DC Billie Baker

Billie Baker loves her role as a detective but is the first to admit she didn’t always think policing was for her.

After completing her degree in psychology and criminology she worked for a bank.

But it was when she changed tack and got a staff role in the force’s Investigation Management Unit (IMU) that she discovered a “real passion for investigating”.

Billie followed the accelerated detective pathway and is now a DC in the serious crime team (SCT) at Huntingdon.

She said: “I had always wanted to be a police officer, growing up watching all the police shows, but I never thought I was the type of person who could be a police officer.

“I was lucky enough to have a mentor who showed me a different way of thinking and taught me there are many different skills, abilities and life experiences required for different areas of policing and there is a place for everyone.

“I would definitely recommend the detective role to anyone considering it. I love my job.

“It comes with challenges and there is a requirement to balance risk and manage time well but there are investigations that you can become invested in and a real sense of achievement in seeing it through to the end and being able to get the right outcome for the victim.”

Billie has worked on several interesting and unusual cases, including an investigation that resulted in the arrest of someone initially thought to be a victim, for perverting the course of justice, and a Section18 GBH with multiple suspects who were tracked down through investigative work.

She added: “I enjoy the SCT as there is a variety of investigations which give the opportunity to learn all aspects of investigation and follow lines of enquiry in every direction. Every day is different.”