PC Ben Cole attended the inaugural National Response Policing Conference, which was hosted in Manchester by the Police Federation and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).

Held to accompany the annual Response Policing Week, the event was centred around response, with senior leaders, officers, staff, volunteers and policymakers among those present for a day of celebration and insight.

Ben, who boasts an array of first-on-the-scene experience across a varied career within the force, believes he came away from Manchester with a renewed sense of pride for the area of policing he is most passionate about.

“I think what the event did well was acknowledging how big a job response continues to be, while praising its workers for handling that expectation so capably – it struck a good balance between the realities and the recognition,” he said.

“A word used a lot on the day was ‘relentless’, to describe both the demands placed on us and our dedication in responding, and I think that was very fitting.

“What also came through was the fact that attendees may have come from all over, but everyone was there because they care about response policing and want the best for it. My operational challenges might look very different to someone in the Met Police, for example, but we still share the same kind of calling and devotion.”

Currently based in Cardigan, Ben originally joined Dyfed Powys Police 17 years ago as a PCSO before becoming a special constable a decade later.

He then became a regular officer in 2022, expanding his frontline duties into a full-time capacity while remaining rooted in his familiar area of South Ceredigion.

But the role he says gave him an understanding of ‘the organisation as a whole’ actually came from behind the scenes during his time as a member of the corporate staff.

Special Constable

“When I was a special, I was also a digital communications officer for the force. In every other role I’ve had, it’s been easy to become hyper-focused on one community, but this allowed me to take a step back from that,” Ben continued.

“Now, I can fully appreciate how far our jurisdiction spans, and how many of our challenges in response are geographical. We have so much ground to cover, but we still simply have to be there when people need us most, and that’s a huge expectation to meet.

“So, as much as the conference showed some common themes between forces, it also got me thinking about the unique local challenges we face in serving the public.”

Ben went on to discuss the conference’s ‘forward-thinking’ content, with many speakers looking to the future of response and how it could be shaped by improvements to technology, equipment and uniform.

Response Policing Week

While welcoming these ambitions, the 37-year-old also underlined the equally important need to focus on wellbeing, so officers are ‘equipped enough to go into jobs and to process what they’ve dealt with afterwards’.

During Response Policing Week, the Federation released research indicating that 9 in 10 response officers believe their working conditions are unsafe and understaffed, as well as a short film featuring real officers' testimonies about long hours, high trauma exposure, and insufficient rest.

“I’ve always described response as the tip of the spear in policing. On the frontline, we are the first point of contact a victim of a crime will have with the police in what can often be a long journey towards justice or resolution, so we must make a lasting impact,” said Ben.

“If that tip isn’t sharp enough, our impact won’t be strong enough, and the only way it remains sharp is through evolution – standing still with response is the same as going backwards."

Support and investment

“And to evolve, we need consistent support and investment. Without this, not only will the public suffer, but officers will too.

“In times of adversity, I think a lot of it comes back to remembering why you do it – but that doesn’t mean our dedication and goodwill should be relied on and taken for granted. If you’re constantly making sacrifices and running towards danger, you deserve to feel a full backing of support behind you.”