Sergeant Christine Holyoake, Sussex Police

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“I love policing, and I am one of many officers who joined the police force wanting to make a positive difference. However, the police is an agency who deal directly with the consequences of a broken society. No one agency can repair the damage that has been done over the years. What I feel in my heart is that we will need to work together in order to achieve real and lasting change. I have seen a lot of bad things in my 15 year career, but I never stopped believing that positive change can be achieved. Churches bring with them genuine passion and understanding. To my way of thinking it's the perfect marriage. Where police officers out of necessity have to make choices not to get too emotionally involved, churches can help to fill the void.”

We first met Christine Holyoake, Community Engagement Sergeant for Sussex Police, at the ROC Ambassadors Conference in October. Having only heard of ROC a few months before, Christine came to the conference as one of many seeking to find out what it was all about. After 24 hours of discussing and dissecting the vision and application of Redeeming Our Communities, Christine shared with us: “in neighbourhood policing, you go to quite a few meetings, but they are left just as meetings. But with ROC, it’s all about action; there’s a commitment to see change happen and a vision to make our community a better place through practical application.”

Upon Christine’s return to her community, she’s been sharing this vision non-stop! Specifically, Christine hopes to draw on the compassion of the church to support the vulnerable offenders with which the police force interact with regularly. Police deal with difficult circumstances, where people are vunerable or can't cope every day. Officers do this with proffesionalism and compassion but even then, there are times where the police remit ends but the perosn still needs more help. This is where ROC can fill the gap. With the support of her Chief Inspector, Christine has spoken to loads of fellow police and has 2-3 churches interested in supporting this initiative, including the Catholic Bishop who is willing and anticipating action points to get parishioners involved.

For more information on how you can become a ROC Ambassador, click here.