Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Broken beyond repair
‘Robocop’ who made 700 arrests in a year quits force with PTSD
A POLICE officer dubbed “Robocop” after he arrested a record 700 criminals in just one year has retired due to PTSD and anxiety.
Devastated Ali Livingstone suffered a mental breakdown last year, brought on by the traumas he witnessed during his 18-year career. The 36-year-old former sergeant also said he believed Tory police cuts had contributed to the stress.
Ali , who i nvited the Daily Mirror to join him on a shift in 2010, revealed no particular event triggered his problems.
But he added: “It hit me like a bus and left me broken beyond repair.
“It was an accumulation of exposure to trauma, like house fires, fatal car crashes, murders… but also speaking to bereaved families, seeing families being split up. For me that’s the hidden harm. You’re always faced with those raw emotions.
“Gore is something most cops can deal with, but when you’re dealing with emotional trauma it becomes relentless.”
Ali, nominated for a national police bravery award in 2015 after he pulled an unconscious woman out of a burning house, was diagnosed with PTSD, depression and anxiety – linked to his job – around 15 months ago.
He said: “The last 15 months have been debilitating and devastating.
“I went from being the UK’S top arresting officer to being so troubled by what I’d seen and done that I’ve had to walk away from the job that defined me. Despite what happened I loved the job and I am devastated I couldn’t continue.”
When asked if police cuts heightened the stress, he added: “It would be naive to say it has no impact at all.”
Ali, of Ipswich, worked in a number of dif ferent rol es for Suf fol k Police, including response sergeant tactical adviser and negotiator. He has investigated some of East Anglia’s biggest cases, including the murder of five prostitutes by Steve Wri g h t i n 2 0 0 6 , a n d collared more than 5,000 criminals in his career. Ali has also won police awards. Between April 2008 and March 2009 he made headlines for arresting 524 people – compared to the national annual average rate for PCS of nine. The following year it leapt to 700, understood to still be unbeaten.
When the Mirror joined Ali for a shift colleagues revealed how he often turned up for work three hours early.
Suffolk Police’s Workplace Health, Safety and Wellbeing Manager, Lauren Soames, said: “It is important that officers and staff talk to the organisation and the workplace health department about their struggles in order to gain access to the most appropriate support.”
It hit me like a bus. And I am devastated I couldn’t continue ALI LIVINGSTONE ON TRAUMA HE SUFFERED