The Emergency Services - Case studies

Paul Quinton

Warrant Officer Class 1 Paul Quinton left the Army in November 2004 from the Military Provost Staff of the Adjutant General’s Corps. He had completed 23 years in uniform, serving mainly in London, Germany and Cyprus, with a number of other tours and deployments. A Career Transition Workshop was ‘useful, mainly for the production of a CV,’ and he then searched police internet sites looking for ‘support staff vacancies which are very suited to ex-Service personnel.’

He obtained his current job through this process and is a firearms enquiry officer for the Essex police; ‘carrying out home visits of people requiring a shotgun or firearms certificate either renewed or granted, checking the security arrangements for the safe storage of weapons, and investigating when a certificate holder has come to the attention of the police.’

Quinton enjoys ‘a varied job meeting different people talking to them about guns and shooting and inspecting all manner of guns ranging from the cheapest little garden guns to international arms dealers.’ He finds that: ‘The inspections and the production of reports post visit are similar’ to his Service job, but his new employment ‘operates on a more relaxed way of life. Although the responsibilities are probably higher now than when I was serving, the hierarchy places the onus on us to make sure the work is completed on time and to a high standard.

‘Once I take into consideration my pay with shift allowance and my pension from the Army then I am on about the same money that I was on when serving.’

Published in July 08