REPS SPOTLIGHT Reps Spotlight
National Board member and Devon and Cornwall Sergeant Sue Honeywill visited her local station to discuss job pressures and get involved with frontline duties, after recovering from a workplace injury
to catch up with colleagues about their morning. There was a photo opportunity that was met with some resistance, but not from the chief who was happy to join his team, which was welcomed.
Today, I woke up before my 5:45am alarm. I was excited and nervous, as it has been more than 18 months since I put my uniform on.
But there is no better way to understand the pressure faced by our frontline officers than to spend the day with my operational colleagues in Bodmin. I needn’t have worried,
as I was instantly met with the warmest of welcomes from some familiar faces, as well as new colleagues who have recently joined the team. The night turn staff were still on duty, but busy working away to clear their paperwork from the previous evening. They eventually left just after 9am, even though their shifts officially finish at 7am. It was clear it was going to be a busy
day for a number of teams, with a special operation taking place within the traffic department. There were two CID officers heading off to interview a suspect in prison, an AVR busy with taskings, and the neighbourhood team busy catching up on paperwork, holding meetings, and getting out on foot patrol, if the workload allowed. The response team had a number of incidents to catch up on from the
previous night, but they were prioritising a missing person enquiry that had come in that morning.
I am sure, like many stations and forces across the country, Bodmin is no different, but the team has dealt with a number of
There has been an investment in officer wellbeing, but teams still struggle. They explained that demand remains high and the impact of fatigue is significant, especially when they work over their allocated shifts times. However, the team spirit and
“They remained candid about the work pressures, but they pull together to get the job done to the highest of standards”
traumatic incidents, as well as fatal road collisions and a murder inquiry. But the team’s spirit appeared to remain high, which was really reassuring.
Officers said they had received good support, including a wellbeing day to check in with staff. No doubt this has helped with lifting morale at the station. The station was buzzing. I can say from previous experience that this is not always the case, as some officers were keen to highlight. National Federation duties meant I had
to dip out of operational policing for a couple of hours to chair an online Women’s Seminar for our Fed reps across the country. But soon I was back when cakes were on offer at midday. It was a good chance
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camaraderie was palpable. It was a privilege to spend the day with the team at Bodmin. They remained candid about the work pressures, but they pull together to get the job done to the highest of standards.
Special thanks to the No Excuses Team for allowing me to double crew with them for
the afternoon. They are a dedicated road safety team, working around the clock to tackle the Fatal Five, which are careless driving, drink and drug driving, not wearing a seatbelt, using a mobile phone, and speeding. Give them a follow on Twitter at @DC_NoExcuse and Facebook at
www.facebook.com/BodminPolice
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