Mason Beall successfully applied to be a police constable after enjoying serving communities as a volunteer cop.
He passed out as a fully-fledged cop yesterday (Friday, 14 April) after completing an 20-week training course, which he started after clocking up 435 hours as a special constable in just a few months.
Special constables have the same power, uniform and responsibilities as regular paid police officers but volunteer on a part-time basis.
They take part in frontline police work, spending much of their time on the streets, doing intelligence-based patrols in crime hotspots or taking part in crime-prevention initiatives.
By giving up so much of his spare time, Mason – who also completed 97 hours as a cadet leader in 2021/22 – has played a vital role in making communities safer.
Mason, who has joined the Response team at Kirkby police station, said he was thrilled to become a police officer.
He said: “I was really happy to have been accepted to join Nottinghamshire Police full-time. I thoroughly enjoyed doing shifts when I could as a special, so being able to do it full-time and being able to make a real difference is fantastic.
“I wanted to join the police from a young age. During my time in education, I had a teacher who was a retired police officer, and he encouraged me to join as a police cadet. From there onwards, it fuelled my passion to want to join full-time. I can’t think of a more varied job that gives you the opportunity to have a real positive impact on communities.
“Every time you book on shift, you never know what you’ll face. The excitement, challenges and satisfaction you gain is immense. I’m really looking forward to what the rest of my career brings.”
Mason was among 20 new PCs in yesterday’s passing out parade, held at Nottinghamshire Police’s Arnold headquarters.
The cohort trainer, Oliver Pate, said it was a really impressive group.
He said: “They’ve all performed very well throughout the training and have been very supportive of each other. That was great to see and the results have really shone through.
“It’s a very diverse cohort in terms of ages – the youngest is 19 and the oldest 42. There’s a good mix of experiences as well. There’s an ex-firefighter, ex-prison officers, ex-detention officers and ex-Specials – so a really good mix.”
Nottinghamshire Police welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds who can demonstrate how they inspire and influence those around them; are courageous and show compassion to others, who respect race and diversity and treat people with dignity and respect at all times.
