Police turn to wearable tech to improve sleep and fitness

Police officers used to go armed with truncheon, handcuffs and a radio but in future they may need an extra key piece of kit – a health and fitness tracker.

Merseyside Police is leading the way in using technology to keep officers and staff fit and healthy and has been running a trial to see how wearable technology can help.  

It is the first trial of its kind in the country and early results are encouraging - more than nine out of 10 officers agree that wearing the health biometrics tracker made them more health aware, while more than seven out of 10 made real changes to their routines to improve personal wellbeing, including exercise, sleep hygiene and diet changes.

Dr Carol Cox, at Liverpool Centre for Advanced Policing Studies at Liverpool John Moores University, who led the trial of 120 officers, said: “Today’s officers are highly stressed with police suffering from levels of post-traumatic stress which are five times higher than in the general population.

“If the government’s new push for more beat and community officers is to make a difference, it is vital that police forces reduce sickness, early retirement on health grounds and officers leaving the profession.”

Supported by Oscar Kilo, the National Police Wellbeing Service, LJMU has designed a series of studies of the potential benefits of wearable technologies.

On Merseyside, 120 officers and staff were recruited to wear a Biostrap band for seven months. Of those officers who wore the bands, although this fluctuated with time, 93% believe the technology helped increase their health awareness, 82% believed it helped them identify behaviour change and 72% agreed that it led to actual changes to improve health and wellbeing.  

Of particular focus were sleep patterns, fatigue and recovery times on the job, whilst on and off shifts.

The project, which has potential to help health and welfare of all the uniformed services, is attracting national interest.

Dr Carol Cox, of the Liverpool Centre for Advanced Policing

Merseyside Deputy Chief Constable Jenny Sims said: “I am extremely proud that Merseyside Police has taken part in this study with Liverpool John Moores University and Oscar Kilo. Our police officers put others first in the community twenty-four seven, but we can’t give 100% to the public, if we don’t look after ourselves.

“The demands and expectations of police officers and staff has expanded over the years and will continue to do so. Recovery from fatigue through quality sleep is so important to good health. We recognise the challenges a life in policing can have on our people, regardless of role or length of service.

“These studies will help us understand the true mental and physical impact of the job and allow us to take practical steps to improve health outcomes through technology combined with educational packages.”

The studies were designed in consultation with the Police Federation to build trust with officers.

“This will only work if officers and staff understand it is for their benefit and not a case of management keeping tabs on them,” explained Dr Cox.

Andy Rhodes, Service Director of Oscar Kilo, said: The studies completed by LJMU in partnership with Oscar Kilo and Merseyside Police have proven trust and peer support are both absolutely fundamental in achieving results through this type of technology.

“When we treat people like adults and personalise our support rather than adopting a ‘one size fits all’ we earn trust and we start to see improvements. Data privacy has to be non-negotiable and real people we can relate to talking about what works for them are critical to success.”

Oscar Kilo, the National Police Wellbeing Service, will evaluate the Merseyside trial with a view to rolling out a toolkit across England.

Further studies with other pieces of wearable kit are planned, with LJMU, Merseyside Police and Oscar Kilo committed to supporting police officers and staff.