Shining a light on ‘invaluable’ work of Fed office manager

30 May 2025

Sharing the story behind her 17-year association with West Mercia Police Federation, branch office manager Suzy Smith has outlined a commitment to its membership which she hopes will continue ‘long into the future’.

Described as the ‘heartbeat’ of the Fed, Suzy is responsible for its day-to-day running and acts as its first point of contact, liaising with senior officials, representatives, members and the Force.

She has held various roles in the branch since originally becoming an office junior in 2008, following in the footsteps of her mother, Jacky, who had joined the team five years earlier.

Suzy started in the Fed as a 16-year-old in one of her first jobs since leaving school. Through hard work and dedication, she made a strong impact from day one, before going on to become an admin assistant in 2010 and then office manager in 2021.

 “Looking back, it’s certainly been a journey I’m proud of. It didn’t take long for me to realise how important the Federation’s role is to police officers,” Suzy said.

Proud

 “It’s an organisation which supports the heroes – the people who do amazing things every day, and to be able to play my part in that is huge.

“My mum has been retired for a few years now, but I think she left the office happy knowing she had imparted all her wisdom onto me and that the Fed office is in safe hands.

 “She helped me build my knowledge up over time, but something I knew straight away was that admin suited me perfectly, mainly because I love to be organised. I know how important it is for everything to be ordered and up to date, so we can deliver a Federation that can be relied on.”

Thanks to Suzy’s high standards, every operation within the branch is effectively managed and structured, with the now-35-year-old across the likes of its accounts, payroll, membership database and offerings of the Group Insurance Scheme and holiday home in Newquay.

She is also a hub of information for members, pointing them in the direction of exclusive services and offers relating to healthcare, financial and legal advice, and discounts, as well as connecting them with reps for further assistance.

Help

“There are some more technical aspects to what I do, but I still think the most important thing is to make sure members know from the minute they reach out to the Federation, they are being heard and understood. Even if I can’t directly help, I have to make sure I pass them onto good hands with a rep,” she continued.

 “Because of what we do, one thing we must always expect is that our members will often need us in their darkest times.

“This is something you have to be prepared for, so you can be that reliable and stable figure when everything else might feel like it’s falling apart for them.”

 And while she makes clear being a source of support in difficult circumstances is a crucial constant for the Fed, Suzy also touched on some of the ways she has seen the branch change during her time in its office, like the need to ‘adapt to new officials’ such as chairs and secretaries.

“Everyone is going to come in with their own ideas of how they want to do things, but what they all have in common is that they care, and it is so lovely working with people so committed to helping others.”

Praise

 These sentiments were mirrored by Steve Butler, who was full of praise for Suzy when speaking about her on behalf of the Federation.

“Without a doubt, Suzy is the driving force behind getting the best version of our branch out to our members. She is one of those people who is constantly in high demand, because her knowledge is fantastic, but more importantly, because she is so approachable and happy to support others.

 “Everyone comes to Suzy – she is our heartbeat, and what she does is absolutely invaluable,” Steve said.

 And Suzy herself says her instrumental role is one she hopes to perform for years to come, describing herself as ‘busy but as motivated as ever’.

 “What keeps me going is wanting to help everyone – full-time officials, workplace reps. Most reps obviously still hold their day jobs on top of their Fed roles, so I try to support them as much as I can.

 “I can’t see that not carrying on long into the future, because I just really like what I do.”