Most of the UK’s senior police officers (83 per cent) feel their life away from work has been damaged by changes to their job.
According to research into the work-life balance of senior officers, released at the British Psychological Society Division of Occupational Psychologists, while long hours were a negative factor for the inspectors, the main problemr was the lack of control over when and for how long they worked.
The survey of 5,000 officers by occupational psychologist Almuth McDowall of City University in London showed that 75 per cent believed their home lives were suffering because of long working hours.
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This was particularly true for inspectors with dependants, as unpredictable working patterns affected childcare arrangements.
McDowall said: “Our findings show how much pressure police inspectors are experiencing outside work because of the increased demands within it. One talked of work-work balance rather than work-life balance, which is worrying.
