Response Policing Week: officer discusses enjoyment and impact on the frontline

26 April 2026

A Federation member has urged his fellow frontline officers to use last week's Response Policing Week as a reminder not to lose sight of why they dedicate themselves to being the first line of defence against crime.

Despite only being part of Suffolk Constabulary since last August, Tom Prior has already made the most of his vast first-on-the-scene experience to make a significant impact within the Force.

The strong work of his previous 17 years at Hertfordshire Constabulary was enough for Tom to be immediately trusted in two important leadership positions: firstly, as duty sergeant of Haverhill, and now helping to oversee the West local policing area – including Bury St Edmunds, Sudbury and Stowmarket – in an acting inspector capacity.

With a step-up in both role and rank coming inside nine months, a demanding start to life in this new chapter of his career has given him plenty of pressure to contend with – but he maintained in the world of response, that simply comes as second nature.

 

Tom Prior

 

“I made the move for a fresh challenge, and so far, it has provided me with exactly that – I’ve remembered just how much I enjoy response policing,” Tom said.

“It’s given me one of my best career highlights, with my Haverhill colleagues and me picking up the Force’s team of the month award in December. It was great to help turn the team around after some serious operational difficulties when I came in, and now I’m already onto my next responsibility.

“There are always obstacles, but if you can generate this sort of momentum, it becomes easy to remember why you joined the police in the first place.”

Expectation

As an officer who has ‘never been interested in anything away from the frontline’, the 38-year-old went on to share how he has learnt to deal with the weight of expectation that comes with such duties.

“Demand has gone up, and response has probably never been so up against it as a department,” he continued.

“But some parts of it will never change – however big the burden gets, it’s vital we share it by being open with each other and decompressing through conversation.

“I’ve been a police wellbeing champion for the last 10 years, and I would challenge any response officer to say they haven’t ever struggled balancing the job, home life and their mental health.

“Of course, there is plenty that needs to be done on the outside to help us right now, but when it comes to the inextricable pressures we can never eliminate, we all have a responsibility to rally around each other.”

Unique risks

Discussing external changes to make the lives of response workers easier, Tom argued for better recognition of the unique risks faced by those on the frontline.

His comments come during a Response Policing Week where the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) has released research indicating nine in 10 response officers believe their working conditions to be unsafe and understaffed, as well as a short film portraying real officer testimonies around long hours, high trauma exposure and insufficient rest.

Tom continued: “As response police officers, we must face danger head-on to be its first representatives at the scene of a crime, and we must keep up high standards of both victim management and offender management.

“And just because we are used to operating within these tough requirements, we shouldn’t be expected to take on even more needless adversity. It’s imperative we are properly supported in everything we do, as an absolute bare minimum." 

Inspiration

Nevertheless, in a time when various elements of the job may feel ‘more difficult than ever’, Tom made clear he is of the belief there is plenty of inspiration still to be found in response - not just from one officer to another, but also from within.

“I’ve been a manager for a long time now, and part of my duty is to uplift and get the best out of the people in my team,” he said.

“Wherever you are in terms of experience and standing, though, if you feel like you’ve fallen out of love with your work - which can be easy to do in response - there are certainly ways for you to fall back in love.

“It doesn’t have to be as drastic as changing forces - it could just be as simple as taking a step back, being present and noticing how many lives you touch every single day.”

READ MORE: Welfare van supports members during Response Policing Week.