Nearly 40 per cent of police have suffered a traumatic brain injury resulting in a loss of consciousness, research has shown.
According to a pilot study, 39 per cent of the officers have sustained this injury compared with 12 per cent of the general public.
Officers with a history of brain injuries reported higher levels of ongoing post-concussion symptoms such as headaches, memory problems and anxiety.
These officers were also moderately more likely to report symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and drinking alcohol to cope, and much more likely to report symptoms of depression.
The University of Exeter pilot study involved 54 officers from one UK police force, although some of the injuries occurred while off-duty.
The research is one of the first to examine this issue among police officers, and the researchers say more investigation is urgently needed.
“The main thing to take away from this is that we need to look after people who are in the front line of public protection,” said Professor Huw Williams.
“Traumatic brain injury has been extensively linked to mental health difficulties including PTSD, depression and alcohol abuse.
“Being a police officer is a dangerous job – with a risk of both physical and mental trauma – yet there has been a surprising lack of research investigating the presence and influence of traumatic brain injury in the police.
“Our pilot study is based on a relatively small sample size, but it illustrates the importance of screening for traumatic brain injury and offering treatment and support where necessary.”
Prof Williams said that many police forces are moving towards a more sensitive, ‘trauma-informed’ approach to dealing with the public.
“We expect police officers to turn up in a variety of hideous situations, so it’s vital that they are given then help they need to recover from and trauma – including brain injuries – that they suffer,” he added.
Notably, two-thirds of the traumatic brain injuries reported happened outside police work.
The study does not explore the circumstances of these injuries, but the researchers say officers may be more likely than the public to engage in high-risk leisure activities, and some may have been injured in previous work such as military service.
All traumatic brain injury cases in the study were classified as “mild” – with loss of consciousness of less than 30 minutes.
The authors noted that repeated head injury was common – a matter of “particular concern” as this is known to raise the risk of mental health issues.
Detective Chief Inspector Lewis Prescott-Mayling, a co-author of the paper, said: “We have some fantastic support for our staff but we need to treat people according to their needs and as early as possible.
“The trauma people are exposed to can have lasting effects. This applies to our staff as much as to people from our communities.
“We welcome this research and its findings.”
Of the 54 officers in the study, nine met criteria for PTSD and 21 met criteria for mild or more severe depression.
The study, which was conducted in one UK police force, suggests a surprising parallel with the UK prison population, as previous research has suggested about 60 per cent of inmates have suffered a traumatic brain injury.
– The paper, A Pilot Study Of Brain Injury In Police Officers: A Source Of Mental Health Problems?, is published in the Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing.