Response Policing Week of Action 2023: a round-up

This week, we have shone a light on the fantastic work that our response officers do. From a day-in-the-life piece on officers in Wigan to a Q&A with an Inspector from Bolton and his proudest moment in uniform, we have endeavoured to showcase the great work that goes on in response teams across Greater Manchester.

You may have seen in our intro article a sample of response statistics: last month (May 2023), GMP responded to 12,332 Grade 1 incidents. These are the high-priority, possible risk-to-life calls and are likely the blue-light cars you’ll see speeding past you on roads across Greater Manchester.

Those numbers cover just one month however, and during the course of this week, the numbers will look strikingly similar. In the time you’ve taken to read this article, officers will have been up and responding to all manner of incidents across the borough, serving the public with professionalism and the determination to protect those in need.

You might have read about Police Constables Paul Matthews and Josh Farrell, who received an award for saving a woman and child after receiving a call about a knife attack. Or PC Dominique Walsh and her colleagues responding to various calls during one ten-hour shift. If you missed it, you can also check out our Q&A with Inspector James Grundy, who discusses his career and gives an insight into his day-to-day life. All of the above stories are hyperlinked – just click on them for the article!

Throughout the week, Chief Officers have visited response teams across different stations in Greater Manchester. While there, the Chief Officers’ reaffirmed their respect and support for the work of response officers while discussing their jobs and work. They also took part in Q&As and briefings, to provide further insight into response policing from a variety of perspectives.  

Furthermore, the Oscar Kilo (OK) Wellbeing Van has visited each of our districts accompanied by wellbeing co-ordinators. They have been speaking to response officers and support about the wide range of occupational health and wellbeing services that are available to them. Response officers can come up against some incredibly challenging situations and GMP is determined to provide them with all the support possible.

Assistant Chief Constable Matthew Boyle said: “It is important to acknowledge what our incredible response officers get up to every time they pull on the uniform, handling all manner of incidents with the utmost professionalism.

“While we appreciate their work every single day, I hope this individual week has helped us to show our respect for those who serve the Greater Manchester public in this vital policing role.

“I have met countless officers during the week and I know that our communities are safer thanks to their commitment. Once again, on behalf of GMP, I would like to thank each and every one of them.”

For further information on response policing, check out our social media pages, where we often share the stories and hard work of our officers. Keep an eye out for any job ads in the future too – you never know, you may one day feature in a #ResponsePolicingWeek article!