Police Constable Emma Donbavand

A volunteer who joined Greater Manchester Police (GMP) as a Special Constable in 2020 swapped her role in HR at a bank to becoming one of the force's new recruit police officers on the frontline.

Emma Donbavand joined GMP's Special Constabulary to "dip her toe in the water" before making a decision to apply to become a full-time officer and, after the thousands of hours she's given to the force, she was accepted to become a police officer in December 2021.

Special Constables are part-time, voluntary police officers who have the same powers, uniform and equipment as regular officers and work alongside frontline officers as well as police staff to help make Greater Manchester a safer place to be.

The 22-year-old was working as a HR advisor for Natwest when she decided to become a Special Constable in June 2020. She wanted to do so many hours that she joined a response team of officers in Tameside - practically balancing two jobs voluntarily. Some of the her highlights include being promoted to a Specials Team Leader, assisting with the huge policing operation for Parklife 2021 and jumping into a river to save a man's life.

She said: "After joining and training as a Special Constable in June 2020, I did just over 2,250 voluntary hours. Sometimes I'd finish my day job at the bank at 5pm and go straight to work with one of the response teams in Tameside. I loved it and everyone in the district has made me feel so welcome."

Before becoming a HR advisor for a bank, Emma wanted to go into musical theatre but her dreams were shattered after she broke her leg in two places on a trampoline. She still manages to do some shows on the side though. 

She added: "When I joined the Specials, I quickly realised that no two jobs were the same and it's become an experience like no other. That's why I ended up applying to join as a full-time police officer."

Emma has joined GMP under the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship and is currently underway with her training.

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