From police inspector to PCSO: 'I'm still on the beat with my force after 36 years'
When Graham Dyson retired as a police inspector three years ago, he couldn’t quite drag himself away from life on the beat. Just because he had served his time as a police officer, it didn’t mean in Graham’s mind that it was time to stop serving communities – and so he took up a new role as a PCSO.
Now with 36 years of policing under his belt, West Yorkshire-based Graham says he has “no desire to do anything else or to be anywhere else”.
A former inspector for the Huddersfield NPT, Graham joined West Yorkshire Police in 1990 as a special constable, before becoming a full time PC in 1995. His career included periods working in Halifax and Bradford, where he rose to the rank of inspector, before he was then transferred to Leeds and later Huddersfield.
Graham led work to tackle community and anti-social behaviour issues, such as on Huddersfield’s Walpole Estate, and delivered lifesaving CPR on five occasions. He has also been commended for bravery and been presented with two Royal Humane Society Awards for saving lives.
After retiring from his inspector role in late 2022, Graham is now three years into helping residents as a PCSO in his new policing home in Heckmondwike. "I’ve enjoyed every role I’ve had in policing, but do love the face to face contact you get as a PCSO,” he says. “There are lots of different avenues you can work in and we have a great team here who care about what we do and the policing we provide.
"They key part is you can take ownership and solve problems personally. That’s what I started my career doing and what residents wanted to see then, and want to see now. I’m back doing it, that suits me.”
In Heckmondwike, engaging with young people in the town and breaking down barriers has been an important part of his work so far. “One thing that has really been working well is the young person’s contact point at McDonald’s,” he says. “We hold one every month to give young people the chance to speak with a uniformed officer in an informal setting.
"McDonald’s is a place where they congregate so it is a place where we can have some really good conversations with younger children, parents and teenagers about college and their careers. “We have had some really good successes over the years, steering young people away from trouble. It is really rewarding when you see young people have taken heed and listened.”
The job doesn’t come without its challenges, however. Graham recently needed hospital treatment after being assaulted whilst detaining two youths.
"As a PCSO we are on the front line with PC colleagues and on occasion we do become involved in violent situations. However, tackling crime, protecting the public and reducing crime are our core roles, and I am committed to reducing crime and anti-social behaviour in the area,” he says. “Policing keeps me fit and healthy and it’s what’s I’ve done for 36 years so why stop now?”