Inside the life of a Derbyshire Response officer

Two local response officers are giving people an insight into their role as part of a national week of appreciation for those on the frontline.

Two local response officers are giving people an insight into their role as part of a national week of appreciation for those on the frontline.

This week marks the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Response Policing Week of Action, which celebrates the fantastic work that officers on Response do every day.

As part of the initiative, PC Thomas Bakel and PC Weronika (Ronnie) Korbiel, who keep the communities of Derby city safe, have provided a unique insight into their day-to-day life on response.

Officers in response teams never know what situations they’ll be faced with when they come into work each day. They have to be prepared to deal with a wide range of incidents, including complex and sometimes confrontational situations. No two days are the same, and officers in these roles come from many different backgrounds and work in a variety of environments.

Thomas joined the force four years ago, following a childhood ambition to become a police officer. Reflecting on his current role, he said: “It’s the bread and butter of policing, it’s basically everything. You’re turning out to your 999 calls when someone needs you there right now, and you’re turning out to your slow time calls as well where you need to investigate things at a slower pace that are more complex.

“It is probably the best job I’ve ever had, and the best job I ever will have as well at the same time. You get all the excitement and fulfilment of knowing you’re going out and you’re really helping someone.

“You go on your blue light run, you get to the job, and you protect that person, and you leave it feeling like you’ve accomplished something.

“Or, you get your classic jobs where you get your burglars and you catch a burglar. There’s probably no better feeling than finding a burglar inside a house banged to rights.  

Ronnie also described the role as varied and challenging, saying: “It’s essentially us attending anything from concerns for safety to domestic incidents and road traffic collisions.

“We do go to an extremely wide variety of things.”

During his time, Thomas has attended a wide range of incidents of varying urgency and seriousness, but two in particular stick in his mind.

“I actually attended a job where I managed to catch two burglars inside a house, which was amazing. That was one which really showed the positive action we were taking on burglary.

“About a year ago I went to a job where a female was shot in the face by an ex-partner. It was probably the most scared I had ever been going to a job, I was absolutely terrified going through that door. We had no idea if he was still there or what we were going to find behind that door.

“Thankfully she survived, albeit seriously injured, and he got a hefty prison sentence of around 21 years so that was probably the most significant job and prosecution result I’ve ever been a part of.”

Having been with the force for three years, Ronnie continues to enjoy the thrill of responding to these incidents and making sure she’s there to help as quickly as possible.

However this wasn’t her initial plan. Having not previously considered policing as a career, her plans took a turn when her and her family unfortunately had a negative experience with the police.

She said: “It wasn’t something I’d particularly wanted to do before, it was very much we had this negative experience and then I became determined to join and wanted to do a better job and deliver a better service to what we had received all those years ago.

“It has actually been great and I speak a number of languages, which has been really helpful in Derby where we have a very diverse population. I’ve felt like I can really help and I really don’t mind assisting colleagues when they ask me to help translate and it really helps those relationships.”

There are a number of challenges of the role, with both agreeing that being in high demand is something that those on Response have to quickly adapt to.

Thomas said: “It is always busy, someone always needs us, that’s very often the case with response. We cover a big area with lots of people, and because we are reactive we are often called when reports come in.

Ronnie added: “We get a certain number of calls a day and there are only so many of us on each shift.

“We do have to prioritise the order which we attend things but we will always be there or will be in touch when something is reported. We also do a lot with mental health.”

Derbyshire Police is currently open for recruitment in a number of roles, including police officers, and a number of new starters will go on to response once they’ve finished training.

Both Thomas and Ronnie, who have come from very different backgrounds into policing, continue to thrive in their roles in response and and look forward to seeing the next intake.

Ronnie said: “It’s a great job, and to do it the first advice I would give is you have to be open minded.

“The people we deal with live very different lives than perhaps we do and it’s about understanding that. I think to do that you have to be very open minded and non-judgemental.

Thomas said: “If you’re interested in joining then definitely pursue it as even though there are challenges and, sometimes, negatives, it is the best job I personally have ever had and it’s the best job I ever will do.

“Always just be yourself, don’t try and be someone you’re not. “If you’re right for the job, just be yourself and you’ll get it.

“Also, think why it is you really want to become a police officer – not just in terms of wanting to go on the blue light runs or that you’re a valued member of the community – think deep down what it is inside you that will make you become a good cop. That’s what will really get you the job.”

To find out more about the roles available at Derbyshire Constabulary, visit our careers page.