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Somehow 2 & a half years have passed since I left policing & I thought maybe time for a little thread about my journey & a bit of advice for anyone who cares or is looking for something new.
I’ve been asked a few times recently if I miss the job & regularly get people I know & fellow Tweeters ask for advice (which I’m happy to give) about making the move. So here goes...
Firstly, and probably most importantly, I knew it was my time to go.
I documented on my old account about being diagnosed with PTSD. For me, part of my ‘new normal’ was moving on, removing the chance of triggers, so once I had the strength & concentration I started to research.
I looked what was available, what I could see myself doing, money I could drop if needs be & roles with decent potential earning in time. I considered everything from apprenticeships to sales roles & everything in between!
The hope was always something utilising the policing skillset/non technical skills & I just kept coming back to the railway as that route.
I applied for two roles with NR & researched about their interviews etc. Having not had anything outside of policing in all that time you can imagine the nerves! I was lucky enough to get offered both roles & took my preference which started me off in Route Control.
I was effectively an info bod informing the railway world (from management to the guys and girls on the ground) about about all our ongoing incidents on the route, how they were progressing, effect on service and service recovery.
I loved this role, zero stress (I needed that) but I still found it exciting & loved learning as much as I could from my controller colleagues who were managing those incidents.
Fast forward a year and I am now one of those controllers I learnt so much from. My role uses the policing skillset on a daily basis and I bloody love it, I’ve been an incident controller just over 18 months now.
Not a day has gone by that I’ve thought I regret leaving the job. Don’t get me wrong, I’m under no illusion that I would be where I am without my time in so I’m grateful for my experiences good, bad & ugly!
So my advice to you, if you’re thinking of leaving you need to KNOW it’s you’re time to move on.
Most people question whether, like in the example of train drivers, there would be enough excitement over the monotony of driving for job satisfaction.
Answer, probably not but if you know the changes your life needs, you’ll know the compromises you’re willing to make/take.
I still deal with emergency incidents, albeit from a control perspective, but still get an element of the adrenaline when a REC call comes in or a job that you have to think outside the box or several incidents at once where prioritising is key. No two days are the same.
I still do shifts including nights but my work life balance is better! Pay is better and I do get job satisfaction.
I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have been afforded and I know I am lucky to love what I do now. I’m still learning the role and everyday is a school day but for me the grass was greener 
