Roch Valley Radio joins Rochdale response officers on frontline police shift

Roch Valley Radio joined response officers in Rochdale for an early shift, revealing the fast paced and unpredictable nature of frontline policing.

A shift with Rochdale response officers showed that frontline policing is not only about urgent call-outs and arrests, but also long hours of paperwork, quick decision-making and constant changes in pace.

Roch Valley Radio spent the morning and early afternoon with student officer PC Dickinson Moore and tutor PC Nuttall as they moved from patrols to welfare work, safeguarding and live incidents across the borough.

PC Dickinson Moore is in the fifth month of the Detective Constable Entry Programme and is currently learning response policing alongside PC Nuttall, who has spent the last three years on Rochdale response.

The shift began after the early briefing, and we headed out on proactive patrol in areas linked to regular offending and anti-social behaviour. This was while we were on the way to one of the first jobs from the night before, a reported garden shed burglary.

Officers attended the address to speak with the resident, however the person who reported the theft was not present at the time.

While on patrol, PC Nuttall identified a vehicle being driven in a suspicious manner and brought it to a stop to have a chat, this was after it drove iratically through the backstreets before heading up towards Sandbrook Park where we then pulled the vehicle over.

Moments later after the vehicle had left the scene, information came through on the police radio confirming the driver was wanted.

Officers then used blue lights to stop the vehicle again along Queensway and arrested the driver, with colleagues providing support.

Checks carried out by PC Dickinson Moore confirmed the driver was wanted, and he was arrested on suspicion of assault and criminal damage.

We were then deployed to a concern for welfare on Grimshaw Lane in Middleton, where officers supported a young woman experiencing a medical episode. They worked alongside carers to ensure her immediate safety and help put a care plan in place.

Later in the shift, we responded to reports of a possible stabbing in Lower Falinge, all before 10am. Officers located a man with a minor shoulder injury. He declined medical treatment and chose not to support a police investigation on finding his attacker. Officers provided first aid and completed safeguarding actions. No arrests were made.

Further incidents during the shift included dealing with a returned missing person, attending a road traffic collision where a man was arrested, carrying out burglary visits, and continuing proactive patrols across the borough.

What stood out over the course of the day was how much of response policing happens away from public view.

Even after dealing with incidents, officers still had statements, safeguarding records, reports and handovers to complete before the shift could properly end.

At one stage, PC Nuttall estimated they already had around an hour and a half of paperwork to complete from the jobs they had attended, with more expected before the end of the shift.

Officers also explained that while some jobs are dealt with quickly, others take far longer once the immediate situation is over, particularly when safeguarding and follow-up work is required.

Speaking to Roch Valley Radio, PC Nuttall said, “Response policing is fast-paced and challenging, but that’s exactly why I love this job. Every shift is different, and you never know who you’re going to help or what you’ll be dealing with next.”

He added, “Busy. It’s always busy. It never stops.”

Describing the work of the day, he said, “We’ve been out today, doing some mobile patrol and responding to some incidents. We’ve arrested one male, and then we’ll carry on and see what the rest of the day holds.”

He also said, “Every day’s different at Rochdale. We’ve got a diverse community with lots of different people involved. We always work with partner agencies to make sure that we’re delivering the best service we can.”

Left to right: PC Nuttall, PC Dickinson Moore

PC Dickinson Moore said she is gaining valuable experience through the role and learning on response alongside her tutor officer.

PC Nuttall added, “Mentoring student officers and seeing them grow in confidence is also a very rewarding part of my role.”

Away from incidents, officers also described the demands of the role beyond the frontline. Shift patterns rotate between early, late and night duties, and can make it difficult to maintain a routine outside of work.

The shift highlighted the range of incidents response officers face daily and the role they play in supporting and safeguarding the public across Rochdale.