APComm Virtual Academy - so much choice, variety and yet so little time

By Jonathan Ford, Senior News Officer at Suffolk Constabulary

When the timetable of this year’s APComm Virtual Academy arrived in my inbox – it took me back to the annual ritual of circling those ‘must see’ TV shows in the listings of the bumper edition of the Christmas Radio Times.

So much choice, variety and yet so little time!

Although I was keen to join many more this year, I only managed to attend a few due to other work demands. The week reflected the dominant digital demands of our world, the personal wellbeing/HR aspects, the practical ‘nuts and bolts of how to do stuff’, and then the purely curious and unique topics.

Highlights for me? Well, with the Sizewell C nuclear power station construction looming large here in Suffolk, I valued the Insulate Britain protests session from Surrey and the practical advice offered; while the documentaries input from Zoe Hebden gave valuable insight into the challenges of accommodating such requests. It’s an area of business I have limited knowledge of, but having heard Zoe’s experience, I would now have more confidence in how to deliver this.

What struck me was the honesty in many of the sessions – we can all talk about how successful something was, or how much traction a project received etc. but the vital thing for me is where the learning points are – the ‘what would we have done better’ and the mistakes made along the way.

So thank you to you all who made the time to compile presentations, and took the plunge to put themselves on show for us all to see. The week is a great testimony to all we do collectively for our forces and our communities. I’d be amazed if any other aspect of policing in this country provides the wealth of opportunities and learning that APComm gives, so we are all really lucky to have the opportunity to take advantage of such a week.