Humberside Police – Find out where the original PCSO’s are now

20 years of PCSOs is definitely something to celebrate. Humberside Police PCSO’s are such an integral part of their force, and absolutely vital to the success of Neighbourhood Policing.

Out of their very first intake of 21 brand new PCSOs, 11 are still working with them. While some are still working as PCSOs, others have used the role as a stepping stone to other things.

Chief Inspector Blake Neale and PC Liam Whittington – who both joined Humberside Police as PCSOs in 2005 – explain why they originally signed up, and how they got to where they are now.

PC Liam Whittington (Humberside Police Marine Unit)

Why did you decide to join?

“I think it was just a natural progression for me as I was looking for something that would let me work with the community. I’d just finished university and the summer jobs I had while I was a student had me working in the public sector, down on the beaches, and I just enjoyed working with people. So, when I saw the job advert, I applied.”

What did you like most about your role as a PCSO?

“Interacting with people, getting involved in community events, working with the schools, doing presentations. I just like speaking to the public! I spent 18 months working in Cleethorpes, then another 10 years working in Bridlington, and really enjoyed my time as a PCSO. It’s proven to be a good stepping stone to get to where I am now.”

From being a PCSO, what job did you move into?

“I applied a few times to be a police officer while I was a PCSO, and I was eventually successful on what I think was my fourth attempt! I completed around five years as a PC on instant response and then saw an advert for the underwater search team. I was successful with my application, and I’ve been here for two years now.”

What skills that you picked up being a PCSO have you carried forward into the other jobs that you’ve done?

“Some of the main things for me have been confidence, team building, communication skills and problem-solving. They’re all skills that are relevant, that you pick up quickly as a PCSO, and then enhance them by working in closer teams. Where I am now is a very tight-knit team, so communication and team building skills are very prominent in the role that I currently do.”

Do you have any stand-out memories from your time on the Force?

“There were a few local community events that I was able to get involved with and organise when I was back in Bridlington. Operation Lifestyle is one in particular that stands out – I got to go on the trips with some of the lifestyle winners after I’d done work with their schools and see all of the groups that had done well being rewarded for their hard work. It was rewarding for me to see the effort that they’d put in being recognised, and I got to be a part of that, so those are good memories to look back on.”

Chief Inspector Blake Neale

Why did you decide to join?

“If I’m being honest, I joined as a PCSO because nobody was recruiting police officers at the time! I’d always wanted to be a police officer, so after finishing university I didn’t wait and instead joined Humberside as a PCSO.”

What did you like most about your role as a PCSO?

“Similar to being a police officer, it’s a role where you face something different every day and come across a lot of different situations. Being the first PCSOs in Humberside did create some challenges because people didn’t fully understand our roles or powers. But my first posting was at Queen’s Gardens, covering the City Centre and Spring Bank, and we were out on foot interacting with people every day which stood me in good stead moving forward as a police officer.”

From being a PCSO, what job did you move into?

“I was tutored at Preston Road, then moved through different response teams. After that, I decided I wanted a change and applied for a role in the Neighbourhood team, where I was posted in North Hull. I stayed there for a year before moving across to the NPT in the City Centre as a PC. Now, I was covering the same patch that I did as a PCSO but as an officer! I then successfully passed my second board to become a Sergeant.”

How did you go from there to being a Chief Inspector?

“In 2015 I was a Sergeant at Clough Road, still on the patrol and response. I then became a Custody Sergeant before moving to Inspector. Then I went to the South Bank where I was made a temporary Chief Inspector for Patrol and Custody. Since then, I’ve been a Chief Inspector in East Riding on the Patrol and Locate team, before moving into my current position at Hull Patrol and Custody. So as a Chief Inspector, I’ve done all the operational patrol jobs over the South Bank and both of the North Bank ones as well, even if I only stayed in East Riding for a few months!”

What skills that you picked up being a PCSO have you carried forward into the other jobs that you’ve done?

“I think a lot of what I picked up came from when I was walking around, interacting with the public. You have to develop good communication skills; whilst posted at Spring Bank, I spent time going into cafes and community centres to interact with everyone in my area. That’s definitely helped me throughout my career in all of my jobs because I learned to engage with people on different levels and within different communities.”

Do you have any stand-out memories from your time on the Force?

“A lot has happened in my time! As a PCSO, walking into a knife-point robbery in the City Centre and detaining the suspect was definitely a memorable one. There are a lot of others, but in general, it’s been meeting and working with lots of people in all different roles along the way. They make a big difference and I’m still friends with some of them now.”