Meet Basildon’s newest officer

Meet PC Brooke Smith, based on Basildon’s Local Policing Team, who formally commenced her new duties on Friday 19 August as the force reached record strength.

We’re on track to have 3,755 officers dedicated to helping people, keeping people safe, and catching criminals by March 2023.

PC Smith is now ready to protect and serve Basildon and beyond. She was already making a difference before becoming an officer, as she started her career as a call handler in our Force Control Room more than two years ago.

“Passing Out Parade is a massive accomplishment. We’ve waited so long to get here, but to now be here, it’s incredible. To know my family will be proud of me is really important.
“I first joined the force in 2020 and worked in the Force Control Room. As a call handler, I’d be there for people in the most worrying moments of their life, but I was always wanting to be on scene and help. So that’s why I applied to be a police officer.”

If you see PC Smith and her colleagues out and about, make sure to say hello and let them know your concerns.

“Come and speak to us. We are friendly people! Just because we wear a uniform doesn’t mean we aren’t human and that we can’t be victims of crime or experience similar concerns to you. Even if we don’t know the answer, we will always try to find it.”

PC Smith has learnt a lot in her many months of training, but there was one particular session that stood out the most to her.

“I really enjoyed the talk on the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles (JESIP). It involves how we improve the way the Police, Fire and Ambulance services work together when responding to major and complex incidents. It was so insightful that I’ve already emailed the Inspector to see how I can get some experience in the area.”

Just a few weeks into the course, PC Smith was diagnosed with Dyslexia. Anglia Ruskin University provided an assessment for PC Smith, as they’re involved in training officers for the new Policing Education Qualifications Framework.

“The support has been incredible. Sometimes I’ll have to go through something again, but people always have the time to sit with you and go through things.
For me it’s how I process information, but the university and Essex Police tutors can now help me with that.
“I now know how to use the strengths that dyslexia brings, and I can use them when I’m out on the beat.
“Dyslexia shouldn’t be a barrier to joining. If you are struggling, ask for help. Nobody likes seeing anyone left behind, and that’s something that I’ve really learnt and seen throughout training.”

Are you ready to make a difference like PC Smith? If you’re considering applying but haven’t taken the leap, take a look a PC Smith’s final piece of advice:

“I live by the motto that it takes one second to be brave, and you will always live by ‘what if?’ if you’ve never tried it."

Join us today if you want to be a part of the next chapter in Essex Police history.

If you think you #FitTheBill, contact us today and you could begin your career with Essex Police within months.

If you’re applying as an officer, your starting salary will be between £25,812 to £26,682, plus £3,000 South East allowance. You can earn up to £43,032 over the course of seven years.

Officers from the rank of constable to chief inspector will receive an additional 10% of their basic pay for all hours worked between 8pm and 6am.

This payment is not pensionable and will be paid for each full hour worked.

Where overtime is worked between 8pm and 6am, the rate of the allowance is still 10% of basic pay, not 10% of the overtime rate.