Inside the control room: meet Leon

A 999 call like this demands calm, quick thinking and precise coordination. For force incident manager (FIM) Leon, it’s another reminder of the responsibility that comes with managing critical incidents across the county.

As part of Control Room Week we spoke to Leon about his role and what it’s like overseeing the force’s operational response from the control room.

“As FIM, I’m the force’s initial tactical firearms commander, responsible for commanding incidents where a firearms response is required,” Leon explains. “I also authorise and manage police pursuits, ensuring they are continually risk assessed with a view to achieving a safe outcome.”

Leon began his policing career as a special constable and call handler with Cleveland Police, before joining Durham Constabulary and serving in Darlington response, CID and safeguarding roles, and moving into the control room as a FIM in 2024.

His role involves constant decision-making based on real-time information from both members of the public and officers on the ground.

“There’s no such thing as a typical day in the control room,” he says. “Every call is unique, and every decision has to be made with public and officer safety at the forefront.”

One incident that stands out for Leon happened in August last year.

“We took a 999 call from a distressed woman reporting that her ex-partner had armed himself with a knife and was pacing around the house after an argument,” he recalls. “She was upstairs with her daughter and young son, barricaded in a bedroom to keep safe.”

Leon made the decision to deploy armed officers and took command of the firearms operation.

“The operation led to the suspect’s arrest,” he says. “The woman and her children were safeguarded, and the man was later handed a prison sentence. It was a great team effort from the call handler and dispatchers through to the firearms and unarmed officers on the ground, everyone worked together to achieve a safe outcome.”

In such a high-pressure environment, supporting colleagues is vital.

“Many of us are friends both in and outside of work, and that really helps,” Leon says. “Being able to talk to each other and share experiences after incidents is one of the biggest supports we can offer.”