Response Policing Week: ‘no two days are the same’

27 June 2024

‘No two days as a response officer are ever the same'.

That’s the view of Acting Inspector Claire Harradine as she shines a light on the work of frontline officers for Response Policing Week of Action.

And Claire, a Nottinghamshire Police Federation member, believes the variety of the job is part of the reason officers do it and enjoy it.

She said: “I think what attracts people to response policing is that you never know what you’re walking into or what is going to happen throughout the shift.

“Every day is different with new challenges that come in.”

England football

She cited this week as a prime example with England playing football against Slovenia on Tuesday night in the European Championship alongside the hot spell contributing to issues for officers around the county.

“As a supervisor, I’m conscious of making sure they’re looking after themselves,” she said.

“I try to make sure they are coming in with drinks, getting breaks and looking after themselves, because it can be non-stop.

Acting Inspector Claire Harradine.

“The England game was a prime example of that, the pubs are rammed, we were going from job to job and it’s non-stop.

“And when it’s hot and England are playing there’s a noticeable increase in demand.

“We get a lot more football-related domestic abuse. We have assaults where people are kicking off in pubs.

“We have the drunk and disorderlies after they’ve left the pub.

Response officer

“And then there’s traffic as well, and those who go to the pub and think they can have three or four pints and it’s okay to get behind the wheel.

“We’re the ones picking up the pieces because we’ve got RTCs coming in.”

Claire said there’s not one type of person who will make a response officer. Instead, it’s about being adaptable and learning.

“I think we need a mixture of skills in response policing,” she said. “That adaptability to learn is important, because you’re learning for your whole career. There are so many different types of jobs that come in that you’re constantly learning.

“Technology changes so you have to keep your skillset up-to-date and move with it, and legislation changes as well and you have to adapt to that.

“You have to be someone who is motivated, and it’s having that team spirit to help each other out and back up your colleagues.”

Claire added: “People skills are also a big one, and being able to communicate to people on different levels.

Assaulted

“A lot of the time when we get to a job, people are irate or upset. They could be a victim of a burglary or just been assaulted.

“It’s all about calming them down and getting as many details as possible. You definitely need communication and people skills to be able to get that information from people.”

Claire is also a wellbeing champion for the Force and said it was important for response officers to take time for themselves, particularly after a demanding job.

“I try to get my team to be open with me,” she said. “I tend to do a lot of one-to-ones with my team, a lot of check-ins, even if it’s just a general ‘how are things going?’

“They do go to a lot of awful things, and there are some pretty traumatic incidents.

“The things they’ve been to or seen that have involved colleagues, especially over the past 18 months, it might not be that shift that things start showing with them, it’s the long-term impact.

“So I think it’s important to have those check-ins to talk if needed.”

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