By Sarah Dale
5 August 2025
Ex-police officer launches national campaign to drive urgent reform to save officers’ lives.
When Paul Cooper read online about another police officer who had died by suicide, he was angry, frustrated and heartbroken that the job he had “absolutely loved” and felt privileged to do for eight years was “failing” his fellow officers.
Paul, 40, served as a police officer with Cleveland Police and Lincolnshire Police between 2008 and 2016 and was proud to do so. He was proud to wear the uniform and serve his community.
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 to drive urgent change to support officers’ mental health and reduce the number of suicides of serving police officers. 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
“Something needs to happen now – not next month, not next year, but now,” said Paul.
“Officers are dying now. They are facing immeasurable pressure and need lifesaving support right now. These are not isolated incidents; they reflect a wider, systemic failure in supporting officers’ wellbeing. These officers give their lives everyday to protect the public, yet they feel unable to protect their own mental health.
“My inbox is full of messages from police officers crying out for help. They can’t speak out publicly. But I can. And I will. Again and again. Until someone listens and does the right thing.
“I am listening – but I need the powers that be to listen now too. I have reached out to so many people because this must change. We are failing our police officers up and down the country.
“We need urgent national attention on this issue from government, policing bodies and the public. Enough is enough.”
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). Of the 43 forces that provided figures both in 2023 and in 2024, via a Freedom of Information request, 31 had an increased number of officers being signed off for mental health reasons. Some forces reported worryingly high percentage rises in mental health absences, especially Cleveland (up 526%) and Dorset (up 343%). Also showing relatively high increases were Merseyside (up 69%) and South Wales (up 63%).
Policing is trauma-intensive with officers witnessing hundreds of traumatic events over their careers – far more than civilians, which increases the risk of PTSD or complex PTSD [British Psychological Society]. The Psychological Society cites culture and stigma as major barriers with many officers suffering in silence due to “perceived weakness and fear of career impact”. High workloads, chronic fatigue and emotional burnout are pervasive.
The National Police Wellbeing Survey 2023 discovered that officers were suffering from high levels of fatigue, with 69.5% describing their fatigue as ‘high’ and 28.9% saying it was ‘very high’. And in the Police Federation’s Pay and Morale Survey 2023, 82% of respondents said they had experienced feelings of stress, low mood, anxiety or other problems with their mental health and wellbeing over the past 12 months.
“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.
“When I started Pocket Sergeant, it was to support frontline policing by saving officers time and carrying cumbersome resources around with them; everything they needed was at their fingertips on the app. But now it is more than a tool. It’s a voice for those who feel unheard and it’s built by someone with lived experience, who knows what it’s like to be on the front line.”
Paul recently met his local MP, Jonathan Brash, MP for Hartlepool, to raise the issue and ask for his support by raising it in Parliament.
Paul 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.
“I am currently gathering additional key data and supporting information having submitted FOI requests on national and force-level data regarding mental health deterioration and police officer suicides to facilitate a more informed discussion with Sir Andy and Andy Rhodes regarding the findings. The aim is to better understand any links between prolonged investigations, mental health crises, sickness absence and suicide among serving and recently retired officers. I am increasingly convinced that there is a direct link between officer suicides and the pressures of criminal or misconduct investigations. The data I am compiling is expected to provide strong evidence to support this.
“Now is the time for change. It’s important we don’t lose any more of our policing family.”
Andy Rhodes OBE, director of the National Police Wellbeing Service, 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. But things can get tough for lots of different reasons – it’s not always about the job. Our officers and staff deserve to have access to reliable mental health support when they’re in crisis – no matter the cause.
“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.
“There is an urgent need to establish standards for welfare support provided to staff under investigation which can only be managed at a local force level given the complex nature of misconduct investigations.
“Under my remit at the National Police Wellbeing Service, I am tasked with helping to improve wellbeing support by working with forces to raise standards and prioritise the most important issues. To support this, we have launched the Mental Health Crisis Line, an independent, confidential line for anyone working within the police to speak to a qualified counsellor.”
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.
“The demands of the role and the impact on health and wellbeing are stark. Apart from supporting the development of more accurate and transparent data as well as the insight which will follow, I am very open minded to suggestions about what needs doing.
“I am fully in favour of investing more in leadership development and everything that goes with that because of the understood positive impact this has on wellbeing and morale.
“The accountability review is recognition that changes need to be made and we can build on the work of Oscar Kilo.”
If you would like to be part of Paul’s campaign and/or appear on his podcast to discuss the issue, email: marketing@pocketsergeant.co.uk
- *Sources of statistics relating to policing and mental health decline:
Record 14,508 officers were signed off with poor mental health in the past year
The police – why and how we should care | BPS
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