High rates of burnout, psychological distress and mental health diagnoses persist across police cohorts. Much more needs to be known about psychosocial hazards that are specific to policing environments and which of these hazards are associated with the greatest risk of poor psychological outcomes. A research partnership led by Associate Professor Jacqueline Drew (Griffith University), Professor Janet Ransly (Griffith University) and Commissioner Katarina Carroll (Queensland Police Service) provides a world first approach for psychosocial hazard identification and psychosocial risk quantification in police agencies. This partnership, funded through an Australian Research Council (Linkage) Research Grant, has produced an early warning system (EWS) for workplace health and performance. It provides police leaders with an evidence-based ‘red flag’ system to identify ‘high risk’ areas. High risk areas are those that are likely to experience elevated rates of negative wellbeing and poor mental health outcomes amongst its personnel. The practical application of the EWS involves the development of a strategic and frontline leadership intervention. The intervention will equip police leaders with the knowledge and skills needed to proactively monitor their workplace for existing and emerging psychosocial hazards and assist them in better identifying, prioritizing, managing and responding to risks. The EWS and its subsequent practical application seeks to remove, or at least reduce, workplace factors that are causing harm by having a positive impact on the capabilities of police leaders at all levels of the agency. It facilitates workplace reform that embodies a true primary prevention approach to psychological health improvement in policing. The program established in Queensland Police Service has important implications for what could be achieved by other police and first responder agencies in Australia and across the world.

Shot 14 times with a high-powered rifle.
Multiple massive life-threatening injuries.
Lying on the ground for 3 hours.
30 seconds from death.
2.5 years later returned to full duties.
No clinical anxiety, depression or Post Traumatic Stress.

Derrick will have you compelled as he recounts being fully conscious for almost the entire three hours he was lying on the ground with two severed arteries, perforated small and large intestines, 30% of his left thigh torn out and multiple other massive injuries before he was rescued.

According to the medical retrieval team doctor, Derrick was a mere 30 seconds from death. He later remarked, “All the textbooks say that he should have died. I think the only reason he didn’t die is he hadn’t read the textbooks.”

Importantly to this conference, at his first meeting with a psychiatrist, Derrick was psychologically cleared to return to work and required no ongoing therapy. Derrick will describe how his extraordinary pre-emptive mental and emotional preparation for potentially being shot allowed him to do what no one could believe. He not only survived against the odds, he thrived afterwards against the odds and returned to full duties.

Derrick’s methodology for Human Durability has gained a collaboration with UniSA School of Psychology. Derrick has lived experience of Post Traumatic Growth after one of the most traumatic experiences imaginable.

Derrick has run workshops for SA Police, Victoria Police, The Federal Police, RAAF’s High-Performance Program including the fighter pilots in Williamtown.

He has distilled his Human Durability methodology into a system that can be used universally to gain better mental health outcomes across all ages, genders, occupations and cultures.