Course opens up access to a career in the police
CANDIDATES GIVEN INSIGHT INTO FORCE’S WORK
A TWO-WEEK intensive course has equipped those looking for a career with Nottinghamshire Police with the skills the force is looking for.
The “widening access” programme was run by Nottinghamshire Police at its headquarters, with those involved being given the chance to hear from a number of different people within the force – and see what it’s like to work in everything from crime scene investigation to the control room.
The 10 participants were aged between 18 and 43 and came from a variety of backgrounds and areas of the county.
Police say the course aims to make policing more accessible for people from every different community and give those involved the skills they need to go into the job, or to benefit them in whatever career they wish to go into.
Father of four Modou Liegh, 43, who lives in Sneinton and is originally from the Gambia, came to the programme as a taxi driver who previously worked in the army and served in the Afghanistan war.
He served in the army for five years and has since completed a degree in accountancy and finance and started work as a taxi driver when the pandemic hit – work he has carried on throughout the course.
“It’s been very busy,” he added. “I’ve been working in the evenings and at weekends to make money. I’ve been up at 6am every day for a 9am start as well because of the kids.
Sometimes that’s what life is.”
Omoyemi Haguele, a 37-year-old mother of two, completed the course while she was writing her dissertation for her Masters degree.
Having no sleep the night before the final day of her course, she managed to submit her dissertation before accepting her certificate for completing the programme on its final day.
“It’s been very full on,” she told the Post.
“But it was really important that I did it because it was something that I really wanted to do. I have wanted to do this job so much so I tried to do my work in between. It’s not been easy.
“It’s been very challenging, especially being a parent as well, but it has been worth it.”
Police wish to make their workforce representative of the diversity seen in the county as a whole. Preparation for the course – which was the first of its kind – started in April, with the programme itself starting in August.
This was the first time the course had been run by Nottinghamshire Police – with plans already in place for it to take place again last year.
Some travelled two hours on a bus every day just to get to the police headquarters in Arnold and everyone who took part completed it.
One participant was 18-year-old Asma Ali, from Basford, who has just recently completed her college course. She wanted to represent the Arab community by joining the force.
She said: “I tried to do the exam before and I wasn’t successful because I didn’t have any support, so it was difficult for me – this course has given me that support.
“I want to show that people like me can join the police and fight against that stereotype. I’m not just doing it for me – I’m doing it for my community as well.”
Meanwhile, Ibrahim Choudhury, 22, from Hyson Green, said: “There is often quite a lot of knife crime in Hyson Green and
I think the perception of police is generally quite negative.
“But police are there to protect us and, like everything, it’s not good to generalise everything.”
Chief Constable Craig Guildford, along with Veronica Pickering, Deputy Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, presented all participants with certificates to close the course.
Mr Guildford said: “This widening access course has been an incredible success and I am very pleased with the positive feedback. “I want a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve across Nottinghamshire but more importantly, I want people of talent from all backgrounds to feel like the police is a welcoming and genuine career prospect for them. “We know giving up that time and balancing it around work and other commitments would have been tricky but the dedication from everyone was excellent.
“I look forward to welcoming the next cohort on the course when we run the programme again.” Superintendent Louise Clarke, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We have been really pleased with the programme. “We were putting on a course which the community wasn’t familiar with and that we hadn’t done before, so there was a bit of trepidation on that first day which is to be expected. “I’m thrilled with all the individuals who took part – they were a fantastic group. They have got out of it what we hoped they would.”
I want to show that people like me can joing the police and fight against that stereotype Asma Ali (pictured)