"I swapped the airforce for the police force."

PC Tom Massey, from Doncaster  joined South Yorkshire Police as a Police Constable Degree Apprentice last year, after working as an Air and Space Specialist with the Royal Air Force. Tom always wanted to join the police to help local communities. 

“I thought about joining the police because I wanted a job that requires you to be both proactive and reactive in any situation. 

“I really enjoy the role, you don’t know what the day will have in store when you start your shift and I love helping local people. 

“Every day is different – from searching for a missing person to attending the scene of a collision.” 

A Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship is a route into policing that offers on-the-job learning alongside academic theory at uni, and you earn a wage. Tom is currently a response police officer on the frontline in Doncaster whilst he completes his apprenticeship, when he’s finished he’ll come away with a degree. 

“It’s a case of jumping into the deep end. It’s not all about attending different incidents and there’s still paperwork and investigative work to do, but it’s about getting stuck in.”