Just For a Day

Posted at 11:04 am on 1st December, 2016

Year 11 student Soraya Holloway had the opportunity of a lifetime, as part of the Greater Manchester Police Children’s Commissioner’s Takeover Challenge to spend a day in the shoes of GMP Deputy Chief Constable Ian Pilling.

Soraya who is Head Cadet at Trafford Police Cadets and Lewis Hughes from Sale, joined DCC Ian Pilling for the day, watching how he makes important decisions for the Force and taking tips on what it takes to be a leader.

The two cadets shadowed the Deputy Chief Constable through meetings with the rest of the Chief Officer team at GMP, operational and planning groups and strategic briefings.

Deputy Chief Constable Ian Pilling said: “It’s been an honour to have Soraya and Lewis join me for the day and I hope it has been a valuable experience for them, as it has been for me.

“It’s crucial that we support our young people in any way that we can and encourage them to reach their potential - these two are already showing fantastic leadership qualities so it’s important that we cherish and nurture this to help continue to shape our future leaders.”

Soraya said: “The day really helped me step back and see just what goes in to running an organisation like GMP.

“It’s helped increase my knowledge of policing and has given me a snapshot of the different paths that people take to becoming leaders. It’s been a fantastic experience and I can’t wait to get back to the other cadets to tell them all about it.”

Julie Hazeldine Flixton Girls School (FGS) Headteacher commented: “Wow, what a fantastic opportunity and great work experience for Soraya. At FGS we aim to support all our students in work related skills and support the work of the GMP and Cadets.”