The murder detective who turned to candle making

A murder detective who left the job to become a candle maker said it took her almost two years to come to terms with no longer being a police officer.

Janet Lovick served with Cheshire Police for almost 15 years, and spent the last four as part of the force's major investigation team.

But she reached a point where a combination of burnout and perimenopause led to her suffering with anxiety, something that had never happened before.

Lovick initially used candles to switch off after work. "When I was making candles, I just felt completely different.. I just felt calm, relaxed, and I knew this was what I wanted to do full-time."

The 57-year-old left the force in 2022 and now runs a Nantwich-based business selling her products online and at markets.

When she joined the force's major investigation team, which deals with serious cases like murder, in 2018 she said the workload was "incredibly high and obviously so were the stress levels of everyone involved".

On one case, which involved the death of a baby, she said she worked a 23-hour day.

Lovick said she used to thrive on the unpredictable nature of the work, but reached a stage where it took its toll, and she became anxious.

"Going into work on a morning, I'd feel my heart going faster, not knowing what I was going into and when I was going to be coming home," said the former detective.

She said she would struggle to sleep when cases went to trial due to the pressures of wanting to do a good job for the families and the victims.

The detective eventually sought help. She was given anti-depressants and later HRT, and took time off work. But it became too much.

She said some police officers could switch off from their work at home, but she could not, "especially when I was involved in a murder or another difficult case".

Having initially turned to candle making to de-stress, Lovick said demand for her soy wax products started to grow and she wanted other people to "feel that sense of calm and relaxation".

But it was a struggle to leave the job behind, as serving in the police had formed part of her identity.

"I loved being a police officer, and it's sad that it's come to an end in one way, but I'm a lot happier in the long run now."

Cheshire Police said while policing can be very rewarding it also involved a number of complex issues and on occasions its officers deal with some extremely traumatic cases.

In addition to this, it stated, hours can sometimes be long and the pressure on detectives can be challenging, and there is no escaping the fact that this can sometime impact officers' health.

"We have done a lot to improve our health and wellbeing support services in recent years, including support for perimenopause and menopause," the force added.

"In addition, since 2023 we have also recruited a further 56 detectives and we now have the best detective staffing in the North West."

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