Kalpana Mistry

Kalpana Mistry, 52, – known to her colleagues as ‘Kalps’, has worked in our Contact Management Department (CMD) for 17 years.

From a young age Kalpana was interested in joining the police, but couldn’t at the time because of her height. She then explored other options and became a Contact Handler in 2006.

Now with the experience under her belt, Kalps is a Team Leader to ten Contact Handlers and Dispatchers in Contact Management Department (CMD).  On some shifts, she can manage up to 40 people.

She said:

“I enjoy how varied the job is – you can never tell what you’re going to get.  A single incident can change the whole dynamic of the day – a serious Road Traffic Collision (RTC) on a motorway to a stabbing, you have to learn to put everything to one side and deal with the emergency incident at the time”. 

Speaking Gujarati has helped Kalps communicate effectively with people from diverse backgrounds and has enabled her to gain more information on an emergency call. She said:

“With Leicester being such a diverse community, speaking Gujarati to someone who cannot communicate fluently in English, really helps them to calm down and in return, we are able to get the necessary information required to help them.

“I love my job – the last 15 years have flown by. The team work and atmosphere in Contact Management Department (CMD) is so special and we are always there to support one another.”