A MOTHER who swapped saving lives on the battlefield as a theatre nurse to become a police officer has been named National Response Officer of the Year.
PC Victoria Price, part of the Clacton Local Policing Team, has served with the force since October 2021.
Victoria joined the force from the Army, where she was a theatre nurse assisting with trauma surgery.
And she’s certainly had the opportunity to practice those skills with in the past two-and-a-half years.
Victoria arrested more than 100 people last year, for a variety of offences, from serious assaults and robbery to drink and drug driving offences and being drunk whilst in charge of a child.
She has also been involved in a sea rescue and, more unusually, helped to rescue an elderly person who was stuck in a bath.
The Response Officer of the Year award is one way policing nationally recognises their work.
Victoria admits she was ‘truly shocked’ on hearing of her nomination.
She said: “I love working with different people and I joined Essex Police because I wanted to try and help those in need – running towards the problem, rather than away from it.
“Response policing has enabled me to progress and develop myself, both professionally and personally, and to try and truly make a difference to the communities I work in.
“I haven’t looked back since joining the police, it’s everything I expected it to be and more.”
Victoria added: “As police officers, we exercise our stop and search powers sparingly but they are an effective way to discourage the carrying of knives or dealing of drugs in public and to keep people safe."
A stop search Victoria conducted on two men in Clacton last year was commended and is used as an example of good practice for new officers training at Essex Police College.
Assistant Chief Constable Andy Mariner, the force Lead for Local Policing, says Victoria’s professionalism stands out.
He said: “PC Price demonstrates all that is good about the role of a front-line police officer in today’s world.
“She is courageous and handles challenging situations well.
"She is compassionate, putting victims at the heart of everything she does and being determined to get the right outcome for them while bringing offenders to justice.
"PC Price is a working mother who manages a demanding workload, working a 24-hour shift pattern while maintaining exceptionally high standards.
“I am proud to nominate her as Essex Police’s candidate for the national Response Officer of the Year award.”
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