After witnessing 'a lot of struggle’ during his childhood, 26-year-old Junior Grant said that he ‘wanted to do something' with his life and 'inspire others to do likewise’. Following his childhood dream, the former lenton gym co-owner became a fully-fledged Nottinghamshire Police officer during a passing out ceremony on Friday.
The former Lenton gym co-owner has spoken about how his childhood in Sneinton has inspired his journey, and how one day hopes to he county’s first black chief constable.
He said: “I grew up in Sneinton which is an impoverished area. Unfortunately there was a lot of drugs, poverty, sex trafficking etc. Growing up, I saw a lot of struggle and that made me not want to waste my potential. I wanted to do something with my life and in doing so inspire others to do likewise.
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“I grew up poor so if I can make something of my life, it’s showing others in a similar position in that area that they can do the same.
“I want to change people’s mentality. Just because you’ve had an unfortunate start in life, it doesn’t mean you can’t go on to bigger and better things.”
PC Grant also said he would like to help change any negative perceptions of the police service. He said: “Growing up, a lot of people in Sneinton felt negatively about the police and some people living there today might feel the same, as there’s still a bit of crime there.
“I want to change people’s mindset by saying ‘we’re here to protect people – if you want to be a drug dealer, you could harm someone and that’s why our job is to stop you’.”
He added an experience from his childhood on why drug-related crimes are important for police to crackdown on.
He said: “When I was young, one of my closest friends suddenly stopped playing out. I wondered what had happened to him and it turned out his parents had become addicted to hard drugs. He therefore had to go into care and who knows what became of him.
“Drugs affect children in communities – a lot of people forget that and it’s part of the reason Nottinghamshire Police and other forces must continue to clampdown on drug-related crime and indeed all types of crime.”
PC Grant also shared his goal to become county’s first black chief constable, he said: “I am very, very ambitious. I’ve got this burning desire to become Nottinghamshire Police’s first Black chief constable.
“Even though I’ve only just finished training school, I’m convinced I can get there and the hard work to achieve that goal begins now.
“The work the police do is fantastic and I want to be part of it. I’m here to work hard, chase my ambitions and do what I was born to do.”
The former Colonel Frank Seely Academy in Calverton pupil was among 46 new officers who took part in a pass out parade at force's headquarters on – including 37 police constables and nine PCSOs – having completed their training programmes.
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