Police staff take fewer days off sick

THE number of sick days taken by police staff has dropped over the last year, new figures have shown.

A total of 5.4 per cent of available working days among civilian workers with Lothian and Borders Police was lost due to illness between last April and March.

The figure for the previous year was six per cent, a fall equating to 2885 fewer sick days.

The drop follows the introduction last year of a scheme to reduce sick days among staff, which had soared to be the highest among Scottish forces.

Under the programme, staff absent more than three times in a year face a review by a line manager to identify any “underlying” reasons.

Meanwhile, sick days among police officers remained at the same level as the previous year, at 3.7 per cent.

A total of 25,592 sick days were taken by officers during 2011/12.