A communications supervisor has successfully secured a £5,000 bursary from the College of Policing.

The bursary will help research procedures within Essex police force control room.

Joanne Traynor, 48, who has worked for Essex Police for over 20 years, enrolled on a PhD at Anglia Ruskin University in September and successful secured her bursary last month.

This funding will help her explore how information given to police during a 999 call is taken by a control handler and then issued to a police officer for attendance.

Joanne, from Chelmsford, said: “I would like to thank the College of Policing for providing this bursary to help in my research.

“With this funding and support from Essex Police, I’m looking forward to carrying out this unique review of procedures within our control room.

“This research will allow me to look at the forensic integrity of the calls we receive and how language used can have an effect on how we respond to incidents in relation to threat, risk and harm.

“I believe this research will give members of the public further confidence in our procedures and will help us deal with their emergencies more appropriately.”

Joanne also has a background in psychology and linguistics.

College of Policing Interim Chief Executive, Rachel Tuffin, said: “We recognise the challenges of combining study with work and hope this funding can reduce some of the financial pressure.

“We are committed to supporting members to continue to develop and apply their learning for the benefit of wider policing and the public. "