Chris Dreyfus

Area of work: Police service
Qualifications: BSc computing with business management, University of Greenwich

My course led me into a private sector graduate scheme in IT consultancy and then two years in an American software company. However I wasn’t finding the work satisfying and I’d always been fascinated by police work so at the same time I volunteered in my spare time with the British Transport Police (BTP) in the special constabulary to see if I enjoyed the work.

After two years, I realised that I was finding more satisfaction in my police work than my job and decided to join the force. During my training, my superior recommended that I join the High Potential Development Scheme – three years on and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.

My job

I run a specialist BTP team. The team’s role is to provide high visibility policing throughout London. There are three teams in the unit each comprising one sergeant and eight PCs. Most of my job involves operational planning – liaising with other police forces and outside agencies in order to make decisions bout where to deploy the teams throughout the week. The scheme involves copious amounts of training and it can help you get more rapid promotion, but you do have to earn it.

Highs and lows

The best thing about the job, although it sounds like a cliché, is making a difference, whether it’s a big thing such as making people feel safer or reuniting a 13-year-old girl with her family. There are less enjoyable parts of the job such as having to inform families if a loved one commits suicide or dealing with politics, but the other elements more than make up for them. I definitely get more job satisfaction helping the public and seeing the difference I make than I did helping a private company make lots of money. 

The police is a great profession and can be incredibly fulfilling but you have to want to do it. You must believe in the work that the police force does and want to help the public. The special constabulary is an ideal way to see if you’ll enjoy it – you commit four hours a week as a minimum and it gives you a good insight into the work that’s involved. My other piece of advice is that if you want to reach the top, the HPD scheme can help you to get there. You need to work hard but the training and opportunities provided will give you a definite boost.