International Women’s Day: a ‘porky pie’ to dad helped launch sergeant’s policing career

6 March 2025

Sergeant Nikki Shipley admits that telling ‘a bit of a porky pie’ to her dad set her on course to be part of ‘the best team in Nottinghamshire Police’ as a firearms officer.

Nikki had finished a degree in industrial design at Loughborough University when her dad sat her down to discuss what she wanted to do in life.

The Nottinghamshire Police Federation member, who is sharing her story to mark this year’s International Women’s Day (Saturday 8 March), said: “The course wasn’t great and I had a friend who was joining the police at the time, so I just told a bit of a porky pie to my dad that I was looking at joining.

Sergeant Nikki Shipley.

“I hadn’t looked into, I just winged it.

“When I left that meeting with my dad, I thought I’d better look into policing now, and that was that. I never looked back.”

Nikki joined the Force in 2010. 

Recruitment

Initially she was due to join in June 2010 and was a reservist for March 2010, but was offered a post in the March and the June intake was cancelled due to a recruitment freeze.

“It felt like everything was just meant to be, because if I had been on the June intake, I would probably have never been a cop. It's funny how things work out,” she said.

Nikki worked for four years on response, during which time she applied to firearms. She initially failed selection and went back to response for another two years while continuing to work towards her goal.

She was eventually successful and started her initial firearms course in September 2017.

“If you want something you’ve got to keep going, and that’s what I did,” she said.

Mentorship

Nikki is now the longest-serving woman on the team.

She was recently made sergeant, and part of the work she did to achieve her promotion included having to evidence leadership.

In order to do that, Nikki set up a mentorship programme with Inspector Chris Chell to encourage officers to consider joining the department.

Nikki contacted the Force’s NEWS network (Nottinghamshire Empowering Women to Succeed), to try to reach a larger number of officers.

“A lot of the people who were getting involved with the mentorship scheme were response officers,” said Nikki, who is now on the NEWS steering group and recently joined its uniform working group.

“I wanted to have as wide a reach, such as people on CID who might not even consider firearms.

“The NEWS network gives us the chance to speak to people we wouldn’t normally do.

Firearms

“It’s not just recruiting more women into the department, but trying to support and encourage people across the force to consider firearms who haven't previously.”

So what would she say to anyone considering firearms as a career?

“I would absolutely encourage it,” she said.

“Come and see what we do and be part of it. We will support you, we will help you.

“For instance, we run support sessions to help get people through the 9.4 fitness test.

Fitness test

“I supported other girls by completing fitness test practice at 10pm in the build up to the selection days.

“We’re a great team.”

Nikki said that she is not typical of a firearms officer and has been determined to prove herself in the role.

“I had no specific interest in guns and I have no previous experience,” she said. “For me, it felt like the best team within Nottinghamshire police, and that's why I wanted to be a part of it.

“I'm not a big girl. I'm five foot three and nine stone. I wanted to prove that you don't have to be really strong and be an ex-military person, that anyone can do it.”

Nikki also volunteers with the Force’s cadets group at Force headquarters. Initially it was part of the work needed to achieve her promotion, but she admits that she gets a lot of personal satisfaction from it.

Career

“Some of the children come from homes, and a lot of them need positive impact from police officers and people in society,” she said. “And they all want to hear about firearms jobs.

“Sergeant Vanessa Wake has just taken over and has identified it's very classroom based and presentation based.

“I’m involved in trying to get the programme rewritten, modernised, and to give the children something a bit more exciting about being a cadet. So we are in the middle of trying to reinvent that programme.

“I get quite a lot out of it.

“I'm coming up to 40 this year and I have been thinking where do I want to be in my career?

“And I believe that if you if you want to get something out or achieve something, you've got to put more in.”

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