Disillusioned officer quits Force

11 May 2022

A former Suffolk Police officer who left the Force shortly after completing his probation has described how his dream job failed to live up to expectations.

Kyle Thorpe had wanted to be a police officer from an early age and fulfilled his ambition when he reported for training at Martlesham on 2 December 2019.

But less than three years later he has left the job he thought he would love and is now seeking a new career path.

He started his tutorship in March 2020 just one week before the country went into lockdown at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Kyle said he initially shrugged off the negative comments of more senior colleagues. “You kind of hear things that you don't want to believe, I guess,” said Kyle.

But eventually he realised the complaints about poor working conditions, staff shortages, low pay and unrealistic expectations were genuine rather than whingeing from old school bobbies.

He said: “Straight out of tutorship was fine but there were times when I was just left on my own because staff shortages meant other officers were needed elsewhere.

“So straight out of tutorship I was completely on my own, not fully knowing what I was doing to be honest.

“The 10-week training was OK but it’s definitely not enough time for someone to be left on their own so I didn’t really feel confident being put in that position.

“As it happens, there were no incidents that left me feeling out of my depth but if something had kicked off I’m not sure how it would have gone down really.”

Kyle said he was not the only young and inexperienced officer to be left on his own.

“I have seen almost all of the teams left with little to no staff and on night shifts they'd be left on their own,” he said.

“There have been times when they’ve had to do whole shifts on their own or try to call in Special Constables on the day to try to get them to come in and help out.”

Kyle said the lack of positive results for victims was another major factor in his decision to quit.

He said: “I joined to make a difference but I’ve seen colleagues spend ages putting cases together and sending them off to the CPS but then nothing happens.

“The courts and the justice system isn’t what I thought it would be. Everyone says they are so busy which is fair enough but when all you are getting is negative result after negative result it just starts to grind you down.”

Kyle acknowledged the start of his policing career was hampered by the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic but still questions whether his decision to join the Force had been the right one for him.

“Ever since I was young I’d said I wanted to be a police officer,” he said, “I didn’t apply for any universities because I knew I was going to join the police and I didn’t even have a back-up plan because I knew this was what I was going to do.

“But I realised I just wasn’t enjoying it as much as I thought I would about 18 months into my probation but professional pride meant I was never going to leave before the end of my probation.”

Kyle, whose short career in policing came to an end when he served his last shift 0n 27 April, insists he has no regrets.

He said: “At first it was a little bit disheartening and I thought I would have a long an enjoyable career in the police and I thought when I cleared out my locker and gave my uniform back a small part of me would think I was making the wrong decision and be a bit flat but I didn't feel that way at all. I think that says a lot.”

Darren Harris, chair of Suffolk Police Federation, has called for a greater focus on the retention of new recruits, backed up with action around pay and working conditions.

Figures revealed that 50 of the 320 new officers who joined Suffolk Police since the end of 2019 ended up quitting before completing their probation.

Darren said: “We all desperately want to see the Government’s Police Uplift Programme succeed and to get back to the staffing levels we had before the austerity years.

“We simply cannot expect to deliver the service the public deserves without boots on the ground.

“That’s why it is so frustrating and tragic that we’re getting bright, young talent through the door and allowing them to become so broken and disillusioned that they are turning their backs on policing before they even get started.

“These figures should shame police leaders and the Government and show it is not enough to recruit people, they have to focus on retention and that includes decent pay, welfare and working conditions.”