Chief Superintendent Claire Smart

Since joining the Met 22 years ago, Claire Smart has successfully risen through the ranks to Chief Superintendent. Claire talks about how she manages to juggle policing and parenting, how she supports her fellow officers and what she finds most rewarding about her role.

Tell us a bit about your background – what did you do before you joined the police?

I joined the police straight from University – I studied History at York and although I had lots of holiday jobs, policing is my first career.

What made you want to join the police? 

I decided I wanted to join the police when I was at school. I thought what an amazing job – varied, interesting, you get to meet thousands of different people, all with their own backgrounds and stories to tell. That fascinated me. But above all, it’s about helping people, often at a time of their lives where they are most in need.

How do you manage to juggle being a parent and a police officer? What are the main challenges and how does your force support you in overcoming them? 

I feel as though I have two full-time jobs, looking after my two little girls and leading the Met’s Taskforce. It's a juggling act, as any parent will say, but as police officers, we’re good at operating under pressure and being flexible. That means if there's an emergency at home that requires you to drop everything, others will step up and help you out at work.

Tell us a bit about what MetFamilies does? 

MetFamilies is first and foremost a peer support organisation for people in the Met going through the parenting journey – whether that’s right at the start with fertility treatment, baby loss, miscarriage, maternity and other parental leave, right through to the challenges that come with parenting teenagers into adulthood. MetFamilies is a network of people that let you know you’re not alone and help you navigate work whilst you’re on parental leave or having a tough time with the kids.

What’s your role in MetFamilies? 

I set up and co-chair MetFamilies. In the executive team, we have a small group of highly driven, self-starting men and women who care really passionately about making the Met a more family friendly place to work. This means that we listen to our network and drive positive change; culture, policy and procedures.

What do you enjoy most about your job? 

As the Operational Command Unit (OCU) Commander for Taskforce, I get to lead the most extraordinary group of people. They're experts in what they do and care very deeply about delivering a first-class service in support of frontline policing. The Taskforce is such a diverse OCU with territorial support group, dogs, marine, mounted and the air support unit – what’s not to love?

What do you find most challenging? 

Fitting everything in. Above my essential responsibilities, there’s always more I’d like to do. Going out more with the different units is super important, so I can really understand the challenges they face and work out how to help them.

How do you feel you’re making a difference? 

Getting positive feedback from the people on my teams is the best feeling that I'm making a positive contribution. 

Any career highlights you want to share? 

Launching MetFamilies and the positive changes the team and I have achieved are some of my proudest moments. I also get a real kick out of successfully running public order policing operations. After a really long shift with lots of challenging incidents, when I can say thank you to the teams working for me and send them home safely, I feel a real sense of accomplishment.

Have you ever felt your gender has held you back in your career? 

Returning after having my first baby was the first time I was really fully conscious of the differences in career opportunity. Being off on maternity leave was a very isolating experience. The changes we've made mean that people don’t have to face those same struggles now.

What would you say are the main barriers that hold people back from applying to join the police? 

Probably some of the relentless negative press has made people question the type of organisation we are. The truth is, there's far more good news to celebrate and whilst we do that pretty well internally, that doesn’t always make front page headlines. I’ve also met people who’ve questioned whether they’d be able to do the job, but I think the most important skill you need is being able to talk to people. Everything else is teachable.

What do your friends and family think of your career choice? 

It’s fair to say my family were initially sceptical about my decision to join the police, but they're now very proud of the job I do and all I've achieved.

How do you feel policing has changed since you joined? 

The core skills and approach are very similar, but there’s now far more formal reporting processes and technology has thankfully moved on significantly, which makes life so much easier – not least of all SatNav!

What would you say to other women thinking of joining the police? 

If you’re a team player who is good at talking to people and want to do something varied, interesting and challenging, then this is such a fulfilling career – why not give it a go?