PC Kirsti Ball is the latest addition to Lyme Regis Safer Neighbourhood Team, taking over from PC Richard Winward who is now Response Officer. Kirsti was born in Somerset and grew up in a hamlet near Horton and Broadway, Ilminster. She now lives in Chard and, before taking on the role in Lyme, worked in Bridport for five years as Response Officer.
WHERE did you work before coming to Lyme Regis?
Before coming to Lyme Regis I worked in Bridport for five years as a response officer, so I already knew the area fairly well and always made an excuse to come over on patrol, and before that I worked in Poole for three years. Before joining the police I was a gym and fitness instructor in Taunton.
WHY did you decide to come to Lyme Regis?
I always loved Lyme Regis and came here regularly as a child with my family. I can remember on one visit to Lyme, early on in my police career thinking to myself “wouldn’t it be wonderful to work in Lyme Regis, it would be the most amazing place to work”. Several years later here I am and loving it!
WHAT do you enjoy about working in the area?
I love working in Lyme and the surrounding area because the work is so varied and different. I start my working day having absolutely no idea what I will be dealing with. I am so fortunate to work and patrol in such a beautiful area, and I love meeting all the different people out in the community.
WHAT would you add to or change about the town if you could?
I don’t think there is much I would change about Lyme Regis, I think it is a fantastic place to live, work and visit. I would love to see more affordable housing, as I feel that local people who want to live in Lyme Regis and the surrounding area are being forced out of the town due to increasing housing prices.
WHY did you want to be a police officer?
When I left university after completing a degree in sports science I always thought that I wanted my career to develop in that field, but at the same time I always had a niggle in the back of my mind that I wanted to become a police officer. So much so that I went on a three-day residential course to the West Midlands Police to get a bit of an insight to what it was all about. I then applied to Avon and Somerset Police and didn’t get in, then applied again and still didn’t get in. I thought it wasn’t meant to be and so continued progressing my career in the health and fitness industry. All the time though, I still had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to be a police officer, so when Dorset Police were recruiting I applied again and got in third time lucky! I always say to other people that if it’s something they really want, then not to give up and keep trying.
WHAT is the main police concern in Lyme Regis and how are you tackling this?
At the moment we are concentrating on the “Fatal Four” - to reduce the number of people not wearing seatbelts, drink and drug driving, inappropriate speeding and using a mobile phone whilst driving. This is an ongoing successful campaign throughout Dorset but we still need to instill in people that there are “No Excuses”.
WHAT are your personal interests?
I enjoy running and belong to Chard Roadrunners running club, where we run come rain or shine! I have run in several half marathons and enjoy keeping fit. I love baking and making cakes and take great pleasure in making different things to bring in for my colleagues to try out. I also enjoy travelling and have been fortunate enough to spend a lot of time travelling with my fiancé to some of the most wonderful places around the world, of which I feel so very, very lucky to have been able to have visited
WHICH three items would you want with you on a deserted island?
The three items I would take with me on a deserted island would be a Swiss Army Knife, so that I could build myself somewhere to live, a lifetime supply of water and a solar powered torch as I hate being alone in the dark!
WHICH three people would you invite to your dream dinner party?
The three people I would like to invite to a dinner party would be the 14th Dalai Lama – I think he would be such a fascinating man to speak to and having spent some time in Tibet, I would love to find out more about his views on the current situation and his beliefs. I would also like to invite Princess Diana, as I think she was an amazing woman with a brilliant sense of humour. The final person I would invite would be Miranda Hart, as I think she is hilarious and would bring some humour and madness to the dinner party!
WHERE is your ideal holiday destination?
I have been lucky enough to travel to many places around the world and I am not the sort of person who enjoys lying on a beach for two weeks. I love getting out and seeing all the sights. One place I haven’t been to and would love to visit is North America and Canada. I would love to hire a camper van with my fiancé and spend time travelling around and experiencing such a diverse range of sights and experiences and stopping off at different places along the way.
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