Catrin Edwards
NAME Catrin Edwards
JOB Project officer, College Based Sandwich Student (CBSS)
EMPLOYER Metropolitan Police Service
AREA OF WORK Police service
DEGREE BSc sociology, University of Bath
I’m on a year’s work placement with the police service and work as a project officer on the College Based Sandwich Student (CBSS) scheme. One of the great things about my placement is the option of flexitime. I commute by train and it’s often convenient to start the day early.
8.30 am
After replying to my e-mails I get started on project work. I’m responsible for running various projects – typically six to eight at a time. They are adhoc pieces of research requested by police officers or civilian staff who need my department, the Research and Survey Unit, to help find something out. For example, the Dog Unit and Air Support Unit have both approached us in the past to find out levels of customer satisfaction – whether they were supplying their services effectively to the teams who had requested their assistance. I love the insight into policing that this placement has given me. It’s a great opportunity to explore areas of the force that I was previously unaware of.
10.00 am
I attend an initial meeting with the ‘sponsor’ of a new project to ascertain exactly what they want us to look into. I have at least one meeting each week, sometimes requiring a trip to Scotland Yard or a London Borough.
I then spend time designing a survey to be added to the intranet and sent to a sample of respondents chosen especially. The next stage will be to collate the data and write a detailed report on the findings, including suggestions for future improvements. The lifespan of a project could be anything from one month to one year.
12.30 pm
I chat with other placement students about where we’d like to go for lunch. Generally we eat in the staff canteen, but sometimes we walk into Fulham or Earl’s Court. The people I work with are the best part of my job – I get on with the other students and my line manager really well.
2.00 pm
I spend some time catching up on paperwork. It’s very important to keep detailed notes of each stage of my projects throughout, noting any correspondence between me and everyone involved. I also head to the monthly team meeting to catch up on the projects my colleagues are working on.
4.00 pm
I finish what I’m working on and, since it’s Friday, head to the local pub for a drink with my work friends before catching the train home. I’m also involved in the Met’s large sports association as a member of the netball team. It’s really good socially and we play against other forces once a month.
