Public Services student secures dream job with the police

17th October 2018

Tomas Gregor studied public services at Leeds City College to pursue his dreams of working in the police force. His hard work and volunteering paid off, resulting in a job as a special constable. We caught up with his to find out more.

Tell us about the voluntary work you have done.

I was one of the first few volunteers who helped set up CATCH, a charity that runs a community centre and provides activities for young people in Harehills.

I met PC Ash Razzaq who told me his vision and the purpose of CATCH, which was to help young people and create hope. That’s why I decided to get involved and help where I could.

Tomas Gregor

Have you always been interested in the police force?

Since I was a child, I always dreamed about becoming a police officer. When I moved to the UK with my family in 2005, I lost that dream due to the language barrier. However, a few years later when I was looking at college options, I decided to re-ignite my ambitions and study public services.

The reason I have always wanted to become a police officer is because the job is very interesting and every day is different. More importantly, it doesn’t matter what you’re working on, whether it’s traffic offences or crime, because in some shape or form you’re contributing towards making the world a safer or better place.

As a special constable, I am warranted with the same powers and duties as my colleagues, which comes with great responsibility.

How has Leeds City College helped you on your journey?

When I started studying at Leeds City College, I had no knowledge about UK police, the British army and the fire and rescue services. Half way through the course, I realised how much I had learned. My knowledge about every public service had significantly improved.

My tutor Paul Bastow, also provided me with the best advice for what I should be doing in my free time, such as gaining work experience through voluntary opportunities in the community or volunteering for the police directly. Without this advice, I would have not met PC Razzaq or started my journey with CATCH. Leeds City College has definitely supported my career path, which I’m grateful for and I have been given lots of advice which has supported me in many different ways. On top of this, I really enjoyed getting all the practical experience.

What’s next for you?

It’s great to receive support, advice and guidance, but ultimately, you can’t succeed without commitment, perseverance and dedication. Without all the voluntary work that I have done and the work I have put into my course, I probably wouldn’t be where I am now.

In the future, I would like to be become a constable officer and eventually join the traffic or armed response unit.

Leeds City College