Leicestershire’s first Somali police officer talks about TV appearance

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Friday November 4, 2022

As the first Somalian officer for Leicestershire Police, Mr Ahmed, 27, hopes that his appearance on the show will encourage more people from the community to consider a career in policing.

“One of my desires and wishes personally – is for people to watch it and think, ‘do you know what, if he can do it, why can’t I? He’s enjoying it, he’s loving it, and I do genuinely enjoy the work and the job that I do,” he told Pukaar News.

“Hopefully they can see that aspect of it and we can get more people, particularly from the BME communities, to say ‘well actually why don’t I give it a shot and see how it goes?’

“That’s very important because policing needs to reflect the communities and people that we serve.”

Mr Ahmed originally joined Leicestershire Police as a Special Constable back in 2015. In 2017 he became a police constable, and is currently only a few months into his new role as a Sergeant in the Force.

“I just love the fact that you come in, you don’t know what you’re going to deal with it. I just really enjoy that aspect of policing,” he said.

“It’s a difficult job but I think that show captures it quite well.”

He is credited as being the first Somalian police officer to join the force.

However, he now works alongside two others from his heritage.

“Initially when I first joined back in 2015, there was just me, which is a shame really, because the Somali community have been in Leicester since the early 2000s,” he revealed.

“The fact that we didn’t have anyone in the organisation representing the community, was a bit of a shame. However, numbers are steadily increasing, and since I joined two more Somalian officers have joined as well, so we’re steadily getting there with baby steps. Hopefully it will get better and better as the years go on.”

Alongside Mr Ahmed, ‘Fresh Cops’ also features two other officers from Leicestershire Police – 25-year-old Jake Bull, and Khadeejah Mansur, 23, who is the first front-line police officer to wear the hijab.

Producers filmed the officers intensely over a period of a-month, rigging police cars out with cameras and following them as they carried out their day-to-day duties.

“Initially, it was quite obviously they were there, but after the first/second week you kind of got used to it. By the third and fourth week, it was just like ‘cool’ – you didn’t even notice – I was just cracking on with the task at hand, and dealing with everything that I had to deal with,” revealed Mr Ahmed.

“When I first signed up as a special constable in 2015, it never crossed my mind that I’d end up on TV – no way!

“A few people recognise me when I’m out and about on the beat – people ask for photos and that… and it’s a good ice-breaker really, and I use it to my advantage in that sense and it kind of eases everybody,” he added.

Asked what the reaction has been to his TV appearance, Mr Ahmed said that it had been “great” so far.

“A lot of people have commented on how good the show is,” he said.

“Everybody’s been very complimentary.

“Naturally a few friends have taken the mick out of me, but ultimately it was a good positive response and I think they’ve got a good insight into what I do,” he added.

“From an inside perspective, I think the show captures it quite well. In terms of the things that we deal with, and also the emotional rollercoaster that some of my colleagues were able to demonstrate on the show.”

Fresh Cops is available to view on BBC at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0d0b15v/fresh-cops-series-1-episode-1

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