taking care of business

You don't need to be in uniform to work for the City of London police, which has many administrative roles, writes David White

THE City of London Police, which covers the financial and business heart of the capital, employs 250 civilian staff to provide administrative and specialist backup for 790 fulltime officers. Its boundaries include the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange and the Lloyds building, and the force has acquired a worldwide reputation for safeguarding London's financial centres from fraud.

Susan Carter, 55, personal assistant to the head of its Fraud Squad, says: "I've never been busier or faced greater challenges but I'm enjoying every minute.

"My role as a PA demands loyalty and discretion along with the ability to prioritise, deciding which among several important tasks to tackle first, and the organisational skills to retrieve any file.

"Running an efficient diary is also vital.

My boss is in constant demand and I must ensure his time for meetings is used to maximum effect. It is essential to remain calm and polite, no matter what the pressure."

Mastering police jargon, such as referring to police stations and districts by letters and numbers, was one of her biggest challenges on joining the force seven years ago after working in administration in the private sector.

"I applied to join the civilian staff after seeing an advert in the Evening Standard," she recalls. "It was an opportunity to use my secretarial skills for an organisation that helped the community.

"The force was also based in the heart of an exciting city. I still remember my first day at work here: arriving from Kent and walking past buildings such as St Paul's Cathedral and thinking, 'This is a job I am going to enjoy'. It has certainly turned out that way."

A sense of wonder is also felt by Tracy Kemp, 32, who has a unique civilian post in the force: groom and horse-box driver.

"I look after eight horses in stables at Wood Street police building," she says. "I transport up to five at a time in a 17- tonne, 33ft-long horse box when they are required in other force areas.

"Our horses have been used to help police at a political party conference in Brighton and are also drafted in for crowd control at out-of-London football matches."

The horses also patrol the Square Mile, playing key roles during demonstrations and ceremonies, such as the Lord Mayor's Show, which took place at the weekend.

"Apart from grooming, I feed and check the condition of the horses. Each has its own character and my job is to see that that they are fit and happy," she says.

"I grew up with a love for horses, but you must also acquire the knowledge needed to look after them and be prepared to work hard to make a career out of it.

"Multi-skilling is often required. In my case, it meant studying for an HGV licence to transport the animals."

Who gets what?

. PAs are paid between pounds 15,820 and pounds 19,450.

. Groom/horse-box driver earns between pounds 12,566 and pounds 15,436.

. London weighting adds an extra pounds 4,000 a year to salaries.

. Annual leave ranges from 23 days to 31 days depending on length of service.

. Other benefits include an interest-free loan for season tickets.

. For details of civilian vacancies, log on to: www.cityoflondon.gov.uk.

Also see www.cityoflondon.police.uk

Copyright 2002
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.