We were delighted to be joined by Old Viking Matt Aldridge for an inspiring Thursday Thought conversation with Deputy Head Academic, Mr Paul Jones before half term, to talk about his time during and after Shiplake, and what his role as a Police Community Support Officer in Henley involves.
Since leaving Shiplake in 2016, Matt studied criminology for three years, which really set him up for his career now. Mr Jones began by asking him what his best memories of Shiplake are:
He said: “As soon as I started Year 9, I took up rowing and was massively interested in music - so those two things are my best memories. Of course I made some of my best friends at Shiplake too, but the extra curricular activities were hands down my favourite things to do.”
When asked what he missed after leaving, he said: “The routine, having a structure throughout the day was definitely something I missed. When you are at school you take a lot of things for granted and I definitely miss seeing the friendly faces everyday and of course seeing my friends.”
So, what does a typical day look like for a PCSO?
“I work in shifts, either the early shifts from 8.00am to 5.00pm or 2.00pm to11.00pm. PSCOs deal with minor crime, anti-social behaviour and listening to the concerns of the community. I’m out and about all the time in Henley engaging with the community.”
Mr Jones then asked how you train for conflict situations.
Matt said: “We have officer safety training but we also learn skills to defuse situations. We always use communication and try not to be confrontational. And 98% of the time that always works.”
Matt was asked if he would recommend being a PCSO and what his plans are for the future.
He said: “I chose to be a PCSO because it is something I really wanted to do. It also helped get my foot in the door with the Police. If you think you are someone with people skills and want to develop them, it is the job for you.
“In the future I am looking to apply to become a police officer. I would like to have a career in the CID, and would like to be a dog handler if the opportunity comes my way.
“The difference between a PCSO and a police officer is that a PCSO is the eyes and ears of the community and a police officer responds to more serious crimes, they have more responsibility when dealing with crime.”
Finally Matt was asked what advice he would give to his Year 9 self?
“At the end of Year 13, I put myself under a lot of pressure to go to university. So I would say to my Year 9 self, there are definitely more options, you’ve got nothing to worry about and you are going to have a great time.”
