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West Bridgford
Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Notts Police call handlers ready to help those in need on Christmas Day

While families wake up to their presents under the tree Nottinghamshire Police emergency call handler Rachael Crowder will be among a dedicated team picking up phones and keeping the public safe.

Rachael, who has been a call handler for two-and-a-half years, will be working her first full Christmas Day, giving help and support to people in need from 6.30am to 3.30pm.

She’s part of the dedicated force control room team who will be the first point of contact taking 101 and 999 calls while families across Nottinghamshire tuck into their turkey.

She said: “We hope people are happy and enjoying their Christmas Day but it’s not a good time of year for some.

“We are on hand to help those who may be struggling and need help. We will always take time to help and support people who call us and will do all we can to ensure their safety.

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“No matter how busy we are, there’s plenty of Christmas spirit in the control room. The Christmas trees are up and some of the teams are trying to plan Christmas dinner.

“I will probably be joining my family after work for my Christmas dinner and hopefully some presents! However it won’t be a long one as I’ll be back on shift from 6.30am on Boxing Day!”

Rachael, who will be working a seven-day stint over the festive period, including working the night shift on New Year’s Eve, is one of four tutors currently mentoring seven new recruits who have joined the control room ranks.

She added: “Being a call handler is all about listening to callers, understanding how they’re feeling and then being able to offer support and explain how we can help them.

“We get as much information as we can from callers and make an initial risk assessment as to how quickly we need to get officers out to them to keep them safe.

“There’s a lot of variety and we receive calls from people from all different backgrounds who need our help. You need to be a good communicator and listener and be able to empathise with callers. Every call and situation we deal with is something different.”

Anyone wanting to learn more about a policing career with the force is asked to visit: https://www.nottinghamshire.police.uk/careers/nottinghamshire-police-careers

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