A FREEDOM of information request has revealed that 800 police officers across England and Wales are currently off sick with stress-related illnesses.

But in Lancashire the figure is only 16 - which represents around 0.45 per cent of the total force.

The highest sick rate was in Derbyshire, where 30 officers were signed off with stress, or 1.64 per cent of the total number.

The lowest sickness rate was in London, where the Metropolitan Police, the biggest force in England and Wales, had only 101 officers were off with stress, which amounted to only 0.33 per cent of their total numbers.