Recognising our response officers during response policing week of action

This week, we’ve been celebrating the outstanding work that goes on day to day as part of response policing week of action.

The purpose of this week is to celebrate the hard work, dedication and bravery of police officers who respond to a range of incidents, emergencies and demand.

Here at Staffordshire Police, our response officers are based within our local policing teams across the county. Together, they help to protect our communities, keep people safe, prevent crime and tackle criminality.

We spoke with two of our response officers, Connor Ashton and Lewis Bell, to hear about their experience on the front line.

PC Ashton is a response officer from Cannock and has been a police officer for just over a year. He said: “I have been a police officer since March 2023 and I love it. Response policing involves responding to calls whether they be road traffic collisions, domestic incidents or burglaries, we’re often the first ones there to deal with what’s in front of us.

“Response policing can be one of the toughest roles in policing but also the most rewarding. No two days are ever the same, and you never know what job you’re going to next. You attend a range of incidents that test you both personally and professionally, but ultimately, they make you a better police officer.”

Connor added: “I like the variety of the role, every day offers a new challenge and gives me an opportunity to develop skills to be able to respond effectively and deal with all different types of incidents as all incidents need a different approach and have different elements to them.”

PC Bell is also a response officer from our local policing team in Cannock and has worked for the force since 2022. Lewis said: “You never know what jobs you’ll be attending, day or night. We deal with such a plethora of incidents, and while some initially sound similar, it’s never the same and there’s always a unique detail from one job to the next.

“As response officers, we not only response to incidents and deal with the initial enquiry, but we arrest suspects, safeguard victims, perform house to house enquiries, collect evidence and CCTV footage, conduct interviews and investigate the crime.”

Lewis added: “The work family you build within policing is one like no other, you are all of the same mindset which is to make a difference and that is something to be proud of. The work can be challenging and tiring, but nothing compares to the reward of being that person who has made a difference to someone’s life.”

Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Ellison said: “Working on the front-line as a response officer can be a high-risk role as they’re often the first to attend a serious incident, but it is also those officers who help to support vulnerable victims, protect our communities and bring offenders to justice.

“Therefore week’s like response policing week of action are an excellent opportunity to celebrate and commend our officers for all they do, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year.”