27 October 2010

During autumn many 20 year olds will be underway with a new academic year of study at university, juggling lectures and reading lists, but for Jessica Barclay-Menin it’s a case of fitting in her duties as a Special with that of her day job of a clerk at Criminal Justice Services (CJS).

Jess has chosen an alternative career route to uni, preferring the hands-on experience of being a Special – a role that perfectly complements her work in the offices of Carmelite House in Norwich.

“I would like to join the Regular force one day, and my diploma in Public Uniformed Services that I studied for two years at City College has given me a useful insight into how an organisation like Norfolk Constabulary operates,” Jess said.

Her role with CJS sees her dealing with the closure of court files and informing victims and witnesses of the outcomes. It’s a role she has had for two years and before that had jobs working in retail and a nursing home.

To know you are playing a really important role in tackling crime and disorder makes it an extremely worthwhile job

Jessica Barclay-Menin

So far, in her relatively short career as a Special (she was attested in July 200) Jess has provided support at the Game and Country Fair, go on public order patrols on Prince of Wales Road in Norwich and attend traffic control duties also in the city. Her main work is carried out in and around Wymondham, normally on a Friday night.

Over recent weeks Jess feels her confidence has grown as she becomes more accustomed to the responsibilities of being a Special.

“Only recently, I was on a patrol around the city to tackle would-be pickpockets and shoplifters. I was radioed to attend and make an arrest of one such suspect. I gave a statement and presented him to the Crime Investigation Unit for processing.

“To know you are playing a really important role in tackling crime and disorder makes it an extremely worthwhile job. The fact, as part of your minimum 16 hours a month of working for the Specials, you also have three hours training every fortnight, means your skills and confidence remain high.”

She also realises the importance of always finding something new to learn in the role: “The regular officers and PSCOs I work with are always very helpful – passing on their wisdom and experience of many years is invaluable.

“Clearly, you are never going to learn as much as a Regular because you don’t do the job as often as they do, but I’ve learnt you need to make the most of every opportunity that comes along.”

She also sees a cross-over in terms of her day job with CJS and a Special.

“For example, in my day role I am very comfortable with reading statements and pocket note book entries from officers. In that role I’ve learnt a lot on how to lay them out correctly, the sort of detail that is needed and the importance of accuracy.”

Jess added: “Both roles also have an emphasis on good customer service. In my office role at Carmelite I do a lot of liaising with the public via the telephone and email. Customer service values and good communication are also vital in my role as a Special. In that role, I am on the front line – explaining, listening, understanding and acknowledging people’s circumstances. It’s not easy though, as the sometimes confrontational nature of the job means you can’t always please everybody all of the time. I’ve been told I’m too nice for my own good, but being a Special has allowed me to become less so and develop a slighter tougher side!”

Jess’s family and friend have been very supportive of her in the role and far from feeling stale doing two police related roles, she feels a great sense of achievement in balancing the demands and pressures.

“My manager has been really supportive and has allowed me to take advantage of the STEP scheme* that allows me to adopt a flexible approach to managing both roles. If anyone was thinking of joining the Specials I’d definitely urge them to do it – you’re giving something back to the community and developing new skills that can be applied to a wide variety of scenarios.”

*The STEP Scheme (Special Through Employer Partnership) allows the Constabulary to sponsor the Special by giving them time off (usually one day per month pro rata) to contribute to their Specials hours. The Special then matches these hours to reach their requirement of 16+ hours per month.