Tour de Force By Pete Self (99-09) I studied Politics and International Relations at the University of Leeds, graduating with a 2:1. University seemed to go very quickly for me and was a fantastic three years of my life. I ran bar and nightclub events during my time at university as a means to make more money. I joined the military Officers’ Training Corps (O.T.C.) in my first year and then decided to transfer to Military Intelligence in the Army Reserve. Pete as a special constable in West Yorkshire on his last day before full-time police training with the Metropolitan Police
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nfortunately no Martinis or Aston Martins as it is on the grittier side of the military, as opposed to the civilian MI6! It was a very interesting time for me but unfortunately can’t speak too much about it. I had two opportunities to deploy full-time – to the Olympics and frontline in Afghanistan but I could not due to the fact I was still a student. I look back at it now with a bit of sadness, as I did not fully grasp all the opportunities that were presented to me. It was during my service in the Army that I met a number of people who served in the Police and I was immediately interested. Of course, I was aware of the cutbacks in the UK and the lack of recruitment in any force. It was then when I found out about the Special Constabulary. Special constables are volunteer police officers who do exactly the same job as regular police pfficers, but without pay. You go through a similar training package and have the same sort of opportunities offered to you as you progress throughout your career. Special constables come from all walks of life – I have met doctors, businessmen, cleaners, electricians and plumbers who have all given their free-time to police the streets. As I had a full-time career with the Police in mind, it was a fantastic insight into knowing truly what the Police is about and managing my expectations for when recruitment finally opens up. I began training with West Yorkshire Police in July 2011, attesting onto patrol in December. Due to the fact I was at university I could commit far more than the minimum 16 hours that were asked of
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