Cumbria Constabulary is recruiting new staff across the county.

We spoke to Rickie Wallbank, a police constable based in Barrow, to find out what the day to day life of a Cumbrian constable entails.

Name: Rickie Wallbank

Age: 28

Where are you from?

I’m from south Cumbria and now live in Barrow.

Where do you work?

I work for Cumbria Constabulary and I’m based in Barrow Police station.

How long have you done the job?

3 years

Take us through a typical day.

I'm a police constable; I deal with front line policing as a uniformed officer, as part of a team that covers South Cumbria.

I work shifts, so that may be early, afternoon, late or night. Once I arrive at the station, I collect my personal protective equipment and my radio, and sign out my taser and body camera.

I then head to the briefing room where the whole shift is given a breakdown by the duty sergeant of what has happened either since my last shift or during the previous shift.

Our duty sergeant then gives us our specific duties; this includes which area I'll be covering and any particular tasks that need to be dealt with - or I could also get assigned to a detained person enquiry that's already in custody.

Usually I work alone, although sometimes I can be paired with another officer depending on the tasks of the day. Each shift varies and the things we deal with can be quite different from one job to the next.

When we're needed for a call for service, the dispatchers will call through to our radio and tell us what kind of job we are expecting, how fast we need to get there and how many patrols should attend. The calls for service are graded by the control room in order of severity. This then determines if we need to use a blue light or not.

When not responding to calls for service, I work proactively - whether this is prosecuting driving offences, stop and searching people, or locating wanted persons. I also spend time catching up on paperwork, dealing with enquiries or following up previous jobs.

At the end of my shift I finish off any necessary paperwork and handover any issues to the duty sergeant, before returning the equipment to the locker room.

What do you like most about your work?

No two jobs or shifts are ever the same.

I like having to make split second decisions, and helping members of the public whether their issue is big or small.

I enjoy working as a team alongside my colleagues, as well as the element of the unknown that comes with attending to calls for service.

The job is exciting and different each day and that's what I enjoy the most.

What do you like least?

Although I like shift work it can have an impact on my social life, however I've learnt to adapt to it.

Why did you want to do this job?

I wanted to be a police officer from a very young age, to help people and attempt to make communities safer.

I wanted to have a career which was exciting and fulfilling, with the chance for development opportunities.

I like that I am serving the communities which I grew up in and around in South Cumbria.

What jobs have you done previously?

When I left school I went to college and studied BTEC in sports, during this time I worked part time as a life guard.

I also worked in bars and restaurants in my local area.

After college I started working for a family friend as a carpet fitter which I did for 7 years until I joined the police force.

What qualifications or experience do you need in your position?

I was successful in my application despite having no policing background.

Life skills and communication play an important role (you need a level three qualification or equivalent experience to apply).

During the first two years of service as a student police officer, an initial 6 months are spent at headquarters learning aspects of the law, personal safety techniques and driving qualifications, with the remaining 18 months spent gaining competencies under the supervision of a tutor police constable.

Once two years have passed, if successful you are then confirmed in post.

What is a typical salary for your job?

£19,773 as a student officer, and after 7 years in service rising to £38,001.

Any advice for people wanting to get into your profession

Life skills are important, be passionate about the job you are applying for and be determined to succeed.

Cumbria Constabulary are recruiting PCs now! For further information visit CN Jobs