Lets start at the very beginning…

It’s a very good place to start. Well Julie Andrews and a bunch of singing children told me that once!

Some people believe that one day I woke up in a uniform and just started patrolling Aldridge. Unfortunately that’s not the case.

I left school with good exam results and had to make a choice. University or the world of work? It wasn’t a hard choice really. I wanted to work, I had a desire to earn my own money and become a little more responsible. I left school on the Friday and started work on the Monday. My first job was in an office. I enjoyed the work and the independence but hated sitting in a room for 8 hours. The 9-5 didn’t suit me. I saw an advert for a PCSO one day walking past a police station (I promise I wasn’t in the cells!). The job description was helpful and I believed I met what West Midlands Police asked for. It said I would have to deal with minor offences, offer early intervention to deter people from committing offences, provide support for front-line policing, conduct house-to-house enquiries, guard crime scenes and provide crime prevention advice.

I contacted West Midlands Police headquarters and they sent me an application form. I received it, completed it and sent it off within 24 hours. Approximately a week later I had a letter confirming they had received my application. Every day I would check the post hoping for some news. I was absolutely thrilled when I was told I was invited to an assessment centre.

The assessment centre involved numerous activities and exercises, lasting a total of five hours. I was under observation to see whether I demonstrated the skills that West Midlands Police look for. I had an interview, two role plays and a few written exercises. I left the centre not knowing how well (or badly) I had done. The waiting game started all over again.

Weeks turned in to months and I began to give up. I didn’t really understand that it takes a few months because of the extensive background checks that are conducted. These are highly important because of the things we see, hear and have access to. You are in a position of trust and these checks make sure the right people get the jobs.

I had a letter saying I had passed the centre and had to attend a medical and physical. The nurse checked me over and the step test wasn’t too hard. I was fit enough and sailed through the process.

Eventually I received my start date and became really excited. Until the night before! I realised that this was a huge change from my previous job and really didn’t know what to expect. Trying on my uniform felt like it was my first day of school. I completed training and was told that I would be working from Aldridge Police Station. My sergeant would be Peter Finch and I would work on a team with PC Alan Bentley, PC Tony West, PC Ian Colin and PCSO Tracy Ash.

Completing that form was the best decision I have ever made and four years later I am still here….

The life of an animated PCSO!

The use of social media in policing has grown dramatically over the past few years. When I was asked if I could be the first PCSO (Police Community Support Officer) on twitter for Walsall Police I jumped at the chance. As a fan of social networking sites it gave me perfect opportunity to make contact with the community I work in.

So ‘PCSOSkinnerWMP’ was set up and I was welcomed to the world of Twitter! After a few months I finally have the hang of it. So I have become a little more confident and decided to try a blog.

Over the next few weeks I hope to tell you all about my role. The things I enjoy and the things I find most challenging. I’ll start with the basics though….

I work at Aldridge Police Station and share an office with the Aldridge and Walsall Wood beat teams. This consists of 4 PCSO’s and 7 PC’s. We share the station with the Pelsall/Shelfield/Rushall team and the Streetly/Pheasey team. I’m sure over the coming weeks I will tell you more about them. They are certainly characters and I wouldn’t have got through nearly four years of policing without their unique personalities. We are all very different but strive to achieve the same. We vary in age dramatically (some of them went on patrol with Robert Peel I think) but I can honestly say we get on well.

I have mainly worked Aldridge and Walsall Wood over my service and thoroughly enjoy these areas. I have lots of responsibility for schools and along with day to day duties I have a few stories to tell! You don’t go four years without things to share!

So for now that is all. Let’s hope it’s the start of many blogs to come.

 PCSO Sam Skinner