Cumulative Trauma In Digital Forensics And Policing With Ben Dimmock

Ben Dimmock, Police Well-Being Lead at Bedfordshire Police, joins the Forensic Focus Podcast to talk about psychological safety, trauma exposure, and the long-term emotional toll of working in policing and digital forensics. Ben shares his own experience of depression 12 years into his service, the stigma that made him hide it, and how opening up eventually led him to build and lead one of the largest full-time police well-being teams in the country. He and host Paul explore why well-being has to be treated as an operational necessity rather than a "pink and fluffy" add-on, and how a culture of stoicism has historically driven burnout, long-term sickness, and unresolved trauma.

The conversation digs into cumulative trauma — the gradual erosion that builds job after job until something small flicks the switch — and what genuinely psychologically safe leadership looks like versus performative box-ticking. Ben explains the day-to-day work of his team, from 80–100 welfare interventions a month and TRiM (Trauma Risk Management) assessments to peer support networks, and two services he believes are unique to Bedfordshire: dedicated welfare support for officers under investigation, and support for their families. Drawing on Paul's own background in online child abuse investigations and his current work as an NHS psychologist, the two discuss supervision, proactive check-ins, and why sometimes people just need to be listened to rather than "fixed."

#PoliceWellbeing #PsychologicalSafety #MentalHealth #TraumaInformedLeadership #Policing #DigitalForensics

00:00 Introducing Ben Dimmock

02:22 Depression and Breaking Stigma

04:46 Speaking Out

06:48 Why Well-Being Is Operational

10:12 Stoicism and Burnout Costs

12:00 Defining Psychological Safety

15:19 Proactive Support Culture

16:44 Building a Well-Being Team

20:57 Cumulative Trauma and Check-Ins

22:09 Supervision and TRiM Tools

26:45 Quick Check Ins

28:02 Cumulative Trauma Explained

30:13 Investigations And Welfare

33:45 Real Versus Performative

36:40 Inside The Well-Being Team

39:34 Supporting Families Too

41:47 Don't Suffer Alone

42:59 Listening Versus Fixing

44:03 Closing Thoughts

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🎧 Video/Transcript: https://www.forensicfocus.com/podcast/cumulative-trauma-in-digital-forensics-and-policing-with-ben-dimmock/

📝 Show Notes

Bedfordshire Police – https://www.beds.police.uk/

Oscar Kilo / National Police Well-being Service – https://www.oscarkilo.org.uk/

TRiM (Trauma Risk Management) – https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a79e5f4e5274a18ba50f9cf/0392-12attachment2of2.pdf

Ben Dimmock on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-dimmock-6325b4316/

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