Allister Rose

Articles by: Allister Rose

Addressing the impact of PTSD on police officers

21st July 2023

Allister Rose, Managing Director, Hatikvah: Blue Hope Foundation

OPINION: PTSD can have a devastating impact on police officers’ wellbeing, and lead to problematic behaviours including risk-taking and poor decision-making; former paramedic and New Zealand Police officer Allister Rose, Managing Director of the Hatikvah Blue Hope Foundation, believes NZ Police should learn from the experiences of policing in other countries including the UK, and take steps to prioritise the mental health of its officers through early identification, intervention and support.

Contact

Allister Rose
Managing Director, Hatikvah: Blue Hope Foundation

Profile
Allister Rose trained as a paramedic in the UK in the 1990s, before moving back to New Zealand and joining the Police in 2001, where he served in uniform for 15 years. He was involved in the shooting and capture of an offender in Wellington in 2007, for which he was honoured with the New Zealand Bravery Star. Allister suffered from PTSD following the incident, although he wasn’t diagnosed until 2018. After leaving the force he retrained in health and safety, and launched Hatikvah: Blue Hope Foundation three years ago, to safeguard the rights, health and safety of the blue ‘whānau’, both serving and retired.