What has your policing career been like so far, Peter?

I joined Norfolk Police in 2009. I started off in Response and then, in 2020, I joined the training department as a trainer. I was then promoted to the training sergeant, managing new students and dealing with the police education qualification framework. I then returned to frontline a couple of years ago and I was again developing student officers out on area, so after their independent phase. I’ve just started a job in CID as a detective sergeant, so I’m now learning to be a detective.

Why did you decide to become a Fed Rep?

I wanted to become a Fed Rep about five years ago - the last time they had elections - but I’d just started in the training department and everything was a bit chaotic. I had two very young children and Covid had kicked off, so I just couldn’t fit it in. I’ve always believed that wellbeing is important, staff are key and, without the workforce, we can’t do anything. I’ve aways naturally taken a leadership type of role within my sergeant posting, looking after the people, and I’ve seen some frustrating decisions being made by forces. I’ve seen people treated not very fairly and I’ve felt the best way to help with that is to use my skills within the Fed Rep role to help. I also want to help student officers who are new to the organisation, who don’t really know how they should be treated and help them through those processes.

Why do you think it’s important for members to have a serving officer representing them?

Because we’ve got the lived experience of being a police officer. We know what the job is like and we know what the pressures are like. Before I had children, the pressures affected me very differently to now that I have children. So, having grown up in the organisation from my early 20s, I kind of see how their life pans out and I’ve felt it. I know what they’re feeling and I think it’s really important having that on their side.

Do you have a particular focus in your role?

I want to look at issues involving conduct and student officers, like Reg 13 processes and making sure they’re getting a fair shake when they’re going through those processes. We need to enable the organisation to deal with people fairly and to exit people who shouldn’t be in the organisation, just as much as keep them in if they should be here. So that’s my area of focus, around the misconduct and the detective world – which I’m new to and learning.

And just to finish, what is an interesting fact about yourself?

We used to do this with new student officers on intake nights! The one I always use is I’ve got a merit badge in ballet, tap and modern. I was seven years old and I haven’t done it since - and I’m definitely not in the shape to do it now - but that’s my interesting fact.