MORE than 50,000 working days were lost to sickness last year in Devon and Cornwall Police, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed.

A total of 56,374 days were lost due to sick leave, the FOI request shows.

Mental health was cited as a contributing factor for 29,773 days.

In 2023, the number of working days lost to sickness was 44,075, another FOI request shows.

Home Office data reveal 1.63 million police working days were lost to sickness in the year [2025] to March, the highest level since records began.

Officers will remain on full pay for the first six months of any sickness absence in any rolling 12-month period.

An officer who has completed six months sickness absence within a rolling 12-month period will thereafter receive half pay for a further six months, or until their return to work.