Following this he enjoyed a fused career with the Army and Police, serving in a Tactical Firearms Unit in Hertfordshire Constabulary as a sniper, and progressing through the commissioned ranks of the Army Reserve in various Combat roles. He conducted a ballistics research project for the Home Office leading to the award of a Master’s degree by research. Whilst presenting the results of this research in North America he became increasingly involved with performance and mental resilience in elite teams, as well as training in Trauma Risk Management. He subsequently created an innovative emotional survival training package for the police service.

Jim’s work in this area was cut short when he was mobilised for operational service in 2009, spending almost a year in Afghanistan for which he was decorated. On his return he took an extended career break from the police to serve full-time in the Army. He developed his operational experience and mental resilience work into elite performance and leadership training for the Cambridge University Lightweight Rowing Club, which he took on as a voluntary role for six years alongside his UK based military appointments.

Following a further operational tours he returned to the police in 2015 retiring from in 2018 but remaining in ‘green’, taking on a full-time role, leading the Army’s community engagement in schools, youth and sport across the North West of England.
He continues to deliver ballistics teaching in the HE sector and mental resilience, leadership, and other training in the military and across other sectors on a voluntary basis.

Jim believes that young people should understand that education is a vital start to their lives, not purely the academic subjects, but the relationships, social interactions, negotiation skills, self-discipline and resilience it can build. The lessons that seem pointless at the time; the subjects that appear to have no bearing on life, can often be the most useful when you leave education and start work.

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