International Women’s Day: “Don’t accept the status quo, challenge it” – DCC Rachel Nolan

Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Nolan believes policing offers exceptional career opportunities for women and there should be no limit to female officers’ ambitions.

As one of the country’s most senior female police officers, DCC Nolan said her journey shows that promotion into force leadership roles is achievable, and she encouraged female colleagues to put themselves forward when positions become available.

DCC Nolan joined the force in 1998, starting as a response officer on Canvey Island. She later became Essex’s first female commander of Operational Policing Command before being appointed Deputy Chief Constable in January.

DCC Nolan had considered joining the military after graduating from university but chose policing as there were no restrictions on the roles open to women.

However, despite joining a “very supportive team” after completing her training, she did encounter some questionable attitudes.

She said: “In hindsight, there were elements at the time that were outdated. It was always a woman who’d run the tea club; if a child was taken into protection, it was always a female officer who was assigned to look after them.

“But I found that if you challenge people, they were always receptive. It was more that things had always been done a certain way rather than it being a conscious decision.

“In situations like that, you don’t have to accept the status quo - challenge it. That’s the best way to bring about change.”

A key factor in DCC Nolan’s rise through the force has been the input of two inspirational female mentors in Chief Superintendent Julia Jeapes and ACC Sue Harrison. They encouraged DCC Nolan to challenge herself, a lesson she tries to pass on.

“I say to people, ‘Why not you? And why not now?’ I wouldn’t be in my position now if people hadn’t put their faith and confidence in me, so if you recognise people with ability in your team, tell them. Let people know they can be anything they want to be.”

DCC Nolan said that while the unpredictability and non-stop nature of policing may not be for everyone, she encouraged anybody who’s thinking about joining the force to do some research as there are a huge variety of roles requiring a multitude of different skills.

 “It’s essential we reflect the communities we serve, and it benefits all areas of policing to have different views and perspectives.

“The opportunities in policing are limitless – there are hundreds of different jobs. Whether you want to be an investigator, work in special operations or neighbourhood policing, there are so many different options.

“I’ve spent my career largely in operational policing and I’ve been a firearms commander for 15 years. I’ve been involved in some amazing jobs – these are opportunities you simply wouldn’t get elsewhere, and every day is different.

“I feel awkward being described as a role model, but I hope I inspire some people to think they could do this job too.”

“If you work hard, are professionally curious and put yourself out there, opportunities will present themselves and doors that you thought were closed might not be.”

At Essex Police, we value difference. We know we’re strongest when we work together. And we want a workforce that represents our communities. 

If you share our values and want to help people, keep people safe and catch criminals, then join us as a police officer, member of staff, special constable or volunteer.

Find out if you fit the bill