Detective Nigel Doyle talks about re-joining policing with TVP

Detective Nigel Doyle talks about re-joining policing with TVP

After a career in policing, then cybersecurity, Nigel Doyle re-joined the police service as a Detective Constable (DC) in TVP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit. Ever since, Nigel says he has found a new passion for policing in our force.

Nigel, why did you decide to re-join the police service with TVP? I resigned from the Met in 2017 to pursue a career in cybersecurity. I found this very unsatisfying and I wanted to return to the police. I saw no alternative at the time and I was facing declining mental health due to the career change. By then I was living in the Thames Valley Police area and a long way from London, and Thames Valley Police seemed the perfect fit.

What does TVP have to offer? For me, a new lease of life and a new found passion for my work. When I left the Met, I was hoping to leave policing and never come back. I was tired of all of it and I wanted something different. I also wanted a higher salary. However since I joined Thames Valley Police I find myself in a much better frame of mind. I generally look forward to coming to work in a way I hadn’t for a long time previously. I am surrounded by enthusiastic, can-do people, with Thames Valley Police being a more flexible and dynamic force, where I can be heard and actually influence positive change.

How do you feel you are realising your potential at TVP? I’ve managed to secure one of my dream police jobs here. When I joined I was posted to a Domestic Abuse Unit, and I enjoyed the work so much I did not even look at our internal portal of vacancies. Then an email arrived saying the Serious Collision Investigation Unit would be recruiting soon. This was a job I had been interested in ever since I had an input from the Met equivalent during my police officer training time, so I had to apply for it. To my delight, I got the job, and I love it. I work with great, passionate people. My work is fascinating. My bosses are flexible and keen to effect positive change in our corner of policing. I feel like Thames Valley Police believes in me, and that is not something I experienced often in the past.

What would you say to anyone considering transferring to TVP or re-joining policing with TVP? I would highly recommend it. I have no regrets. On the contrary, I think joining Thames Valley Police saved me from mental health crisis and worse. Apart from my particular background, I think anyone coming from other forces would be amazed at how Thames Valley Police operates as a team. Units generally work together and cooperation is much more widespread. It just feels more dynamic. Apathy is less common. Most of the people I meet seem to enjoy their work. We all moan of course, police officers always will! But I find the challenges here are different in a positive way to those I faced previously.

In a word, what sets TVP apart from other forces? Flexibility. The Met is a giant ship, which makes it hard to change course. An individual officer is a very small cog in a huge machine there. Here, this is much less the case, and I have been impressed at the flexibility of the force since I joined, especially through the pandemic.

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Officers choose to transfer to TVP or re-join policing with TVP for a variety of reasons; for some it’s our reputation as a forward-thinking and well-organised force; for others it’s the opportunity for promotion or specialism, and often we’re just a shorter commute!

Whatever your reason, the knowledge, skills and experience you bring will be warmly welcomed into the TVP family from day one.

Considering transferring to TVP or re-joining policing with TVP?  Visit our Transferees and Re-joiners page to find out how you can join our team.