“Before I joined the police service I worked as a military chaplain in the army for three years, and prior to that I was an ordained minister in the Church of England. As a military chaplain I undertook training at Sandhurst alongside other professionally qualified military officers. I occupied a non-combative role, working alongside military personnel of any faith to advise on religious, spiritual and moral matters.

“Doing my military training at Sandhurst was one of the toughest but most rewarding experiences of my career, it made me realise that I could really do anything if I applied myself. I also enjoyed the hands-on aspects of the military training and it felt natural to transition into a frontline policing role from there.

“I joined Cambridgeshire Constabulary in 2018 via Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership Programme. I applied through Police Now because the idea of long-term problem solving and making an impact in communities as a neighbourhood police officer resonated with me, it’s what I thought policing should be. 

“After I completed Police Now’s academy training, I then spent two weeks on the force’s Response team, responding to emergency incidents and 999 calls, before I joined the Peterborough North Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) for the remainder of the programme.

“I worked closely with the Hate Crime SPOC in Peterborough, looking at early intervention tactics to educate young people on the consequences of hate crime. We visited local schools to deliver workshops and conducted home visits to children exhibiting racist and anti-social behaviour (ASB), designing specific plans for children and their parents to educate them on the impact and consequences of their behaviour.

“I greatly enjoyed my time on the Peterborough North NPT and worked alongside some incredible colleagues, but I was surprised at how much I had enjoyed the Response training at the start of the programme too. I organised to undertake a four-week internal attachment back on the Response team during the programme and became passionate about bridging the gaps between the Response teams and Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPTs).

“I undertook a project to understand how the departments communicate with each other and identify areas for improvement, keen to make sure our Response teams understood the value that NPTs could offer them. Neighbourhood police officers foster strong relationships within the community and work on an enormous range of jobs, so they are often in a strong position to implement long-term tactics to reduce crime and support colleagues across the whole organisation.

“I think Police Now really challenges you to look at the bigger picture and use creative problem-solving techniques to implement effective change like this, not just within your communities but within your own teams as well.

“When I graduated Police Now’s programme, I moved back to the Response team in a permanent role. This was around the time of the first Covid lockdown in 2020, which meant I didn’t see my family for about nine months. As an essential worker I was dedicated to my role on the frontline, but the experience really did highlight the importance of family. I decided to move back up to Manchester, where I am originally from, to be closer to my loved ones – so I applied for a job with Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

“I joined GMP in March and am currently stationed with the Response team in Oldham. We respond to a range of different incidents; the work is always varied. For example, we recently received reports that someone was trying to break into cars and houses in the early hours of the morning. We found two suspects who matched the description and arrested them that same night, confiscating a wrench, a screwdriver and a can of pepper spray in the process.

“GMP is also trialling mental health cars, where a mental health nurse accompanies officers in a Response vehicle to assist on mental health related calls. It really helps resolve these incidents more quickly and is another example of how community organisations can add real value to Response units.

“In the long-term, I am interested in undertaking detective training. I am passionate about safeguarding roles and protecting the most vulnerable in our society, so I have my sights set on something like the Child Protection Investigation Unit in future. I am looking to take my National Investigators’ Exam this September to kickstart this move and in the meantime am focused on settling into my new force and protecting the community in Oldham.”