Jane Fitzpatrick

I served for 12 years, in the Royal Corps of Signals, posted in West Germany, Northern Ireland and the Falkland Islands, serving through the time of reunification of Germany and though I have many amazing memories of that time, a pivotal evening was being on duty at the Allied Command HQ In Rheindahlen, the night the Berlin wall came down.

Having made the decision to leave the British Army, I knew that I wanted to continue in Public Service and looked for what I considered to be the best opportunity to be able to utilise the skills and experience I had gained.

I joined West Mercia Police and completed 33 years of public service before retiring. Policing offers many career progression routes, and I had the opportunity to serve in a number of roles, including, response teams, local Policing and custody and justice, serving as a Geographical Sergeant and Inspector highlighted the importance and value of working with residents and partners to solve neighbourhood issues and build confidence and trust in communities.

I was fortunate to be selected for several specialised command positions and was deployed operationally as a Tactical Firearms Commander, a Counter-Terrorism Security Coordinator, Public Order Commander and a Post Incident Manager.
Deploying as a Public Order Commander with a contingency of British Police Officers to the British Virgin Islands was a rare experience. To support the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force after the devastation of Hurricane Irma and provide community reassurance and engagement. A unique opportunity to work with overseas colleagues and share good practice.

I mentored colleagues newly qualified in specialist operational roles post-course, providing feedback to enable sign off or identify continuing areas for development. I sat on interview panels for assessment centres, for new recruits to the organisation and internal promotion and specialist roles.

I took some time out for travelling upon retirement, visiting many of the World War 1 and 2 memorials in Europe and cycling through Indochina, before returning home to the UK where I volunteer for a local Wildlife Trust.

Practice to Progress offered me the opportunity to join as an associate and therefore be able to continue to contribute to the development of both new recruits and to maximise the potential for serving officers seeking promotion.

I have also had the opportunity to work with candidates across the wider range of public services, with similar assessment and selection processes and have helped candidates develop themselves in preparation for assessment in other parts of the public sector.

Seeing candidates’ progression through workshops, learning, and practicing new skills and visibly seeing their confidence grow is extremely rewarding, sometimes they just do need someone to tell them “You can do this”.

Being familiar with the frustrations and effort we undergo to prepare for a new role, I know selection processes can be daunting and I am proud to be supporting Practice to Progress in providing the innovative ability to practice in a safe and professional environment. Receiving bespoke feedback is a great tool for candidates, identifying strengths and weaknesses and gaining confidence in their ability to succeed.