AO3 Unit 1

Describe briefly the range of jobs available in two contrasting public services and then
outline the main roles and responsibilities of two from each service

Introduction

In this AO I am going to investigate and describe the main roles of two contrasting
public services and compare them. I have chosen to do this AO on the Army and
Police. Here a some of the many jobs available in the army and the police.

Police

• Police Officer, make up most of the police.

• PCSO. (Police Community Support Officer)
• Bomb squad. (Defuses bomb)
• Drugs squad. (Cracks down on drug dealers etc)
• Dog handler. (Takes dogs to places, football matches, riots etc)
• Dog Trainer. (Trains and prepares dogs for work in the police)
• Traffic cop. (In patrol in cars)
• CID. (Plain clothes detective)
• Chief contestable.
• Constable.
• Intelligence. (Research and surveillance)
• Call operator. (Takes 999 calls and operates radios for the police in general)
• Riot squad. (Controls riots hopefully peacefully)
• Armed response. (Responds to terrorist threats etc)

Army

• Frontline soldier. (Infantry)

• Chef. (cooks food for regiment etc)
• Bomb squad. (Defuse bombs e.g I.E.Ds)
• Tank driver.(Drives tanks)
• Pilot. (Helicopter)
• Sniper. (Specialist soldier to take out targets at long range, up to two
miles)
• Intelligence gathering. (Finding out what the enemy are doing, number of
enemy etc)
• Engineer. (Many types, aircraft, tank, truck etc)
• Medic.(All infantry are trained in first aid but medics go into more depth
and are given life saving equipment)
 • Finance manager. (In charge of how much money each regiment gets)
• Music and ceremonial. (Perform music in ceremonies)
• Driver. (Drives transport vehicles)
• Railway operator. (Drives trains to transport equipment)

The four roles I have decided to focus on are, an Ammunition Technician in the army,
a Railway operator in the army, a Dog handler in the police and a Contestable in the
Police.

Ammunition Technician (Bomb Squad)

They are able to drive just about anything and excellent attention to detail these skills
will serve you for life. “You'll also need good people skills, because when it comes to
handling ammunition, you need to be heard and understood.” (Army.mod.uk). This
shows that they also require good leadership skills. They are experts in the safe
disposal of bombs. You must first become a normal soldier then go on a training
course. Skills and qualifications needed are “GCSE grade C or better (or equivalent)
in English, Maths and either Physics, Science or Integrated Science, calm under
pressure, attention to detail, quick thinking, good with people.” (Army.mod.uk). On a
daily basis they will have to dispose of all sorts of ammunition such including bullet
clips, anti-aircraft guided weapon systems and Improvised Explosive Devices (IED).
At the end of the course you will have earned full driving license: Cat C & C+E and
HAZMAT. BTEC Certificate Engineering.

Railway operator

The skills and qualification you will need are adaptability, attention to detail and
creative thinking. Qualifications you will earn include full driving license: Cat C &
C+E and HAZMAT. NVQ Level 2 - Driving Goods Vehicles. Certificate of personal
Tack Safety. As a Driver/Railway Operator you are a soldier responsible for moving
essential equipment, from ammunition and Land Rovers to Armored Fighting
Vehicles, over land, all over the world. You'll be trained to become an expert at
looking at the terrain and working out the best way to build and use rail to move
equipment. As you can see this is a very important role in the army because without
them the frontline soldiers would be unequipped and unable to fight. You'll learn how
to drive, handle, service and maintain diesel locomotives as well as how to shunt, sort
and marshal wagons into trains for dispatch. You'll also be trained in British signaling
practice. Rail transport is essential, and the Army operates its own railway system in a
number of countries including Germany and Canada. These are all skills which will
help you for the rest of your life. If you were to leave the army, you would be able to
use these skills and qualifications to help you find another job working with
locomotives.
Dog handler

To apply for a post as a dog handler you must have completed your 2-year
probationary period and must have proved yourself to be a competent police officer.
You can then apply to the dog unit for a trial course with a police dog that is trained to
accept commands from any handler. If you are deemed suitable you will have to wait
until a vacancy arises, and at this time you can apply for the position. Other suitable
candidates may also apply for the post, so the department has to decide who they feel
is most suitable for the post. Previous dog handling experience is therefore an
advantage for any officer applying to join the police dog unit. Police dog handlers
must have a genuine love for animals and be very patient. Your dog will live with you
and will be part of your own family. When dogs retire normally at around 9 years old
they will generally become your household pet. Dogs are used in many ways
including;

 Crowd management at major sporting events

 Searching buildings and open ground for missing and wanted people
 Searching for evidence
 Drugs detection and explosive detection
 Tracking suspects
 Victim recovery dogs
 Tactical firearms operations
 Supporting community-based initiatives
 Public order response
 High-profile, proactive, intelligence-led patrols

Police constable

£20,000 to £24,000 is the starting salary for a Constable depending on where you live.
They are the stereotypical Police officer and an iconic image of the British Police.
They have to be very diverse as they have to be able to cope with all types of
situations from helping an old lady up after missing the curb to stopping a drug deal
on a street corner. The most important skill a Constable needs to have is
communication. It is needed in every situation imaginable. They might need to break
up a drunken fight on a Saturday night so it is important that they are able to be clear
in what they say and make sure they are understood, they also need to be able to listen
to the stories of witnesses for example. They need to be unbiased and fair for
example, if they are dealing with a conflict between two different ethnic groups they
cannot be unfair or biased to a particular race.

By Josh Park 10DP