Interview with Kieran

We’ve been speaking to call handlers to find out what the job is like from the people who’ve been there. Our final interviewee is Kieran Bancroft, 27, who joined Greater Manchester Police in 2020 as a call handler.

What was the training process like?
"It’s different to any other job. If you worked in a bakery, you’d learn the steps on how to bake bread but in the contact centre, you’re being trained to save someone’s life and there’s no instruction manual for that. You do scenario-based exercises for all sorts of incidences including how to speak to someone who might be suicidal. You look at past incidences and how you can use these to approach a new incident.

"Most of the learning though will be done on the job. The training is a good starting point because it prepares you for what you’ll face in the role. I remember being petrified of the practice calls in the training even though it wasn’t real – but you pick it up once you start."

Do you remember your first 999 call?
"Yes it was a domestic disturbance. It was my first shift out of training, and I remember feeling sick I was so nervous, but it was really good outcome as the man was arrested. Every call is different though – 10 minutes later I could have picked up another call that was less or even more serious."

What’s the best thing about the job?
"The fact that it is so varied and there’s always new things to learn and new technologies to get to grips with. For example, the live chat function that the digital content team implemented means that we can speak to people on live chat as well for non-emergencies.

"Then we also have something called NAE which is for abandoned 999 calls. With this we can do checks on the number, pinpoint where the call came from and get the emergency services sent out to them."

Where do you see yourself going in your current role?
"Eventually I’d like to go for a supervisor role but at the moment there’s still more I want to learn as a call handler. As a supervisor you’re looking after everyone else doing the call handling and I want to learn as much as I can first so I can pass that knowledge onto others."

What made you want to join the police?
"My friend works for the police, and we used to talk about it a lot and I always thought it seemed like a great job. He was pushing me to join as well and then this position came along, and I saw it as a great opportunity. People push you to do it but it’s a good push, it helps you develop as a person."

What did you learn about yourself in this role?
"How patient I am. I never thought I was a patient person but, in this job, you can have someone screaming and shouting at you and it doesn’t faze you. In the real world you’d shout back but in this job you don’t for some reason."

What’s the most challenging thing about the job?
"It depends on the call. I had an incredibly tough call from a mum who found her son committed suicide and I had to talk her through what she needed to do. Luckily the police arrived and took over but it was incredibly difficult.

"If you have a tough call like that, your supervisor will come to you and see if you need support. You have to try and leave your work at work - but there will be days where you can’t and on those days it’s important to have someone to talk to."

How important is having a team around you?
"Your team are surrounding you and if you need support, they’ve got you. It’s like a family at the end of the day and I can’t imagine being anywhere else."

What advice would you give someone who is thinking of becoming a call handler?
"Do it. I’ve come here and loved every minute and I just think why didn’t I do it sooner."