Cops on the force which probed the Salisbury Novichok poisonings have been going off sick in high numbers
COPS on the force which probed the Salisbury Novichok poisonings have been going off sick in high numbers.
They took an average 13.8 days per year in the 12 months after Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were targeted with the deadly nerve toxin.
The average number of sick days per year in the UK was just 4.1 in 2017.
Now the Wiltshire force is looking for the reasons behind the spike in sick days — and whether the roots are psychological.
Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson said the “longer term consequences of the exceptional year in Salisbury” would be probed.
The Skripals survived the poisoning, blamed on Russian agents, but locals Charlie Rowley and Dawn Sturgess were accidentally poisoned and Miss Sturgess, 44, died.
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Commissioner Macpherson said: "Staff sickness has been increasing and we have commissioned an investigation.
"We want to triangulate the longer term consequences of the exceptional year in Salisbury and find out how the longer term stress relates to the amount of over time, number of hours worked and pressure brought on them and their families.
"Action plans are developed, a joint staff wellbeing strategy and last week a welfare wagon went to all sites so every member of staff can talk about welfare and get a health check."
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