When Danni joined Sussex Police, she did it for the reason many people sign up – to help others and make a difference.
Twenty years later, having responded to hundreds of traumatic incidents and supported bereaved families at their worst moments, she found herself questioning whether the Job was still allowing her to make the impact she’d hoped for.
The emotional weight of Danni’s policing role was intensified by duties as a Family Liaison Officer – a role demanding empathy, clarity and calmness when someone’s world had just changed forever.
It’s a set of skills she now brings to her volunteering role at Police Care UK, the charity supporting serving and former police officers and staff who live with the physical and psychological impact of policing.
And Danni, who joined the police as a wide-eyed 19-year-old, now feels like she is making a difference once more.
“You know you’re never going to make their situation any better, but you are their shining light and can help them through the darkness – point people in the right direction for help,” says Danni, who volunteers as a Police Care UK Champion to raise awareness of our work helping mitigate the impact of harm.
“I joined the police to make a difference and by the time I left I didn’t think myself or the force was doing that anymore.
“Volunteering for Police Care UK uses similar skills. I don’t mind opening up about my experience and that often prompts people and officers I speak to, to seek help.
“That shared experience is so powerful.”
During her time on traffic, Danni, who now works as a signaller on the London rail network having left policing in 2022, encountered repeated distressing scenes before enough was enough.
“I saw countless numbers of young dead bodies; delivered horrific death messages and witnessed all sorts of trauma,” she adds.
“You get to a point where you just keep going.
“Policing is a dangerous role and over time I got more and more anxious about what might happen to me on shift. I became aware I was just living on my nerves.
“I just couldn’t do it anymore.”
In 2025, volunteers gave 580 hours across 36 events and have enabled us to deliver more for those we support.
Finding Police Care UK helped Danni see a route back to a purpose – and prompted her to act.
“Having discovered how amazing what Police Care UK does is, I wondered why everybody didn’t know about them,” she adds.
“The help they provide changes lives and that’s what made me want to help spread the word and give something back to the people I worked with.”
Volunteers play a vital role in helping Police Care UK deliver life-changing specialist clinical therapy and financial assistance to those affected by harm experienced in policing.
If Danni’s story resonates, we have a number of volunteering roles that will help us ensure no one in policing feels they have to cope alone.
Find out more here > Volunteer with Us – Police Care UK
