Police Controllers are the critical link in saving lives, protecting the public, and supporting officers on the frontline. They play a vital role at the heart of our operations. Being the first point of contact from the moment a 999 call is received, calmly and efficiently assessing situations, gathering crucial information, and dispatching police units to incidents as they unfold in real time.
We chatted to one of our Hampshire Police Controllers about the role.
What does a standard day look like in your role?
Every day in my role is different, as a PCR Controller we are on hand to deal with incoming demand via online reports, 101 and 999 calls as well as officer generated incidents. Each day and each shift brings its own challenge but there doesn’t seem to be a pattern for when we expect a certain type of incident.
Each day we are responsible for answering 999 calls and managing the deployment of resources to incidents that are reported.
What skills are required to do the role you do?
In order to carry out my role, it is important to be able to listen, multi task and operate a computer proficiently in order to accurately digest and record information. You may be dealing with more than one incident at a time and it is important to do this accurately and this requires you to listen and pay attention to detail while discounting additional but unnecessary information.
What is the best part of your role?
The best thing about my role is the variety in what you deal with, some things you get to delve into, others you get to see the surface and have other people deal with it. I can make a difference to people and ensure they get the right advice. We may not be the right people to deal with an incident for many reasons but educating people to who can offer them the right support is equally as rewarding.
How do you unwind after a shift?
Personally I like to spend time with my friends in a social setting, mostly. Sometimes it is important to discuss what you have dealt with during your shift with your family (of course not going into too much detail) in order to process what it is you have dealt with. I have recently started exercising which is another good way to unwind and decompress.
If, like Ash, you’re looking for a role that makes a real difference to the public, visit our careers website to explore all available police roles.
For our current vacancies visit our vacancy page All Hampshire Constabulary Jobs, or if you have any questions, please contact police.recruitment@hampshire.police.uk and we would be happy to help. Alternatively, please call us on 023 8045 1611.