Birthday surprise for police call handler who started her career in Hucknall and Bulwell

Christine Chamberlain has clocked up more than 30 years with Nottinghamshire Police, first as a police constable and more recently as an emergency call handler.

On Monday, April 24 – her last shift before taking time off to celebrate her milestone birthday – she arrived at work to find her desk brimming with decorations and presents.

“It was a wonderful surprise,” she said. “I’ve got two big balloons spelling 70 – I keep telling everyone the seven is a two.”

Christine joined Nottinghamshire Police in 1974, as a policewoman based at Bulwell and Hucknall.

She left the force a few years later after getting married but returned as a civilian officer in 1993, before becoming a call dispatcher.

She has worked at the force’s Arnold headquarters since 2000 and currently works in the control room as a part-time emergency call handler.

Christine said: “I love working here, I work with some lovely people – it’s like a family.

“I’ll be sorry to leave whenever that day comes.

“It’s so nice to come and do a job that you understand and involves helping people.”

Among the colleagues who organised the surprise was fellow emergency call handler Carolann Henderson, who first met Christine in the 1970s.

Carolann said: “Christine’s my best friend here, we’re able to laugh a lot but we also support each other.

“She’s such a lovely lady so we really wanted to surprise her for her birthday.”