"What you’re doing is what we’re doing…Investigating"
In an effort to understand what being a Police officer involves, ATS Press invited PC Farrington and PC Smith from West Midlands Police into school to provide us with an insight into Policing on the Four Oaks front line. The main line of questioning was about what the ‘average day in the life’ of a Police officer entails. However, as the officers shared their experiences of: neighbourhood noise, dramatic car chases, breaking and entering and visiting the elderly for tea and talk; it soon became apparent, that there is no such thing.
Neighbourhood officers PC Farrington and Smith deal on a daily basis with community issues, this involves: neighbourhood disputes, abandoned vehicles, traffic collisions and liaising with the council. As well as, this they offer open surgery sessions for members of the public at ‘The Hub’ and communicate with local landlords as part of ‘Pub Watch’. In fact, PC Farrington stated that “a lot of what we do borders on social work.” However, if an incident occurs within a close proximity they are required to respond to the 999 call within a 15 minute time frame set by the Police force. Nevertheless, there have been times when the officers have been unexpectedly faced with a crime in progress. An example of this is when the two officers were pulling out of Kittoe Road after enjoying an Arthur Terry school show when a robbery occurred only minutes away. Being the closest unit, the officers responded and had to pursue the criminal on foot through the back streets of Four Oaks.
When questioned about skills that the officers use each day, they replied “the biggest tool we have is talking.” PC Farrington pointed out that, “we have two ears and one mouth for a reason.” The officers explained that communication is key to diffusing a situation, a skill they employ regularly. When visiting schools in the local area, the officers endeavour to promote the idea of turning negative situations into learning experiences through communication. They are trying to trouble shoot and ensure that problems don’t escalate into an issue to be dealt with through the criminal justice system. An anecdote the officers shared to demonstrate this involved PC Farrington entering a known resident’s apartment and being faced with a knife. His only options in this scenario were to communicate or bolt. Thankfully, communication won and the officer was able to successfully prevent what could have been a life or death situation.
“You’ve got to have that something about you” - advice you should follow if you wish to become part of her Majesty’s Police Force, as it is something that both officers agreed, on despite joining the force in very different ways. At the age of 16, PC Smith became a Police Cadet despite not being able to become a fully qualified officer until the age of 19. Whereas PC Farrington came to the force later in life after completing a Police access course, enabling him to make the transition from farming to policing. Another thing they both agree on 100% is that “Police officers have to be good at finding places to have cups of tea.”
PC Smith told our reporters that “people see the uniform and disclose things you wouldn’t believe.” This led to her and PC Farrington sharing some of their most memorable moments as Neighbourhood Officers. Whilst most involved supporting the community and making friends, some were more memorable for the wrong reasons. In difficult situations like when “a young person dies,” officers are expected to remain focussed, putting their emotions and feelings second to their professional conduct. PC Smith explained: “I’m human like everybody… I live with that daily.” In contrast to this, PC Farrington’s most memorable moment is what all young boys aspire to when dreaming of being a Police Officer: a dramatic high speed chase. When taking part in Operation squirrel, PC Farrington’s day took an unexpected turn. In his own words, he described it as: “25 minutes start to finish… Thinking he’s going to run into me and kill me, we’re back in control, he’s trapped in traffic, he’s then going to kill some of your colleagues, he’s been arrested, (dramatically) injured, died in front of your eyes, got him going again…Most of the time it’s not that exciting.”
Overall we learnt that no day is a typical day as a Neighbourhood Police Officer, however we’re incredibly grateful that their diligence and support makes Four Oaks a safe and positive community: even it means… making them a cup of tea.
Luisa
Phoebe
Ellie
Hannah
In an effort to understand what being a Police officer involves, ATS Press invited PC Farrington and PC Smith from West Midlands Police into school to provide us with an insight into Policing on the Four Oaks front line. The main line of questioning was about what the ‘average day in the life’ of a Police officer entails. However, as the officers shared their experiences of: neighbourhood noise, dramatic car chases, breaking and entering and visiting the elderly for tea and talk; it soon became apparent, that there is no such thing.
When questioned about skills that the officers use each day, they replied “the biggest tool we have is talking.” PC Farrington pointed out that, “we have two ears and one mouth for a reason.” The officers explained that communication is key to diffusing a situation, a skill they employ regularly. When visiting schools in the local area, the officers endeavour to promote the idea of turning negative situations into learning experiences through communication. They are trying to trouble shoot and ensure that problems don’t escalate into an issue to be dealt with through the criminal justice system. An anecdote the officers shared to demonstrate this involved PC Farrington entering a known resident’s apartment and being faced with a knife. His only options in this scenario were to communicate or bolt. Thankfully, communication won and the officer was able to successfully prevent what could have been a life or death situation.
PC Smith told our reporters that “people see the uniform and disclose things you wouldn’t believe.” This led to her and PC Farrington sharing some of their most memorable moments as Neighbourhood Officers. Whilst most involved supporting the community and making friends, some were more memorable for the wrong reasons. In difficult situations like when “a young person dies,” officers are expected to remain focussed, putting their emotions and feelings second to their professional conduct. PC Smith explained: “I’m human like everybody… I live with that daily.” In contrast to this, PC Farrington’s most memorable moment is what all young boys aspire to when dreaming of being a Police Officer: a dramatic high speed chase. When taking part in Operation squirrel, PC Farrington’s day took an unexpected turn. In his own words, he described it as: “25 minutes start to finish… Thinking he’s going to run into me and kill me, we’re back in control, he’s trapped in traffic, he’s then going to kill some of your colleagues, he’s been arrested, (dramatically) injured, died in front of your eyes, got him going again…Most of the time it’s not that exciting.”
Overall we learnt that no day is a typical day as a Neighbourhood Police Officer, however we’re incredibly grateful that their diligence and support makes Four Oaks a safe and positive community: even it means… making them a cup of tea.
Luisa
Phoebe
Ellie
Hannah
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