A Police Scotland suicide prevention officer on his work

Each statistic has a story; Jonathan Davis never forgets that his job goes beyond data.

On a very basic level, his role involves working with numbers – painstakingly compiling percentages for a select few organisations.

But were it not for Jonathan, or rather PC Jonathan Davis, lives would also not be saved in the first place.

He reviews sudden deaths across the Grampian region, including those which were as a result of suicide.

And thanks to his role, those working alongside him in the Suicide Prevention Delivery Group now have a much better understanding of contributing factors, motivations, and how best to deploy invaluable resources across the north-east of Scotland.

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The group sits within Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership, and is made up of multiple agencies including mental health professionals, children’s services and even housing to name but a few.

Joined up thinking has enabled Creating Hope Together, which is the national suicide prevention strategy, to be rolled out even more effectively across an incredibly diverse region.

From dreaming of becoming a marine to working as a suicide prevention officer for Police Scotland, we found out why one of the most challenging of roles is making a huge impact across far flung communities.

“I cover the Grampian region, having worked as both a plain clothed and uniformed police officer,” said Jonathan.

“My original dream was to join the marines, but by the time I finished university and moved to Aberdeen, the police seemed like a good fit.

“I briefly left on secondment to work in residential childcare for children and young people with challenging behaviour, and I also did crisis care placements.”

In 2016, Jonathan developed a bad chest infection and went on to be diagnosed with a rare genetic degenerative spinal condition called Klippel-Feil syndrome.

Following a phased return to work, he took up the position of suicide prevention officer and hasn’t looked back.

“It’s a big role as you can imagine, and I find it immensely interesting,” said Jonathan.

“It’s both rewarding and harrowing at the same time.

“It initially started out as data collection and analysis which is made available both within the police and to a very select few partners so we can understand what’s happening.

“The problem with raw data is that it didn’t tell us what was influencing any increase in the number of deaths or attempted suicides.

“We didn’t understand how it was affecting populations; thanks to the help of Public Health Scotland and NHS Grampian, we’ve been able to dive deeper.

“We can now look at motivating factors and prevalence in the community, which we can then compare to the social deprivation index.”

Jonathan has been able to gather sufficient data over the last three years, which has enabled the suicide prevention delivery group to have a better understanding of who is most likely to be affected and when.

“We have a much better understanding of where, how and when to deploy resources and identify training gaps,” he said.

A document has also been created which has proved a lifeline for families when their loved one is in distress.

“It’s about the size of a passport, we drew up this document in partnership with SAMH to help keep people safe,” said Jonathan.

“To know what to look for, when to get help and who to call alongside a safety plan.”

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These details are available on the Prevent Suicide: NE Scotland app, which has amassed more than 128,000 users since it was first launched in 2016.

With downloads as far afield as Australia, the app has empowered people to keep both themselves and loved ones safe thanks to step by step guidance which ranges from a very poignant Reasons to Live section to Coping Strategies and Warning Signs.

“We found that physically giving people that information was hugely reassuring, and it’s been designed to fit easily into the armour which police officers wear,” explained Jonathan.

“It’s proving really popular because it’s simple and easy to digest; it’s handed out at any time where there is a concern about suicide.

“Think of it as first aid advice for mental health, the more people who know it the better.”

Jonathan believes that post-intervention is just as important, and it can include vital signposting to specialist support services such as PETAL which stands for people experiencing trauma and loss alongside Cruse Scotland Bereavement Support.

“We know that people bereaved by suicide are at greater risk of dying by suicide themselves, so it’s important that we make sure they are as supported as they can be,” he said.

“A lot of harm can still happen after someone has died from suicide, and it can make a huge difference to put in levels of support.”

Current stats show that 1 in 20 people live with thoughts of suicide, and the suicide delivery prevention group routinely engages with rural communities.

“We’re doing everything we can to normalise talking about suicide,” said Jonathan.

“We’ve had people come up to us at agricultural shows, and on occasion we’ve given interventions to those who are at crisis point – right there in the middle of a field beside a tractor.

“Suicide can be bound up by circumstance, and the fact that we know that means we can do something about that.

“In my eyes that’s really empowering; this would be a horrible job if we felt we couldn’t do anything, but we can and we are.

“From the information we have gathered locally for example, we’ve been able to develop strategies which save lives and that is hugely gratifying.

“There is always hope.”

To download the Prevent Suicide app, visit preventsuicideapp.com