Meet Media Officer, Lottie

How long have your worked at Thames Valley Police?

I’ve worked at TVP since June 2021. Prior to joining I worked in communications roles for around five years after completing a degree in Journalism at the University of South Wales.

What is your favourite thing about working for TVP (or your role)?

I like working in a role where no day is the same. As a Media Officer a lot of your day-to-day role is based on ongoing incidents, so you never know what is going to happen. Even in the middle of your day you could be informed of an incident that you need to work on, so your planned work for the day goes out of the window.

Working in the External Comms team means you play a part in protecting communities and ensuring victims get justice. Whether that’s down to putting out a witness appeal which has resulted in an arrest or charge, or when you publish details of defendants sentencing.

What is on your ‘to-do’ list?

A Media Officer’s role is really varied. On a ‘normal’ day I would publish press releases from witness appeals to sentences, and answer questions from journalists about incidents in their local area. We also look after higher profile incidents, such as murder investigations or cases that are going through the court system, so we will organise media briefings and interviews with the Senior Investigating Officer.

Why should someone apply to work in your department?

A lot of work within our department requires cross team working, so you are working with different people across the department and across the force, which enables you to have a greater understanding of the organisation. You get to work with a lot of people with really interesting stories.

Within the department there is a great wealth of knowledge from within and outside policing, and everyone is always willing to help contribute new and innovative ideas.

Qualities that make a good Media Officer in TVP

Being able to work under pressure, being resilient, the ability to understand complex cases, being able to prioritise and being comfortable to work with people from all over the Force, from the Chief Constable to police officers and police staff.

If you’re interested in a communications role at Thames Valley Police, you can find our latest opportunities on our vacancies portal.