What Our Police Staff Say
Here's what some of our police staff have to say.
Moira Scott – Administration Officer, Recruiting
I work in the recruiting team – a very busy department dealing with a high number of vacancies. I receive and sift through applications, invigilate and mark the Standard Entrance Test, do initial and home interviews for police constables and special constables, assist with initial fitness screening, attend Oath of Office ceremonies and also do all the administration work that goes along with these tasks.
I never have a quiet day. I work with internal departments and also external advertising agencies. For me, the reward is seeing candidates progress through the recruitment process and achieve a lifelong ambition of starting a career with Strathclyde Police.
Working in an active, motivated environment is a bonus for me, too. I am planning to spend time on personal development in the near future and take advantage of training opportunities. There are many career opportunities within the Force if you want to move around, but for the time being I am very happy working in Recruiting.
Who knows what the future holds? I work alongside a great team of people who are focused on delivering departmental and force targets through high productivity and getting the right people for the job.
Scott Robertson – Station Assistant
As a station assistant, I mainly deal with the public. This can be anything from giving directions, to referrals to outside agencies, to taking reports of crime and road crashes. I also assist police officers with their enquiries – as well as providing the all important refreshment facilities.
There's no such thing as an 'average' day for me. I work with a shift of police officers. We always have a good laugh together – especially on the night shift as that's the time a good sense of humour gets you through. I would like to think the cops know they can rely on me when the heat is on, and I know they are there for me when I need them too.
The job can be challenging – for example, trying to deal sensitively with victims of sexual crime. People under the influence can also be difficult as they don't take in what you are saying easily and tend to be unpredictable.
But it's rewarding too – particularly knowing that on the odd occasion you actually make a real difference to someone's life in a positive way. For me, this could be when a missing person in my care is reunited with their family.
Moreover, every day is a school day – I always come away having learned something new. Add to that the great relationship I enjoy with my shift and I laugh heartily every day.
Chris Davidson - Graphic Designer
I'm one of 10 people in the graphic design team. We all bring different experience to the job, so it's great for bouncing ideas around. It's a very friendly office, too.
Our role is to look after the Force's design requirements. This can be anything from designing ad-hoc posters to being involved in multi-platform campaigns. It encompasses everything from the design and print of annual reports to design for the web and involves building close working relationships with other teams within the department.
Due to the traffic coming through the studio, an average day tends to be pretty hectic with the phones going constantly and clients popping in and out or colleagues coming back and forth from meetings. Each designer tends to have a number of projects running concurrently. The days (and weeks) tend to fly by.
It's a very satisfying job. Most designers work in an environment where they are ultimately working to improve someone's bank balance. Here it is about producing visual communications that resonate with the community. It could be that work produced in our department prevents somebody carrying a knife, or driving after taking a drink, and therefore ultimately could end up saving a life.
It's always nice to see your work out in the public domain (on a billboard, on the side of a bus, online etc). Being nominated for and winning awards helps too. I guess, though, the biggest thrill is receiving positive feedback from the client or the public and knowing that your work has made a difference.