PCSO Ellie Holland

Ellie joined Leicestershire Police in April 2021 and is based in Loughborough.

After finishing school, she looked at a variety of roles but knew she wanted to do something active and engaging.

Ellie said: “I was looking at the military or becoming a paramedic when I saw an ad for seminar to join the police and went along.

“As soon as I got there and heard more about the roles in policing I knew it was for me. I stayed behind afterwards and asked the Sergeant loads of questions and ended up applying to be a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO).

“I was stationed at Loughborough and already knew the area. Everyone in the team really gets on and we do a wide range of jobs which I love. In Loughborough we get a mix of rural and urban jobs because of the area we cover.

“As a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) you feel part of the community. People come up to you and have a chat and tell you quite a lot. Communication is a massive part of the job, a really key skill.

“I enjoy how every single day is different whether that is helping support the team, scene preservation, supporting operations. You really get to deal with and speak to so many people and learn how people want to be spoken to. You have to be able to be switch sometimes between being friendly and being assertive – it is all about building relationships.

“I like to make a difference, knowing I would be doing difficult things- advising and supporting the community.”