Special time for Heidi after becoming a Fed rep

23 April 2025

Heidi Brailsford says she is ‘delighted’ to be one of the first Specials in the country to become a Federation rep.

Derbyshire Police Federation welcomed Heidi and fellow Specials Tony Murphy and Gary Saunders as the first volunteer officers to represent branch members.

Heidi described herself as ‘people-focused’, and said the chance to support her colleagues, particularly those young in service, was one of the main reasons she stood for election.

She said: “I’m really passionate about what the police do. “I’ve had family and friends in the police, and I’m going through the training process myself.

 

Special Constable Heidi Brailsford.

 

“My cohort are mostly quite young. I’m 47 and a lot of them are 18, 19, 20, they’re at university and from training with them, I’ve become quite protective of them.

“If I’m able to provide that support function and to help then that’s great.

“So I’m delighted to become a rep and I’m very much looking forward to representing Specials.

This is the first time since they became entitled to Federation membership in July 2022 that Specials have been able to stand for election as workplace reps.

Unique

And Heidi said the unique role of Specials means they do need their own representation.

“Specials haven’t been represented before and I think it’s a really important move for us to be included in that,” she said.

“Essentially, we are given the same responsibilities as regular officers, but we are different.

“Specials are unique, so we do need a slightly different representation.”

Heidi gave up her career around six years ago to look after her daughters, now aged 15 and five.

“My job was helping businesses with their culture and their people,” she said.

People-focused

“I’ve always been people-focused.

“I wanted to use some skills I’ve learned in my career and help people who need it, and the Specials seemed a really good fit.”

Heidi joined the Force in March 2024 after a friend, who is a Special in West Midlands Police, alerted her to Derbyshire Police’s drive to recruit volunteer officers.

“I thought that now it might be a good time to do it, so I applied not thinking I would get anywhere with it at all,” said Heidi, who is currently covering Swadlincote.

“I kept going through the process and ended up being recruited and going through the training process.

Supportive team

“I’m really enjoying it. I’m lucky to have an amazing team that I work with.

“I could not have asked for a kinder or more supportive team.

“They’ve just been fantastic towards me as a Special and supporting my learning. They’ve been amazing.”

READ MORE: Expert advice for members to prepare for retirement.