Officers have told the YEP there is widespread unrest over the new shifts for 5,000 officers introduced by Chief Constable Sir Norman Bettison.

They say they now work fewer hours daily but their numbers of days off have been cut. Officers are now warning they may withdraw from the agreement. They talked of:

Tired colleagues rejecting jobs over their radios with the claims "not in my remit";

Some police being at risk of falling asleep at the wheel;

The children of two officers "never seeing mum and dad together";

Domestic relationships breaking down;

Officers "transferring" to other forces, "changing working roles or going sick" to cope with childcare changes

A leaked report to West Yorkshire Police Federation members, shows that between April and August, 16,000 extra hours were lost to sickness – a 3.4 per cent rise compared to 2007.

The report, written by federation chairman, Tom McGhie, reveals officers describing:

feeling tired all the time";

4pm to 2am weekend shifts routinely retained for overtime;

sergeants regularly removed from Neighbourhood Policing Teams to cover for sickness, custody duties and emergency reserve units;

officers feeling their lives consist only of work or preparing for work;

difficulties scheduling holidays;

short notice in duty changes.

Some federation representatives now want to return to an eight-hour shift system.

The previous "six days on four off" pattern was introduced after the historic three eight-hour round the clock shift system was judged bad for officers' long-term health

Mr McGhie said: "There is no doubt that the changes have had a serious effect on the family life of a large number of officers. We are trying to get the best outcome."

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "People regularly tell us they want a more visible police presence on their street, working at local level to tackle local problems.

"Neighbourhood Policing does that, and the new shift
patterns allow us to provide the necessary cover at the times of greatest need."

He added: "Any change is difficult but we have worked hard to minimise the impact on officers' personal lives, while still providing the services the public expect and need.

"We only have so many officers and these shift patterns maximise the benefits for the public.

"In general, staff and officers working shifts in a 24-hour role in West Yorkshire Police still receive 141 rest days a year (most people get 104), in addition to annual leave and public holidays. The sickness rise reflects a longer term national trend which pre-dates these changes."