Constable Stewart

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Why did you join the Police Service?

I joined the Police Service of Northern Ireland in 2019.

I grew up with a strong police influence in my household and wanted to follow in the footsteps of my father.

As a young female I initially chose a career in teaching having completed a degree at University. However, I never felt truly fulfilled as I knew I wished to follow in my father’s footsteps as he is a true inspiration to me. However, my mother thought that this was a silly notion that I would forget about once I completed my degree. In all honestly my mum was just concerned about the safety of her little girl.

I made an agreement with my family that if I completed my degree and still felt strongly about joining the Police that I would have full support from my mum which was important to me. I would regularly chat to my dad on my way to university waiting for the day that I could apply to join the Police.

I always felt that policing was my true call in life. I have always wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone and challenge myself and, as they say, make a true lasting difference. I have always enjoyed helping people and supporting people at their most vulnerable times. I have always had a passion for working with the local community and inspiring others.

I want to inspire other young females and show that anything is possible if you work hard and challenge yourself. I want to show that being a police officer does not make you a superhero but it does mean you are a normal person, living a normal life, dealing with conflicting situations on a daily basis.

What do you enjoy most about your role as a Probationary Police Officer?

The most enjoyable part of the role as a probationary constable is working together as a team. I absolutely love working as a team and always have whether that be in sport, socially or in my profession.

As a probationary constable from the first day of training college to your first day in response you learn how to rely on one another and work as a team.

You will get to know one another inside out and learn that on the bad days there is always a listening ear to cheer you up. You will have good days, bad days, emotional days and days you want to throw the towel in but with your team behind you every step of the way it is a feeling like no other.

As a section in response you make mistakes but it is how you learn from them that makes you a better police officer. It’s ok to say to yourself “I don’t know the answer to that” but with the support of your section, sergeant and inspector you always work out the best course of action.

You will have good days, bad days, emotional days and days you want to throw the towel in but with your team behind you every step of the way it is a feeling like no other.

Constable Stewart , Police Service of Northern Ireland

What do you find most challenging?

The aspect that I find most challenging in policing is the constantly changing, rapid pace of the role as a response officer.

As a police officer you can be put in extremely challenging, conflicting environments. In dangerous situations when people are running away, as a police officer you are running directly into these environments.

You are constantly assessing the impact of your actions on your colleagues, members of the public and the image of the Police Service of Northern Ireland as one bad experience with a police officer can have an extremely negative impact on community confidence.

What do you hope to achieve in your career?

I hope to inspire other people to follow a career in the best, most rewarding job.

Yes, it can be a difficult and challenging role but that is what makes it the best career as you have an opportunity to touch people’s lives and support people at some of their lowest, most difficult times.

You experience things that most people will live a lifetime without experiencing.

On my first day as a student officer I went in as a nervous, unsure girl but I always had a smile on my face. Two years later this career has moulded me into the woman I am today. I still go into work with a smile and I hope I can continue to make a difference in people’s everyday lives.

I want to encourage any woman sitting at home that if you put your mind to something you can do it. I would encourage any female who doesn’t believe that they are strong enough or brave enough to join the profession that they can do it and they can make a significant difference in a diverse role where no two days are the same as a probationary constable.