John joined the Metropolitan Police in 1992, where he served for 25 years across seven London boroughs in a range of ranks and roles, including as Borough Commander and Chief Superintendent. He published Blue: A Memoir – Keeping The Peace And Falling To Pieces in 2017, an account of more than 20 years on the front line of policing and the highs and lows that a life in uniform can bring. John is also a sought-after media commentator on policing issues on TV and radio and writes on the topic for several national newspapers.
John joins me today to share details of why he feels that good quality, neighbourhood community policing is the key to transforming communities. He discusses the impact of austerity on neighbourhood policing and the individual pressure on him that ultimately led to his early retirement.
John also describes why societal problems, like domestic violence, or drugs, or mental health, are often a generation or more in the making and why they require a significant shift in mindset from politician down to grassroots level
“We as police officers are a part of the communities that we serve. policing is something that that is best done with the community, not to the community.”- John Sutherland
Today on The Community Safety Podcast:
● How John enjoyed policing in his first few years, some of the jobs he did when he first joined the police force
● Why he feels that his real policing journey and life education started when he was sent to Brixton
● The importance of combination formal education and learning by experience as a police officer
● Whether John thinks the police get partnership work right and how consistent relationships that are built up and sustained over years help achieve joint goals
● John’s views on how we could tackle the mental health problem better in the UK
● Where we should be investing in long term solutions that take into account root causes to prevent history from repeating itself
● Why early intervention is so crucial in fixing social problems in the longer term
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