Be the Difference: Behind the Badge
Our Behind the Badge series features five serving police officers from diverse backgrounds, each with a different story to tell. Here they talk about their experiences of joining the police and why they’ve never looked back.
PC Giwa, Greater Manchester Police
"People from my community telling me how proud they are"
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00:05
When I first joined the Force, my friend wasn’t too sure.
00.09
As time goes on she has become more supportive.
00:12
I think she is beginning to see the kind of support I am bringing to my community.
00:18
It’s really important for us to have more representation in the Police Force
00:24
This is our home,
00:26
this is where we live, we have our children here,
00:28
we have our families here.
00:30
Having people from my community,
00:33
coming to me and telling me how proud they are,
00:37
seeing me in uniform or seeing me knowing that they have someone,
00:41
one of their own in the Force, makes me feel on top of the world.
00:47
If that is going to make you proud, make you feel fulfilled,
00:50
Then come and join the Police.
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PC Dixon, South Wales Police
"To show them there is someone like them within the Police"
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00:00 --> 00:07
My role is hate crime and engagement officer,
00:07 --> 00:09
part of that is for me to be out there in the communities
00:10 --> 00:13
and to show them there is someone like them within the police.
00:15 --> 00:17
It’s important for the communities we serve to trust us
00:18 --> 00:21
and for them to do that I think it’s important for us to represent the communities we serve.
00:23 --> 00:25
Ever since joining the police, I’ve felt supported
00:26 --> 00:33
whether that’s due to me being LGBT or due to my dyslexia or my faith and my cultural heritage.
00:36 --> 00:37
We have got intersectionality training.
00:38 --> 00:42
It teaches you that everyone is an individual and people should be treated differently according to their needs.
00:44 --> 00:46
I like representing the police at Cardiff Pride
00:47 --> 00:49
because there’s hundreds and thousands of people watching.
00:50 --> 00:55
That just shows that its ok to work for the police if you’re LGBT+ or anybody else.
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PC Robinson, Staffordshire Police
"That opportunity to have such an impact on someone's life"
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00:03 --> 00:08
I joined as a police community support officer in 2009.
00:08 --> 00:12
With the aim of always becoming a PC and I also wanted a family.
00:13 --> 00:19
It is quite a challenge but I find the force understands the need for a good work-life balance.
00:20 --> 00:21
So they’re quite supportive.
00:22 --> 00:25
Yeah, I don’t think being a parent makes any difference whatsover with regards to
00:25 --> 00:27
being in work and what you do when you are here.
00:28 --> 00:33
As long as you’re capable of doing the job and you want to move up
00:34 --> 00:37
and you’ve got that ambition, then the force will support you do that.
00:38 --> 00:39
I am proud to be a police officer.
00:39 --> 00:40
I like the fact that I am
00:40 --> 00:41
in a position where I can make
00:42 --> 00:43
a difference to people.
00:44 --> 00:47
Whether that be helping an offender, stop offending
00:48 --> 00:49
or whether that be helping a victim of crime.
00:50 --> 00:52
I don’t think there is any other job out there
00:53 --> 00:57
where you will get that opportunity to have such an impact on somebody’s life.
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DI Palmer, North Yorkshire Police
"I definitely can't imagine the same day happening twice"
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00:04 --> 00:06
When I think back over sixteen years,
00:06 --> 00:09
I definitely can’t imagine the same day happening twice.
00:10 --> 00:11
That’s one of the things I love about the job.
00:12 --> 00:13
It’s different, even now.
00:14 --> 00:16
There’s a massive amount of roles in the Police Service.
00:17 --> 00:22
You’ve got investigation, CID, firearms, you’ve got traffic,
00:22 --> 00:27
dogs, search team, a massive amount of roles out there.
00:28 --> 00:31
I feel lucky that I’ve always been really supported
00:32 --> 00:34
by my first and second line manager when I’ve wanted to progress,
00:35 --> 00:39
to develop, to do a different role when I’ve set out on the pathway to promotion.
00:41 --> 00:43
There is a fast-track scheme
00:43 --> 00:45
for people who are wanting to progress quickly,
00:45 --> 00:47
so you can move from PC to inspector.
00:47 --> 00:49
You’re going to have some amazing experiences,
00:50 --> 00:51
probably going to make some
00:52 --> 00:52
lifelong friends.
00:53 --> 00:54
And if you embrace it,
00:54 --> 00:55
you’re going to have a really rewarding career.
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PC Sarpong, Kent Police
"A sense of pride to be a part of such a positive force"
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00:04 --> 00:05
I became an officer.
00:05 --> 00:08
It’s something that I’d always sort of thought about, thought about it for a very long time.
0
0:09 --> 00:12
I really strongly believe that, be the change you want to see.
00:13 --> 00:17
So, you know, I wanted to ensure that the police in my community were positive.
00:18 --> 00:20
It’s important for the police to be diverse.
00:20 --> 00:21
The community’s diverse.
00:21 --> 00:24
Obviously the police want to represent the community.
00:25 --> 00:27
In order to do so, they need everyone from different backgrounds.
00:28 --> 00:28
Intakes following me.
00:29 --> 00:30
I’ve seen Asian and Black backgrounds coming in
00:31 --> 00:32
which is really positive.
00:33 --> 00:34
When I started on division, it was really nice.
00:35 --> 00:37
It was really easy to fit in.
00:35 --> 00:38
Everyone welcomes you straight away.
00:39 --> 00:40
It’s definitely a fun place to work.
00:41 --> 00:42
Everyone has a really good sense of humour
00:42 --> 00:44
and we like to have a laugh with people.
00:44 --> 00:45
It is like another family.
00:46 --> 00:49
It’s just a fun place to be. It’s a really nice environment to work in.
00:50 --> 00:52
The Police Force means family, it means community
00:53 --> 00:54
and it just fills me with a sense of pride to be a part of
00:55 --> 00:56
such a positive force.
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BE ONE OF THE 20,000 NEW OFFICERS
BE PART OF THE TEAM
BE THE DIFFERENCE
SEARCH JOIN THE POLICE
Representing our communities
Find out how else we're creating an inclusive police service.