Detective helps solve police retention problem with flexible working

Policing is known for its long shifts and anti-social hours but Detective Chief Inspector Tracey Rankine has strived to make it more family friendly and help establish more flexible working at South Wales Police

Tracey started her career at South Wales Police two decades ago when there was a shortage of detectives in Cardiff.

But alongside her day job of investigating crimes, Tracey has worked to solve that problem too.

Speaking to ITV Wales News she said: "I had to think "why didn't people want to be detectives in the capital city of Wales?"

"So as well as speaking to the member of the team that were there already I looked at what attracted me to become a detective and I unpicked the various bits of the process and I re introduced some of them.

"So from having 33% vaccines early on by the time I moved earlier this year we had no vacancies and everyone was really keen and positive."

Tracey has been nominated as a finalist in the Womenspire Awards for the work she's done to introduce more flexible working as well as help recruit and support fellow officers.

The awards celebrate inspirational Welsh women with the winners are due to be revealed next week.

Tracey said her success was based around "changing culture."

She said: "If we can make it work we can keep people and it means keeping people - brilliant, valuable, experienced officers.

"So for me moving forward in all of the roles that I've done I've been like okay, tell me about your scenario, what is it you need to do and I say okay let's see if we can work through that there has to be away around it."