PW_3_2024

Professional Development

Soon after, the Blains were in London seeing Europe, friends and for the King’s Coronation in May. Lorna had kept in touch via postcards and emails. It was fantastic to meet up again and experience other IPA events London North branch had organised, such as ‘Behind the scenes at the Changing of the Guard’. June 2023 saw Lorna attend her first NCM, a fantastic exposure to the achievements the IPA had achieved that year and the election process. Lorna particularly liked Alex’s presentation as our London Reception Officers organise so many requests for hosting and events themselves. Lorna has a passion for team sport, playing netball since primary school. She has played for a couple of teams but has most enjoyed playing (for 8 years now) the Surrey Police netball team. Especially the annual PSUK (Police Sport UK) netball tournaments and meeting other police netball players from around the country. In 2024 Lorna has recently become Region 11’s Secretary and Assistant VP Cultural & Social and therefore will play a key role in both setting up a UK Music SIG, and a key event for the IPA’s 75th anniversary plans. She continues to be part of the UK Innovation group, active in the London hosting of international visitors and remains Surrey branch vice-chair. Lorna is grateful to the IPA for the experiences and friendships it has given her. She wants to serve the IPA to ensure its longevity for another 75 years at least. A passionate member of the IPA and is always pleased to make new policing and IPA connections.

Meeting the Blain family in Australia - birthday party hosting

Hosting the Blains back in London a couple of years later during the King’s Coronation

Sandra Smith Bedfordshire Police Sergeant Staff Officer for Strategic Standards Improvement Services

I had a long career before policing, working my way up to senior management in retail. I’ve always had a passion for supporting people from all backgrounds. Even though I worked in environments that were not always diverse, I had the opportunity throughout my career to change the way that I recruited staff from so called hard to-reach communities, to better represent our customer base. Little did I know that this experience would support me well in my policing career. For the past seven years I have enjoyed a career in policing. I started as a PCSO in Hertfordshire and realised very soon that I was engaging with diversity and making a real difference in the communities I served. My interest soon turned to supporting various support networks within the Force, and I worked hard to make a difference in bringing people together. This fuelled my interest in positive action. I became a Police Constable in 2019 and eventually transferred to Bedfordshire Police as the Strategic Lead for Positive Action. For me, positive action begins with recognising that we are not all the same. We live in a world full of diversity and we need to be actively inclusive, to ensure that doors are opened for people from all minority groups within our Force. Positive action gives everyone the same chance to join the police, stay and thrive.

Sandra Smith - Diversity Equality and Inclusion Champion

Women of Colour in Policing (WoCiPBCH) This Movement was inspired and developed on the back of my own journey, your journey, and all women’s journeys. This piece of work is collaborative both inside and outside of policing. Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority Women at all stages of their careers will talk through their journey to inspire others but also to help the organisation as it moves forward in developing and promoting Women of Colour at all levels of policing.

Four years into my journey something was missing. Was it the lack of development, was it I was seen but not heard or was it simply that I did not fit into the policing culture? Whatever it was, it encouraged me to do something and that something was to put out a ‘Call for Action’ to women from underrepresented groups within my Force. The Movement was formed to advocate for the voices of women who felt they were lost in policing.

POLICE WORLD Vol 69 No.3, 2024

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