Meet control room supervisor, Tony Boothman

Meet one of our Force Control Room supervisors, Tony Boothman.

Tony first joined Essex Police as a cadet at 17 and two years later, in the hot summer of 1976, he became a police officer. Tony worked on the beat in Basildon and Brentwood but in 1986, he was involved in a serious motorcycle accident on his way into work.

Ever since then, Tony has worked in our Force Control Room and is nearing 48 years of service with Essex Police in total. Tony says:

“One day I was a police officer, and the next I was a police staff member. It was quite surreal.
“I joined to help people, to save lives and change lives. I’ve been doing that every day since.”

In 1997, when Tony got promoted to supervisor, Essex Police began a multi-million-pound project to build a new control room for the whole county to centralise communication to a one tier system.

The building was a custom design to meet the requirements, and everything down to the position of the seating was thoroughly researched. The new Force Information Room (FIR), later changed to the Force Control Room (FCR), opened in 1997.

Before then, when police officers went out on patrol, they carried a radio which was connected to a local police station. An officer would then pick the call up and dispatch from the station.

As well as this, 999 calls went through to HQ and were tasked to officers via a main channel car set. The two systems were independent from one another.

Tony reflected on how public demand has changed throughout his career. He says:

“We had a stray dog on the M25 recently, and we ended up getting 75 999 calls about that one incident. Before mobile phones were invented, and I’ve worked here pre-mobile phones, the caller would have had to stop and pick up the motorway phone, so if you got two calls about it, you’d be lucky!
"It just shows you how much technology has evolved.”

Tony’s accident certainly hasn’t affected his ability to help people and keep them safe.

“I took a call from a man who was stood on the wrong side of the railings of a bridge over the A12, but I managed to keep talking to him, to comfort and reassure him, while assisting officers until they arrived and took him to safety.
"It’s emotional to receive those calls and you go home and you do think ‘could I have done that differently?’.
“But there is a great support network here. As a call handler, you are surrounded by support from your fellow call handlers and supervisors. I help staff as much as I help the public.
“And there is plenty of opportunity to help people. It’s very diverse, every day is different, and you never get two days that are the same.
“We are an equal opportunities employer. I wouldn’t let any fears step in your way. If you can do the job, that’s good enough.”

On Friday 22 July, the Force Control Room welcomed 19 new call handlers, and Tony presented an award to a colleague who has shown determination in the face of adversity.

The award was named after Tony for doing the exact same.

“It’s really nice to leave a legacy with Essex Police and to feel valued and appreciated for the 48 years I’ve been with the force. It’s humbling, and my family are very proud.”

 

Tony is retiring in August this year – could you continue his legacy?

We’re looking for full-time and part-time call takers who can be the voice of reassurance and change people’s lives for the better. Sharing his final piece of advice, Tony said:

“If you can talk to people and you enjoy it, this could be the role for you. The training that you get here will see you well in the role. The training is comprehensive and structured, and working here will give you additional skills if you ever move on.
“If you start as a call handler, you can move up the ranks or even use it as a stepping-stone to move about the organisation, whether that’s in other staff roles or to join as a police officer.”

So, join us today and we’ll help you discover what you’re capable of. Just visit the call handler vacancies on the careers section.