Internal Firearms Instructor Recruitment

I am the Force Firearms Officer (FFO) for the Civil Nuclear Constabulary whilst also the Head of all Operational Training delivery. As the FFO, I hold accountability for the security of all CNC weaponry, ammunition and associated armouries.

Having always wanted to be a Police Officer from a young age I joined the CNC 22 years ago. It is an absolute pleasure to be part of CNC, and especially the Firearms Dept. within the newly formed Training Division. I would encourage and offer my support to anyone who wishes to come and join us, in delivering world class training in world class facilities.

My role as the Chief Firearms Instructor is to lead and manage the safe and efficient delivery of Firearms Training across the full suite of CNC delivery centres.

Having spent a lot of my youth playing and coaching football in addition to gaining a degree in Sport Coaching and Exercise Science the FTU seemed a natural fit for my skills and experience. I joined Firearms Training in 2013 having started a family seeking more work life balance and a shift pattern which better suited my personal circumstances.

During my ten years in the FTU I have been lucky enough to work on a range of different training streams and projects involving specialist weapons and tactics delivered at a range of different police and military facilities. The work is varied and rewarding with very supportive and welfare focussed management team coaching you towards meeting your personal career goals, whether that be promotion or lateral development.

I am currently the Assistant Chief Firearms Instructor within the Training Division. I support the Chief Firearms Instructor in the delivery of all firearms matters and the creation of the Strategic Direction for annual training and package content.

I have a number of responsibilities within this role, including the overall management and coordination of the Compliance Team who ensure that the training we provide across all divisions is safe, efficient and in accordance with the National Policing Firearms Training Curriculum. I have oversight on all annual instructor assessments and accreditation portfolios and manage the catch up and development process to reduce non deployable AFOs.

My goal is to provide an effective compliance team to support the delivery of firearms training and maintain the deployability through the efficient management of the Catch Up and Development Program.

I started my career with the CNC in 2007 as an AFO at the Sellafield OPU where I spent the next ten years up to and including the rank of Inspector and being lucky enough to gain qualifications in operational firearms command, tactical firearms command and post incident management.

I moved into the firearms department in 2016 where I took up the role of Ops and Policy Inspector before becoming the Griffin Park Tactical Training Unit Commander in 2020 as a T/CI. I was substantiated in that post in 2022, whilst also managing the Dog Training Unit, Firearms Systems Team, Business Support Team and Armourers Team as well as heading up the Firearms DHC and Ammunition Governance for the Force.

My new role as Head of Specialist Training will retain Griffin Park Command and the Dog Training Unit as well as leading on the delivery of Professional Development Units, Driver Training, and the integration of the new Apprenticeship standard on our IFCs.

I live in Whitehaven with my wife and two children, who at 4 and 6, keep me on my toes! I remain passionate about education, training and development and am currently studying for my Masters degree in Leadership whilst looking forward to taking on the challenges that the creation of the new Training Division will bring.

I am a National Firearms Instructor (NFI) based at Griffin Park (GP) for the Civil Nuclear Constabulary and am currently the course director for all NFI recruitment for the organisation, and part of a designated team based at GP.

I have been with CNC for 26 years; I spent the first 13 years Operational at the Sellafield OPU and the last 13 years within the Firearms Training Unit.

Throughout my career I have been a member of several specialist teams the highlight being a Rapid Intervention Officer for 10 years, now commonly known as Dynamic Search Officer.

I understand the importance of the NFI role and being a local lad to Sellafield I have the job satisfaction knowing I am helping the local community and helping to protect my family and friends.

The CNC has supported me through my educational journey, and I would encourage and support anyone who would like the opportunity to join our team.

When delivering the NFIC all the instructors support each other in the planning on the lead up to the course and throughout the two months of the delivery, but on a day-to-day basis I work with other NFIs and a supervisor assigned to a particular training stream, delivering tactics or range sessions.

One of the main benefits of being an NFI is that it’s a completely different job to anything else in the organisation; it involves elements of knowledge, experience, leadership, management and as a constable you can have a lot of influence. I have a good deal of autonomy running a session provided that it’s within the limits of the training package when it is safe and will meet the necessary learning outcomes for the AFOs.

In my role I have worked through my teaching qualifications and have achieved a Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training. I have also taken personal satisfaction in my job from being able to coach a complete novice through their Initial Firearms Course and helping an AFO to pass their 20m handgun qualification shoot.

Alongside my work as lead instructor for D3, my daily duties vary between instructing and acting as a safety officer on the range and acting as an exercise safety officer when delivering tactical training.

My previous experience working as a teacher and my time at different sites in the CNC gave me many of the skills required to be an instructor. Working at Bisley with many very experienced instructors has allowed me to learn from their experiences and gave me the appreciation of how police tactics are applied in operational circumstances.

The benefits of my role are that I get to have a good balance between work and my time at home with my young son. Working during the week allows me to also spend quality time at home. My role provides me with great job satisfaction as I am part of a team responsible for ensuring that officers arriving at sites are fully trained and qualified to be deployable AFO CT officers. I really enjoy working as part of the IFC team.