I found this book compelling, honest and heart-breaking. John Sutherland shows us glimpses of the best of society and the worst of society in this deeply powerful, deeply moving account of his time as a police officer. He describes his valiant attempts to engage with the community and work with them to improve their quality of life and to save lives. We see the immense heroism he and his colleagues exhibit in their day-to-day work. He shares his well thought out, deeply considered solutions to many of the problems facing society today, gained through years of experience of dealing with the aftermath of societies’ failings. The author is heartrendingly honest as he describes his reluctance to address the way he was affected by the human trauma he dealt with at work. He admits his propensity to put it all behind him and carry on regardless, his reluctance to talk about any of the issues, to just get on with the job. We see his vulnerability as he descends into mental turmoil. John Sutherland sets down so clearly the difference between good leadership and bad management. His observation that every contact leaves a trace, and the importance of saying “thank you”, should encourage us all to be more careful how we treat others. All in all, we can’t help but see the courage of a really decent man who only wanted to do his very best to make a difference. Members of the public should read this book, so they might gain a better appreciation of what Police Officers have to deal with, the sights which confront them every day at work, and the effect the trauma has on them. Police Officers should read this book so they might gain encouragement to seek help to deal with the trauma they face. Furthermore, in my opinion, this book should be required reading of everyone in public office. I have no hesitation in recommending this book.

This is the story of John Sutherland, a man who in seemingly the blink of an eye (in my mind at least) rose through the ranks from Probationary PC through to the role of Commander of one of the largest London Police boroughs. It is a completely open account of his life from an unsuccessful and extremely short-lived foray into the world of the criminal, his absolute certainty that he wanted to be a Police Officer, and through to the position which would ultimately be one of the last he held in the Police. We relive the highs, the lows, the joys and the devastation that John Sutherland experienced in his career, and the events which ultimately led to his eventual decline in mental health and the breakdown which ended his time with the Police. Now this book will not be unique, not because of the subject matter and not because of what John Sutherland did for a living. It won’t be unique in the completely honest way in which he has depicted his life and his illness and he has certainly done that. There are many books which handle the subject of mental health and do so well, as John Sutherland has also done. For me, what made this book a compelling, if somewhat heartbreaking read, is that many of the experiences he talks about, the crimes which he had to attend, the devastation he witnessed around him, were cases which were sadly very familiar to me. All too often a name would be mentioned that I had heard upon the news and which gave me that extra reason to pause and reflect. Because people (me included) always consider the victim when they hear a news report. We often feel sympathy toward the family and perhaps consider how we might cope in similar circumstances. Seldom do we look to the man or woman sat just to the side of the bereaved family member we see in televised appeals, the person, or persons, tasked with bringing justice for the family, and wonder how it is affecting them. Well – that is this book in a nutshell, although to simplify it that way would be to do it an injustice. But this book does take us on a journey, John Sutherland’s journey, one which I don’t think I could have coped with for as well and as long as he did before it would have taken its toll. It is not just about his time in the Police Service, the book also covers his family life, one which in itself was not without drama. He shows us both the harder elements of his family life such as his father’s unexpected departure from the family home, coping with family illness and through to the happier times when he met his wife and started a family of his own. And it is a truly beautiful thing the way in which he has shown the love he has for his family, and his openness about his father’s death was perhaps one of the most moving parts of the book for me. Don’t for one minute think that this book is all doom and gloom. There are so many moments which will make you smile, giving you that well needed dose of humour to break the tension or the downbeat nature of some of the stories John Sutherland has to tell. His constant desire to get involved in a decent car chase, often thwarted before they really begin, did bring a smile to my face. And there is one scene, completely cringe inducing, which typifies that kind of gallows humour you associate with the emergency services, and while I’m not going to elaborate here, it is safe to say you will not look at a rotisserie chicken in quite the same way again … Even if you are not a Police Officer or linked to the Emergency Services in any way, and I am so very, very not, I would still recommend that you read this book. It is written in fluent and engaging style which is accessible to all. It is not simply about a career in the Service but also about the way in which those hidden stresses and pressures can slowly build to a point of total mental breakdown. Mental health still has such a stigma attached to it in all walks of life but especially in a service like the Police where it was once anticipated that they would just ‘suck it up’, and that high divorce rates were just part of the job. There is a reason that a lot of crime writers in the eighties, nineties (and even now) fell back on the old cliché of the world-weary, moderate/high functioning alcoholic, divorced Detective after all … Thankfully things like PTSD and depression are being taken far more seriously than they once were amongst all of the Emergency Services, but there is still a long way to go to fully understand and support the impact that the pressure of the job can have on the very people we all rely upon and often take for granted. The wonderful folk off all of the Emergency Services deal in the most extreme of circumstances, much of which we general Joe Public cannot begin to fathom, but they are not alone in suffering from issues relating to mental health and so much of this book, especially the final few chapters, resonated with me. John Sutherland has written so eloquently on how his breakdown affected him, of the crippling impact it had upon his health, but also about how the acceptance of his condition and the support he received from those who loved him made the journey back to health slow but achievable. I wish I could be half as eloquent in telling you why you should read this book because you really should. Funny, moving, candid and often heartbreaking, this is the story of one man in thousands, who sacrificed so much of himself to keep our streets safe and is now finding a way to put himself back together. Much respect felt here and such a well written, absorbing and engaging style of writing that I couldn’t put the book down. If you are a serving Officer yourself, if you are struggling with life in general, if you have mental health issues yourself or you know someone who is one or all of the above, then I’d recommend you read this. You may learn a little about yourself along the way too.

I would highly recommend this book to anybody who has ever wondered what policing is really like, and asking themselves whether they could do this job, before judging “The Police “. There are bad apples in any profession, but most police , like doctors, firemen, social workers or any other emergency service people, experience more heart wrenching things in a lifetime of service than anybody would like to have to cope with. Be grateful.

A remarkable book written by a remarkable young man who joined the Metropolitan Police as a cadet and rose up through the ranks to Borough Commander, before the stress and strain took its toll. "Blue" brings insight and understanding into what faces the "man in blue" daily, the challenges of our streets as well as the challenges of today's obsession with figures, trends, targets and cutbacks. It is topical, current - written as London faces ever-increasing acts of crime and terrorism on its streets, when the "man in blue" is in the spotlight as never before. I highly recommend this book across the age range - from the teenager asking the questions to the older generation reflecting.... His style is pithy, punchy and humorous, lobbing along at a pace akin to the beat of his boot on the pavement. It is easy to read, frighteningly frank yet so tenderly sensitive. A memoir written from the heart, and hopefully, touching our hearts.

These are the words of the author which for me perfectly sums up this extraordinary memoir. The book takes you on an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish from someone (along with all our emergency services) who places themselves at the forefront of every situation that many of us would run from. A working life in the Met over 20+ years with all the highs and lows. I wasn’t sure I would enjoy reading this book but it made me think about the unseen support that we are given as a community and country by our Police Force and the effect that it has on the lives and mental well-being of those on the frontline and their families.