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I served for three-and-a-half years as a Special constable where I put lots of work in and reaped the rewards by getting additional training and working in departments such as the Impact Team, dog section and traffic. Alongside this I worked in the Lincolnshire police control room for about three years, firstly as a call taker and then as a controller/dispatcher
I have always been into helping people. This was clear from my time working in childcare and being involved in many sports, including disability sports. But I also wanted to drive police cars around at high speeds with “blues and twos” going and responding to every and all types of call. I have always been promotion driven, even from my time in the police cadets, so the ability to specialise and work my way up the promotion ladder was also a big appeal to me. I never had any reservations about joining the police - it is the only job I have wanted to do!
The application process was very stressful, in terms of how long it takes for each step and how many stages there are to the process. The assessment centre is not an enjoyable experience, but honestly if you prepare for it then it makes it a lot more straightforward, something I learnt the second time round. I would encourage anyone to join the police no matter what their background is.
Policing full time is very different to being a Special as the workload we carry as PCs is a lot to handle and manage. However, you soon learn how to manage your time well.
To anyone out there considering applying, I say “do it!” There is no better job out there. We see and deal with some terrible things but the good days certainly outweigh the bad days.