IN less than 10 minutes Wiltshire Police officers will be given tailored feedback on how to turn around their shift and sleep patterns as a part of a force-wide fatigue survey.

Wiltshire Police Federation, the staff association which represents Wiltshire’s rank and file police officers launched a study on Tuesday into the effects shift working is having on police officers in Wiltshire.

The programme, which is being run by fatigue management solution provider Third Pillar Of Health, will examine the extent, impact and causes of tiredness and fatigue among officers.

Marcus de Guingand, the managing director at Third Pillar, said: “On an individual basis, as soon as they finished, they can download a personal report which can help them all understand all the factors which might be affecting their sleep and efficiency at work.”

Third Pillar has been commissioned by six forces, including Wiltshire, to undertake this fatigue survey in order to evaluate trends and complaints which arise amongst officers working different shift patterns.

Results from North Yorkshire, Hampshire, Sussex, Thames Valley and South Yorkshire will be shared with Wiltshire to establish how other officers are efficiently working on the same shift patterns.

Not every officer, or member of the federation, will undertake the assessment.

Various communications will be sent out to officers, inviting them to take part in an online survey which will take 10 minutes.

“We will feed back the results and identify any particular trends or issues,” Marcus said.

“We have also committed to, on the back of the results, putting together workable solutions that might take any number of forms: educational, policy and procedural or trainer and trainee elements.”

Angus Macpherson,the Police And Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire, said: “I welcome the news the Police Federation have commissioned an independent study into the effects of shift working on their members.

“It is undoubtedly the case the police service generally has been doing more with less – and doing it very well in Wiltshire.

“My strategy is to protect frontline policing as far as I can with a budget which is affordable to the people of Wiltshire and Swindon.

"Shift working undoubtedly takes a toll and I will look at the results of the study very carefully with the Chief Constable and we will then discuss what, if anything, needs to change.”