When Detective Inspector Chris Reid Milligan left the British Army, he knew he wanted a career with purpose.
In 2017, he found exactly that when he joined Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary through Police Now’s National Graduate Programme. Read on to hear about Chris’ journey.
Starting on the frontline
Before joining Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary through Police Now, I served in a leadership role in the British Army. Leadership had always been a key part of my career, and I wanted to continue developing in roles where I could make a positive impact. Policing appealed to me because it offered the opportunity to protect vulnerable people, tackle harm and help bring offenders to justice.
That’s what attracted me to Police Now. The programme offered the chance to develop as a leader, take on responsibility early and make a meaningful difference in local communities from day one.
My first posting was in Basingstoke, as a neighbourhood officer where I worked closely with residents, businesses and partner agencies to tackle crime, anti-social behaviour and community concerns.
Looking back, those early years gave me the foundation for everything that followed. Neighbourhood policing teaches you how to build trust with your local community, understand the problems that matter to them and work with them and partner agencies to find long-term solutions. It’s also the area of policing where you can really see the impact of your work, which is incredibly rewarding.
The importance of neighbourhood policing and the skills I have developed have stayed with me throughout my career and continue to shape how I police today.
A career full of opportunities
One thing that has surprised me most about policing is the sheer breadth of opportunities available, particularly within Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary. As a large force, we police a diverse mix of communities, from busy urban centres like Southampton to rural towns and coastal areas. That variety means no two days are the same, and there are countless opportunities to develop new skills and gain experience in different areas of policing.
We also have specialist capabilities that aren’t available in many other forces, including the Marine Unit, which reflects the unique communities and environments we serve.
My own career has been shaped by that variety. After starting out in neighbourhood policing, I moved into response policing in Aldershot, where I became a sergeant leading frontline teams and responding to critical incidents. I later moved into investigations as a detective sergeant, broadening my experience across a range of policing functions before joining Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Fast Track to Inspector programme in 2020.
The programme accelerated my development as a leader and gave me exposure to a wide range of operational challenges. As part of that journey, I spent 18 months in Southampton, gaining experience in a busy urban policing environment and working alongside teams tackling serious and violent crime.
Since becoming an inspector, I’ve worked across a variety of investigations and specialist policing areas. A standout role was my time within the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements and Management of Sexual or Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) environment. This highly specialised role involved working closely with partner agencies to safeguard the public and manage some of the highest-risk individuals in the community.
During this time, I also gained experience in covert policing, surveillance operations, county lines investigations and the Force Intelligence Bureau, as well as contributing to offender rehabilitation initiatives. Together, these experiences gave me a real appreciation of how different parts of the organisation work together to protect vulnerable people and keep communities safe.
I currently work on highly complex investigations, including cases involving kidnapping and extortion. These investigations are fast-paced and high-risk, requiring close collaboration between specialist teams and partner agencies to secure positive outcomes for victims.
What I’ve enjoyed most is that every role has brought new challenges and opportunities to learn. Whether working with victims, supporting local communities or leading teams, the motivation has always been the same: protecting people and making a difference where it matters most.
Nearly a decade after joining through Police Now, that’s still what keeps me passionate about the job.
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