Serious head injuries becoming more common in policing, new figures show

WORRYING new figures have shown just how common it is for police officers to suffer head injuries.

Hampshire Police Federation Chair Zoe Wakefield said the new stats revealing that nearly 40% of officers who took part in the study have endured a loss of consciousness at some point in their lives were concerning.

However, she thinks more details and more work needs to be done in the area.

The Exeter University pilot study quizzed 54 Thames Valley officers 21 of whom reported having suffered a ‘traumatic brain injury’ resulting in a loss of consciousness in their lives.

“On the face of it this is concerning, but I’d want to hear some more details,” Zoe said.

“How were these brain injuries sustained? Were they through assaults? Were they through officer safety training? Playing sport? Road traffic collisions? When did they occur? Did they happen recently or were they from a long time ago?

“We do a lot now for officers in terms of their wellbeing and the aftercare following an assault on duty, so I would have thought something like a brain injury wouldn’t go unnoticed.

“54 officers is a relatively small sample – were they completely random? Were they all off sick, for example. It’s  a concern but we need more details.”