What if you joined Surrey Police?

Off By Ed Hanna

We’re a family force, with just over 4,000 officers and staff, and we are looking for people who have the judgment to make quick decisions; the compassion to help those in need; and the resilience to serve our community every single day, to join us.

On an average day, Surrey Police respond to 19 incidents relating to mental health, receive 12 reports of road traffic collisions, receive eight reports of missing people, 421 calls to 999, 786 calls to our 101 non-emergency number, receive 194 reports of a crime, respond to 91 emergencies and 174 priority incidents, make 31 arrests, and conduct 13 stop and searches*.

Here, some of our colleagues share their experiences of leaving the Military and joining our policing family:

Chief Superintendent Jerry Westerman joined us in 1994 and is currently the Head of Operations Command for Surrey Police and Sussex Police. Before joining Surrey Police, Jerry Served in the Royal Marines for five years. He shares:

“I was due to leave the Marines and was looking around for career options. I was looking for something interesting, where there were career opportunities and also an element of public service, all of which policing provided. It looked ideal, so I did some research and an attachment with a local force. I was won over and have loved it ever since.

If you’re thinking of joining the Police, I’d say, do your research, and don’t be put off by the fact new police officer recruits work towards a degree as part of their training. It’s completely achievable and there’s lots of support. Policing is a challenging, but really rewarding job to do, so go for it.”

Kirk Hughes is one of our force control room (FCR) dispatchers and joined us in 2002. Before joining Surrey Police, Kirk worked as a Royal Navy Marine Engineer Mechanic. He shares:

“My career aspirations had always been to Serve my full term in the Navy, and then become a police officer and follow in in my dad’s footsteps. Unfortunately, my career was cut short to just under five years, and due to damage in my knee, I was unable to join the Police as an officer, so in 2002 I joined the contact centre.

The skill that has helped most with my policing career is the experience in working as part of a team, that I gained in the Navy. Whether it be a huge team of 150-plus people, or smaller departments, the ability to work within a team is critical to the effective running of the FCR.”

PC Georgina Millar-Ferraro joined us the day after her Military service ended in January 2017. She is a public order trainer, and shares:

“I Served for 13 years in the Royal Military Police (RMP), working in multiple locations including Germany, Poland, Kenya, Holland, the UK, and completing tours of Afghanistan. I now specialise as a public order trainer, working with officers and training them to be operationally competent in public order tactics.

On joining the police, I remember being told that I was now a part of the ‘policing family’, and as cheesy as that sounds, it is very true! Have the confidence that your life experience, your life skills, and your qualifications will undoubtably assist you.”

Visit: www.surrey.police.uk/careers