Cops should be allowed to SLEEP on the job – because it will ‘boost productivity’, police union leader says
A POLICE union leader has said cops should be allowed to sleep on the job - claiming it will "boost productivity".
Sgt Zoë Wakefield, the chairman of the Hampshire Police Federation, said officers working nights should be able to nap to battle tiredness.
Sgt Wakefield, who represents Hampshire Constabulary’s cops in her role for the police union, admitted the "brave" move would need a lot of "money, time and resources," the Telegraph reports.
She said the move would take a "very brave chief constable" to help push it through.
The cop - with more than 20 years of experience on the job, working most recently as a neighbourhood police officer - said it could help boost concentration.
She said: "You really notice the impact it has on you when you stop doing night shifts.
"You feel like you’re never quite with it. Even on your rest days, you just feel like you’re never sufficiently recovered to keep your concentration levels going."
The sergeant added: "You have this constant fatigue and you feel tired all the time. It affects cognitive function. The long-term health effects are well-documented."
And she said the back-breaking shift patterns affect how much rest you do get on rest days, with some officers only catching "four or five" hours of sleep a night.
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She said: "You never really sleep well. You’ll be awake at 2am, 3am."
A study in 2015 found "widespread tiredness six police forces in England."
The study, by Third Pillar of Health also found fatigue and stress amongst those working in the forces.
Marcus de Guingand, the managing director of Third Pillar of Health, said: “Everyone knows how they are affected when not allowed to get sufficient rest and police officers are no different.
“If nothing is done to address these issues the public can expect to see more officers off sick, more accidents and an increase in complaints against police officers.”
