A glimpse into the role of a chief inspector

1 May 2024

A chief inspector who was born and bred in Hertfordshire says he is very proud to be in a role that ‘directly impacts the community’ he grew up in.

Having first joined the constabulary as a Special in 2000, Andy Wiseman trained as a regular in 2003. Now, more than two decades later, the 43-year-old is running the community service partnership as a chief inspector.

Here, Andy gave us an insight into what life is like juggling admin and managing a team of around 150 people - including volunteers and Specials - while liaising with key stakeholders.

“Time has flown since I started at Watford as a Special Constable. I’ve really enjoyed every rank and role I’ve had so far but I see my role these days as being less operational myself and a lot more about looking after my bit of the constabulary and the teams who work here,” said Andy, adding: “Whatever rank someone is though, it’s vital that they don’t lose sign of what our frontline officers do on a daily basis.”

Despite the office-based workload mounting up, Andy, says he tries his best to get out on patrol with his team as much as he can.

“I still love getting my kit on and getting back out on the streets,” he continued.

Andy Wiseman (on the left: 2000, on the right: today).

“It’s a really eye-opening experience though. It reminds me of the ongoing pressures and the sheer demand of work our teams are continuously facing and what excellent work is being done by everyone.

“When I joined, there could be as few as three jobs ‘on the box’, now officers are lucky if there are less than 30 each day.”

Andy says that one of the biggest challenges he finds is having multiple demands coming at him from all angles.

“Like all chief inspectors, I have demands coming down from the top, coming up from my team and sideways from our partners,” he explained, adding: “Sometimes, I feel like the narrow part of an egg timer – with a lot of what goes on passing through me at some point.

“But somehow we manage to get it all done and I try to stay true to those things which I know will bring the most benefit to my officers and the public.”

In total, there are 10 chief inspectors and 10 community service partnerships. And each of the chief inspectors takes it in turn to be on call.

“If you get called to a serious job, it can turn into a very long day. And you might be involved in the long-term management of that incident,” he added. “which is on top of your day job.

“Plus, each of the community service partnerships is unique. We all have different priorities and different responsibilities, which can be challenging.”

In addition, Andy is the deputy lead for part of the Force’s Race Action Plan, which means he has responsibility for ensuring Hertfordshire constabulary delivers against the national plan.

He also plays a key role in the running of Hertfordshire’s Project Vigilant, which is part of the Force’s overall mission to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG).

In addition, Andy also oversees the police’s role in the ‘Small Act of Kindness’ bags initiative, which involves distributing bags countywide to people over the age of 55.

Each bag contained essentials like a blanket, a hat and gloves, as well as chocolates and information on Hertfordshire Police.

“I’m very proud to be working in so many different areas but it’s definitely a responsibility. But I have to admit, it’s 360-degree pressure, and can feel pretty relentless at times,” admitted Andy, who is also part of the Force’s Historical Society.

As a leader, Andy says he lives by the mantra ‘acta non verba’ - which means ‘deeds not words’.

He said: “If all you do is speak words and don’t put those words into practice, people don’t have confidence in you. The only way you can gain the trust of your colleagues and the public is by turning your words into actions and doing that consistently.

“I’m all for policing getting back to basics, and being visible out in the community.

“That’s why I like to try and support local operations and community engagement events in person, whether that’s just to say ‘hi’ to the team or to see how we’re putting promises into practice.

His passion for policing stems back to when he was nine years old. It was 1990, and he was shown around Watford Police Station on Shady Lane.

“I was captivated,” recalled Andy, adding: “I knew then that I wanted to be part of the police. But I never imagined that one day I’d be responsible for closing that police station down and moving to a new one across town.

“34 years later, I love serving the community I grew up in and I am still immensely proud of what I do.”

Branch chair Luke Mitchell said that Andy is one of many ‘hard-working’ chief inspectors within Hertfordshire Police.

He added: “The role of the chief inspector is so important. They hold so much responsibility around day-to-day policing, managing risk and they care for large numbers of officers.”

Luke argued that chief inspectors are ‘often a forgotten rank’. He said: “Over the years what is expected of them has grown massively. However, their pay hasn’t kept up with the pace - and as they don’t get overtime they are often paid less than lower ranks.

“As we moved forward into 2024, the inspector ranks pay needs to reflect what they do - it’s massively out of keeping and it’s time for a review.

“I’ve encouraged our Force to look at other ways to reward officers who are clearly working above their pay grade.”