Investigator 2

Linda was one of the first investigators to join the IPCC in January 2004. She is a Deputy Senior Investigator (DSI) based in our Wakefield office.

Linda has worked in the field of investigations for 30 years, which includes time spent as an investigator at HM Customs and Excise. Her work background also includes stints as a social worker and an adult trainer.   

“I was so pleased to be chosen from so many applicants to become a DSI with the IPCC. It was very excited to be involved in shaping the organisation. Initially, I was based in London for four months and then Manchester for six months.

When I joined there was a relatively small group of us, many of whom were ex-police officers. It was really good to work in the early project groups and to bring another perspective to the discussions. The different backgrounds that colleagues bring provide a real mix of ideas, which is really important.

I believe the work we do is really important and is slowly making a difference to public confidence in the police service. There is still have a long way to go, but we are moving in the right direction. We all sometimes feel frustrated that things aren’t moving fast enough, but we are still a very young organisation and building a reputation takes time.

For three years, I led an operational team of investigators dealing with some of the higher-level managed and independent investigations. Many of these investigations involved death or serious injury, which was a completely new area of work for me. It was challenging at first and I was on a very steep learning curve, but with the support of my colleagues I feel it really took me to another level in terms of my investigative knowledge and skills. I have had lots of opportunities to take part in training to develop some of those skills further. I have also attended and given evidence at a number of inquests, which is a totally different experience from giving evidence in the criminal justice system.

Recently, I was offered the chance to get involved in strategic development when I was asked to work on improvements to the learning and development programme for investigations. This seemed like a fairly manageable task at first, but as with most projects, I soon found that working on one area led to a “knock on” effect on other areas. The project soon grew! It gave me a fantastic opportunity to work across the IPCC offices and meet other staff and has really whetted my appetite for more strategic work.

I will be returning to Wakefield to my substantive role in April 2009, but have really enjoyed the opportunity to be involved in developing the organisation at a national level.

I feel that I will be with the IPCC for the long term. I very much like the internal informality of the organisation and genuinely feel that I could approach the Chair or the Chief Executive at any time. Not only would they know who I am, they would make time to talk to me and listen to my views. Not many employees can say that of their organisation.”