Being a Police Officer - Police Constable Surrey Police Employee Review

My colleagues. I have made a couple of lifelong friends that once I leave this pit of negativity, will continue to be a huge part of my life.

Senior Management have NEVER done the job - yet think they know what's best for the department. Senior Management are SNAKES - and are only in it for their own career progression. Line Management have ZERO people skills. They DO NOT know how to speak to you in a professional manner. Line Management to Senior Management have ZERO knowledge of learning difficulties and neurodiversity. Senior Management REFUSE to create learning resources for Line Management to help their understanding with the above. The REFUSUAL to discuss Flexible Patterns in 3 month intervals, despite this being their own POLICY. Staff Turnover is the WORST I have EVER seen. ZERO mental health support in the workplace - instead, they direct you to Word Documents that may help. No INCENTIVES at all. No Career Progression possible, unless "your face fits". Limits on Annual Leave - but you get it taken away from you if you don't use it. Make that make sense. Officers being dragged into FCC because we have no staff. Desks being SHUT due to lack of control staff. TOXIC environment NO work life balance Pushing out the BEST staff only to be replaces by those with ZERO life skills and experiences.

The role itself can be meaningful, and you gain strong experience handling a wide range of incidents. Colleagues on the floor are often supportive and teamwork between call handlers helps get through difficult shifts.

The workplace culture can feel cliquey, and your experience often depends on whether a supervisor favours you. There is a heavy focus on performance metrics, with staff penalised for minor issues rather than supported to improve. Sickness is not handled with understanding, and staff can feel discouraged from being genuinely unwell due to the risk of being placed on performance plans. There is also a clear disconnect between management expectations and the realities of the role. The focus is often on figures rather than doing the job properly, which can impact both staff morale and service quality. Processes can feel unnecessarily bureaucratic (e.g. completing THRIVE assessments on grade 1 incidents where urgency is already obvious), adding pressure without clear benefit. Support from management is inconsistent, and asking for help can feel difficult unless you are already seen favourably. As long as targets are being met, staff wellbeing does not always feel prioritised.