Yahoo News Britain's most prolific police officer dubbed ‘Robocop’ quits the force over mental health issues
A Suffolk police officer whose incredible arrest record led him to be nicknamed ‘Robocop’ has left the force over ongoing mental health issues.
Sergeant Ali Livingstone made up to 700 arrests in a single year during his service with Suffolk Police.
But he announced his decision to quit on Twitter, blaming a “significant mental breakdown” in March last year.
I've been inundated with messages asking me why I've left the police. It's been truly overwhelming. I wasn't going to share this for a while but I guess it makes sense to do it now.#wearingmyscarsproudly #kindcops pic.twitter.com/i0bEOg4gjL
— Ali Livingstone (@AliLivingstone1) July 8, 2019
He wrote: "I went from being the UK's top arresting officer to being so troubled by what I'd seen and done in the line of duty that I've had to walk away from the very job that defined me.
"To those who think I was just locking up petty criminals for minor offences, you couldn't be further from the truth…
"The last 15 months have been debilitating and devastating," he said. "At times I've felt broken beyond repair.
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"And when your PTSD, depression and anxiety is anchored around policing you have to decide whether to carry on or not.”
Mr Livingstone said he wanted to share his story to try to remove the stigma around mental health and help others.
He added: "To all the cops out there, keep fighting the good fight.
"You do the toughest of jobs and the overwhelming majority of the public have your back and support you.”
He is now planning to write a book.
