Christmas Keyworkers: Meet Sue
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This festive season, we’d like to introduce you to the people behind the phones and online contacts that you make to our Force Control Room.
If you call us, message us on social media, or use our website, you might be put through to one of our hard working and selfless colleagues that are spending the festivities away from their families, working to keep the people of Derbyshire safe.
First up, meet Sue.
Sue is a Dispatcher, answering emergency 999 calls and sending officers to jobs, prioritising what they go to. She is working from 7pm-7am on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
“I have worked for Derbyshire police for five years now, and am quite lucky as my husband also works for the force and we have the same shift patterns. He works in custody and will be at work when I am, which thinking about it is quite a bad thing as we both get home at the same time so I won’t even get home to my dinner being cooked for me!
“Working at this time of year, I do miss my family. I particularly miss my mum as her mum sadly died on Christmas Day, and we experienced our worst ever day that Christmas. This year I am happy to be at work, to be here to help people through their worst day and give something back.
“If I can help someone thorough that, I know that both my mum and gran would be proud.
“I think we are all a bit wary about what this year will look like. With Covid we have never been in this situation so it will be a case of dealing with what comes in as it does, which is what we are used to doing anyway.
“Over Christmas the atmosphere in the control room is great. Coming in to see your work family, we are all in the same position and as such want to celebrate together. We do have sad moments and sad jobs that come in, but we get each other through it.
“By the time you get home, you’ve eaten, showered, and got changed, you’re just ready for bed. So instead of celebrating on Christmas, we are going to celebrate on Boxing Day. We will have a big dinner, then we will be back to work a day shift on New Year’s Eve, followed by a night shift on New Year’s Day.”
If you need us over Christmas and New Year, please contact us using one of the following methods:
• Facebook: Send a private message to www.facebook.com/derbyshireconstabulary
• Twitter: Send a direct message to the @DerPolContact account
• Website: Use our online forms or speak to us on live chat www.derbyshire.police.uk
• Call us: Call 101 for non-emergencies, or 999 in an emergency.