Every figure, and where it comes from.
We only share figures that can stand up to scrutiny. There is no reliable national data on suicide across the emergency services, and we will not estimate it.
27%
More than one in four emergency services staff and volunteers had contemplated taking their own lives due to stress and poor mental health while working for the emergency services.
Mind, online poll of over 1,600 staff and volunteers across police, fire, ambulance and search and rescue, England and Wales, 2016.
92%
had experienced stress, low mood and poor mental health at some point while working for the emergency services.
Mind, online poll of over 1,600 emergency services staff and volunteers, 2016.
63%
had contemplated leaving their job or voluntary role because of stress or poor mental health.
Mind, online poll of over 1,600 emergency services staff and volunteers, 2016.
46%
said someone would be treated differently, in a negative way, if they disclosed a mental health problem at their organisation.
Mind, online poll of over 1,600 emergency services staff and volunteers, 2016.
Not counted
Deaths by suicide among emergency services personnel are not consistently recorded anywhere in the UK.
College of Policing, Suicide prevention in policing: current landscape, 2022.
100+
police officer and staff suicides known since 2022. Forces are not required to record suicide.
Police Federation of England and Wales, 2026. Policing only, England and Wales.
47 of 70
police officer suicides recorded since 2022 involved officers who were under misconduct or criminal investigation at the time.
Police Federation of England and Wales, The silent crisis of police suicide, 2026. Policing only, England and Wales. An association, not a cause. Suicide is never the result of one thing.
Agreed
Chief constables have approved a mandatory, consistent reporting requirement for police officer suicides, through the Chief Medical Officer for policing. No start date has been announced.
National Police Chiefs' Council, as reported by Emergency Services Times, 2026. Policing only. Ambulance trusts can take part in voluntary national data collection; fire and rescue services have no national requirement to record.
400 to 600
traumatic events a police officer in the UK is likely to encounter across a career, against three or four for the average civilian in a lifetime.
Oscar Kilo, the National Police Wellbeing Service, 2026. Policing only. Published by Oscar Kilo as an estimate, with no underlying study cited.
80%
of ambulance personnel said their organisation does not encourage staff to talk openly about mental health.
Mind, Blue Light scoping survey, ambulance summary, England, 2015.
37%
of fire and rescue personnel thought colleagues would be treated differently, in a negative way, if they disclosed a mental health problem at work.
Mind, Blue Light scoping survey, fire and rescue results, England, 2015.
Over 2 in 3
police officers and staff with symptoms consistent with PTSD or complex PTSD were unaware of it. One in five of those exposed to trauma reported symptoms.
The Job, The Life. University of Cambridge and Police Care UK, 16,857 respondents, 2019. Policing sample only.
3 in 4
people who die by suicide in the UK had not been in contact with mental health services in the year before their death.
National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health (NCISH), Annual Report, University of Manchester, 2026. Counts mental health services specifically. GP contact is not included in this figure.
81%
of people who died by suicide after recent contact with mental health services were judged at low or no immediate risk at their final contact with services.
National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health (NCISH), Annual Report, University of Manchester, 2026. UK and Jersey, 2013 to 2023. NCISH reports this proportion has not changed over time.
No study
in a review of 13 found that asking someone about suicide increases suicidal thinking. Talking about it may reduce it.
Dazzi T, Gribble R, Wessely S, Fear NT. Psychological Medicine, 44(16), 3361-3363, 2014.
33 trials
Across 33 randomised controlled trials, brief interventions and contacts after a suicide attempt produced a modest but significant reduction in repeat attempts.
Homan S and others, systematic review and meta-analysis, eClinicalMedicine, 2026. Moderate-certainty evidence. The effect is modest.
We follow the Samaritans media guidelines for reporting suicide. If you spot an error, please let us know.