Policing Shetland: Meet the ‘Real-Life’ Jimmy Perez

An interview with Shetland Area Commander, Chris Sewell

Let’s cut straight to the chase: we all love the TV series Shetland. And as a tour guide, I’m asked about it constantly. Is Shetland really like that? Do we have a detective like Jimmy Perez? And, perhaps most importantly, what is policing actually like on a remote island where everyone seems to know everyone?

I live very close to work, so I don’t have a long commute, and can be out of the office and walking along a stunning sandy beach within minutes. That’s a pretty special way to live.

So, rather than relying on television for the answers, I decided to go straight to the source.

I caught up with Shetland Area Commander Chris Sewell to find out what life is really like for the officers who keep these islands safe – from the realities of policing a remote community to recruitment, unusual cases and whether island life lives up to expectations. And, of course, I couldn’t resist asking a few questions that have absolutely nothing to do with policing…

So, what does the man behind the uniform make of life on these northern isles? Read on to meet Shetland’s real-life Area Commander, Chris Sewell…

Q. Chris, tell us about your role. What does an Area Commander actually do, and how long have you held the position?
A. I took up the role of Area Commander for Shetland in September 2024. As Chief Inspector, I’m responsible for delivering operational policing across the isles. In simple terms, my job is to Keep People Safe. That’s not something I can do on my own, and I’m fortunate to work with an excellent team of officers, staff and partners who are all committed to serving Shetland’s communities. The reality is that no two days are the same for an Area Commander. One day I might be overseeing the response to a serious crime or major incident; the next, I could be working on community resilience, emergency planning, or staff recruitment and retention. That variety is one of the things I find most rewarding about the role.

Q. Let’s talk crime. What is crime really like in Shetland, and what do the statistics tell us?
A. I’m very proud of the fact that Shetland is consistently ranked as one of the safest places in the UK to live, with extremely low levels of crime. That doesn’t mean we don’t have crime, because we absolutely do. It’s just that the volume and nature of crime here in Shetland is very different to what you might see on mainland Scotland. For example, crimes of dishonesty, such as theft by housebreaking and robbery, are extremely rare in Shetland. But we never take that for granted and work hard every day to keep people safe.

Q. How does policing an island differ from policing on the mainland? Is it the community, the weather, the transport links – or something else entirely?
A. It’s all of those things, but I think the biggest difference is the geography and Shetland’s community. On the mainland, if you need additional resources, they might be 20 minutes away. In Shetland, you have to think about the geography, the weather, ferries, aircraft and the availability of transport. That means resilience is incredibly important. We have to be able to deal with incidents ourselves for longer periods of time, while also thinking ahead about what might happen next. That’s something that was new to me when I arrived, but resilience certainly isn’t new to Shetland.  The people and communities here are well known for being incredibly resilient.

Q. How many police officers are there in Shetland? And does that number give you the resources you need?
A. We have a relatively small policing team compared with many mainland areas, comprising of local policing officers and detectives who work in CID (where Jimmy Perez works, of course). But in Shetland, it’s not just about the number of officers we have. It’s about having the right people, with the right skills, available at the right time. As I’ve said, one of the biggest challenges of policing somewhere like Shetland is resilience. If you have a serious incident that requires a significant number of officers, you can’t simply pull a hundred people from the next town. Shetland’s rural and remote location makes that much more difficult. We do have support available from elsewhere in Police Scotland when we need it, but our aim has to be to make sure we have a strong, capable and resilient local team that can deal with incidents ourselves for as long as possible

Q. Where’s the most unusual place in Shetland you’ve responded to a call at?
A. One of the things I’ve learned since coming here is that you should never assume where the next call is going to take you. We could be responding to a call at a 2,000 year old broch one minute, and the state of the art futuristic spaceport the next!

Q. What is something you can deal with in Shetland that would seem extraordinary to a mainland police officer?
A. Probably the sheer variety of things that are part of everyday policing in Shetland. An officer can be dealing with something completely routine in Lerwick and an hour later responding to a call in one of the outer isles, or another remote location. Then you’ve got cruise ships bringing thousands of visitors, the oil and gas infrastructure, airports, the gas terminal and now a spaceport. All of that brings its own policing challenges. So, in Shetland, officers really do have to be fairly omnicompetent. You need to be comfortable dealing with a huge range of situations, often with limited resources and sometimes in very remote locations.

Q. How much does the close-knit nature of the community help – or complicate – policing?
A. It helps enormously, but it can also present challenges. People know each other in Shetland, and that means we often have an incredible amount of local knowledge. People will tell us what is happening in their community and will often recognise things that might not be immediately obvious to someone coming in from elsewhere. But everyone knowing everyone can also make things difficult. People can be reluctant to report matters because they know the people involved, or because they are worried about the consequences within a small community. Ultimately, though, I think the close relationship between the police and the community is one of Shetland’s greatest strengths.

Life in Shetland

Q. What surprised you most when you moved to Shetland? Did you have any preconceptions about island life before you arrived?
A. I think I underestimated just how resilient and resourceful people are in Shetland. You quickly realise that island communities are very good at looking after themselves. People are used to solving problems, adapting and getting on with things. I also don’t think you fully appreciate the size of Shetland until you live here. On a map it doesn’t necessarily look that big, but when you’re travelling, or trying to get to the outer isles, particularly in poor weather, you appreciate just how remote some communities are. And, of course, the weather! It’s a cliché but you really can have four seasons in one afternoon.

Q. Is recruitment easy? Are there plenty of people wanting to become police officers in Shetland, or is attracting people to such a rural island location a challenge?
A. Recruitment is a challenge facing policing across Scotland and the UK, and geography adds another dimension to that in Shetland. For someone who has never lived in an island community, moving here can feel like a big step. But Shetland offers something really special. You can genuinely get to know your community, make a difference and experience a unique style of policing. Because we’re a smaller team, officers take on responsibility quickly and gain experience that might take longer to come by elsewhere. So, while recruitment is a challenge, Shetland offers a unique place to live, work and build a really rewarding policing career.

Q. What qualities do you need to be a good police officer in the isles?
A. Good communication skills are at the heart of policing, but in Shetland I’d add that you need to be adaptable, resilient and comfortable working independently. You need good judgement because you won’t always have someone standing beside you who has dealt with exactly the same situation before. You have to be able to assess what’s in front of you, make a decision and take responsibility for it. But most importantly, you need to care about people. Policing is ultimately about people. You need to be able to talk to someone who may be having the worst day of their life, treat them with dignity and compassion, and then make a good decision about what needs to happen next. That combination of people skills, resilience and sound judgement is really important in a place like Shetland.

Q. Do you plan to stay in Shetland? And if so, what is it about living here that has won you over?
A. I really enjoy living here. The obvious answer is the scenery, but I think it’s actually the lifestyle that has won me over. There’s a different pace to life in Shetland. I live very close to work, so I don’t have a long commute, and can be out of the office and walking along a stunning sandy beach within minutes. That’s a pretty special way to live. I also really enjoy being part of the island community. There’s a real sense of togetherness here, people are incredibly friendly, and there’s a genuine pride in Shetland. Professionally, I find the role incredibly rewarding. I enjoy working with the community and, particularly, the partnership working that happens here. Because it’s an island, you get to know the people and organisations you work alongside, and there’s a real sense that everyone is working together to make Shetland a better and safer place. My wife is a teacher at the high school, so we’re both very much part of the community through our jobs as well as through our lives outside work. So, yes, I’d certainly like to stay. I’ve been here long enough now to feel that Shetland is home, and I think that says quite a lot.

Q. What do you miss most about living on the mainland?
A. Probably convenience. On the mainland you don’t really think twice about jumping in the car and going to a 24hr supermarket or ordering something and having it arrive the next day. Here, you have to plan things a little more. But that’s also part of what makes living here enjoyable. You become much more deliberate about what you do.

The Jimmy Perez question…

Q. How accurate is Shetland when it comes to portraying policing in the islands?
A. There are definitely elements that are recognisable. Shetland’s landscape is almost a character in itself, and I think the series captures that really well – particularly that sense of remoteness and isolation. The sense of community is something else the programme gets right. In a small place, relationships really matter, and people often know far more about what’s happening around them than you might expect! But, of course, television is television. A real police investigation involves an enormous amount of paperwork, evidence gathering, forensics, partnership working and report writing. So, a real investigation from beginning to end is often considerably less dramatic!

Q. And, perhaps more importantly, do people ever expect you to be the real-life Jimmy Perez?
A. It’s one of the first things people mention when they find out what I do. I’m certainly not going to complain about being compared with a TV star. But Jimmy Perez spends a lot more time investigating murders than I do.

Q. Do people ever try to recreate scenes from Shetland when they meet you?
A. Thankfully, not too often! Although I have had people tell me that they expected Shetland to look exactly like it does on television. The funniest thing is probably when visitors arrive expecting to see Jimmy Perez walking around Lerwick. I usually tell them he’s on annual leave!

Q. What do you think of the TV series?
A. I really like it. From a policing point of view, you obviously have to suspend reality occasionally, but it’s a fantastic advert for Shetland. It has put the isles on the map for people all over the world and has encouraged a huge number of people to come and experience Shetland for themselves. And ultimately, anything that gets people interested in Shetland has to be a good thing.

The job

Q. What does a typical day at work look like for you? Or is there really no such thing as a typical day in policing?
A. I’ll usually start by reviewing the previous 24 hours – looking at crimes and incidents, staffing and resourcing, and our performance. There’s then a lot of partnership working, whether that’s with the NHS, the local authority, education or other organisations across Shetland. I’ll also spend time looking ahead strategically – identifying emerging issues and making sure we’re focusing our resources in the right places. It’s not unlike many other corporate roles. And then, of course, something can happen that completely changes the plan. That unpredictability is probably something that’s unique to policing one of the things I enjoy about the job.

Q. What’s the most unusual case you’ve dealt with? Without giving away anything confidential, of course!
A. Not long after I started in Shetland human bones were discovered on one of the islands. Now, where I’d worked before, a call like that would probably have been the start of a murder enquiry, so you can imagine where your mind goes! We obviously had to take it seriously and establish exactly what we were dealing with. An archaeologist was brought in and, thankfully, it turned out the bones were very old and had absolutely nothing to do with a recent death or any criminality. So, rather than launching a murder investigation, we were effectively investigating Shetland’s ancient history! It’s a good reminder that policing in Shetland can be slightly different from anywhere else. I certainly didn’t expect one of my first unusual incidents to involve bones that were considerably older than the Shetland polis!

Q. What has been the most rewarding part of your career?
A. Making a difference to people. Again, I know this may sound like a cliché, but it’s true. Policing is often challenging, but you get to see the difference that good policing can make to somebody’s life. It might be solving a crime, protecting somebody from harm, helping a vulnerable person or simply being there for somebody at a time when they genuinely need help. Those are the moments you remember.

Q. Who is your greatest hero, and why?
A. I think I’d probably say Robert Burns. I’m from Ayrshire, so Burns has always felt particularly close to home. In fact, I’ve got a painting of him in my office at work. I’ve always liked the way he wrote about ordinary life in Scotland, but also about equality, dignity and human nature. A Man’s a Man for A’ That really captures that idea — that a person’s worth isn’t determined by their wealth, status or position, but by the person they are. I think that’s something that has stayed with me. In policing, you meet people from every walk of life, and ultimately everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. So, for me, Burns represents something quite simple but important.

Behind the badge

Q. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A. I don’t think I had some grand masterplan to become a Chief Inspector! I was interested in people and communities, and policing seemed like a career where every day would be different. Looking back, I think that was probably the attraction – the idea that you could never be completely sure what the next day would bring.

Q. Have you grown up?
A. Absolutely not. And I’m increasingly convinced that nobody does! You just get older and become better at pretending you know what you’re doing.

Q. What do you like to do when you’re not keeping Shetland safe?
A. Walking is probably the big one and cold water swimming (a new hobby). Shetland is an incredible place to explore on foot, and getting out into the countryside is a great way of switching off. I also enjoy reading (Burns’ poetry), travelling, listening to audio books and spending time with my peerie dog Nucky!

Q. Where are your three favourite places in Shetland?
A. That’s an incredibly difficult question because it depends what you’re looking for. For scenery, I’d probably say Eshaness. For somewhere the history of Shetland (especially learning more about the Shetland Bus), Scalloway. And for simply getting outside and enjoying the landscape, I’d choose St Ninian’s Isle. But ask me again next week and I might give you three completely different answers!

Q. What is one experience you think every visitor should have while they’re here?
A. Get out of Lerwick. Lerwick is fantastic, but Shetland is so much more than the town. Drive north or south, explore the smaller communities, go for a walk, talk to local people and don’t be afraid of the weather. And if you get the opportunity to experience Shetland on a really wild day, do it. That’s when you understand the place.

Q. What advice would you give someone visiting Shetland for the first time?
A. Don’t try to rush it. Shetland isn’t somewhere you should come for 24 hours, tick a few boxes and leave. Give yourself time. The weather can change your plans; the distances are greater than they look on a map and the Shetland rewards people who take their time. And bring good waterproof clothing – that’s not optional!

And finally…

Q. What’s your favourite Shetland word or saying?
A. “Spaegie” – muscular pain caused by over-exertion. If you’ve had that long, bracing walk on a wild Shetland day, battling 60 mph head winds, you might wake up with spaegie…

Q. And where’s the best place in town for a pint?
A. Now you’re asking the important questions! There are plenty of good options, but I’m going to have to be very careful here. As Chief Inspector, I’m supposed to be impartial — and I don’t want to be accused of showing favouritism towards one pub over another! I should probably also say something about drinking responsibly and in moderation! So I’ll diplomatically say there are plenty of good places around Lerwick to enjoy a pint and good company.

And if Jimmy Perez happens to walk through the door, buy him a pint… he’s probably earned it after solving all those murders!

By Laurie Goodlad Born and raised in Shetland, Laurie loves the unique history and culture there so much that she started her own tour company offering visitors the chance to see the isles through the eyes of an islander. Find out more at www.shetlandwithlaurie.com

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