Frederick Lowe - Volunteering Case Study
Professional Policing student Frederick Lowe (pictured, left) tells us about the voluntary role he undertook during his second year as a Community Volunteer with Merseyside Police, in the Protecting Vulnerable Person's Unit (PVPU).
Why did you want to do voluntary work?
I wanted to gain hands-on experience in policing to get a feel for the job and see if it was the right career path for me. I also knew that volunteering would help boost my employability by showing future employers that I had practical experience and commitment to the field. I was also keen to learn how criminal investigations work from start to finish.
Where did you find out about the voluntary role?
Through an email sent out by the LJMU Student Futures in April 2024.
Describe the role and your main duties:
As a Community Volunteer with Merseyside Police, I attended Marsh Lane Police Station in Bootle, Sefton once a week, typically for 5–6 hours. I was based in the Protecting Vulnerable Persons Unit (PVPU), part of the Investigations Strand. This unit handles reports of domestic abuse, including violence (up to and including murder), coercive and controlling behaviour, online abuse, hate crimes, sexual offences, and other crimes involving personally connected parties as defined in Section 2 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.
Each shift began with logging into the required police systems at my desk. My volunteer coordinator, Fiona Fogg, would assign me tasks—primarily reviewing and completing 'victim contact' updates using the Delphi system. These involved contacting victims whose updates were due or overdue, to inform them of any developments in their case.
Before making contact, I reviewed the case file to understand the key details: the offence, dates, circumstances, arrests, bail conditions, protection orders, and progress of investigations. I would then phone the victim to provide an update—such as whether enquiries were ongoing, a suspect had been arrested or bailed, or the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had made a decision. It was really important that victims felt informed, supported, and reassured throughout the investigation process.
If victims had questions I couldn’t answer directly, I passed their queries to the Officer in Charge (OIC) to ensure they received accurate information. I also recorded all contact in the Occurrence Enquiry Log (OEL) on the Niche system, summarising what was shared, any concerns raised, and any new incidents disclosed. On several occasions, victims disclosed breaches of bail conditions during our calls. In these instances, I escalated the information immediately to the OIC so that safeguarding measures could be taken.
I also had the opportunity to observe various aspects of police work, including suspect interviews at Copy Lane Custody Suite, a statement being taken through an interpreter, and field visits with detectives as they gathered evidence, spoke with witnesses, and secured CCTV footage.
What did the application and selection process involve, and how did you prepare for each stage?
After receiving the initial email about the volunteering opportunity, I was keen to learn more. I attended an information session led by a Detective Inspector from Sefton PVPU, where we were introduced to the department’s work and its role in investigating various offences. At the end of the session, those interested were invited to leave their names to be considered further.
The next stage involved submitting an expression of interest. I wrote a short statement explaining why I wanted to volunteer and how I believed the experience would benefit me. Shortly after submitting this, I was contacted and progressed to the vetting stage.
The vetting process required me to complete a detailed form, providing information about my addresses, family members, friends, and close associates. While some might find this process intrusive, I fully understood its importance in ensuring that only trusted individuals have access to sensitive information and police systems.
Shortly after, I was informed by the Force Vetting Unit that I had passed all checks and had been granted clearance to start my role. Training followed a blended format. I received on-the-job training from Detective Constables in the office, completed online learning modules through external partners such as Sefton Women & Children’s Aid (SWACA), and took part in classroom-based training alongside contact resolution officers (call handlers), delivered by the Force Control team at Merseyside Police.
What help and support did you access from the Student Futures team?
For my role as a Community Volunteer with Merseyside Police, I did not access any support from the LJMU Student Futures team as I was not aware of what they did at the time.
However, I have since used their services on a number of occasions as I applied for a job a few months back and wanted some help with interview skills. I attended a few mock interview sessions and this was a massive help to me. Unfortunately, I was not successful in my interview on that occasion however I am really grateful to everyone from Student Futures who helped me. I would not have had the confidence or skills to even go into interview without their support and advice.
What relevant work experience / skills / volunteering / Student Union activities did you use during the selection process?
During my application for this role, I talked about my interest in policing and my desire to pursue a career in the police. I wrote about how I wanted to boost my confidence in terms of talking to new people, experiencing new things, pushing myself out of my comfort zone, etc.
In terms of prior work / volunteering experience I used during the selection process for this role, I mentioned how I had volunteered in 2022 and in 2023 on the Poland-Ukraine border, helping refugees fleeing the Ukraine War and how I managed to cope and remain calm and composed in high-stress, chaotic and volatile environments as well as learning to communicate effectively with individuals in distress or who have experienced traumatic situations.
What advice would you give to other students to improve their employability?
I would encourage any student interested in a specific career, like policing, to get involved in relevant opportunities as early as possible. Volunteering with Merseyside Police has been hugely beneficial—it’s given me real insight into what the job involves, how investigations are carried out, and the realities of working in the community.
The experience has helped confirm my career goals and has equipped me with knowledge and skills that I believe will give me a strong foundation as I move forward. I now feel much more prepared for the demands of the role, including the workload, pressure, and emotional challenges. I’m confident that this experience has made me a stronger candidate, and I’m now fully committed to applying to become a police officer with Merseyside Police after graduation.
Would you do anything differently in terms of your employability if you were a first-year student again?
I think I would have looked for volunteering opportunities earlier on than I did. I only found out about this opportunity at the end of my first year, and started at the beginning of my second year. Most students will be at university for three years; but a lot of the time it feels like it's a lot shorter than that! So in hindsight, it would have been better, I think, to get stuck in sooner and find meaningful employment that is linked to what I want to do with my career. It's unlikely that I would have found something perfect first time round, but it's worth the try and all part of the trial and error method.
Support from the Student Futures team
If you want to talk about potential careers options with your degree, need help finding opportunities or want support with your CV, application forms or preparing for an interview, you can get advice and guidance by booking a 30-minute 1-2-1 careers meeting with a Careers and Employability Adviser from the LJMU Student Futures Team. You can also come along to a Careers drop-in or CV Café which take place weekly at the Careers Zones for quick careers queries.
If you are thinking about starting a business, freelancing, pursuing a side-hustle or have an idea that you want to explore further, email the Start-up Hub and a member of the team will be back in touch. For more information about the Bathgate Boost Award, visit the Start-up Hub website.
For help finding part-time, temporary or casual you can fit around your studies, email the Unitemps team or visit their website.