For ASB Awareness Week, we caught up with Graham Devine, a Community Safety Officer at Magna, to find out a bit about his career and how he came to join our community safety team.
Graham started his career in the police force, where he stayed for 31 years, giving him a varied and extremely valuable skillset. He said:
“When I was with the police, I was seconded to the Foreign Office, taking on training roles in Iraq and Kosovo. It put things in perspective.
“That’s not to undermine the issues our customers face, nor how challenging a neighbourhood dispute can be for everyone involved, but it does bring a certain sense of balance to ASB issues.”
Since leaving the police force, Graham has held a variety of roles in the housing sector before he joined our community safety team at #TeamMagna. As a Community Safety Officer, he is often visiting customers who have been the victims of anti-social behaviour to offer support and seek resolutions. He continued:
“Moving into housing wasn’t something I’d planned but now I can see that it’s a natural step. There are so many transferrable skills.
“We often need to de-escalate situations and that’s a key part of police training. We also try to manage expectations, reminding people that our response must be reasonable and proportionate, that the wheels of the criminal justice system can turn slowly, and that the police sometimes have limited resources.
“Strong interpersonal skills and a calm manner are key in a role like this! Our priority with any ASB complaint is to support our customers with maintaining their tenancy. It’s all about seeking a resolution.”
Many of our community safety team have come from a police background, which has allowed us to work very effectively with local policing teams and supported us in communicating with our customers and keeping them up to date. Graham finished by saying:
"It’s beneficial being an ex-police officer because it means we understand what’s going on behind the scenes when a report has been escalated with the police, which helps me to explain the process to our customers.
“It’s really satisfying when we get things sorted for customers, even if it’s a relatively minor complaint.”
We’re really proud to have experienced and passionate colleagues like Graham working to support our customers and local communities.
Want to join the team? We’re currently recruiting for a Community Safety Officer until Tuesday 8 July. Learn more about the role and apply online here.
