Dr Sarah-Jane Lennie joins the POP Team

Dr Sarah-Jane (SJ) Lennie CPsychol  joined Policing Organisation and Practice Team as a Lecturer in May 2021. She is part of the team designing and delivering the new Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) for new police officers, as well as contributing to the overall development of programmes under the Police Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF).

SJ is a former police officer of 18 years having served in Hampshire Constabulary and Greater Manchester Police, she is the child of two retired police officers and married to a retired officer and now member of GMP police staff, and believes that she is firmly institutionalised!

In 2016 SJ returned to academia to study for her MSc. in Human Resource Management and went on to compete her PhD exploring Emotional Labour in British police officers and the psychological consequences, and to receive charted status from the British Psychological Society as an organisational and social psychologist. Previous to joining the OU SJ was a researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University studying leadership and end of life care across the NHS, and teaching Business Psychology and Leadership on Masters and Undergraduate courses.

Following her own experiences of mental ill-health whilst serving as a Detective Inspector in central Manchester SJ’s research passion is the mental health of police officers. Taking a mixed qualitative research approach (audio diary, psychodrama and PAR, media representation, reflective practice) SJ’s focus is to give a voice to officer’s lived experience and to challenge the organisational culture, processes and procedures that contribute to the increasing mental ill-health seen in our officers today. SJ is also an associate to the college of police where she delivers CPD on wellbeing and leadership.

Outside of the world of policing SJ enjoys long distance walking, running, and craft beer but these days is often found running after her 8 month Hungarian Vizsla shouting ‘what’s in your mouth?’ or ‘leave it!’. She has aspirations to combine her love of running and her puppy with taking up canicross… as long as there are no squirrels.