By Sarah Dale
16 September 2025
A podcast recorded in Teesside has already smashed through over 10,500 downloads in more than 40 countries ranking it among the top 10% of shows worldwide in just two months.
Hosted by former police officer Paul Cooper, from Stockton, the weekly Pocket Sergeant Podcast explores the realities of policing – from PTSD and mental health to frontline culture and lived experience under pressure.
Paul spent eight years with Cleveland Police and Lincolnshire Police and has a frontline insight into the issues affecting the sector and its officers. While serving, he created and launched his first app, Pocket Sergeant, which now supports more than 21,000 monthly subscribers and has won multiple awards for entrepreneurship and innovation.
In the past year, the 40-year-old father-of-one has launched a second app, Misper, that helps families search for missing people and has published his memoir, From Trauma to Triumph: The Pocket Sergeant Journey.
“The idea for the podcast came from a friend who sent me a TikTok of a former officer ranting about policing,” says Paul, who launched the podcast in June.
“He said, ‘Paul, you need to do your own podcast.’ Before I knew it, my friend was filming and directing episodes in my living room. My wife has since kicked me out of the living room so I’m now building a proper studio at home!”
The podcast shares powerful conversations with current and former police officers and experts, covering topics ranging from PTSD and mental health to policing culture and frontline pressures. Guests so far have included criminologist Professor Jane Monckton-Smith, who talked about recognising high-risk domestic situations, and Ben Pearson, who reflected on his experience of policing while being filmed for Police Interceptors.
Paul’s own story is one of resilience. Having grown up in care, witnessing domestic abuse, losing his mother at seven and facing neglect, he went on to achieve his dream of becoming a police officer. His personal journey is told in From Trauma to Triumph – The Pocket Sergeant Journey.
“At first, I was chasing guests to come on,” says Paul, whose second book – capturing the stranger-than-fiction stories working as a police officer on the beat – is due for release later this year.
“Now they’re approaching me; that’s how quickly this has grown. If someone had told me a year ago that I’d have my own podcast in the global top 10%, I would have laughed.
“My goal now is to use my journey from care, policing and entrepreneurship to inspire others to take risks they wouldn’t normally take, because you never know where it might lead.”
The Pocket Sergeant Podcast releases weekly episodes and is available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.
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