Communications, Creative, and Marketing

Effective communication is vital within policing, especially in today’s multimedia world. Our Corporate Communications department consists of around 40 multi-disciplinary professionals who plan, deliver and enable engagement with our people, our partners and the public we serve, helping build trust and confidence in the force.

"Working in police communications is unique. Here at TVP we have to be ready to respond to a whole manner of incidents and operations, some of which have international interest. As strategic and tactical communications experts for the force, we work hard to build strong relationships both within our organisation and with external partners. We help enable and empower others to communicate effectively, as part of our collective mission to protect our communities. Police communications has evolved so much in recent years, embracing digital technologies has been key. Whether it is communicating important messages to our officers and staff or informing the public of a critical incident, it is important that we ensure our messages are accessible and inclusive for all, and that we put the public at the heart of all we do."

Michelle Campbell, Head of Corporate Communications

Our team are strategic and tactical communication experts for the force. There is a lot of partnership working with all our stakeholders; both internal and external and we endeavour to build strong relationships that inform and support effective communication, empowering and enabling others to effectively communicate and engage. We aim to make our communications accessible, so they are inclusive for all and always have the public at the heart of all we do.

Who makes up our department?

Our department is made up of four key teams:

External Communications

The team handle media relations, campaigns, community and partnership engagement, and provide support when incidents happen. This could include making appeals, or supporting our officers in response to larger incidents. We support our neighbourhood teams, engage with our communities, publicise convictions, and more!

Employee Engagement

Made up of internal comms specialists responsible for informing and engaging with our workforce. As a large organisation, we have to react quickly to constantly changing demands, so keeping our people informed is crucial to our effectiveness.

Digital and Creative

Responsible for our digital and social media channels and production of video, photography and graphics. Much of today’s communications are digital, so it is vital we have a team who can engage quickly and effectively with the public online.

Recruitment and Retention Communications

The team supports the force’s priority to recruit and retain a workforce representative of the communities we protect. Our team manages the TVPCareers website; promoting TVP as an employer of choice, telling the stories of our people and the many roles we have available. We also deliver careers events that inform and inspire.

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The department also delivers communications support for the Violence Reduction Unit and has a Regional Communications Team which supports Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) and the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU).

Those working in communications at Thames Valley Police range from entry level to senior management positions, with roles including media, marketing, communications, digital comms, and events officers, support assistants, web developers, graphic designers, photographers, and more.

Skills, experience, and qualities we value

We tend to favour nationally recognised communications related qualifications or experience, ideally gained in a large public or private sector organisation. As a group, we are inquisitive and like to keep abreast of communications developments across policing, as well as in the wider public and private sectors, so we can apply best practice to our work.

We deal with a wide variety of stakeholders – many senior – both within and outside the force, so an ability to work, engage with, and advise/influence a wide variety of people is key – as is an ability to prioritise, plan, deliver and evaluate campaigns and activity.

We work in a dynamic, ever-changing environment. In many of our roles you need to react swiftly and confidently to the unexpected, so a calm, unflappable demeanour helps.

Meet Lottie - Media Officer

Discover what it's like to work in police communications from one of our media officers

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