Owen Goldfinch Police Constable

As a relatively new officer, can you tell us a bit about your background?

I joined as an officer around a year and a half ago and was only 18 when I started. Before joining I worked in a few part time roles including some pub work and in a warehouse.

Any top tips for someone thinking of applying?

Join knowing that you’ll have to wait a little while to get where you want to be. Acquiring all the skills takes time but it’s so worth it. Having only been in for a short period I’m now glad I wasn’t given everything straight away as there’s just so much to learn. You do have to earn your place on the skilled courses, but I find this just makes you really motivated to keep pushing and doing well.

Have you had any moments that made you feel proud to be an officer?

Definitely! It sounds cliché, but the times when you know you’ve helped someone are incredibly rewarding. In my experience, officers can have a massive impact in lots of different incidents but I think this is particularly the case when people are suffering with their mental health. Even though they might not say it at the time, you can often tell that you’ve made a real difference to their life and potentially even saved them. I had no idea how many incidents related to poor mental health I would be attending, but knowing how much I’ve been able to help some people in their most vulnerable days is definitely something I’m proud of.

What do you want people to know about working as a police officer?

It’s both a really hard and really rewarding role but I think so many people don’t apply because they think they won’t be successful or the recruitment process is too hard. I just want people to know that they absolutely can do it, the training isn’t impossible, and if they’re thinking about applying they should just go for it.

What’s been the hardest part of becoming an officer?

I think not having experience in certain situations. There’s still some types of incidents that I haven’t been to alone yet and you do worry how you’ll handle them and if you’ll do the best by the victims. I think you learn, though, that you can always ask questions from your colleagues and supervisors so help is always there.

Are there any skills you’d suggest a new recruit should have?  

Common sense will get you a long way and the ability to stop and think without making a rushed decision. You do also need to be quite confident in yourself, but you’ll also learn so much along the way so this is a skill that is constantly developing.

Recruitment
Benefits & Rewards

“I think I’ve suffered with a bit of imposter syndrome throughout many of the successes in my limited time in the force, but I can recognise now that hard work does pay off and when you reach the point of being able to I’m pretty calm and level headed. I don’t get annoyed or frustrated easily and this has definitely proved beneficial in some of the more challenging incidents I’ve attended over the past year or so.”

PC Owen goldfinch

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