International Women’s Day 8th March 2025

With 22 years of service, I have dedicated much of my career to uniformed policing, starting as a volunteer Special Constable before joining as a Constable in Newtown, Powys in 2003.  In 2008, I moved to Carmarthenshire, where I have proudly served in a variety of roles across different ranks, including CID, Response, Neighbourhood Policing, Professional Standards, and as a Force Incident Manager.

Policing has provided me the opportunity to develop a diverse skill set, from Post Incident Management and Pursuit Management, to commanding major operations at bronze, silver, and gold levels, as well as Tactical and Strategic Firearms Command.  I have also been privileged to spend a year on secondment with the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC), working on Chief Constable Dr Lewis’ National Performance Management portfolio.  In 2023, I achieved a Master of Science Degree in Policing (Operational & Strategic Leadership).

When I first joined the force, I was a single mother to my daughter.  I only mention this as proof, that progression in policing is possible, regardless of personal circumstances.  With just over two-years’ service, I passed both my CID and Sergeant exams.  While I have worked full-time throughout my career, taking on a variety of shift patterns, I have always valued the flexibility policing offers with opportunities for flexible working arrangements, or part time. 

At times, it has felt like a balancing act, but I have been fortunate to have the unwavering support from my husband, colleagues, and supervisors. 

As a mother of two, I continue to find a balance between work and family life.  Outside work, you will either find me running or proudly cheering on my son from the rugby sidelines.  My daughter, now a nurse in Abu Dhabi, gives me the perfect excuse for an annual visit to the UAE!

As the Head of Specialist Operations, I am passionate about inspiring more women to join the force – whether as officers, volunteers, or staff – and encouraging them to take on specialist roles such as Roads Policing, Armed Policing, Dog handler, Marine Officer, Public-Order, or to step into leadership as an Operational Commander. 

Progress happens when we uplift and empower each other. By us all stepping forward together, we continue creating a policing service where every woman has the opportunity to lead, succeed and thrive. 

I joined the dog section 13 years ago after becoming fascinated by watching handlers and their drugs dogs assist at warrants and watching the General Purpose (GP) dogs trying to track down wanted people who were evading police.

I grew up on a farm so was very familiar and comfortable around dogs, but I had never trained a working dog but this was all taught on initial courses which gave me the confidence to apply.  I was also aware of the commitment required for this role as the dogs live at home with the handlers and they require care 24/7. I was lucky to obtain the support of my husband, otherwise he would have had to go!  

Since being on the section, I have worked several GP Dogs, Drugs Dogs and I now work a Cadaver Dog and am one of the GP instructors.  I love my job; on occasions the dogs are called as a last resort to try and find a missing piece of evidence to secure a conviction or to find a missing person and there is no better feeling than when the dogs have finds and the training pays off. 

Life is also busy outside of the job raising two boys along with working full time. On our rest days, the boys often have to accompany me in exercising the dogs if my husband is in work, luckily they also love the dogs and count them as part of our family and have embraced the lifestyle.  The Dog Section is a supportive unit and we all try to help each other out with last minute shift swaps when required.

I started working at the Dog Section in 2022, after working as a Detention Officer in Custody for 20 years.

I have always been fascinated by the work of the Police Dogs, and when a job came up in the department, I didn’t hesitate to apply for it.  I assist the Sergeant with all admin tasks to ensure that the unit runs smoothly.  These tasks include rota management, processing invoices, ordering any equipment needed and liaising with Vehicle Maintenance Unit for maintenance of our vehicles. I also organise visits to schools, groups, and shows, where handlers take their dogs to do displays and speak about their role.

Although my job as an Admin Assistant is mainly office based, I do get to assist with other practical work involving the dogs which I really enjoy.

I assist our Animal Welfare Officer with exercising the dogs whilst they are in Police Kennels and take them for vet’s appointments if needed. Occasionally I assist with training the dogs, where we are used to hide in order for the dogs to track or used as “actors” in other training scenarios. I have also attended displays with handlers assisting with the dogs and taking part.

I consider myself very lucky to have a job that I enjoy so much. The Dog Section is a very supportive department, we all work well as a team and give mutual support when needed. The post is ideal for my work and homelife balance, and I have felt welcome and appreciated from day one.

After volunteering in an animal rescue centre abroad, I knew I wanted a career working with dogs. It was a few years later that I finally decided to take the leap and make this a reality and I haven’t looked back since.

I joined the Dog Section in 2021 as the Animal Welfare Assistant and it is my responsibility to look after our Police Dogs when they are in force kennels. I spend my days walking, cleaning, feeding, playing, bathing, and brushing (the list goes on!). It’s a lot of responsibility and can be challenging at times, but it’s equally as rewarding knowing that I am doing my bit to ensure the PDs are happy, healthy, and ready for work! Every dog has their own unique personality and my favourite part of the job is getting to know every four-legged recruit!

Outside of work, I enjoy exploring new places with my Fiancé, spending time with my family (both two-legged and four-legged alike!), walking (not that I ever struggle getting my steps in!) and attending my local adult ballet class.

I’ve been a police officer for nearly eleven years and have spent the last four years as a Roads Policing officer.  I feel extremely privileged to have been given this role; it is like no other, carries a huge amount of responsibility and requires a wide skill set. 

Having returned from maternity leave almost a year ago I definitely have new priorities and a successful work/life balance is extremely important to me, but I still enjoy getting stuck into any job I can and helping to protect our communities.  I’m currently working on the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, doing my best to ensure the families of those who lose their lives on our roads receive the justice they need. 

My role on the RPU team has helped me to prove to myself that being 5ft 2 and a female was no barrier to achieving my goals.

Policing is still a very male-dominated environment, but no one wanting to branch into a specialism should let that stop them!  

I joined South Wales Police (SWP) in 2005, my first posting as a beat officer was to Splott, Cardiff. I went on to work at various stations within Cardiff and in 2009 I became a reservist on the Specialist Search and Recovery Unit completing a HSC commercial dive qualification, search, protestor removal, confined space and working at height qualifications.  I relished the diversity of the role and the challenges I faced operationally.

During my time at SWP I represented the force at the national Police Lifesaving Championships on a yearly basis.

Bored of the city lifestyle, as I grew up on a farm in Pembrokeshire I decided quality of life was important, I transferred to Dyfed-Powys Police in 2012.  I was Posted to Milford Haven and straightaway was approached to compete for DPP lifesaving by DPP stalwart Pc Aled Bowen! Beat work was a culture shock as the beat numbers were less than I experienced in Cardiff.

In December 2013, I joined the Marine Unit (the closest I could get to SWP Dive Unit) where I have achieved my RYA Yacht master theory and practical and police Tactical Coxswain qualification. The role has developed over the years to a Counter Terrorism role requiring regular boardings of super tankers for intelligence gathering and providing a high visibility patrol on the water with the capability to respond to police incidents from missing people to the carriage of Firearms officers and facilitating their boarding onto vessels for full firearms incidents.

 I have diversified with Search, Drone and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) roles to maintain a holistic benefit to DPP special operations policing.

I joined Dyfed Powys Police in 2017 after serving in the Metropolitan Police for sixteen years. During my time in the Metropolis, I obtained my level 3 Award in Education Training and became a public order instructor.

On transferring to DPP, my first post was in Lampeter where I became a Personal Safety Trainer (PST) and then Cardigan where I added to my skill becoming a Taser Trainer.

In 2019, I joined the specialist Operations training team as a full-time trainer teaching Taser, CBRN, Protestor removal, personal safety training and public order training.

During my time in the specialist operations department, I have been afforded the opportunity to become a Public Order and CBRN tactical advisor. This has allowed me to travel the length and breadth of the country being deployed to provide advice to my colleagues. This includes the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) as a CBRN tactical advisor whilst President Biden was present and COP26 as a Public order advisor. This has allowed me to expand my skill set and interact with officers across different Police services.

I am now the Taser lead for DPP. This entails being the single point of contact for all taser use across all of Dyfed Powys Police, I am also a subject matter expert in the area of Taser and am currently working on bringing the new AXON Taser T10 into the force.