An entrepreneur from County Durham has launched a national campaign to drive urgent change to support police officers’ mental health and reduce the number of suicides of serving officers.
Paul Cooper, 40, served as a police officer with Cleveland Police and Lincolnshire Police between 2008 and 2016. Since he left the police, Paul, from Wynyard, has focused his career on creating two award-winning apps, Pocket Sergeant and Misper, written a book, about his journey from growing up in care to becoming a police officer to running his own businesses, called From Trauma to Triumph: The Pocket Sergeant Journey, and launched his own podcast, The Pocket Sergeant Podcast.
Although he left the police force nine years ago, the father-of-one’s focus has remained on supporting police officers whether it be through Pocket Sergeant, which has evolved from a mobile app into a trusted digital space with more than 21,000 active users, or through his new campaign. The campaign was born from issues raised by serving and former police officers and The Pocket Sergeant Podcast, which has already featured leading voices in policing, including former Police Interceptor Ben Pearson and Professor Jane Monckton-Smith OBE. The podcast has over 2,500 downloads after only five episodes and has reached number 30 in the True Crime Podcast charts with listeners across the UK and internationally
“Police officers are facing immeasurable pressure and need lifesaving support right now,” says Paul, who has won several awards for Pocket Sergeant and Misper.
Research published by Police Oracle last year revealed that across England and Wales, over 14,500 officers were signed off in 2023-24 due to stress, depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – up 9% from the previous year and 130% higher than in 2012-13 (6,294 officers).
“We need an independent inquiry into the number of police suicides and their links to occupational stress, misconduct procedures and culture,” says Paul.
“We need to work together to push for greater investment in trauma-informed leadership, psychological care, and peer support initiatives across all police forces.”
Paul, who has submitted several Freedom of Information requests to gather more key data, has also had meetings with Sir Andy Marsh, CEO of the College of Policing, and Andy Rhodes OBE, who leads the National Police Wellbeing Service.
“They are clearly passionate about policing and the wellbeing of our police family,” he says.
Andy Rhodes OBE said: “Policing is a unique and rewarding career, but sometimes very challenging. It’s a profession associated with high levels of stress, fatigue and trauma exposure. This can take its toll on your mental health.
“More research needs to be conducted to establish the drivers of suicide in policing, so we can better understand the issue and do something about it.”
Sir Andy Marsh, CEO of the College of Policing, said: “Any suicide is a tragic loss and a cause for grave concern. I am entirely supportive of a call for clearer data and more research on any causation we can identify to inform solutions and interventions.”