Introducing Cleveland Police Federation Conduct Lead Lauren Somerville

24 May 2025

PC Lauren Somerville is the new Treasurer and Conduct Lead for Cleveland Police Federation

Q: How long have you been with Cleveland Police?

A: I've been an officer for 15 and a half years. I started on response and, after my probation, I moved to neighbourhood policing in Middlesbrough. I worked there for a long time, and then I moved to CID. I was seconded to operations in that time, including big drugs operations. I then went back to neighbourhood policing, but in a different area; I really enjoyed that. Then I was off work for a period of time with poor mental health, and when I returned, I went to the control room and worked on the crime desk. When Cleveland Police started a vulnerability desk, I was one of the first people to work on that. And my last job before this one was delivering training to new recruits.

Q: Why did you first get involved in the Federation?

A: When I was having a rough time with my mental health I was a bit lost, I wasn’t getting the support I needed. I was approached by the Federation Chair who said: ‘Please come and be a Fed Rep, because you understand how important it is.’ When the Treasurer and CAPLO role came up, I didn't have the confidence to put myself forward. But people told me, ‘I think this is the role for you. I think you can bring a lot to the table.’

Q: What are you looking forward to in this new role?

A: Supporting officers who are going through misconduct proceedings, as it can be a really, really bad time for them. I've been there, I've been served papers for misconduct, and it was a really difficult time in my life. You feel like everything's at risk, and you can feel angry for a long time afterwards. So I have an understanding of what other people are going through and what they might feel.

Q: How do you hope to shape the Federation branch?

A: We’d all like to see more female Reps, so I hope to be really visible to people. Quite often the Federation deals with things that are predominantly a problem for women within the police, so we need women in the Federation because they’ll understand those issues.