She is first face people see when they come into the station, as victims or perpetrators of a crime.
The people Sandra deals with on a day to day basis have frequently been victims of assault, theft, rape and other attacks – and working as a jailer for the holding cells in the station means she also comes into contact with those arrested for such crimes.
'There is never a routine day,' she explains. 'And yes, it can be quite stressful'
'Often there'll be people screaming and shouting at you, but you have to take on board that it's not personal. I try to keep people calm and accommodate what they need.'
She has been in the job for three years – and while it's certainly not an easy one, she believes it has given her life a purpose it was lacking for a long time. But it meant confronting fears and insecurities and facing the daunting task of going to college for the very first time in her late 30s.
'I had my daughters when I was young, first Natasha who's 23 now and then Jessica who's 15. Then my partner and I separated and I became quite depressed.'
'I lost all confidence and didn't think I was any good at anything.'
A computer course was the last thing on her mind coming up to her 40th birthday. She was working as a waitress – and then suddenly, everything just changed.
'I went to see a lone parent advisor, and they helped me find out about going back to college. Everything fell into place. It was like a domino effect, only instead of falling down it was like they were all coming up.'
Not that it was easy. Especially given the fact she'd had no experience at all of computers before attending the course.
'I know that everything is computerised these days but when I went to the interview and they asked me what I knew about computers, I said well all I know is how to dust them.'
She found the whole experience difficult and was tempted many times to give up. What kept her going through it all was her daughters – 'I wanted to show them I could do it,' she explains with a smile.
'They say they are proud of me, and it's very important to me to have their support. They had a difficult time after my partner left when I couldn't cope very well. My eldest daughter Natasha took over the role of parent for a while. She left home after her A-levels, but she still had to carry on being the strong one.'
These days Sandra is a lot more optimistic about the future – and feels that life is much better now than it was when she was a teenager.
'I'm happier now, I know who I am and I'm not afraid to be myself.'
'She wrote a message on my Mother's Day card this year, saying she wouldn't be where she is today without me'
'And I haven't finished yet. I'm still optimistic I will meet Mr Right and get married.'
Sandra's a strong role model for her daughters.
'Natasha has moved back home now and she is going to go to university to train to be a teacher. She said I inspired her, the way I've come through everything. She wrote a message on my Mother's Day card this year, saying she wouldn't be where she is today without me.
It took a long time to get here but it's been worth it.'
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