The Police Union is calling for a greater work-life balance for officers as new figures reveal there’s been an increase in suicides in recent years.

It comes as the annual police union conference gets underway in Perth today with the issue firmly on the agenda.

The “right to disconnect” will see officers able to properly step away from their duties on days off where they will not be expected to answer phone calls, emails or texts.

It is a policy that is currently in place in Victoria.

The WA Police Union acting president Mick Kelly believes the current culture is “unhealthy”.

“We also believe that the WA Police Force’s current work-life balance is uneven,” he said on 6PR Mornings.

“We believe that the WA Police Force ‘always on duty’ culture is unhealthy, and we say that when our members are on weekly leave, they should be able to enjoy everything else that our members in the community do.”

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