'Do something you love' departing Thames Valley Police Chief Constable tells Aylesbury cadets

Soon-to-retire Thames Valley Police Chief Constable John Campbell has shared the secrets of his long career with current cadets in Aylesbury.

He spoke to the aspiring police officers at a special event ahead of his retirement after 35 years on the force.

Chief Constable Campbell started his career as a cadet himself and discussed his rise with young people who may want to emulate his career.

He said: “Whether or not you joined the police, do something that you love as a job.

"It’s a long time to do a job in life, if you don’t love it, and the one thing about policing is, and I don’t think it’s just me, people who are police officers genuinely love their work.

"There’s ups and downs, because it can be pretty tricky policing and it's hard work and not everyone loves the police and they’re very unfair on us, but do something you love because if you can get paid for doing something you love well, that’s a pretty good place to be.”

Next month Jason Hogg will take over the top job in the police force when Chief Constable Campbell steps down for good. Mr Hogg has been Deputy Chief Constable for Thames Valley since 2019.

Chief Constable Campbell was talking to young cadets in Aylesbury to give the potential next generation of officers an idea as to what the job entailed.

He received questions varying from requests for career advice, to probes about how many donuts police officers eat, and comments on everything in between.

Chief Constable Campbell is perfectly placed to inspire as his journey to the top role started when he became a cadet 35 years ago.

He added: “I don’t think I’d change anything, from a personal point of view. I’ve been very lucky.

"I have worked in three police forces, which has been fabulous.

"I’ve met some amazing people. I have been lucky enough to have different types of jobs, within the police force. I’ve done uniform, and been a detective and done some counter terrorism stuff and some uniform operations. So I’ve been very fortunate in that respect.”