I am a police sergeant with Police Scotland. I am currently seconded as a delivery lead with the National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group who oversee the Scottish Government's Suicide Prevention Action Plan.

The wellbeing of our police officers and staff is extremely important to me. Historically, policing has adopted a reactive approach to wellbeing and invested efforts in supporting officers when they become psychologically unwell. A smarter way is to invest in staff wellbeing from the outset, as a preventative programme which encourages mental resilience.

My Fellowship allows me to meet with wellbeing experts in the New York Police Dept, who are developing their peer support programme, learn from the leadership faculty of the FBI academy and compare with alternative support approaches elsewhere in the USA and also in the Netherlands.

The learning and experience of my Fellowship will empower colleagues and the wider emergency services family through an effective training programme which will provide the skills and techniques to protect their personal resilience, so that they are better equipped to deal with the challenges of their role.