Jobs

A day in the life of an Enforcement officer

Sharon recently joined the County Development team at Hertfordshire County Council as an Enforcement Officer following seven years with a number of blue chip private sector companies. Her primary motivation for joining the team was a passion for environmental issues and a desire to undertake a role which could “make a difference” to people’s lives.

The primary purpose of an Enforcement Officer is to “enforce conditions on planning permissions”. Sharon’s role is specifically concerned with minerals and waste disposal, mainly issues around landfills, quarries, waste disposal and recycling units. “Operators of such sites or facilities are subjected to stricter planning regulations”, for examples there may be restrictions on; the types of waste which may be disposed of at a particular site, on the number of lorries entering a site, the hours of operation, noise restrictions or a commitment to keep the surrounding roads clear of debris. Sharon’s role is to ensure that these restrictions are adhered to.

In terms of a typical day, well there isn’t one! The role is extremely varied and can be quite exciting. “My day can involve an early start, for example, if we are carrying out a surveillance operation, it may involve being on site at 6am”. This may involve an unannounced site inspection or an undercover operation to investigate a complaint. Sharon describes her role as being like “an environmental Cagney & Lacey” and it is not surprising to learn that one of Sharon’s colleagues is a former police officer!

Under the normal process the Enforcement Team will investigate a complaint by first speaking to the person making the allegation and then visiting the site in question to speak to the owner. A site inspection may be carried out and the site owner will be given a list of requirements. It the owner complies the matter will be resolved, in extreme cases the matter will be decided by the courts.

Sharon is very enthusiastic about her role and feels it for the greater good. “The main reason I applied for the position was that I believe environmental issues are very important for Hertfordshire”. The best part of the roles is getting out of the office and making a difference, “we can make residents lives better and also improve the standard of living across the county”. It is also interesting to see recycling schemes and as a consequence “people need to think more about their rubbish and where it goes”.

• You will have to be a patient and diplomatic person as many of the people you deal with on a day to day basis may be irate.
  
• You will also have good communication skills as a level of negotiation is often required and you must be seen to be reasonable at all times.
  
• The key aim is to ensure compliance rather than to inflict punishment.
  

So how has Sharon found her first three months? “It’s been brilliant, the role is both challenging and rewarding, working for the council has some excellent benefits including the flexi-time and the focus on developing staff”.