What Initially attracted you to a career with British Transport Police (BTP)?
I’ve been working in policing since 2014, initially starting as a Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) in West Midlands Police (WMP) before making a faithful jump to BTP in 2015 as a Police Constable. But if you asked me 10 years ago where I would be before I started this journey, I would never have guessed I would be in working here and loving it.
After I finished university, I initially thought I would focus on a vocation specific to my degree and for a time I tried that field, but I didn’t feel fulfilled. I’ve always wanted to do a role that knew could help people, and I remember having a conversation with a friend about it, and he advised I investigate becoming a Special Constable (SPC). At this point I hadn’t thought too much about policing, but I spent some time researching the role and the more I learnt the more intrigued I became. Eventually I went online looking for any SPC positions available with WMP, but unfortunately there were none. But there were roles for PCSOs. It would mean I would have to leave my then job and move into a completely different profession. After some thought and advice, I took the plunge. And I’m incredibly happy I did.
The time I spent as a PCSO was amazing, I learnt so much about the local community and built-up amazing connections with the local council, schools, faith centres and more, that I started to feel part of the community. The more I learnt about community policing the more I wanted to do more. I think my team could this, and they advised me to become a Police Constable.
My colleague who was a PCSO in WMP had just joined British Transport Police, as a constable. This was my first real introduction to BTP. He would tell me about discovering BTP, his time at training in London, when he passed out and when he started on post. His reaction was glowing. I had a great time training with WMP but the opportunity to work in London and the potential move back to Birmingham while remaining in the same force was perfect. After researching BTP in more detail, I finally applied, and I’ve been here ever since.
How has your journey been with BTP since joining?
It been a great journey overall, starting off at training in London I joined with people from all over the country who were amazing people, some of which I’m extremely close with now, lifelong friends. After finishing training and passing out, I went to work at Euston as a PC. It was a massive eye opener, and I learnt a lot, partly because I had great support from my various supervisors who I would call mentors and friends. They pushed me to find out what my passion in policing was, and thanks to them I have. I knew quite quickly I wanted to go into the world of investigation, and when an opportunity came to go on an attachment with the Sexual Offences Unit, I jumped at the chance with my supervisor’s support. During my time I really grew as an investigator, again developing close friendships with the team, and confirming this was the career path I wanted to go down. When a chance to join the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) came up, I went for it again, and initially joined our Theft of Passenger Property unit before moving on to our General CID.
I spent 4 years working in General CID and everyday was different, and I couldn’t be more thankful for the support I got from my line manager and second line manager to develop my skills as an investigator and push me to gain my qualification as a Detective and eventually push me to pass my Sergeants exam. After passing my exam I was asked to lead a new team focusing on supporting front line officers and our CID teams in initial Robbery investigations. This was again eye opening and helped me develop as a supervisor. I’ve since moved on and I’m currently the Sergeant for the Positive Action Recruitment Team part of the wider Inclusion and Diversity Team. A completely different role to what I’ve ever done before, and the amount I’ve learnt in the short time I’ve been here has been immense.
How has your role in the Positive Action Recruitment Team (PART) evolved since joining BTP?
When I first joined PART, the whole Inclusion and Diversity Team was undergoing a number of changes. I have always been passionate about the diverse representation within the police and being part of the department that could bring about that change felt special. As a team we’ve grown from predominantly focusing on the attraction and engagement from underrepresented groups in the police to looking to better understand barriers different people might face in their working career and doing what we can to overcome as they look to join and how they may be able to authentically grow within the force. Together with the team we’ve been looking at how our initially strategy can be improved to implement these changes, building on the success of our already established initiatives such as our Online Thinking of Joining Us Session (a session focused on highlighting BTP, our roles and understanding our force requirements). I now work closely with other departments to develop strategy and processes to ensure BTP is at the forefront of being an inclusive and diverse police force.
Has your background had any effect on your policing career?
I’m from mixed Egyptian and Jamaican heritage and I never gave any indication to my family I would join the police, but they were mostly supportive, but naturally they had a lot of questions and a few reservations. From my understanding the reservations came from their concerns for my safety within the organisation. I’m proud to say BTP have been incredibly supportive, and from my experience working here I’ve been able to show my family how welcoming and inclusive the police can be to all communities.
While working within BTP I am happy to say I have had some of the most supportive colleagues and now friends who have taken the time to understand my background and my experiences, so I can be my authentic self at work. BTP is a diverse organisation, with people from all backgrounds and experiences themselves, which has allowed me to grow as a person, and officer. I’m now part of a department which is working too hard to develop our message of inclusivity, and I’m incredibly grateful to be part of that.
What tips or advice could you give others?
I would recommend looking into BTP and what we have to offer as a force which stands out from others. We are a national force, with opportunities across 3 countries and we are always looking for the best people to join. If you are interested in joining BTP I would strongly recommend coming to one of our Thinking of Joining Us Session opens to all, which is advertised on our Events Page to get a broad understanding as to who we are and give you the opportunity to ask us questions.
If you’ve considered policing or maybe you’re not sure, reach out to us and hopefully we can help you understand what’s best for you. One of the most important things I’ve learnt since joining policing is, if you’re not sure, ask. There will always be someone out there with the answer willing to help.
More about our workshops can be found in the following link here.
