‘It's been a great career': Janet Humphrey reflects on 40 years with Suffolk Police

21 August 2026

A former Suffolk Police officer whose career has spanned major investigations, award-winning safeguarding work, and even a role as a receptionist, has celebrated 40 years of service with the Force.

Former PC Janet Humphrey joined Suffolk Police in October 1985 aged 21.

She had moved down from Redcar in North Yorkshire to stay with her best friend’s family after deciding she did not want to go to university.

“I thought it was a nice place to stand on my own two feet, but not so far away that I couldn’t get home if I was in trouble,” she explained. “I applied while I was sitting in their back garden in Ipswich.

 

Janet Humphrey with her BEM (left) and on her first day in policing

 

“No one in my family had been in the police. I wanted to work with people and to help people, and that was it.”

Janet served in a variety of roles during her police officer career, from the control room to crime trends, from working with probation managing sex offenders to CID.

After retiring as an officer, she served as a staff member on the major investigations team.

Now, she is still serving Suffolk Police on the front desk at Force headquarters.

Prostitution

Janet said: “It’s amazing to have been with the Force 40 years.

“When I joined, I'd only been to Ipswich once. I didn't know anybody, I couldn't drive, and I didn't even have a bank account. Looking back now, I think how did I manage 40 years?

“But it's been a great career.”

It was her work supporting women involved in prostitution that she said was the most enjoyable of her career.

Following the investigation in 2006 into the murders committed by serial killer Steve Wright, Janet joined a multi-agency team supporting women involved in street prostitution.

Working with partner agencies, charities and health professionals, the team helped women leave prostitution and rebuild their lives.

Health system

She said: “I went to a few locations on that inquiry, including the Matrix in Norwich, which supported women out of prostitution through the health system.

“I thought it was a great thing and wondered why we didn't have it in Ipswich.

“I wrote a report to the senior investigating officer at the time saying why haven’t we got something like that for our women?

“Three or four months later I got a call from the DI, and he said we're building a team in Ipswich to give women routes out of street prostitution and I want you, and another police officer, to be part of that multi-agency team.

“I went on that with my friend Gemma Wallace, and for 10 years we did that.

"It was the best 10 years of my career. We were helping women make the choice to leave prostitution and giving them the support they needed to build a different life."

Trafficking

The team's remit expanded to tackling off-street prostitution and human trafficking, and Janet received an award from the British Association of Women in Policing for her work.

Janet, who was a PC or DC throughout her policing career, retired after completing 30 years as a police officer, before joining Suffolk Police's Major Investigation Team as a civilian investigator where she supported complex investigations and vulnerable witnesses.

Life then presented Janet with an unexpected challenge. Four years ago, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer, requiring a mastectomy and six months of chemotherapy.

But rather than stepping away from helping others, she has used her lived experience to help others, raise awareness and to fundraise.

She organised fashion shows at Police Headquarters, raising around £20,000 for the Blossom Charity, which supports people going through personal difficulties.

Janet has also raised money for Norfolk-based charity Little Lifts, which provides thoughtfully handpicked gift boxes to people affected by breast cancer.

Cancer Support

She is now an ambassador for Cancer Support Suffolk, a welfare officer with the National Association of Retired Police Officers (NARPO), and continues to support others affected by cancer.

Her policing and community work was recognised last year with the award of the British Empire Medal.

Janet’s passion for policing also runs in the family, with one son now serving as a police officer and another working in the Force Control Room.

Janet said: “I think I’m one of the first female police officers in Suffolk to go all the way through 40 years.

“And now, working on the front desk, I absolutely love what I do.

“I've done everything I want to do. It's been a great career.

“If nothing else, this past 40 years has shown that an ordinary person, whoever they are, whatever their rank, can make a difference and be rewarded.”

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