It's moments like that where I think, 'that's why I joined'

Inspector Ashley Price: I remember this old lady approaching me to say that she's lost her handbag. She was in tears, and we had a little look around, went through the shops where she'd been, not found it, and she wasn't fussed about her keys, or money, or her credit card, she was more fussed about a little tiny picture, of her husband, that she had in her purse, and that's what made it a bit more unique for me was, that's so sad. I made it my mission to just have a look around the shops, ask any lost property, and a purse was found and as I opened it, all the money was there, the cards were there, keys were there, and the photograph of her deceased husband was there as well. It makes me go a little bit tingly now. When I took the handbag back around to her house, all she done was just cuddle me, crying, and then was holding the picture. There's moments like that, we think, ‘that's why I joined’, just to help a minor incident as such, but such an impact. [Music]

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - Welcome to More than the Badge, a Kent Police podcast. My name is Kulbir Pasricha, I'm a community engagement and relations manager and I will be your host today. Today's episode is with Inspector Ashley Price. Ashley has been a police officer for 23 years and he's currently working on a local policing team in east division. Welcome to the podcast Ashley.

Inspector Ashley Price: Thank you.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - Would you like me to call you Ashley or Ash?

Inspector Ashley Price: Ash is fine, absolutely fine.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - 23 years in policing.

Inspector Ashley Price: Wow!

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - What an amazing time and duration you've stayed with the force. So, tell me a bit more about what inspired you to join Kent Police, and what encouraged you to even think of it as a career.

Inspector Ashley Price: For a start I have no idea where these 23 years have gone. Completely amazing time throughout but, I think, I've always wanted to be a police officer, I thought, and then when I was probably 15, 16; GCSE years, what do I do, what do I do, I'm not quite sure, and then there was a public service course which was catering for police, fire, ambulance and army which I thought ‘you know what, I'll do that for a couple of years. and just see if it is going to be the police or it could be another service’. So done that for two and a half years, and then got the taste of it by joining the specials, the Special Constabulary, which was absolutely brilliant, because it enabled me to join as a police officer, in a volunteer role, and just get the taste to see if I really wanted to do it, and I was hooked. Absolutely loved it! So, after my college course, applied, and then was quite successful, and that was 25 years now ‘cause I was a special constable for two and a bit years.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - Just shows that you can do that voluntary bit first to see if it's right for you, and that's what you did…

Inspector Ashley Price: Absolutely.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - as your chosen route.

Inspector Ashley Price: Absolutely, and even now anyone thinking about joining the police, I would really highly recommend to join the Special Constabulary, because we're always recruiting, just to see if you like it, and it may well be yes or no, or you might stay as a career special constable and not leave, it's up to you, but that that was real good taste for me all those years ago, really good.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - So, just tell us about just how your career has evolved over the years. What have you done?

Inspector Ashley Price: So, everyone starts as a police constable. So, I was lucky enough to have a fantastic team at Dover, that's where my probation period was, and then you start learning really early on, of your team, your team's so important to you, and it's a bit like a family, it was a really good team at Dover. So much, so that I was there for about eight years. Eight years that was frontline policing, [clears throat] that was all the 999 calls and accidents and fights and shoplifters and all sorts of weird and wonderful things that front line officers deal with, and that was at Dover, and then I moved across to Deal, which is a bit more of a closer family because there was less officers there, due to the geographics of it, and I was there for a number of years before I then decided, I need a bit of a change. and then I side stepped into neighbourhood policing, and it was quite an early on, to have neighbourhood police officers back in 2009, and I was a beat officer for Dover Town Centre, which was quite an honour really because it was just me, so I was aware that I was the face of Kent Police for Dover town, with all the cruise ships coming in and people wanting your picture ‘cause they see the top hat and the shirt and tie and sometimes that's the first time they see a British copper. So, that was quite an honour to be a beat officer for Dover town, and then I moved across to Training.

So, I was on a tutor unit for five years, to train new officers, new staff, everyone came through our department and that was really good to actually train new officers of all what I've learnt and share that knowledge and experience to new officers. Then, from there decided to get promoted to sergeant, and I was promoted to Ashford to where I was able to run a team, which is really exciting, brilliant team at Ashford, and then after seven years decided to get promoted to inspector, and I've been an inspector now for nearly two years, and throughout my journey, I've absolutely loved it, there's not been one regret, there's not been anything that I've seen I'm not happy with. All throughout has been a really good team, and a really good organisation to work with. Brilliant.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - What would you draw out from your experience as a neighbourhood officer that you can see now ‘cause we've got to learn as we evolve in policing as well.

Inspector Ashley Price: I think you just hit the nail on the head. It is actually being seen, it’s that visible presence even while walking around the town, people would come up to me and say ‘it's nice to see you’ and that was actually quite nice to hear because some people don't like to see the police for whatever reason, but a majority of people do, and it's nice that people take that time to walk up to you to say ‘it's nice to see you’ and I felt that quite humbling to actually hear that several times a day, while being visible, and that made me want to be visible even more, to have that experience and interaction with the people.

I think being a town centre officer is that the, your, the people you police are visitors, so they come from all around Kent to come to Dover, the various shops etc and the visitors which come through the busy port. So, it was quite an honour to work there, I really liked it, and I think if you ask any beat officer now, they enjoy the interaction with people, that I think sometimes we lose, when you're in a car, you're not approachable, and by seeing a cop walking around, people get that sense of ‘I feel a bit safer’ which is quite nice.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - That's great actually because being at the gateway to Europe, you see many people, like you say transient community as well as local residents, but also, its people don't have to come to you with problems, it might just be a ‘hello’ and saying ‘good morning’ to you, so that’s….

Inspector Ashley Price: Brilliant, it was.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - So that's really great, thank you. What would you say your aspirations are for the future?

Inspector Ashley Price: Aspirations. The good thing about working for a police organisation, is that there's, many jobs within the job, and it's encouraged to, sidestep into different roles. It’s encouraged to look at developing yourself, and that's quite, a really good thing to have, so if you fancy a change, you can have a change. I've recently changed my role now to Citizens in Policing. So, my job role would be working alongside the Special Constabulary, which I touched on earlier, almost a bit like full circle, in a weird way that I've been working with the fantastic volunteers, which volunteer their time to work with the police, the police cadets, which is really good to get some young volunteers. I was an army, an army cadet myself, that was brilliant, and also working with volunteer PCSOs (Police Community Support Officers) and people that would like to work in the community, so, if you have perhaps a dog or horse, we're looking at those opportunities to work alongside us as well.

I always quite like to have a three-to-five-year plan.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - Yeah [nodding]

Inspector Ashley Price: So that plan is not yet thought of, but perhaps maybe promotion again.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - So, a few years ago, you were also covering a discretionary role around, stop and search lead for east division. Do you just want to explain a little bit more about that, because that's a topical subject, and it's discretionary. Just your experiences and the importance of it.

Inspector Ashley Price: It's a topical subject and quite right too.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - Yeah.

Inspector Ashley Price: So, my role was, I was the Stop Search Ambassador for the east division of Kent, and what that extra role meant was that I was to review, officers body worn video, and stop searches, to make sure we are doing things correctly, and if there's any learning which is deemed from it, which I, thought so, then that would occur, and also the wider picture of liaising with yourself, when we work together, was to, integrate the training, in case there was any training, and I have to say we were actually very good, at the stop search procedures, the paperwork, what goes with it what officers should say. We're actually very good, and that made me really proud, and I was quite proud to take on the extra role and then feed to you, to say what we've done [coughing].

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - and I think importantly, so we're not seen as marking our own homework, we also work together in that independent Stop and Search Panel which has now evolved in Independent Policing Powers Panel, which is chaired independently as well. Independence very, very key, especially if you want to, that around legitimacy, to get that community trust and confidence. Like you say there was some positives and there's learning, it's very important we learn from those aspects as well. Are there any other roles, discretionary roles, that you've undertaken, or you are undertaking at the moment to give people a flavour of what's out there?

Inspector Ashley Price: I didn't expect for one moment, that I’d be a lead to, move our Memorial Gardens from our old headquarters to where we're sat now [Kent Police Training College], and that was a discretionary effort to run a small team of people, to look at different varieties of the Memorial Gardens, what it should look like, should we have this, should we have that, and that was a brilliant few months. Which again I looked at our ‘Develop You*’ opportunities to see what's out there. I didn't expect for one moment to create what we've created for our fallen officers and staff, brilliant, and that was a really good legacy to have, which I didn't think in a million years of doing anything like that.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - It's definitely made a huge difference, and an impact, as you say on those colleagues, of those fallen officers, and where people can come and sit down and just reflect, so it's made that difference and that is a legacy in itself, so, thank you.

Are there any aspects around the voluntary work or discretionary work that you want to mention?

Inspector Ashley Price: If I cast my mind back 23 years ago, there was very little in terms of support groups. When I look back, probably there was one or two support groups which you didn't really know much about, and you didn't really want to be part of it. Now, there's a huge bunch of support groups run by people that have that discretionary effort. So, for example we've got the Armed Forces Group, we've got the Circle of Parents, these are groups that I've dialled in on behalf of my staff just so I can ask questions about, what mothers go through, and what they're entitled to have and do in the organisation. So, me as a manager, can be armed with that information, and all these groups are run by discretionary effort officers and staff. Without those people doing that and wanting to do that, the support groups won't survive and maybe struggle, I think. So, it's brilliant to have these support groups we can pick up the phone and ask any question about various variety of things that people, experience inside the organisation and outside, brilliant.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - Getting on to you know, you're not a police officer 24/7, in terms of you do have a life outside work. So, how do you manage your work and life and your home life balance, how do you get that balance?

Inspector Ashley Price: It's a very good question because sometimes it’s very hard to get the balance. I don't think it's a job where you can just switch off at 5 o’clock and drive home and that's it. My staff know that my phone's always on, for that added support, should they have anything to talk to off duty, but it's important to have perhaps hobbies.

I love cycling, I want to start getting back into the gym again, and to have your family that understand what you do, so you can talk to your family, explain what you've dealt with today or yesterday or what's coming up, I think it's so important to have that support network, and for people that don't have that, maybe they have a small family or, family live away, your work colleagues are also your family as well, and that's so important because I always describe our job as, it's not a job it's a way of life, and our family are also our team, which we work with and I've worked with many teams over the years and I quite happily pick up the phone to any one of the people which I've worked with, and if I need to have a confidential chat I shall, and I think that's brilliant to have that throughout anyone's career. You can pick up the phone to anyone you work with, and it, whether it's a laugh or cry it's always going to be there, and also I think most importantly is that when you leave the police service, your family continues, and I know many officers which have retired years ago, which I'm in contact with still and again if I want to pick up the phone have a laugh and cry and vice versa, that's such a unique thing to have throughout, but the work life balance is important I think to switch off. It's ever so easy to do long hours, work overtime and not switch off which I think is good for your own mental health as well.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - and that's part of our culture, where we always say you must have a work life balance so, even though we love the jobs or passionate about doing the right thing however, when your shift has finished, sometimes you need that wind down, and I think you're absolutely right, is you by the way, is the person you are, where you don't mind people ringing you out of those hours but, just to reassure that actually it's okay to get that phone switched off and then….

Inspector Ashley Price: Absolutely, it’s important.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - you in your own time with friends, family or doing what you want to do.

You mentioned cycling, absolutely amazing, a good way to keep fit but also, just to relax and to, just be doing something you enjoy, something you enjoy every day, and I think Kent Police having that number of networks to reach out to, is important. So, that culture of supporting our colleagues, is always there. Even outside of work you've got people you can ring up, and I think that part of it, it's good to stay connected. So, and you've obviously found that to be very effective for yourself.

Inspector Ashley Price: It's important, because if an officer's done 30 odd year service, and we're part of the family, I think it's very hard just to close the door, that's it, thanks very much. It's important to continue that for their own mental health as well as our own to keep in touch, and in this day and age we've got all sorts of technology to do that, but it's important I think, very much so and holidays as well…

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – Absolutely.

Inspector Ashley Price: Far more important.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - Something to look forward to, but also …

Inspector Ashley Price: Absolutely.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - yeah, you when you book a holiday you come back to work, it's the same as like you know people out in the public thinking ‘okay I'm going to have a holiday’ you come back, you look for, you try and book your next one, doesn't have to be extravagant, it could just be a few days off, sitting in the park, whatever it is, but it's just time away for you, to do things that you want to do as well.

We talked about support, and the importance of it because, it is okay not to be okay, but importance is about reaching out when we need to, and you'll find, you've already explained, how much support there is. What about wider organisational support, and also within teams so, what's your experience of this so far?

Inspector Ashley Price: So, with managing staff, I think it's quite important to see if someone's struggling and see the signs and the symptoms for that. We have a brilliant support network where if an officer goes to a lot of traumatic incidents, it's flagged up to us to say they might need a a cup of tea and a chat, and there's wider help available for them in our own organisation with our fantastic Occupational Health Department, as well as our own doctors outside of work.

I haven't had the need, thankfully, at the moment, to have that support, but I know it's there, and I know everyone speaks brilliantly of it, so there's that support, and I think as a manager, it's important to recognise if someone's struggling, and just have that five minute conversation with them to make sure they're okay, and as you touched on, it's okay not to be okay, and I think we're quite open to that now where, people speak up now. Again 23 years ago, probably people didn't, and you kind of put on a brave face, when home thinking about stuff and dealt with it in your own way, but thankfully we've got those mechanisms now, and I think our organisation needs that, and we've got a brilliant support network where, someone can pick up the phone any time and it's there.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - You've mentioned it, it’s again around the culture as well, and like you say, that if someone needs support, extra support because we all don't learn and develop in the same time-frames, you know that you have that opportunity to sit down with them and see, so it could be they’re dyslexic, may need workplace adjustments, or maybe a carer, so you can make those adjustments so they can be their best as well, and that's really helpful to know, and then of course, the one area I'd also want to ask you then is, in emergency services, as in the police service, there will be times when you're assaulted, abused or a victim of a hate crime which is absolutely not part of the role, and we have a zero tolerance to that. How have you found your experiences in that and the support you've got afterwards?

Inspector Ashley Price: Zero tolerance absolutely, yes, definitely.

An officer or member of police staff, PCSO, should not be assaulted while they're doing their duty, totally agree to that. The mechanisms we have, is that the court system, has been on board with us for a number of years, and successful prosecutions have occurred, when officers have been assaulted. It's not nice to be spat at, grabbed around the throat, kicked in the head, which I've had, it's horrible when you're trying to do a job, so to have that support with the court system, have the support with my line managers, and my team, is absolutely brilliant and, we all kind of look after each other.

An officer of mine got spat at a couple weeks ago, horrible, and I made sure she went to hospital, had the necessary checks done, welfare, because there's nothing worse perhaps going home thinking ‘have I got this, have I got that, did it go in my eye and my mouth’, but she, thankfully she's fine, but it's that support of making sure a phone call here and there, taking her to one side, is everything okay, I suppose there's nothing worse thinking about it and taking it home with you and getting yourself down over something like that, but the courts have been on board with us really, really well, and there's been many successful prosecutions for assaulting police officers and police staff, and quite right too.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - Absolutely, you're right there, and you know you mention about support, we've got the personal care plan, we've got the chief constable supporting, that community impact statement, that help with those early timely prosecutions, we've got evidence-led prosecutions as well, so, absolutely right, it's not part of the job and we will support our colleagues in that area as well.

So, one of the other things we're very unique in Kent, is that we're one of three, four forces where we have a physiotherapist, so we can self-refer as well. So, that's very unique, and it's very important in terms of prevention as well as treating any musculoskeletal or other injuries as officers get injured through work. Is that something you've had to experience accessing?

Inspector Ashley Price: I've had to do it myself, for a number of reasons many years ago, and it was a very quick, easy system to do. I think if it was complicated, no one would bother would they, but because it's very easy, to self-refer and not have the stigma of it too, to say ‘look, I think something's up, let's have a chat about it, let's refer myself’ and that's been really good, really. I've never heard a bad thing about any self-referrals where it's there, and every force should do it. Let's face it, this is the, 2024, every force should have a self-refer network whether it's a 24-hour phone line, I know the ambulance service do. Why don't we do it in every single county, for those officers that just need that help.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha - and we're definitely leading the way on it, because even during Covid, we actually, the physiotherapist took this on to online, so people could be supported, whilst they're working at home, and I know emergency services, police officers were still out there, we still had to provide that service.

Can you remember a poignant moment with during Covid, with the role you're doing and how challenging it got for you, bearing in mind you're then going home, the thoughts that were going through your mind.

Inspector Ashley Price: Absolutely. So, we, let's face it we didn't really know what Covid was did we. Other than what you see on the media, a lot of people are sadly dying, getting ill, and it really made you think ‘hang on a minute, I'm in a vulnerable position here’ because quite rightly we carried on our business 24 hours dealing with criminals, and I remember going around someone's house with my team, and she said she had Covid, and we didn't, none of us had been with anyone that's had Covid before so, we were quite good at having masks and gloves, but it really made you think ‘hang on a minute, I've been breathing the air in here’, and I contacted our Occupational Health Department to say ‘look we potentially may have been exposed to Covid here’ and, through various questions we were quite happy that actually we had not been exposed to it, but I remember going home thinking ‘have I got a cough coming, and I'm hot’ and these were the early on days, where we didn't know anything about it and it was quite scary really, when it was business as usual, people still needed to be arrested, people still need to be visited in their homes, maybe they're vulnerable, and we are and also vice versa, we could be exposing other people to that, so we were very good at having masks, gloves, aprons, and there was a lot of communication out about what we can and can't do, which is quite reassuring, quite early. So, we were very good at really early to tackle that, but like you say I remember going home several times thinking ‘maybe I don't feel well’ and then you think to yourself ‘have I got Covid?’ then you've got the bubbles to think about with your family, and your friends, and very difficult time for everybody, of course, but I think it's just something else to think about when you go to work.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – Yeah, what dangers or what it, what you're being exposed to, but as you say communication was key, so making sure that, our own policing community knew how to, what risk assessments, but making sure you have the right equipment, the tools and what you've been exposed to, but as you say would have been scary…

Inspector Ashley Price: Yes, definitely

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – but also the support that was given to colleagues at the end of their shifts, was absolutely, paramount.

Inspector Ashley Price: and as a manager I had to make sure my staff are fine, and just make sure those comms are put out to everybody.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – Absolutely, because when you go. when you leave work and you're going home, you are thinking about the wider friends, family that you're then engaging with as well and being with, …

Inspector Ashley Price: Absolutely.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – but definitely a time in our history and one which was, it's been life-changing for everybody really, really has been.

Inspector Ashley Price: Let's hope not repeated.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – Yeah, we've talked about different moments in your career actually, but is there a particular moment in your career that stays with you?

Inspector Ashley Price: Yes, and this was when I was a beat officer for Dover. So, as you can imagine walking around, engaging with people, dealing with any issues and problems that arise, and I distinctively remember this old lady approaching me to say that she's lost her handbag. She was in tears, and we had a little look around, went through the shops where she'd been, not found it; tears, and she wasn't fussed about her keys or money or her credit card, she was more fussed about a little tiny picture of her husband, that she had in her purse, and that's what made it a bit more unique for me was, that's so sad that she lost her purse.

So, over the next few days, I managed to find the purse in a shop. I made it my mission to just have a look around the shops, ask any lost property, and the purse was found, and as I opened it, all the money was there, the cards were there, keys were there, and the photograph of her deceased husband was there as well. So, it makes me go a little bit tingly now, when I took the handbag back around to her house to say that I found it, and all she done was just cuddle me, crying, and then was holding the picture of her deceased husband, and it's moments like that we think ‘that's why I joined’ just to help, you know, a minor incident as such, but such an impact, that I wanted to make it my mission to find that handbag, and deliver the contents of course, but the photograph that she kept telling me that this is really sad, and you know he passed away five, six years ago, and that's all she had, was a little tiny picture.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – That's the humanity part of the role as well, like you say it's not like dealing with a shoplifting offence and you see it all the way through, this was somebody who approached you at their time of need, and you have not just checked on that day, you continued and continued. I felt it when you said it actually, [laughing] I was immersed in the experience, thinking ‘that would have been the, she will remember you’ she …

Inspector Ashley Price: Yeah and that's at the top of my list is, it's things like that and yeah it really makes you realise that's why you join an organisation, just to help people out, and like you say it's not always about car accidents and shoplifters, and fights and all that, it's the humanity side of it, because we are human, you know, and I was nearly crying with her, that's at the top of the list.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – Absolutely, reuniting someone with something so sentimental, and also reminds us as to why British policing leads the way across the globe.

So, just going to touch on a couple of other points of, how do you deal with emotional impact of specific cases that have come to you, that you've dealt with over the years? How do you manage your emotional impact on those cases?

Inspector Ashley Price: Very good question. I'm not a roughty [sic] tufty cop, that you know public order and shields and riots and, I'd rather not do that. If I have to do it, then I do, but I'm a little bit more sensitive in relation to dealing with people, and I quite like dealing with people, staff, members of the public.

I, there's been several times where, I've had a little cry to myself. So important, in the right environment. There's been a couple of times where I've delivered a death message, to people, and I’ve had a cry myself because of the circumstances with them. It's, although you got to maintain that professional, image and perhaps not be seen to cry, we are human, and it's probably worse to hold back the tears. In certain circumstances, appropriate of course, and that's the darkness of the job which we have to do is the death side of things, and the sadness that we have to deal with. We touched on Occupational Health, if you do feel a little bit, consumed by what you’ve seen and heard then you pick up the phone, of course, but we are human and it's okay to have a bit of a cry, whether it's at home, with your friends, family or if appropriate, with the people you're with.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – You've said that very well because you, there was the professional boundaries which we all know we adhere to, but actually we’re human at the end of the day as well.

Inspector Ashley Price: Absolutely, yes.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – So when it comes to even getting extra support, within our force, as other police service has as well, is the trauma, risk, incident management practitioners, and those practitioners, if they're been, if you've been exposed to something, which obviously is going to make a difference to you, so it could be a sudden death or, you're even given that message ,then actually you would have additional support there as well with those colleagues who are specifically trained in their discretionary roles…

Inspector Ashley Price: and I've been scared as well, there's been various instances where I've been really scared, where I've been shaking, but as a manager and a leader, you can't necessarily show that to your team, but afterwards it's fine, but again I'm human, just like everybody else, and I do have emotions, and there's been some things where, especially when it comes to weapons, where I've been scared and that's quite healthy, I think, to have those emotions and realise what you can and can't do, at that time.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – and like you said there's times when you don't speak to the team straight away, but you might speak to them afterwards. If it's a debrief, or if it is actually, it's okay as a senior officer as well, to say to other colleagues, it's okay to talk about this, to help you on your journey of knowing that we've just dealt with this difficult job and we're just sort of having that peer support but, …

Inspector Ashley Price: It’s like family again, isn’t it?

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – Yes, family and you said that at the beginning about policing family, and we spend a good chunk of our lives at work so therefore we want to make sure it's the best environment as possible and that culture of making sure we support each other, but also, provide the necessary skills and tools and everything else, to do the job as best as we can.

Has there been a moment in your career, where you've realised the risks that police officers undertake?

Inspector Ashley Price: I remember one specific incident that which happened to me personally, and that was, I think I pulled over a car, which happens every day, and this was out in the middle of nowhere and there was just me. I was on my own, and I think the car was driving a bit fast and, so me being nosy, I wanted to see what they're doing, and where they're off to. So, I pulled over the car and five people got out the car, straight away. I'm in the middle of nowhere and we had an old radio system back then with no GPS and the signal was a bit iffy, and I thought, a split second moment, I was very scared to think what are they going to do, and who are they, and where are they going, and the car was registered outside of Kent, but it's, the training kicked in, in relation to communication, which is key, I think if you can talk to someone, and not necessarily talk them down, but just have that eye to eye conversation with them, and explain what you're doing, the com, the situation was diffused very quickly, and I managed to ask people to get back in the car. They were very rude to me, of course, but at the end of the day, I was in charge of that situation then being a police officer, it's important to show that, that you're in charge, and I managed to do what I wanted to do was the checks of the vehicle, checks of the driver. Everything was fine, but it was that initial moment when I got back in the car of ‘anything could have happened then’, not necessarily to me, but to other officers, if other officers had had that situation, and yes while we do have protective equipment to look after ourselves, and in this day and age we've got Tasers and the like, it's all about communication, and I think that my training helped me do that.

Before I was quite shy joining the job, really shy and didn't really want to talk to people. I remember when I worked at Sainsburys and I had to use the Tannoy, I hated it because it was the spotlight was on me and I was all shy and shaking and, but over time you build the confidence, you build the trust in yourself, what you are capable of, and with something like that afterwards I felt I done good there, but that could have turned and analysed myself really and, why did I stand here, I should have stood there and all sorts of things which is good because again it's all about learning isn't it.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – You mention about how even your career has infused confidence in you as well, which is really interesting, and important. However, this particular situation that you've given an example of, shows that actually yeah, it's okay to be scared.

Inspector Ashley Price: Absolutely.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – You managed that situation by being able to communicate and listen to the situation. You managed exceptionally well then.

Inspector Ashley Price: That that could have turned the other way. It's sharing that experience as well, and when I was on the Tutor Unit, I could share those experiences and don't stand there, say this, say that type of thing, that's a really proud period of my career was to show the skills that I learnt over the years to newer offices, and I've seen those offices be tutors and learn what I've taught them, brilliant.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – Good that's great, it's all about leading others as well and empowering them so they can be their best as well, which you which is exactly what you're doing.

So, let me ask a few other questions now just knowing a bit more about you so, what would you go as your snack, whilst you're working, what's the go-to snack? [Laughing].

Inspector Ashley Price: Oh, I like my food, but it has to be, you don't really see them anymore Worcester sauce crisps.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – Oh okay.

Inspector Ashley Price: You don't really see them, do you?

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – No.

Inspector Ashley Price: but that's my taste for crisps, is Worcester sauce crisps. I, you know, I used to have bags of it, in my locker before, random isn't it, but that's the first thing I thought of.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – Good to know good to know, that aspect of it because you don’t see them no, but, yeah, I do remember, I still remember the flavour now that you mention it as well. [Laughing]

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Inspector Ashley Price: Oh, I would love to, so I like my holidays, and places to visit. I would love to teleport…

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – Okay.

Inspector Ashley Price: to perhaps, you know, really nice destinations, and holiday destinations, but also, I'm a little bit, I quite like history as well, to transport back in time and see where thing, you know, Canterbury Cathedral, how that's built, and where it was built and the Romans, and definitely to teleport and it's free isn't it.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – That's true, that's true. Very interesting though, that's for sure.

If you could have a celebrity on your shift, who would that be?

Inspector Ashley Price: Cor blimey, that's a really good question. I quite like the character of Luther, and I don't really watch policey (sic) dramas or anything like that, but I was hooked on his drama series.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – You know, you can imagine that, for a shift, and watch it and actually do, probably learn from whatever you want to take out from it.

Inspector Ashley Price: He would be learning from me [laughing].

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – he could learn from you, if there was an interaction together but if it's on the TV then obviously, you'll just listen and translate it into what you're doing at the moment professionally.

Inspector Ashley Price: It's a really good character, really good character…

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – but you can have fun, and work hard …

Inspector Ashley Price: Absolutely.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – and still do your job really well…

Inspector Ashley Price: and he does

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – and so do you don't you …

Inspector Ashley Price: absolutely.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – What's the one thing you would like the public to know about being a police officer?

Inspector Ashley Price: Another very good question. I'm Ash, I've got no other family members which are in the police, so I've not inherited family members joining the police. I'm just me, and I want to do a good job, and I think by me progressing through my career, getting promoted, I'm able to expand that a little bit wider to other police officers and police staff. I'm by no means, as I mentioned earlier, a bash down doors and abseiling out of windows, and all that kind of stuff, that the job has to do sometimes, I get that, but I would like to think that I'm a normal person, and when I meet people and explain what I do, they have that image in their head already and then when they say ‘oh, you don't look like a police officer, you don't act like a police officer’, which I actually quite like, because it's, we're own individuals aren't we, and as time goes on, we've got new members of staff coming in, different generation coming into the organisation now, which is brilliant, and everyone's unique, and that's what I like.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – So, you've really hit on some points there which, absolutely echoes the difference is our strength, and there isn't a ‘what does a police officer look like’. Actually people can shape that’ and come and join and make that difference themselves, but yeah, we draw under strengths, and we be creative and we be authentic don't we.

What advice would you give someone thinking about joining the police service?

Inspector Ashley Price: For a start it's a brilliant career, and I'm going to say that, of course, but the reason why it's brilliant is that you can do so much within it. Meet so many unique and different people, it is the uniqueness every single day, and you hear the cliche don't you every day is different, it certainly is, it certainly is. I didn't think a week ago I would be doing something like this with you.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – As you say, you've got police officers, you've got special constables, but we've also got police staff, where they don't have policing powers, but just such a variety of roles and volunteers. So, someone who's listened to you today and think ‘actually I might just want to volunteer and join the Independent Advisory Group and help police around, advising them around the policy process practices, which is very important, because we need independence in our thought processes as well, and it's, there's just such a variety.

Inspector Ashley Price: If you are thinking about it, I would absolutely just give it a go.

Community engagement and relations manager, Kulbir Pasricha – Life experience, yeah absolutely, you've said it in one. Life experience bring it across and make that difference.

Thank you for listening. If you've enjoyed this episode follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook and LinkedIn where we'll be posting previews of our upcoming episodes. You can watch this episode by subscribing to our YouTube channel and find out more about the variety of opportunities available by searching Kent Police careers see you soon. [Music].

* Develop You is a program that helps existing staff and officers find various development opportunities within Kent Police. Whether individuals want to improve their current skills or prepare for future career goals, Develop You offers tools that match personal and the organisation's needs.