About this time 6 years ago I was welcomed into the Swindon Circuit as a minister. (Where have six years gone?) A number of people from the community and other churches had been invited. One of these was Rev Dr Richard Armitage. Richard was (and still is) the full time chaplain to Wiltshire Police. And the day after my welcome service Richard phoned me to ask whether I’d become one of the volunteer chaplains.
At the time I said he’d need to give me six months to settle in and then come back to me. Six months to the day I got the call and I said yes. And it was one of my better decisions because I’ve gained so much from being a chaplain. It’s kept me real and given me an insight into life outside of church. And sometimes life that is very different.
I’ve always been assigned to Gable Cross police station which is Swindon’s main police station and what is termed a divisional headquarters and hub. What this means is that the officers based at Gable Cross not only serve the town of Swindon but also a wide area beyond. A big change happened a couple of years ago when Swindon became a hub. What happened was that the police presence operating out of smaller stations around the county was greatly cut back. Instead “Response” officers (those who come when you dial 999) are now based out of the divisional HQs. Consequently officers from Gable Cross cover not only the town but outlying smaller towns too.
One of the consequences of the hub was that other departments based out of Gable Cross were moved. A department I had supported (Roads Policing Unit – Traffic Police in other words) was moved to elsewhere in the county. This meant I became more involved with Response.
I’d loved my time with RPU and it was fun to ride in 5 series BMWs at speed. But having spent some time with Response now, I find it very interesting. And from a chaplaincy point of view it is very enriching. I also spend time in the Custody suite. The officers there (mainly civilians) have a very tough job and I’ve realised they value me going in so they can sound off in confidence.
With Response I’ve got a much better feel for the everyday issues faced by police officers and people in the town.
Typically I go in about once every 3 or 4 weeks and spend a best part of a shift. (A shift is 10 hours. I usually go in for 17.00 on a Friday and stay until about midnight.) I attend the briefing and then one of the sergeants sends me out with an officer.
Each time I go out on shift at least one call is for a Domestic violence issue. But the reality is many of these DVs are little more than family arguments that have got out of hand. And rather than try and resolve them, people phone the police. That’s not to say that some aren’t genuine but from what I’ve seen many could be resolved by people having better people skills!
All human life is there of course. And we see some interesting things. But my shift last night was perhaps the most interesting I’ve seen. It started with a DV (again a dispute.) After that the officer I was with had to go back to Gable Cross for a briefing in which she was taking part. And as I was allocated to her I went to the briefing too.
I cannot give details here. But the operation was designed to target people being trafficked. I attended one of the places raided and to be allowed in showed me how trusted chaplaincy is.
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