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Are there any women police officers out there ??

12 replies

sparkle1977 · 27/09/2010 21:53

Just want some advice from women who are police officers either full or part time and who are also mothers to young children, anybody ?

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AnyFuleKno · 28/09/2010 01:02

there are a couple on here I think - Shiney used to be a copper and VicarInATutu has recently started if I remember right

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sparkle1977 · 29/09/2010 21:19

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scurryfunge · 29/09/2010 21:21

I joined when DS was 18 months -he is now nearly 16. What would you like to know?

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SharonGless · 29/09/2010 21:29

Yes 16 yrs in the job
Got 2 DC 4 and 2 now
What would you like to know?

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sparkle1977 · 30/09/2010 09:36

Many thanks for your replies.

I am thinking of joining, more the Specials at the moment as I don't think I will be able to commit to full time hours of a regular Officer position.

I have two DS's who are 2 and almost 4.

I have recently gone along to my local station and did their "ride-along" scheme, a friday night shift which I absolutely loved.

How does being a PC fit with having young children, is it do-able and how did you manage it ?

My query at the moment in the back of my mind is whether to apply to the specials or just go for it and try the regular police. However I am concerned that there is a lot of training which is residential(??) and again how we would cope practically with that.

I also understand from the PCs who I was with on Friday that there is a recruitment freeze on in any event at the moment so that may prevent me from applying to the regular force for a while. Not sure if the freeze applies also to specials or not.

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nigglewiggle · 30/09/2010 10:51

No you would be fine joining the Specials. The recruitment freeze is because of budget restraints and as Specials do not get paid - though I think you may now be able to claim expenses - they will probably bite your hand off.

I would think the initial training would be quite difficult with such young children, unless your DP is able to help out massively.

Perhaps a couple of years in the Specials would give you a good idea whether it is for you. The recruitment freeze might be over and your youngest will have started school which might make things a bit easier.

Good luck.

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MissisBoot · 30/09/2010 10:57

I'm not in the police but married to one.

What I would advise when considering a career change, is the balance of you and your dh's jobs - unless you have stacks of cash and can afford a nanny then your husband will have to assume responsibility for the day to day running of childcare etc - think seriously as well about how the impact of working such irregular shifts with no guaranteed finish time will impact on your family life. Working weekends/nights etcs for a minimum of two years etc.

Lots to think about - but all the police I know love (male and female) their job and wouldn't swap it for the world (though their partners would like a shot!)

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sparkle1977 · 30/09/2010 11:24

nigglewiggle - Thats what I thought about the training for regular police, DH would need to help massively and as he has a fairly senior position himself and is sometimes away from home etc it just wouldn't work right now.

exactly my thoughts too, join the specials, see how it goes and take it from there.

missisboot - nice to hear the other side of the coin, thats another consideration I guess, i've been thinking along similar lines and wondering if I am being selfish wanting to do something quite full-on with young kids etc but on the other hand I feel, why not (?), why should i have to resign myself to a dull job that my heart is not in ? Its difficult.

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scurryfunge · 30/09/2010 14:04

Hello,
Lots of good advice here.

My DS was in full time nursery until school and then we had au pairs to see him through to secondary school. We could not have survived without the au pairs even though my DH has a 9-5 job.

The shifts can be very demanding and there are often changes at short notice or you have to do overtime. (a 16 hour shift is not uncommon).

There will almost certainly be a recruitment freeze now for the foreseeable future so Specials will be a good compromise. It is a real opportunity to test the job to see if it suits. (the job does not suit everyone).

Everyone thought I was mad with a young child giving up a teaching career to join the job but I have never regretted it.

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igivein · 30/09/2010 14:31

The recruitment freeze will probably last 18 months to 2 years, and when it is over a lot of forces are looking at recruiting their regular officers from the ranks of the specials, as training will be cheaper and quicker as they will already be 'part-trained' as it were.

I'm currently involved in developing a 'pre-entry'training programme to facilitate this for a couple of Forces, and the Met announced today that it's their intention to do this in future.

I think you should join the specials, as it looks increasingly likely you won't get into the regulars in future unless you do, and you'll know whether or not it's for you when the time comes to apply.

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SharonGless · 30/09/2010 20:47

Hi
Everyone has given good advice here especially about joining the specials now whilst the recruitment freeze is on. By the time you can join your children will be school age which may or may not help your childcare

I would say that the specials gives you a great insight into the police but not the full impact of it being a full time job. It does change you - the rose coloured glasses are ripped off and thrown away. You become cynical and jaded after a while. Hopefully by the time you join the bureaucratic systems that we have will have been stripped away.

When I did my training I was single but I do know that most marriages for both male and female officers during this time were put under immense pressure. I don't know where you live but a lot of the training colleges have disbanded and these were residential. In our force now all training is done "in house" and the training courses are not residential.

However if you did want to apply for flexible working you have to work a certain number of weeks for the police ( I think it is 60 weeks) Depending on where you work flexible working can be declined. Working shifts is knackering and unsociable.

I find it difficult juggling children and a career to be honest and I have been discriminated against on a number of occasions.

Good luck with whatever you decide

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sparkle1977 · 02/10/2010 22:37

Thank you all for your replies.

I think I will apply to join the Specials in the coming months and see where that takes me and how I get on.

Its something I have been mulling over for a few years even and I feel that if I don't give it a shot now then I will always regret it.