Published
Mar 30, 2022Page count
246 pagesISBN
978-1447361909Dimensions
216 x 138 mmImprint
Policy PressPublished
Mar 30, 2022Page count
246 pagesISBN
978-1447361916Imprint
Policy PressPublished
Mar 30, 2022Page count
246 pagesISBN
978-1447361916Imprint
Policy Press
The Policing Mind
In the media
On our blog: Getting inside the policing mind
On our blog: Changing thinking about the policing mind: Jessica Miller
On our blog: Women in academia and practice: Jessica K. Miller
What it’s really like to be a police officer: ‘We get called murderers and rapists’ in The Times
How does it feel to be a police officer in the UK? What happens in the brains of officers, particularly in high-risk roles such as counter-terrorism and child sexual exploitation? Jessica Miller uses the most recent neuroscience and real-life examples to explore risks to individual resilience, be it trauma exposure, burnout or simply the daily pressure of adapting to life on the front line.
A compulsory read for anyone with an interest in policing, the book offers practical, easy-to-follow resilience techniques applicable to anyone in the wider emergency responder community. The book also offers policy and operational recommendations to equip police officers with skills to face crime in a post-COVID world.
'A vital reference for anyone interested in the wellbeing of law enforcement and consequently the safety and wellbeing of the public.' Neil Basu, Assistant Commissioner, MPS Strategic Command Course Director and former National Police Chiefs Council Lead for Counter Terrorism
'I worked as a detective witnessing trauma and suffering in an era when the advice was ‘go to the pub’. If we want to truly understand the policing brain, what happens to us and how we heal ourselves, the answers are here. The Policing Mind is essential reading for all police officers, police leaders and staff. You owe it to yourself - the healing is within.' Jackie Malton, retired Detective Chief Inspector and the inspiration for the TV drama series Prime Suspect
"Writing from her extensive experience with law enforcement and emergency responders, Dr. Miller offers practical, evidence-based tools for resilience and recovering from trauma. A first-rate book from a first-rate professional. Highly recommended." Rick Hanson, Ph.D., author of Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness
Jessica K. Miller is Principal Investigator for the Trauma Resilience in UK Policing project at the University of Cambridge, consultant for the Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Director of Research for Surfwell. She was also Director of Research at Police Care UK for 7 years and now works across other high-risk professions including the RNLI, the military, journalism and construction in the UK and abroad delivering training, advice and guidance on cognitive resilience, specialising in trauma.
She has published works on policing trauma in The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles and Police Professional, the first UK police prevalence rate and the world’s first work-related CPTSD prevalence rate in Psychological Medicine, genetic trauma research in J. Clin. Med and Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, Neurobiology of Learning and Memory and her thesis Lost in Trauma on military and police trauma is available online with Bournemouth University.
Her work has been filmed by C4 Dispatches, BBC Inside Out and made headline news across the world in May 2019. Jessica’s expertise informs key recommendations in the landmark Casey Review of standards in the Metropolitan Police Service 2023. She also had the privilege of interviewing New York Times bestselling author Rick Hanson during the pandemic in 2020 and continues to in The Mindful Soldier: Building Resilience to Overcome Life’s Challenges, co authored with Ash Alexander-Cooper and due out in August 2025.
1. Why the Need to Be Resilient? How It Feels to Be a Police Officer in the UK and Why
2. Risks to Resilience in Operational Policing: From Trauma to Compassion Fatigue
3. What Might Be Happening in the Brain? Introducing Simple Neuroscience for Policing
4. Turning Science into Action: Resilience Practices for Policing
5. What Now? The Big Step Change
