Beginning of my journey with BTP
I look back fondly to 2008 when I joined the British Transport Police. Like so many in their late teens, I had no real vision or idea of what the future looked like but knew I wanted to be working with the public. I was working at the time on the railways as a revenue protection inspector for the then WAGN (now Thameslink) before meeting my now wife and moving to Manchester, where I was part of the on-board catering team for Virgin Trains, I was only with Virgin around 12 months before I got my start date with BTP and never looked back!
We were trained in Tadworth back in 2008. A beautiful and expansive property in Surrey. There was a real sense of excitement and nervousness (equal measure!) and I profoundly remember the sense of pride as we sat in the main hall at Tadworth and received our uniform for the first time! Dubious looks were shared between recruits as we all (on the whole) opened boot polish for the first time and exchanged tactical advice on how best to bully our boots to mirror shine. Many of us had never worked a clothes Iron before nor wielded the steam in such a way as to mould the female bowler hats! Seems mundane looking back, felt so important at the time.
Starting at Manchester after initial training was a real baptism of fire. I remember putting on my 'big hat' (custodian helmet) for the first time and heading out to 'marble mile' (Manchester Piccadilly concourse) for what would become my 2nd home for the next few years. No training can prepare you for the public and no Tutor constable will ever suggest that the 'real' training doesn’t start now! One of my first incidents to attend was a heavily intoxicated male outside platform 5. I was sat with this man for 2 hours before ambulance teams arrived. Drunk and incapable was an appropriate description, I won’t describe the particular nuances of this incident, however I did become intimately acquainted with this gentlemen’s diet. I distinctly remember, 'I thought this would be cops and robbers!’
Not knowing what policing was about was a characterisation of those early years. You have to become comfortable with the uncomfortable and own your failures. There were plenty of them. You don't truly learn much from the successes but being open to acknowledge your vulnerabilities and errors is more than just fashionable reflection, it's the core of real growth. It's what separates the astronomers from the astronauts.
- Fumbling your captor spray and landing more on your partner than the offender - sorted
- Reversing the one operational van into a bollard and sending it to van heaven - nailed it.
- Having someone run off mid arrest, with one handcuff on only one wrist - smashed it.
- Spending 3 hours of a night shift authoring a remand file to forget to sign the MG05 and being hauled before the Inspector, bleary eyed the next shift - wrote the manual.
- Failing to clear a platform of football 'fans' quick enough to prevent a window of platformed train from being smashed - mission complete.
- Showing the new officer around the geography and naively falling through the floor of a derelict railway station I choose to tour for them - got the t-shirt.
The people you work with are the reason you enjoy your work so much. Those early years were filled with laughter and comradery. Invest in your team, choose to be a copper they can rely on as much as learning your law and powers. It's an investment that will always pay dividends.
Becoming a Sergeant
Becoming a Sergeant was another milestone. Legal exams (OSPRE back then) role plays, promotion boards. Getting that complete felt like an affirmation. I can do this. I'm trusted to do this. I remember the Chief Inspector at the time patting me on the back and advising "you're about to face your real baptism" as I was asked to take on the most veteran shift at Manchester. Officers with a cumulative experience reaching nearly 150 years!
It was really tough, finding that balance between respecting their experiencing, capitalising on their 'know how' and somehow aligning that to the forces vision, taskings and direction. Some of you may remember Points / SID / CuCase / crime... navigating these systems with a team of officers raised on a diet of pen and pencil was no easy charge! I never fully believed I cracked that first Sergeant role, never quite established myself as someone the shift could fully trust or buy into. A shame, as I learnt more from them than I could possibly have hoped for around what leadership and felt like, warts an' all.
Shifts would change quite regularly at Manchester and before long I had a brand-new shift. Completely different makeup, character and experience. I loved it. Great professional life, great social life. Sometimes shifts just click and that's where the magic happens. Make hey when the sun shines and enjoy it whilst it lasts. It’s what will get you through endless football trains, the 6 hours wait for Dr's to assess your Section 136 patient, the constant observation in custody and dreaded six person affray handovers to the early turn in the morning!
Becoming an Embedded Officer
From here I went on to become the first TransPennine Express Embedded Officer. A stakeholder role predominantly that took me out the Police station and thrust into a corporate head office doing fairly corporate things. I had such a lovely shift, it was like divorcing whilst never falling out of love. It would have been all too easy, all too comfortable to simply stay put but in hindsight, there is no better way of increasing your exposure to other areas, learning new skills, challenging yourself more intensely than taking every opportunity that comes your way. It is very easy to look that gift horse in the mouth and say "not for me Sea Biscuit, I've got a good thing going" but that is not how you grow your reputation, build on your character and ultimately your brand.
Manchester bomb was a formative time for everyone working in Manchester and beyond in BTP. I was just heading to bed at the time when I saw the news. I rushed in like many others and did what I could, in the capacity I could provide. Those first responders on duty at the time were busy coming to and from the police station collection kits, taking a breather, updating logs, manning scenes, saving lives. I arrived at the station with a profound sense of pride and terror but knowing I was part of something bigger, an epochal moment for Policing which (years later) would be confirmed as the public inquiry progressed.
Becoming an Inspector
I became the Inspector at Manchester in time and remember the Sagely advice of the incumbent Officer in Charge at the time 'it can be lonely in here' as he showed me my new office. He was right. The feeling of responsibility grew, the ownership of issues and problems became my business and a tangible sense of 'why isn't this working better' was an unwelcome echo over my time as OIC. Having two large metropolitan stations, a large property store, 8 sergeants, 75 cops is a big deal. Regardless of my hair brained schemes, some innovative ideas (so I thought!) It is true that if your character met your reputation on the street, it's unlikely they would recognise one another. I didn't dislike the role, but it was, without doubt, the hardest role I've ever done.
Becoming a Chief Inspector
Finally, here you find me a Chief Inspector. 16.5years into a job I love, I respect, but am still learning. The hairline is slightly on the retreat, there is a tactical withdrawal of follicles but other than that, still proud to be a Policeman. The promotion pathway can be bruising and when you need to make those difficult decisions, lonely. But those times of success, comradery and laughter is what keeps you going. If you choose to become a Chief Inspector at some point, and I urge you to be ambitious, choose to focus on being a good communicator. Choose to orate, not procrastinate. There is nothing quite as inspiring as listening to an articulate leader talk with enthusiasm and verbal dexterity. It’s enshrined in a history of great speakers and speeches and you should seek to emulate those roles models in your own way.
- Be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
- Become an orator, not a procrastinator!
- Own your failures and be humble with your successes.
- Never say no to opportunity
4 Little nuggets of advice I hope will be helpful!
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