Why did you want to join the Met as a PCSO?
I was working in a library previously, which was very community based and I felt that being a PCSO was similar as you work with the local community and deal with local issues. I wanted to do a job where I can help people and make a difference to the people in my local community and help to improve their quality of life.
What life experience or skills can you bring to the role?
If you’ve worked in retail or in customer service you are used to dealing with members of the public and are able to be a rapport with them. You learn the skills of dealing with difficult situations. If you’ve worked in security then you have good conflict management skills.
What do a typical day look like?
The first thing we do is when we get in is to check the anti-social behaviour tasks that have been assigned to our team. We then check if there were any overnight crimes and arrange visits to someone if they have been burgled. We visit anyone who has been a victim of burglary to check in with them and give them crime prevention advice. After our visits we’ll then go out on general patrol to help reduce crime and deal with anything we might come across. When you go out on patrol, you don’t know what you’re going to come across.
We work shifts, which are between any time between 7am and midnight. We generally work three Saturdays out of five and two Sundays out of five. You do a mix of three to four earlies, then switch over to lates.
What is your most memorable moment?
A couple of months after I joined, my ward was having lots of problems with street drinkers. We’d been getting lots of complaints and it had been going on for a while. I problem solved with my team and we gave them a Community Protection Notice, which makes certain behaviours a criminal offence. In this case it was having open vessels of alcohol in a certain area. This solved the problem and people came up to me afterwards thanking me for sorting it out and making a positive difference to the community.
What was your first day like on patrol?
I was excited to put on my uniform and get out into the community straightaway. I went to a neighbour dispute and it was really nerve racking at first, but then after that it became easier.
What do you love about your job?
I love being out on patrol in my local area and solving problems. Every day is different and you never know what you’re going to come across. It’s really nice meeting lots of difference types of people and making a difference.
