For SOS Day on 6 December, we asked our members working in safety-related roles, such as environmental health, trading standards, social services and many others, to tell us about the reality of working to keep their communities safe under years of austerity.
Here is the account of a trading standards officer working for a county council…
As a trading standards officer, I’m responsible for…
…criminal investigations and prosecutions of offenders – mainly rogue traders who con the elderly and organised gangs who sell illegal tobacco through retail shops.
My typical day…
…is extremely busy. I am either planning raids, obtaining witness statements, putting together prosecution reports or visiting consumers and traders.
The best part of my job…
…is when we conduct successful prosecutions. These have meaningful outcomes for victims of consumer fraud.
I am most proud of…
…our successes in prosecuting offenders and gaining compensation orders for victims when we win cases.
Local spending cuts have…
…affected how I do my job. Consumer fraud and the trade in illegal tobacco is ever increasing.
With fewer resources, and severe cuts in most trading standards authorities, officers such as myself are suffering intense stress and pressure. There is too much work for too few officers. My mental health has been adversely affected, and it may be permanent, but my commitment to the job is absolute and so I keep going.
I would like to see…
…increased funding from central government to employ more qualified, skilled and experienced staff.
This would relieve some of the pressure and stress on trading standards teams and in turn improve the service provided to the public.