Fighting crime and keeping people safe is why Sergeant Jamie Millard joined Derbyshire Constabulary at the age of 20. He wanted to make a difference in Derby, and the 45-year-old is keen to reflect on his already successful career.
“No shift is ever the same and a typical day doesn’t exist,” he says. “But do I love my job? Yes, I do. And is there still a lot to do? Yes, there really is.”
For the last ten years, Sgt Millard has been in charge of the Derby City Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT), and work is extremely busy. Preventing and detecting crime is top of the agenda for him and his nine-strong team – but the demanding role doesn’t stop there.
He said: “To succeed, we must embed ourselves in the heart of the community and build relationships with everyone. But we can’t do it on our own and that is why partners like Derby’s Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), their Rangers, Derby City Council and the Derbion play such a vital role in what we do.
“It is a team effort, and we work extremely closely with a whole list of agencies to keep crime at a minimum and things like drugs and anti-social behaviour off the street. We are dedicated to maintaining a professional footprint in the city and pride ourselves on the visible presence we provide in Derby. We know that this helps to deter anti-social behaviour and it brings peace of mind to shop owners and the general public.
“To succeed in the job, we’ve got to strengthen relationships with everyone.”
