DYW - Orkney
  • Home
  • Young People
    • Careers in... >
      • Aquaculture
      • Construction
      • Early Years & Childcare
      • Energy
      • Food & Drink Production
      • Health & Social Care
      • Land-based
      • Retail
      • Tourism & Hospitality
    • My Options >
      • Apprenticeships
      • College
      • University
      • Employment
      • Planning for the Future >
        • Making Decisions
        • Your Options
        • Finding and Getting a Job
      • Your Next Steps
    • Get Hired >
      • The CV
      • The Job Application
      • The Job Interview
    • Stand out from the crowd >
      • 10 Ways to get Experience
      • Make the Most of Your Work Experience
      • Get Creative
    • Work Placements
    • Employment Rights
  • Employers
    • Get Involved
    • Activity Planner
    • Employer Testimonials
    • Ways to Engage
    • Apprenticeships
    • Hire a young person
    • Young Person's Guarantee
    • Funding and Support
  • Education
    • Marketplace for Education
  • Parents
    • Discovering their career options
    • Choosing their next steps
    • Getting their first job
    • Unlocking their potential
  • Latest News
    • #NoWrongPath
    • Orkney Careers Fair 2024
  • Work Placements

latest news

Sector Spotlight: Simon Hay, Police Sergeant

16/7/2021

 
Picture
In our final Sector Spotlight on the Emergency Services, we hear from Simon Hay who is a Police Sergeant with Police Scotland in Kirkwall.
 
Simon left school at the end of fourth year and began working as a carpet fitter before taking on a seasonal role cutting grass during the summer.  He then started working at the Pickaquoy Centre and during his time there, a work colleague suggested he apply to become a Police Officer.
 
Since joining the police, Simon has worked in Caithness and Orkney in both uniformed and plain clothed roles.

Picture
Can you describe a typical day in your role as Police Sergeant?
In a word, no.  There is no such thing as a typical day in this job.  Although most days start with a briefing on incidents that have occurred in Orkney since the last time you were on shift, I would then review all calls, crimes, intelligence and other important updates since I was last on shift. Afterwards, I brief my officers and task them with proactive work as well as ensuring they are maintaining their own workload.
 
I normally attend a few meetings (virtually now) which requires an amount of preparation work and I’m responsible for reviewing and checking my shift’s work. I would also work on my own actions and tasks allocated to me by my supervisors all while responding to any other calls that come in.  Some days are more demanding than others, but it is always rewarding.
 
How did you end up in this role?
After leaving school with moderate standard grades, I went to work with my uncle as a carpet fitter. I then worked a summer as a grass cutter. After that I went to work at the Pickaquoy Centre and it was during my time there that one of the members of staff, whose husband was in the police said I should go for the police. I never in a million years thought I would end up being a Police Officer. However, I went for it, got in, and now I am here nearly 13 years later and not regretting a second of it.
 
Since joining the Police, I was posted to Wick where I found my feet as a Police Officer.  From there, I was successful in my application to be a Detective in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) dealing with more serious crimes.  Prior to Police Scotland there was an opportunity to come home and work in CID in Orkney, I applied and got that job too. Since being in Orkney I have been a Detective in CID, Offender Management Unit (OMU) managing sex offenders in the community, Uniformed Policing, Isles Officer, Preventions and Interventions and now finally a Uniformed Sergeant.
 
What is the best thing about your job?
The variety of work we get involved in. The Police tend to be the fall back for most things. If someone doesn’t know who to phone, they phone the Police.
 
Personally, I like the little thank yous, you get. Whether it be for assisting in getting a victim justice for their crime or just listening to someone who needs help and getting them the support, they need. I genuinely enjoy helping people.
 
What is the worst thing about your job?
I’ve had to think pretty hard about this as there’s not that much about my job that I don’t like. I guess shift work can take its toll but I’ve worked Monday to Friday and it’s none better.
 
Sometimes you have to note statements about some pretty horrific and traumatic incidents.  You also have to attend some fairly gruesome scenes, but I like to be the one that goes to them, as I still want to make sure those victims are receiving the best possible service they can get.
 
Being instantly judged by a previous negative interaction with the police. Sometimes people have had a bad experience with the police and automatically assume we are ‘all the same’ or that I was bullied as a child and I went into this job for a power complex. I say to people if you have a bad experience with a tradesman you don’t hate all tradesmen, do you?
 
What skills do you need to undertake your role?
I think the policing values cover the skills you need:  Fairness, Integrity and Respect. I like to add being firm, fair and consistent. However, most of our job competencies are listed as follows;

  • Respect for Diversity
  • Effective Communication
  • Leadership
  • Management Ability
  • Partnership Working
  • Personal Awareness
  • Personal Effectiveness
  • Problem Solving
  • Service Delivery
  • Team Working
 
What qualifications do you have?
  • Certificate in Higher Education of Policing
  • Diploma in Police Service Leadership & Management
 
Other Police specialisms include:

  • Investigative interviewing officer, taped interview training.
  • Emergency response driver, able to drive with the blue lights going.
  • Firearms Enquiry Officer, able to assess people’s fitness to hold firearms.
  • Method of Entry officer trained to force entry to premises.
  • Initial investigators course required to be a Detective.
  • Offender Management Officer trained to manage Sex Offenders in the community.
  • Scenes of Crime Officer, capture forensic evidence from places and people.
 
Would you recommend this job to young people, if so why?
Absolutely, in return you can expect:

  • A rewarding and varied career.
  • A competitive salary and an attractive pension scheme.
  • A range of family friendly policies including those that promote a work/life balance.
  • Excellent training, development and career progression opportunities.
  • Generous paid leave entitlement that increases with service.
  • A wide range of employee benefits.
  • Access to health and wellbeing services and advise across Police Scotland.
  • Interesting workplace deployments across Scotland.
  • To be part of and contribute to the provision of outstanding services across all sections of communities across Scotland.
 
If you're aged 13-17 and considering being a Police Officer you could become a Police Scotland Youth Volunteer (PSYV).  You'd attend community and national events across Scotland alongside adult volunteers and serving officers.
 
Being a volunteer could help you understand how policing works in Scotland by participating in your local community.  The program is open to all young people aged 13-17.  For more information on becoming a youth or adult volunteer with the PSYV, visit:  https://www.scotland.police.uk/recruitment/police-scotland-youth-volunteers/
 
Visit Police Scotland on:
 
Website:  https://www.scotland.police.uk/
Facebook:            https://www.facebook.com/HighlandIslandsPoliceDivision
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/OrkneyPolice
​


Comments are closed.

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018

    Categories

    All
    A Job For Everybody
    Apprenticeship
    Aquaculture
    Blog
    Business And Administration
    Careers Takeover
    Construction
    COVID-19
    DYW Orkney Board
    Education
    Employment
    Energy
    Engineering
    Exams
    Financial Services
    Fisheries
    Food And Drink
    Foundation Apprenticeships
    Graduate Apprenticeships
    Health And Beauty
    Healthcare
    Hospitality
    Internship
    IT
    Jobs Of The Week
    Key Worker Campaign
    Kirkwall Grammar School
    Land Based
    Leisure And Sport
    Modern Apprentice
    Modern Apprenticeships
    Newsletter
    No Wrong Path
    Oil And Gas
    Orkney Careers Fair
    Orkney College UHI
    Project Manager
    Sanday Junior High
    Scottish Apprenticeship Week
    Sector Spotlight
    Skills Development Scotland
    Social Care
    STEM
    Stromness Academy
    Stronsay Junior High
    Third Sector
    Tourism
    UHI Orkney
    Volunteering
    Westray Junior High
    Young Enterprise
    Young People Are Great Campaign

    RSS Feed

GET IN TOUCH   |   ABOUT US   |   CONTACT US
TERMS & CONDITIONS   |   WEBSITE PRIVACY POLICY   |   CRM PRIVACY POLICY   |   DATA PROTECTION   |   COOKIE POLICY   |   ACCESSIBILITY
Proudly powered by Weebly
© 2019 Developing the Young Workforce
  • Home
  • Young People
    • Careers in... >
      • Aquaculture
      • Construction
      • Early Years & Childcare
      • Energy
      • Food & Drink Production
      • Health & Social Care
      • Land-based
      • Retail
      • Tourism & Hospitality
    • My Options >
      • Apprenticeships
      • College
      • University
      • Employment
      • Planning for the Future >
        • Making Decisions
        • Your Options
        • Finding and Getting a Job
      • Your Next Steps
    • Get Hired >
      • The CV
      • The Job Application
      • The Job Interview
    • Stand out from the crowd >
      • 10 Ways to get Experience
      • Make the Most of Your Work Experience
      • Get Creative
    • Work Placements
    • Employment Rights
  • Employers
    • Get Involved
    • Activity Planner
    • Employer Testimonials
    • Ways to Engage
    • Apprenticeships
    • Hire a young person
    • Young Person's Guarantee
    • Funding and Support
  • Education
    • Marketplace for Education
  • Parents
    • Discovering their career options
    • Choosing their next steps
    • Getting their first job
    • Unlocking their potential
  • Latest News
    • #NoWrongPath
    • Orkney Careers Fair 2024
  • Work Placements