In this interview, Dr Susannah Hickie joins PolicingTV to discuss one of the most sensitive and important issues facing policing today: trauma, PTSD, moral injury and suicidality among police officers. Drawing on her PhD research in criminology at the University of Cambridge, Susannah explains why she chose to focus on police wellbeing, why Northern Ireland offered such a unique and revealing context, and what she discovered when she spoke directly to officers about the pressures they face.
The conversation explores some stark findings. Susannah says many officers she interviewed described organisational stress as more damaging than operational trauma, and some said they feared senior management more than terrorists. The interview also looks at why barriers to help-seeking are often produced by culture rather than individual weakness, and why any real progress now depends on deeper organisational change rather than better paperwork alone. It is a powerful discussion about trust, trauma and what police leaders may need to confront if they want to protect their people properly.
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Key takeaways
- Dr Susannah Hickie’s research focuses on trauma, PTSD, moral injury and suicidality in policing.
- She says her work began after an interviewee warned her not to join policing because of the toll it can take.
- Northern Ireland became the focus because of its recent history, armed policing context and significantly higher mental ill health rates.
- Susannah says the officers she interviewed found organisational stress more impactful than operational stress.
- A striking finding was that some officers said they feared senior management more than terrorists.
- She argues that barriers to help-seeking are often organisationally produced rather than individual failings.
- Culture is the biggest issue she identifies, and she says better policies alone will not fix the problem.
- Her view is that meaningful change must start with accountability, culture change and consistent debriefing after traumatic incidents.
Chapters
00:35 – Why Susannah Hickie chose this research
01:35 – The moment that changed her direction
02:54 – Why Northern Ireland became the focus
06:21 – What the research found
08:00 – Why some officers feared management more than terrorists
09:03 – How the participants were found
09:51 – What needs to happen now
12:35 – Where the research goes next
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