At the 2025 Police Federation Annual Conference, the issue of police suicide was confronted head‑on in a panel discussion featuring National Board members Richie Murray, Paul Williams and Spencer Wragg, Hampshire Police Federation Chair. What emerged was a sobering picture of a profession under immense strain, where prolonged investigations, heavy workloads, and inadequate welfare provision are pushing officers to breaking point. 

The statistics presented were stark. Thirty‑four officers have taken their own lives while under investigation, and 120 reported suicidal thoughts in the same period 71 of them also under investigation. Murray was blunt: “There is a huge causal link between officer suicides and investigations. Investigations are taking too long, and that has to have an effect.” He added, “Chief constables have a duty of care. No cop out there deserves to have to go through this and take their own lives.” 

The panel highlighted the imbalance between the criminal justice system and internal misconduct inquiries. Williams captured the frustration: “A criminal could be arrested, prosecuted, serve a sentence, and be released quicker than a police officer under investigation by their own force.” He went further, criticising the culture of neglect: “Stop killing our officers, stop discriminating, stop injuring and pour that money into wellbeing.” 

Wragg, who has spoken openly about his own near‑suicidal experience, emphasised the indiscriminate nature of the crisis: “Suicide doesn’t care what rank you are. It doesn’t care whether you’re an officer or staff. It affects all of us.” He described the “whirlwind of misconduct” where officers are suddenly removed from duties, isolated, and left waiting for months or even years. Wragg added: “If there were 10 officers this year run over by police vehicles, the government would be doing something about it. But we just don’t see that around suicide.” 

The panel also criticised the lack of consistent welfare provision across forces. Murray lamented: “We cannot even get collectively forces to employ a basic risk assessment tool on misconduct investigations… There’s a postcode lottery of wellbeing, 43 chiefs with 43 different priorities. If this isn’t important to forces, then what is?” 

Solutions were put forward. The panel called for mandatory recording of suicides and attempts across all forces, immediate risk assessments when misconduct papers are served, and national minimum standards of welfare support. Wragg urged adoption of the Stay Alive app, a free grassroots suicide prevention tool: “Why would we not do something that could support ourselves, our friends, our family, outside of work that costs us nothing?” 

Underlying the discussion was a call to dismantle outdated stereotypes of police resilience. Williams noted: “There’s still this old stereotype our cops are tough old buggers, their skin is thick, their shoulders are broad. They’ll be fine. But they’re not fine. They’re vulnerable, and they need care and understanding.” 

The panel’s conclusion was unambiguous. Without systemic change, officers will continue to suffer in silence. As Murray warned, “If we could just save one life by recording and acting on this data, that’s worth more than any statistic.” Wragg echoed the urgency with a simple plea: “We need to be comfortable talking about it. Ask twice, and if we intervene soon, we can potentially save a life.” 

This was not simply a conference debate it was a demand for action. The Federation’s leaders made it clear that the time for silence has passed, and that the duty of care owed to officers must finally be taken seriously.