Posing proudly in their police uniforms, identical twins Amy and Emma McMillan are difficult to tell apart.
But the 35-year-olds vowed to make a difference in the fight against crime after joining Nottinghamshire Police.
Both had been working as company directors and had been volunteering as special constables, but decided to make a change after losing their dad to ill health.
“Throughout dad’s illness we had been exposed to so many amazing people who had dedicated their lives to helping other people, and that was something that really appealed to us,” explained Emma.
“So, when he died, we both decided that we would have a complete change in our lives and do something that would help other people.”
Amy and Emma officially became police officers on Thursday after completing their training and passing out at a special parade at the force’s Arnold headquarters, with proud families watching on.
It was a particularly special occasion as Line of Duty star Vicky McClure and her fiancé Jonny Owen were in attendance, having been invited to open the new impressive multi-million pound joint police and fire facility.
The collaborative £18.5 million three-storey building contains shared office space, a training school, conference rooms, a new police-control room, a sports hall, gymnasium and canteen.
Amy said it was an exciting time to be joining the force.
She said: “Nottinghamshire Police have been really amazing for us. They have done so much to accommodate us and to get us on the same training cohort, and I can honestly say that the last 19 weeks of training have been genuinely life changing for both of us.
“Obviously policing can be a dangerous job and we are both a both nervous to some extent, but the training we have had and the people we have met along the way have just given us so much confidence for the future.
“Throughout training we were concerned that one of us would not get through so to pass out together is a fantastic feeling. Our mum is here today to support us and she is very proud of what we have achieved.”
It was the latest in a string of passing out parades at the force’s Arnold headquarters, with officer ranks in Nottinghamshire now at their highest levels in over a decade as part of the national Uplift.
The Uplift programme has also led to the force becoming one of the most representative in the country – with a more diverse group of officers more accurately reflecting the communities they serve.
The force is also proud to that over half of its new recruits over the past financial year have been women.
Nottinghamshire Chief Constable Craig Guildford said: “I’m very pleased that we made such significant strides in becoming more representative of the communities we serve as part of the Uplift programme.
“We now have more female officers than ever before and the Uplift programme has helped us become one of the most representative forces nationally.
“This is important from an operational and an organisational perspective. Having an increasingly diverse team of highly competent individuals enables us to better understand all of the communities we serve and to deliver the very best service to all.
“I hope we can now use this as a platform to encourage the next generation to come forward and be proud to serve alongside us.”
Nottinghamshire Police is seeking individuals with outstanding talent and skills to ensure that we are both representative of and are able to deliver excellent services to our community.
If you are enthusiastic, innovative and are motivated to work in public service please submit your CV along with a covering letter indicating your preferred work area to recruitment@Notts.Police.uk and we will look to match your skills with available opportunities.
Our current vacancies can be found at: Careers | Nottinghamshire Police
