Mo, Police Community Support Officer (PCSO)
Representing my community, always learning.
As a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO), Mo engages daily with the diverse cultures that make up the city of Bristol, helping to improve relations between the police and local communities.
Mo grew up in Egypt, moving to the UK when he was 27. Before joining Avon and Somerset Police, he admits his view of the police wasn’t always positive. “I had a stigma towards the police because of my experience back in Egypt – and a little in the UK,” he says.
Supporting my community
But this initial perception inspired him to embark on a career in policing. “I wanted to make a change,” he said. “I wanted to represent and support my community, and to help them feel safe.”
Mo believes representation is vital to building trust in policing amongst black, Asian and ethnic minority communities. “I have seen how people react differently when they feel an officer is ‘one of them’,” he explains. “When I walk the street in a diverse area, people will call me ‘brother’, whereas they might call my colleague ‘sir’ or ‘mate’.”
Mo loves the fact that he never stops learning as a PCSO.
“Building my understanding of community dynamics and my cultural awareness, through engagement and interaction, gives me the ability to solve difficult issues.”
Understanding and celebrating diversity amongst colleagues is just as important, says Mo. Having experienced a very different cultural upbringing to most of his colleagues, he was initially conscious of feeling ‘different’. Mo chooses not to drink alcohol, but found this prompted some questions when it came to socialising with his team outside of work. But after opening up to his team, Mo discovered that he was not alone in wanting to talk about diversity.
“We are all different – that’s what makes us who we are,” he says. “Colleagues from different backgrounds, when they interact with each other, will learn about one another.”
Mo’s advice to anyone considering joining Avon and Somerset Police is simple. “Avon and Somerset Police is a caring and open minded organisation. If you want to make a difference and bring about positive change to help your community feel safe – then this is the place to work.”