When I Grow Up

We all remember the playground chat of what we what to be “when we grow up”, and now an award-winning student named Bea Moore from the University of Worcester has launched a children’s book, with the tale of one girl’s discovery (spoiler alert) that she wants to be police officer. 

It has been partially funded by Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion, with help from a Bursary from Ombersley Conservation Trust, and with support from the University of Worcester and West Mercia Police.

‘When I Grow Up’

The book revolves around a young child named Alex, who is thinking about what she wants to do when she is older. Alex is determined that whatever she ends up doing, she can help people in need. After the police come to her school one day to do a talk with mascots Pips and Peeler, Alex is inspired to become a police officer and is later able to re-visit her school to show children just like her that they can help people in need and become anything they want to be.

Bea, said: “Working on this project has been phenomenal. It’s been an experience that has taught me so much, and I am thankful that not only have I been able to do something of this scale so early on in my career, but that I’ve also been able to advocate such a worthwhile and meaningful cause.”

West Mercia Police youth engagement mascots Pips and Peeler

The Importance of Representation

The themes of the book touch upon representation, and young people of black and minority ethnic backgrounds being able to see themselves as police officers - with Alex re-visiting her old school as an experienced police officer to inspire young people who look like her to join the police.

As a police service, we are committed to being representative on the individuals we serve, which means we have a duty to attract individuals from all different backgrounds and experiences.

When asked what inspired her to start the book, Bea said: “It comes from not being able to see representation of young black and minority ethnic people as police officers. Representation is so important for young people and if just one person is inspired by the book to join the police, then that is all I want.”