The numbers of officers signed off work on mental health grounds rose by around a quarter compared to the year before and are more than double what they were in 2016.

The startling figures will prompt questions over what has led to the steep rise and what the impact is on the effectiveness of the force.

Senior officers say that the increase is because officers now have greater confidence to report mental health issues, rather than a rise in the conditions themselves.

Meanwhile, the Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, has suggested the surge could be down to the impact of having to monitor protests outside asylum hotels in recent months.

However the Tax Payers’ Alliance (TPA), a pressure group focused on public sector transparency, said the figures "stretched credulity to breaking point".

Elliot Keck, its campaigns director, said: "The sick note culture that has infected the public sector is a disaster for taxpayers, but also for the many hard working staff that are having to bear the burden caused by the soaring rates of sick leave.

"The fact that one in nine police officers in Norfolk are taking time off for mental health reasons stretches credulity to breaking point, even if there are real........

© Eastern Daily Press