A trainee police officer has revealed how she juggles her new career with a passion for football as a player for Nottingham Forest

Police Constable Amy Colledge plays the game at elite level and says the teamwork, dedication and fitness skills she has acquired at Forest are a perfect grounding for life as a cop. Twenty-three-year-old Amy, who passed out as an officer at a ceremony on Friday (25 November 2022), says she now hopes to represent the national police team. “I won’t deny it is tiring to juggle the police training with football,” Amy said. “But I love the challenge and am fully prepared for starting my career as an officer. During training I have been busy 9-5 in the week, having Saturday as a day off and then playing for Forest on Sunday. “Teamwork is vital for football and as a police officer. There is so much to learn in terms of problem solving that can only be achieved by working as a team.” Amy, who will be based at Broxtowe after completing her training, says the 21-strong cohort which passed out this week have worked as a team throughout and the atmosphere in class has been ‘fantastic’.

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Originally from Cheshire, left wing-back Amy previously played for Manchester City and Stoke City and has also completed a degree and a masters in exercise physiology at Nottingham Trent University. Amy says she has faced stereotyping and discrimination in her football career – but this has not stopped her achieving her goals. “It can be difficult but it does give you a thick skin and determination to succeed,” she said. “It has also helped with the training in terms of my ability to deal with conflict.” Members of the latest cohort have joined the ranks at Nottinghamshire Police after completing the force’s internal training course to become a police constable. Amy and the other new recruits have come through the Initial Policing Learning and Development Programme (IPLDP), which allows non-graduates to join as a constable and complete the force’s internal training course.

The programme includes a variety of workshops, seminars, on-the-job training and mandatory health and safety modules to prepare them for being a frontline officer. The passing out parade was overseen by Chief Constable Craig Guildford, who said it was an honour to welcome Amy and the other new recruits on one of his final days with the force before taking the top job at West Midlands Police. Mr Guildford said: “I am delighted to welcome PC Colledge into our ranks and she is already showing tremendous promise. “She is absolutely correct in citing the values of teamwork and dedication to the role, which underpin everything we do as a force. “This was the final passing out parade I will oversee with Nottinghamshire Police. It has been an honour to welcome hundreds of new recruits during my time as Chief Constable and these parades are something I have always looked forward to. “We continue to recruit. A fully resourced police force helps us fight crime more effectively and is exactly what local people want. “The new officers we are continuing to recruit are vital to supporting the work we do all year round to prevent and reduce crime in Nottinghamshire.”