02/11/2026
66% of Avon and Somerset Police officers are too fatigued to carry out their duties, new figures show.
91% do not feel fairly paid for the stresses and strains of the job, and 71% are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their overall pay and allowances.
According to the 2026 Police Federation of England and Wales Pay and Morale Report, 28% of officers frequently cannot meet their household’s financial needs.
64% say their workload is too high or much too high, and 36% have had at least one rest day cancelled in the past 12 months.
33% say they are satisfied with their job, and 18% intend to resign from the service either within the next two years or as soon as they can.
The survey also showed that 70% do not feel valued in the police and 65% would not recommend joining the service.
65% of respondents are not confident in their force's ability to resource appropriately for day-to-day operational demands, and 45% say their team has been fully staffed on very few or no shifts in the past three months.
70% say their force relies heavily on officer goodwill to meet routine operational demands, and 56% have felt unsafe on duty because of staffing levels in the past three months.
In Avon and Somerset Police, 50% of officers have been physically attacked by a member of the public in the past 12 months, and 85% do not have access to double crewing at all times while on duty.
Tom Gent, Chair of Avon and Somerset Police Federation, said: "For years, police officers have absorbed increasing demands while seeing the value of their pay decline and the pressures of the job continue to grow. This survey makes clear that many officers feel they are being asked to do more and more with less and less.
"Police officers will put victims first and they will always answer the call but when 70% of officers believe their force relies heavily on goodwill to meet routine operational demands it should serve as a warning that the current model is unsustainable.
"Government, chief officers and policing leaders must take these concerns seriously. Behind every percentage in this report is a police officer trying to balance the demands of the job with family life, financial pressures and their own wellbeing. They deserve better than simply being thanked for their sacrifices."
The survey also showed that 78% of respondents had experienced stress, low mood or anxiety in the past 12 months, and 40% find their job very or extremely stressful.
51% have sought help for stress, low mood, anxiety or other mental health difficulties, and 65% rate their force's support for officers and their wellbeing as inadequate or requiring improvement.
The survey also showed the effect that policing has on officers’ personal lives. In Avon and Somerset Police, 25% of officers often or always pressured to work long hours and 62% had annual leave requests refused.
76% of respondents say they have been so fatigued that it has interfered with their family or social life in the past month, and 59% have had to cancel personal plans due to last-minute work requirements in the past 12 months.
35% have worked during annual leave to catch up, 15% have had at least one free day cancelled in the past 12 months and 10% have had their roster changed more than 10 times in the past 12 months.
For the first time, the survey asked about how policing affects parents and carers, with 46% of mothers and 40% of fathers in Avon and Somerset Police saying they have had to change job roles or teams to meet their obligations as a parent.
The survey is based on 366 responses received from Avon and Somerset Police officers.
