Today we are celebrating the dedication, professionalism and contribution of our Reservists. Reservists live and work amongst you, but you might not know it. Today, on Reserves Day, Reservists wear their uniform in their civilian job roles, if you see someone in uniform why not have a chat and find out what their role is.
Inspector Lucy Sewell of Warwickshire Police Force tells us about combining her reservist role with a civilian role and what opportunities she has obtained from both of her roles.
"I joined the Army Reserve at 19 years of age because I wanted a broader outlook on life, and was unsure whether I wanted to commit to the army full-time. I progressed through the ranks, and commissioned as a direct entry officer in 2003. I am now the Officer Commanding of 48 Signal Squadron, 37 Signal Regiment.
I’ve travelled to locations I would never have had the opportunity to visit, with deployments to Canada, France, Germany, Nepal, Austria and the highlight of my Army Reserve career was deploying to Afghanistan working across Helmand Province mentoring the Afghanistan Police for 6 months. I really enjoy sport and adventure and have had a go at lots of activities ranging from hill walking, mountain biking, and skiing to name but a few. It’s a brilliant way to build a dual career path where you could be doing one type of job in the week but doing something completely different at the weekend.
My time spent in the Army Reserve has really benefited my police career. It’s given me different perspectives and other ways to look at situations. I have added confidence when managing critical incidents, commanding firearms incidents and working with a diverse range of people. When I deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 it was the most austere and hostile environment I have ever worked in, it has certainly developed my resilience and leadership skills as a Police Inspector.
Being the Warwickshire Police Armed Forces Champion enables me to be a point of contact for any of the Veterans and Reservists – Army – Navy – RAF, and also Cadet Instructors, as well as supporting manager and human resources on policies and procedures. Due to the support I have received from Warwickshire Police throughout my Policing career to meet my Army Reserve commitment, I nominated the Force for a Silver Employer Recognition Scheme Award, and they were successful in 2017. The Force recognises not only reservists, but also veterans have transferable skills. OCC Managers and Recruiting have attended military recruiting events to attract veterans to the organisation in such roles as call handlers and controllers, and in 2018 Warwickshire Police signed the Armed Forces Covenant. With the on-going work to support reservists, veterans and military spouses, I nominated the Force for the Gold award in April 2019."
