West Yorkshire Police officer left with PTSD details trauma as Channel 4 uncover 100 suicides in three years
A former West Yorkshire Police officer has spoken of the trauma he endured as Channel 4 revealed the findings of their investigation into rising suicide numbers within UK policing.
Ben Pearson, who medically retired from West Yorkshire Police due to PTSD, has described the trauma of repeated exposure to death and tragedy.
It comes as a Channel 4 investigation uncovered that at least 100 UK police officers and staff have taken their own lives in the past three years, sparking fears of a mental health crisis in UK policing.
Multiple officers and bereaved families have warned of an escalating mental health emergency inside UK policing, citing not just the toll of day-to-day working pressures but also the ongoing handling of misconduct allegations against police employees.
Former West Yorkshire officer Ben Pearson said: “You see things that would make normal people have nightmares and you’re expected to go back daily.”
Freedom of Information data obtained by Channel 4 News from the National Police Chiefs’ Council which represents all UK police leaders has shown that 46 serving officers and 20 police staff died by suicide during this period. An additional 26 former officers and eight ex-staff also took their own lives, bringing the total to 100, with the vast majority of those being men.
The Police Federation said its own data suggests more than half of those who died were under live investigation at the time, with police sources warning that inconsistent data collection means the true number is likely to be higher.
Included in today’s findings from Channel 4 News are revelations that the suspected suicides of two police officers in under six months has triggered an independent review of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Professional Standards Department.
Mel Warnes, the Federation’s Conduct and Performance lead, told Channel 4 News: “This is a tragedy that policing must confront. Yet forces have no legal responsibility to record these deaths, let alone prevent them - that has to change.
“Whether it is the cumulative toll of trauma or the stress of prolonged investigations, too many officers are being failed.”
In addition, a coroner investigating the death of a West Yorkshire Police officer - who had been suspended for close to two years - has recommended a review of the force’s “internal disciplinary processes”, warning “there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken.”
The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) told Channel 4 News the officer would have “had a case to answer for gross misconduct”, had he not taken his own life.
Channel 4 News is also aware of ongoing complaints against Surrey Police and Sussex Police forces, after officers who were the subject of misconduct proceedings took their own lives.
The total number of police officers sacked and barred from serving in England and Wales rose from 257 in 2020–2021 to 593 in 2023–2024, an increase of nearly 80%, according to the College of Policing.
A Home Office spokesperson told Channel 4 News: “Any officer losing their life to suicide is a tragedy and their families, colleagues and friends will always have our deepest sympathies. We are committed to supporting the mental and physical wellbeing of all our police and are working closely with police leaders and staff associations on this.
“The recent launch of the new mental health crisis support line by the National Police Wellbeing Service is a vital step forward, ensuring officers and staff have access to immediate, confidential help when they need it most.”