A WOMAN’S ambition to help people who need it most has seen her swap her career as a chef to become a police officer.

Juliet Taylor has left the kitchen behind to launch her career with Cheshire Police, as one of 148 officers at Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership Programme academy.

Juliet, originally from Lancashire, was selected out of thousands of applicants, and she is currently developing her problem-solving and leadership skills at Police Now’s academy

She explains her decision to change from pastry chef to police officer and says she was determined to drive change in society and support those who need her the most.

“I first thought about joining the police when I was a teenager, when my sister and I witnessed someone crash into our parked car outside the house.

“A police officer came to our address to take a witness statement, and my dad could not remember a thing.

“I am naturally a very observant person and I remembered it all, down to what the driver had been wearing, so I provided the police with the information they needed to catch the offender.

“It turned out he was an uninsured driver, and the sense of accomplishment I felt at providing evidence and helping to apprehend a dangerous driver made me want to be a part of the police service myself.”

Warrington Guardian: Juliet Taylor has left the kitchen behind to launch her career with Cheshire PoliceJuliet Taylor has left the kitchen behind to launch her career with Cheshire Police (Image: Police Now)

Juliet says she also really loves cooking, and especially did a lot of it during the Covid lockdowns, even starting her own Instagram food account.

When a Michelin Star chef reopened a restaurant near she lived, she decided to apply and was offered a position at Moor Hall – voted best restaurant in the UK two years running – and at another Michelin Star restaurant after that.

“I became a pastry chef at the restaurant, but I had not forgotten about my initial ambitions to join the police service,” she continued.

“Although I love cooking, it was not really what I wanted to do with my life, and when I went out to dinner with a friend and her fiancé, who is a police officer in Manchester, we got to talking.

“It really reignited that spark in me and reminded me why I had wanted to join the service to begin with – so I could make a real difference in society.

“By pure coincidence, that same day I saw an advert for Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership Programme.

“I thought ‘what do I have to lose by putting an application in?’ – and the rest is history.”