Sutcliffe, Nicholas;
(2025)
British police officers in crisis: A hermeneutic, phenomenological analysis of three officers’ attempted, and three completed, suicides and the impact upon their colleagues and families.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
British police officers are routinely exposed to traumatic incidents and challenging environments, often with limited information, resources, and preparedness. This exposure can leave some officers vulnerable to stress, depression, and suicidal ideation - issues they may conceal from colleagues and family. Effective organisational measures, including robust welfare provisions, are essential to mitigate the risk of suicide. This study critically evaluates existing academic research alongside the lived experiences of family members and close colleagues affected by an officer's completed suicide, as well as the narratives of officers who recently survived a determined suicide attempt. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis is employed to identify core experiential themes, informing recommendations aimed at improving and standardising crisis care for British police officers.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | British police officers in crisis: A hermeneutic, phenomenological analysis of three officers’ attempted, and three completed, suicides and the impact upon their colleagues and families |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2025. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10206224 |
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