Meet Special Sergeant, Becka
Student Becka, has been part of our Special Constabulary for more than a year.
Becka volunteers her time alongside studying for her degree in Sociology. She enjoys the opportunities being a Special has given her. And the skills she has gained too.
Tell us a bit about yourself
I have been a Special with Essex Police for 1 year. I am based at Chelmsford. Outside of my role as a Special I am studying for a degree in Sociology.
What do you enjoy most about your role
There are so many benefits of being a Special. You gain a huge amount of experience in dealing with all kinds of situations, it can be anything from dealing with a drink driver to a theft.
I love being able to help people and leave knowing that I have made a huge difference to others. I couldn’t be prouder to be a Special Constable, it’s a volunteering experience that you wouldn’t get anywhere else.
Were there any barriers to joining Essex Police?
I used to think that being a short female would impact my application and mean that I would be treated differently, however this made absolutely no difference.
My application process went smoothly and I have never had any issues of sexism when being allocated jobs on the frontline. I love going in and representing female officers in the hopes of inspiring others that there is no reason to feel as though we aren’t capable of doing what once was a heavily male-dominated occupation.
Why do you think it’s so important that our force values difference?
It is paramount to understand that with policing comes the need to adopt a different range of views and perspectives. Something you view as minor means the whole world to someone.
Essex is a hugely diverse community and it is important for us to recognise this to help every single member of our community when they need us most.
How has Essex Police as an organisation supported you in your career?
Essex Police has provided me with so many transferrable skills. I have obtained conflict management skills, improved hugely upon my communication skills and I have also had the opportunity to be recruitment interview skill trained meaning I can interview future Specials for Essex Police.
My confidence and awareness skills have increased massively.
Tell us something interesting about your role
Specials get the opportunity to take part in all kinds of operations and events across all areas of policing. It can be anything from traffic operations responding to wanted persons in cars or stolen cars to Specials coming together and taking over the entire shift for the night to allow our regular PC colleagues time to complete paperwork.
What advice would you give to anyone thinking about joining Essex Police?
Do it! You never know what you are capable of until you try, and you really won’t regret it.
Support is given to you every step of the way and the benefits of this unique volunteering experience is never-ending.