Mindfulness in policing: A randomized controlled trial of two online mindfulness resources across five forces in England and Wales

This randomised controlled trial (RCT) of online mindfulness training compared wellbeingrelated outcomes for police officers and staff allocated to three separate user groups:
• Headspace (a commercially available mindfulness app and website) • Mindfit Cop (a bespoke online eight-week mindfulness course for policing) • the waiting list control (who completed all surveys before receiving access to Mindfit Cop after six months).
Both the Headspace and Mindfit Cop online mindfulness resources improved wellbeing, life satisfaction, resilience and performance, compared to the waiting list control group. Headspace provided greater improvement across these wellbeing outcomes compared to Mindfit Cop after 10 and 24 weeks, but Mindfit Cop’s results improved and moved closer to Headspace’s at 24 weeks.
Neither online resource reduced absence days or spells within the six months of the trial, but self-reported presenteeism (working while sick) behaviours did reduce. Participants who reported low job control (little control over their tasks and scheduling) benefited most from using the resources.