Mike Steed joined College in 2019 having served in both the RAF for six years and the police for 26 years. He has also worked with National Star, a charity that supports young people with learning difficulties. He is well suited to his role as he has a coach license and also completed advanced driving courses in his time with the police.

What do you do in your free time?
I have a 10-month-old granddaughter who takes up a lot of my time. I’m also a bit of a car enthusiast and spend a lot of my time washing and polishing cars.

What are some of the challenges you have faced in the RAF and the police?
You have to be equipped to deal with the horrible sights and experiences that come with the job. I was quite lucky in that, once I shut my locker, I could say ‘that was that’. You can’t take your work home with you. You have to be able to encounter something and then move on without letting it drag you down. You also have to be able to deal with the pressure of multiple tasks and juggling different responsibilities without letting your work suffer.

What are some of your career highlights?
In the RAF I was part of the musical division and had the privilege of playing the french horn in the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Durning my tenure in the police, I completed my advanced car course which was important to me. It’s quite a difficult thing to complete and few people manage it.

Why did you join the police?
It was the natural progression for me after I got married, and started thinking about having a family, and things like that. We didn’t want to continue with the military lifestyle, so I transferred out.

What have you learned from the military?
You don’t need to go in with all guns blazing and it’s best to keep your cool, finding the best way forward. These are skills that help in both the police and the military.

Steve Dempsey joined us five years ago, after leaving his job working for the Border Force. Prior to that, he served in the army for six years and was a police officer for 30 years during which time he took an advanced driving course and firearms training.

What do you do in your free time?
In my downtime I like to cycle, run, and walk on moors and highlands. I’m also a grandfather to three and have recently been told that there’s another one on the way.

How important is duty to police work?
It’s extremely important. You must just get on with it and carry on, no matter what is thrown at you and whatever challenges come your way.

This sense of ‘getting on with it’, where did it come from?
I think it came from the military. You are given a task, and you try to finish it properly and quickly before moving on.

What are some of the highlights from your different careers?
For the army, I thoroughly enjoyed it, the only thing I didn’t like was that the higher up you progressed, the further away you got from the field. One specific thing was passing my PTI (physical training instructor) course. It was quite a full-on course but after that I could officiate and help the others in my squadron. I also got my HGV license and motorbike license, both of which I’m proud to have.

On the police side, I was able to intervene where someone was severely injured; one casualty’s windpipe had collapsed before the ambulance arrived, so I had to support him until assistance arrived. During my service I was proud to receive three Commendations.

Why did you join the military/police force?
I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and then it just seemed the right career for me. My mother was a telephonist for the police, so I frequently met officers and sergeants growing up. It seemed like the natural move after I left the military.

What have you learned from the military?
Be patient. You won’t always get results the first time around, so keep trying, go again, and keep focused on your goals.