Response Policing Week: difficult, demanding and unpredictable work of Response Police Officers is under-recognised

14 June 2022

The difficult, demanding and unpredictable work of Response Police Officers is under-recognised, Neil Mennie, Kent Police Federation Chair has said.

Response Policing Week provides an opportunity to recognise and support the officers and staff who respond to calls for help, according to the College of Policing.

Neil said: “There are a lot of fantastic departments within Kent Police, but Response, sometimes, is a little bit under-recognised. It doesn’t matter what the job turns into, it could be a murder, it could be a robbery, it could be a burglary, generally speaking, most of those jobs start with the attendance of a response officer who really has got to be a jack of all trades and a master of all trades.”

In Neil’s previous role, he was a response supervisor so this week (pictured) he’s looking forward to getting out onto the streets and getting a view on day-to-day response policing life.

He added: “It’s a really important and multi-faceted role. In most parts of policing you tend to focus on a specific area, but for the cops on response they never quite know what’s going to be coming up next. They could go to a call and then get there and find it bears no resemblance to what they thought they were going to go to. It’s fast-moving. It can be dangerous at times. And I think they’re sometimes a little bit undersold because it’s such a critical part of the way that the force operated, here in Kent and nationally."

The College of Policing’s CEO Andy Marsh said: “Response is at the core of policing’s crime fighting mission and we must look after the officers and staff who are responding to calls from the public and confronting criminals day and night.

This week of action is an opportunity to celebrate response teams and highlight the wellbeing support and practical guidance the College of Policing offers.

“We have created a range of resources specifically with response officers in mind so those in policing’s most demanding roles get the learning and leadership they deserve.”