Following in his grandfather’s footsteps: Jordan-born Abdullah Rafie becomes the third generation of his family to join the police
Abdullah is no stranger to policing, as both his father and grandfather worked as police officers in Jordan, giving it a deep-rooted place in everyday life growing up. However, up until recently he had never seriously considered becoming a police officer himself. After moving to the UK and completing a degree in Politics and International Relations at Bath University, he began a career in digital marketing. However, feeling dissatisfied with the corporate life and eager to make a change in society, Abdullah decided to look to policing.
Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership Programme begins with a seven-week training academy, before participants are deployed into their respective police forces across the country for the remainder of the two-year programme.
They will work as neighbourhood police officers and, alongside experienced colleagues, work to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, tackle complex issues within their communities, and improve public confidence in the police service. Participants also work towards their Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice, in partnership with Liverpool John Moore’s University.
Abdullah, who will join Thames Valley Police via the programme, is sharing his experience of the academy as he develops the core knowledge and skills required of a modern police constable. Read more below.
Police Constable Abdullah Rafie
“My attestation last Monday at Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership Programme academy marked the start of my journey into policing. We’ve had one week of the academy so far and for the remaining six weeks I’ll continue training alongside other new police constables before permanently joining Thames Valley Police.
“With my dad and grandfather being police officers in Jordan, I’ve always been surrounded by ‘police talk’, but I never thought I’d join them and become an officer myself. Instead, I decided to study my undergraduate degree in Finance and Risk Management in Jordan and went on to study my master’s degree in Bath.
“After a few years of working a corporate job, I decided to quit and pursue a career which I’m more passionate about. My master’s degree in politics has instilled within me a desire to make an impact in society and help others, and so when I came across Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership Programme whilst job-hunting, it instantly appealed to me. Both the message and structure of the programme chimed with my ambitions and hopes for a job, and so I quickly applied.
“When I initially started the Police Now academy, I felt a mixture of nervousness and excitement – nothing outside of what I expected. From day two onwards however, I found myself really enjoying the programme and my confidence has grown already. My ‘Syndicate Leads’ (Police Now academy tutors) are brilliant, and my colleagues have been very supportive.
“Overall, I’ve found this week incredibly rewarding and the core policing skills that I’ve read about in our pre academy curriculum – be it the procedures for conducting a lawful arrest or searching a vehicle – have really sunk in.”