Brenda Hart

“I work with high-risk domestic violence victims and victims where a threat to life has been made. But I will visit and talk to any victims of crime referred into us either internally or externally. I can be involved in giving talks to and supporting neighbourhoods and community safety partnerships. I complete environmental audits and visit and assess various locations like businesses, churches, farms, and other rural locations.

“No two days are the same. On any given day I could have three or four location visits. This will depend on what comes in and trying to be flexible to meet the needs of the people linking in with the service. Last week I attended three rural locations but this week I have no rural locations only domestic violence and threats to life visits.

“I started off working for Thames Valley Police as a PCSO in Milton Keynes. I worked with their local crime prevention officer and decided I wanted to do more community-based work where I would not get pulled away to incidents in other areas. As a PCSO, as much as I wanted to stay within the community some of my time was spent getting called away.

“What I enjoy most about my role is the variety of the work that comes in. I enjoy meeting some of the most dissatisfied people within the community who are, on occasion, angry and upset. I enjoy listening to them and taking their concerns on board and then doing little things in my capacity to help, which make a massive difference to the individual. Not solving all their problems but being part of the solution.

“I enjoy the satisfaction I get knowing I have left someone in a better place than when I arrived. Seeing a domestic violence victim feel empowered to stay strong and feel safe knowing that they are supported by us, knowing there are options and that I can work with them one step at a time to stay free of the situation they have come from. I also love working with the family of a dementia patient supporting them to support their loved one.

“There are loads of things I am proud of, mostly linked to my work supporting victims of domestic violence. On one occasion a domestic violence victim spoke to my line manager at a community event, stating that out of all the agencies she had worked with, our department was the best. To know how highly she thought of me and what I had done made me burst with pride. The weekly calls to chase a housing association had meant so much to her.

“Another case that sticks with me was a visit I made to an elderly gentleman who had taken an overdose. It was a horrible situation and the gentleman in question had no family or friends and was so isolated, he was alone and potentially not coping. I called an ambulance and he got admitted into hospital.

“Although he later passed away and I felt sad, I also felt on some level like I had failed him. My colleagues reminded me that I had persisted in trying to engage with him when to begin with he did not want my help. Eventually when he had accepted help, I was able to give him that help, and other agencies better equipped to give him ongoing support within the community were able to link in with him following my visit.

“He had trusted me and was grateful that I had called an ambulance, which led to him trusting others and accepting vital help from other agencies. Although all the help he received following his overdose was short-lived. I remind myself that in the end he was surrounded by love and care. He may not have had this if I had not visited him.

“On that initial visit he spoke about not wanting to die alone in his house with nobody finding him for ages and nobody caring where he was. That is not what happened to him and for that I am proud of myself. Nurses looking after him in hospital did talk to me as he had told them about me while he was in there which gave me so much pride to know he had told others how I had helped him. I was beyond touched.

“On another occasion I deployed a TecSos panic phone to a lady who was terrified of her partner, and her case was being heard in court at the time. I was unsure if she still required it as she had never activated it, however after listening to her, I decided that the circumstances merited extending it for longer.

“What I had not appreciated until the court case was completed is how helpful this had been to the victim during her court case. The judge better appreciated how her experiences had affected her life and her children’s lives. Police had deemed her risk high enough to warrant extending the use of the panic phone. For this to be used in court to support a victim is something I had never really considered. But in this set of circumstances, it absolutely mattered. The court case ended up going in her favour and the offender even admitted what he had been putting her through.

“When I came to remove the phone from her, she was so grateful to me for believing her and supporting her in this way when in her own eyes other people had not. This was justification that my decision to keep it with her was the right one to make.

“This job can be very challenging, having to risk-assess situations to make sure I am getting the right support necessary to stay safe while doing the role. On one occasion I arrived at an address with a mother and daughter and there was a possibility that the offender was in the shed. This was incredibly challenging, and I felt so responsible for the welfare of the two ladies with me.

“It isn’t always obvious and I don’t always appreciate it on a day-to-day basis, but so much of the work we do as police staff members is connected to the bigger aims of the organisation.

“Prevention is a hard thing to measure, I would even say impossible, how can you measure what has not happened or appreciate what you did to stop something from happening. I have had victims contact me years later as their ex-partner is being released from prison, they have contacted me directly so I can assist them, help them stay strong on that person’s release. To be appreciated at the time of giving help is one thing, but to be remembered years later as a person who can help prevent something from happening, I am enormously proud of this fact.

“Since working for the police I think you absolutely appreciate the demand on the officers and staff. As a member of the public, you do not see what goes on behind the scenes in the way you do working for the organisation. You also appreciate that the police are part of a bigger picture and higher process in a way that is not appreciated when you do not work for the organisation.

“I think one of the most important things I have learnt is that what you are first made aware of may not always be the most accurate account of a situation. Often when you get to really talk to someone you discover that a situation is more complex than you may have first thought and requires different responses to those you had thought may have been appropriate to use.

“My approach is to adapt to a changing situation, listen to people and be ready to change what it is you thought might be required of you. Sometimes it’s not a prevention officer that was needed but by going out to see the person, the right agency or member of the police then does become involved and is then able to support and progress or resolve a situation.”

Carole Jones, Brenda’s team leader said: “Brenda does all that she can to work with vulnerable people in communities and takes time to listen and consider all that could be done to help them. Much of her work involves supporting and protecting victims of domestic violence who are at high risk of harm, in these cases she links with partnership agencies and housing providers to keep them updated and ensure that other measures are being acted on for the victim’s safety.

“Brenda has a ‘can do’ approach to her work consisting of helping her colleagues and partners and accepting referrals, she is an integral member of the team. Alongside the work in communities, Brenda participates in representing crime prevention at  community events. Last year she delivered two days of workshops to school children advising them on personal safety and what they need to be aware of to avoid becoming victims of crime. The children loved the workshops and participated in them, also taking away some key messages which in turn will hopefully keep them safe and enable them to know what to do and where to go for help.

“I am proud of the work that Brenda does, and feel strongly that she should be recognised for her commitment and dedication to her role.”

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