Growing up on the west coast of Scotland, my parents instilled in me a strong sense of right and wrong. I grew up in the 1980s watching tv shows like The Bill, Law and Order and Hamish Macbeth, and they really made me want a career where I could make a difference and do good for the community.

I joined Northern Constabulary in 2004 and transferred to the CNC in 2007. I was attracted to the CNC by the volume of specialist roles advertised on the website that I could get involved in like AFOs and dog handlers. They all looked so amazing and there was so much to do.

I started as a PC at Chapelcross and within a year I passed my Sergeant’s and Inspector’s exams and was deployed to Torness on promotion to Sergeant. At the time I was one of two female sergeants in the unit and one of only four female AFOs. Five years later I moved to Hartlepool as Unit Commander, and when I came back from maternity leave in 2017 I interviewed for my current role as Torness OUC.

Now more than ever it’s a good time to be a woman in the force as we’re making the changes and putting out the right messages as an organisation, such as the White Ribbon campaign and the traction the Gender Affinity Inclusion Network (GAIN) has been making. The CNC are very supportive of female officers and I’ve always told people that the CNC are a good organisation to work for.

My career in policing and the CNC helped shape me into a strong leader and I hope to inspire my girls to become strong independent women themselves one day.

I was first attracted to the CNC when I was looking at joining a Home Office Constabulary – the CNC was advertised underneath and looked more interesting to me. I started as a PC at Hunterston in 2014 and was there for around four years before moving onto to be the staff officer for the Assistant Chief Constable, Operations.

I was promoted to Sergeant in 2019 and continued in the role of staff officer for two and a half years. In August 2021 I was promoted to the rank of Inspector and successfully applied for the role of Operational Unit Commander at Heysham Operational Policing Unit. This role involved having independent command of one of CNC’s 10 operational units.

In 2023, I took on the role of Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Inspector working closely with internal and external stakeholders to ensure the implementation of the EDI Strategy and Delivery Plan.

In December 2023, I was promoted to Chief Inspector, Strategic Development and currently lead on the Sea Marshals project.

Whilst I was at Hunterston, I was lucky enough to have some good mentors on my section who supported me through all of the operational side of unit life as well as through the promotional pathway. When I started the staff officer role as a temporary sergeant, it opened up a lot of opportunities for me. It gave me a good understanding of the strategic side of the organisation and a wider understanding of the organisation as whole. The role also presented opportunities to work alongside many external stakeholders and partner organisations.

Recently, I completed the Chartered Management Institute Level 5 coaching and mentor programme. Now qualified, I hope to join the CNC’s Coaching network and to offer coaching to colleagues within our organisation, external forces and associations.

As an Executive Team member of National Women of Colour in Policing UK (NWoCiPUK) and currently working within two of the five C programmes (Continued Professional Development and Cultural Change), I would love to see more people from under-represented groups go for promotion and lateral development.

I joined CNC in 2014, almost 9 years ago. There are a lot of elements that interested me in joining, but one of the key elements that really appealed to me was the world class firearms training delivered by our highly trained and qualified firearms instructors.

I am a qualified AFO/CT highly trained in the use of firearms to protect nuclear material, our sites and the public as expected by our stake holders. I have taken the initiative to understand my role fully and how I can improve my skills especially firearms training to carry out my role effectively. This has been achieved by taking time to reflect and asking colleagues to share expertise to ensure my knowledge and understanding of my role profile is at the highest possible level, making me feel more confident in my role.

In addition to my role as an AFO, I am also a custodian for race within CNC recognised support groups championing for race and equality matters to provide social, moral, and professional support to our officers and staff while also creating a working environment free from discrimination where we can all thrive.

I have been able to network through the support and use of the CNC platform with national organisations and community groups to champion diversity and foster cohesion by initiating projects to educate our officers and staff. I have also attended various courses such as conflict management and race equality matters, which are vital especially when dealing with people.

As a member of CNC Equality Consultative Support Network, I have worked to make sure that our policies and procedures are fair and value people for their differences focusing on teamwork. I have initiated training power hour sessions which are mind blowing to educate our officers and staff.

I love my job because everyone shares the same vision and is dedicated to the mission. There is a great camaraderie among officers and staff that is exceptional, and you feel valued.

I am the Operational Unit Commander at one of the CNC’s largest units having joined the CNC as a police staff administrator in 2005, before applying to become a police officer a few years later.

Over the years I have carried out specialist roles such as Operational Firearms Commander, National Firearms Instructor and Post Incident Manager which I thoroughly enjoyed. I have worked hard towards promotion several times over the years as well as having a year off from work on maternity leave after having my twin boys.

It can be challenging at times to have a career and to be a mum, but it is possible because the force offers support and flexibility. Being diverse as an organisation is an advantage and looking after our people is at the heart of what we do.

The CNC is full of good, hardworking people who always want to do their best and there are opportunities for everyone if you want them which enable you to have an interesting and varied career.

I joined the CNC four years ago as an AFO with the plan of being deployed at one of our Northern sites. Becoming an AFO with no previous firearms or policing experience seemed a daunting and unachievable task. However, my willing attitude coupled with the support and extensive knowledge held by our Training Department, equipped me with the required skills needed to become a competent AFO. The CNC is committed to offering development opportunities to its employees which has allowed me to extend my skills further by becoming an Operational Firearms Commander and gaining several other qualifications. In my most recent position as a staff officer, I have had the privilege to support a variety of departments who have all displayed a high level of professionalism whilst working towards the CNCs Mission. As a member of the CNC’s Multi-Ethnic Support Network, I am proud to be part of a forward-thinking organisation who are working extremely hard to promote an inclusive and diverse workplace.

One of the main reasons I have been at the CNC for so long is how the family friendly policies have supported me throughout my career. The CNC has enabled me to travel the world on a career break, support the Territorial Army, and manage the extremely difficult loss of my wife after a 22-month fight with cancer, in which I always felt fully supported and valued. More recently and perhaps the most rewarding was the support of the CNC to allow me to have shared parental leave. This was the most magical time and I was able to bond with my son on a different level than I could ever have imagined with our new shared experiences. I could have easily missed out on this had I been in a different organisation. The CNC has supported me through this process and gave me the freedom to stay as connected as I needed to be, on my terms. I always felt valued and was welcomed back smoothly as if I had never been away. All these experiences have helped me develop as a person in many different ways and shaped who I am today.

I joined the CNC three years ago from a retail background. When I had my first child I was only able to take eight months off for maternity leave as my employer at the time only offered statutory pay. Luckily, when I had my second child I was working for the CNC and their family friendly polices meant I could take a year off with the baby and the rest of my young family which may not have been possible to do with other employers.

Whilst I was off, I had great contact with my team, my manager and maternity cover. Six months after I’d had the baby, I was invited to away days so I could start to get involved again in a way that ensured I still felt involved in the organisation but without any pressure. I recently did some Continuous Professional Development as part of my KIT days before returning to work so I feel very invested in as an employee.

Working for the CNC has meant that I’ve been able to come back as a full-time working mother. Our hybrid working has meant that I’ve been able to work from home a couple of days a week to help do the school run and still be in a full-time rewarding role.

The CNC is very supportive for working parents as our flexible working and hybrid working policies have made it comfortable to manage my work and home life.

Going forward we’re continuing to work on a hybrid and flexible basis in the CNC. Along with all of our other family friendly policies which we constantly review and update we are continuing to develop our menopause and IVF policies to ensure they are supportive to all of our employees.