These reports, alongside the survey itself, show us clearly what shifts the dial on wellbeing. We now know where to focus — and the next step is action. That’s what the NPWS is here to do. We’re sharing these insights with forces so they can target their efforts where they’ll have the greatest impact.
To support this, we’re providing organisational tools such as the national health and wellbeing strategy and the workforce prioritisation guidance, helping forces embed wellbeing into strategic planning. We’re also delivering national solutions in areas such as trauma support and psychological risk management, mental health crisis support, peer support and outreach solutions that enable consistent, cost-effective wellbeing support - saving forces time and resources. And through our website, we offer direct access to help and guidance for officers, staff, their families, and those leaving the service.
The deep dive series
These reports are rigorous yet accessible, supporting reform efforts to improve performance, wellbeing, and engagement across policing.
The first report was published in September 2025 and focused on psychological safety – you can read the first report here.
This is our second deep dive report and is focused on the ‘drivers of wellbeing’ which highlights the factors most closely linked to burnout, emotional energy, engagement, and intention to leave - so forces can focus effort where it will have the greatest impact.
The key drivers of wellbeing
The following have been highlighted by the survey, and the deep dive report as the key drivers of wellbeing:
- Workload pressure - Difficulty taking breaks and time pressure are key contributors to burnout and emotional fatigue.
- Organisational support - Support for emotionally demanding work and work-life balance are critical. Internal workload management (not external demand) is the main issue.
- Workplace misconduct - Bullying, harassment, and assault (by public or colleagues) significantly impact victims’ wellbeing.
- Fairness of pay - Perceived unfairness in pay contributes to lower wellbeing, especially among officers.
- Health and duties - Those with long-term health conditions or on adjusted/recuperative duties report lower wellbeing.
- Age and length of service - Wellbeing declines in early years of service but improves with age and tenure. New recruits start with high wellbeing, which drops sharply within 3 years.
- Team dynamics - Poorer perceptions of belonging, inclusion, and constructive disagreement among those on limited duties.
Additional insights
- Officers report lower wellbeing than staff, explained by breaks, pay, work-life balance, and assault exposure.
- Differences by function (e.g., frontline vs support roles) are mostly explained by workload and work-life balance.
- Intention to stay drops sharply within 3 years of service, especially among officers.
- Variation across forces shows that solutions exist. Better outcomes under similar conditions highlight the impact of how work is organised and led.
Focus areas
| Driver | Focus areas for improvement |
|---|---|
| Workload | Unmanageable demand, role ambiguity, and administrative friction (e.g. duplication, inefficient processes, IT hurdles) are strongly associated with higher burnout and intention to leave. Structured and purposeful caseloads help mitigate negative effects of high demand, even when workload remains intense. Internal workload pressures - not external factors like crime rates or staffing levels - are the key drivers of stress and exhaustion. Forces that provide clear support for emotionally demanding work and work-life balance see significantly better wellbeing outcomes.
|
| Organisational support | Recovery is as important as demand. Irregular rest, missed breaks and difficulty switching off are linked to lower emotional energy. Predictable time off and decompression opportunities are protective. Fatigue risk is systemic. Shift design, night work and cumulative sleep debt reduce alertness and increase error risk; supervisor awareness and simple recovery tools help. Line managers are a primary lever. Consistent supervisory behaviours - availability, fairness, clarity, recognition and practical problem-solving - align with better team climate and lower burnout. Trauma-aware practice protects capability. Early identification of exposure, timely peer/supervisor debrief and clear post-incident pathways support recovery and sustain work ability in higher-risk roles. Team climate matters. Teams that ‘pull together’, invite challenge and share problem-solving report better wellbeing outcomes under similar demand profiles.
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| Misconduct | Leadership development with a focus on psychological safety, ensuring leaders and line managers create inclusive, respectful environments. Recruitment and vetting processes that screen for values and behaviours aligned with professional standards. Professional standards policy and practice that actively prevent, identify, and address misconduct, with clear reporting mechanisms and support for victims. Culture change initiatives to reduce stigma, promote respectful workplace behaviours, and reinforce zero tolerance for bullying and harassment
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| Age & service | Enhanced onboarding and mentoring for new recruits to address the sharp drop in wellbeing within the first 3 years of service. Tailored wellbeing interventions that reflect generational differences in expectations, external stressors, and financial stability. Focused support on work-life balance and workload management to improve retention and wellbeing in early service years. Recognition and reinforcement strategies for long-serving officers who have adapted to the demands of policing and contribute to organisational stability.
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| Health conditions & limited duties | Targeted wellbeing support for those with long-term physical or mental health conditions, recognising their increased vulnerability to exhaustion and burnout. Enhanced family support initiatives, especially for those on adjusted or recuperative duties, to aid recovery and emotional stability. Improved team-level inclusion and management practices to address lower perceptions of belonging and collegiality among those on limited duties. Cross-force learning from best practice examples where support for limited duties staff is stronger, helping to reduce wellbeing disparities
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The full deep dive report
While this page provides a summary of the key findings, we strongly encourage you to download and read the full report. It contains detailed insights, data breakdowns, and practical analysis that can support more targeted and informed decision-making at both strategic and operational levels.
The intention is that forces will review these insights and consider how they can inform their strategic planning, workforce engagement, and organisational development.