Interview
“ I ’ m not saying I was a Goody Two Shoes , but I suppose that having a dad as a police officer meant I had to make sure I didn ’ t embarrass him ”
Sarah ’ s husband Alan and Duggie a real insight into what Chief Officers have to do ” says Sarah . And far from seeing the job just as a stepping stone to her next promotion , she says : “ I ’ ve always taken the view that I ’ ll do the best job I can , in whatever job I am doing today – so no , it wasn ’ t all just about climbing the career ladder ”. However , the experience certainly helped her to make the next step because when she went through the Superintendent selection process again in August 2014 , she was successful . “ I suppose you could say it was a case of third time lucky for me !” she says . At that time , the Chief Constable was focusing strongly on leadership in the constabulary , and for Sarah that proved to be a perfect working fit . “ Having an empowering leadership style is so important “ she says . “ It is a delicate balance to tread in policing , because we need to be very directive at certain times , but more collaborative and cooperative at others ”. And that ’ s a philosophy she brought to the Island when she returned to home turf in 2015 as district commander in charge of around 180 staff and officers plus over 25 Specials and volunteers . “ Here , my job is to make sure officers and staff can do their job with the minimum number of factors getting in the way ” she says .
Part of the balancing act she has to perform is that while being part of the larger organisation of Hampshire Police , she ’ s closely identified as representing the Island community with all its quirks and individuality . “ I have to consider how I can connect Hampshire to the Isle of Wight in a way that works for the Island , and that always comes down to partnership – constantly looking at ways we can get people and groups to work together for the benefit of the whole community ”.
Settling in
Sarah admits though that coming back to the Island wasn ’ t all plain sailing . She admits she even hesitated for a few months before agreeing to take up the appointment . “ Having worked on the mainland for 26 years , I knew a lot of people over there and when I came back here , I didn ’ t have that . It was something I ’ d never even considered . “ Because I ’ ve always loved the Island and thought of it as home , I assumed I ’ d settle back here more quickly and easily than I actually did ”. She reckons it actually took about a year before she and her husband Alan , a retired police officer from Surrey , began to enjoy their new life on the Island .
It helped that they took a ‘ staycation ’ here , re-discovering some of the places Sarah loved as a child . They also started walking and cycling , have acquired a “ mad as a box of frogs ” pet Hungarian Vizla dog called Duggie , and are enjoying doing up their home and garden . “ Now when we go out for walks in the woods just by our house , we can ’ t believe how lucky we are to live here ” she says . Sarah also acknowledges that she ’ s lucky to be working at a time when women have never been represented at such high levels in the police service . “ When I joined , we didn ’ t have women at such senior levels in Hampshire . That has changed hugely over the years and in fact the two most senior officers in Hampshire are women .” She says , “ I feel it ’ s important for those of us in senior positions to help and encourage others through advice and support . As women we can be quite self-limiting at times , which is why strong support networks can really help build confidence and recognising ‘ it is not just me ’!” Despite her success , Sarah seems remarkably easy with revealing some of her own vulnerabilities : “ We all have things we don ’ t do so well , and everyone has lapses in confidence at times ,” she admits , “ but as I always say , that shouldn ’ t stop you from being sure who you are and doing what ’ s important to you .”
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