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Police: Working Hours

Asked by Pippa HeylingsLiberal DemocratHome OfficeTabled Answered 29 June 2026UIN 11244

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on the number and proportion of police officers required to work on their rest days in each of the last five years; what assessment she has made of trends in the use of rest day working; and what steps she is taking to ensure that forces are able to manage demand without the frequent use of cancelled rest days.

Answered by Sarah Jones

The Home Office does not collect data centrally on how often police officers are required to work on their rest days. Decisions relating to the allocation of resources are the responsibility of Chief Constables according to local operational needs. We would expect that impact on officer wellbeing is taken into account when making any such decisions, in accordance with the statutory duties that all employers have to protect the health, safety and welfare of their workforce.

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