An Inspector Calls

Chief Inspector Caroline Hay MBE Inspires Future Police Officers at South Essex College with Her Journey, Vision, and Dedication to Community Safety

Southend City College were honoured to welcome Chief Inspector Caroline Hay MBE from the City of London Police to South Essex College of Further and Higher Education. Caroline shared her incredible journey with our Public Service students – from nearly 20 years of frontline policing, to receiving an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours, and now serving as a Chief Inspector leading transformational work in violence prevention and community safety.

Caroline is the first City of London police officer to receive an honour from His Majesty King Charles III – a recognition of her powerful work in championing the safety of women and girls through Operation Reframe, and forging vital partnerships across business, charity and local government.

This visit was not only inspiring for our students but also a great opportunity for staff to build exciting new collaborations with the City of London Police – affectionately known as the City of Essex Police with high recruitment of officers from the county!

South Essex Colleges Group is keen to support more women into policing careers, particularly as the City of London Police are currently seeing lower female representation in the service. Having a role model like Caroline engage with our students directly is a huge step in raising awareness, breaking barriers, and empowering the next generation of police officers.

Speakers like Caroline play a vital role in linking real world experience to classroom learning, and we are proud to offer our learners unique access to voices that are shaping modern policing.
Caroline said: “Thank you for having me.   There is such a fantastic culture at the SECG and some wonderful young people who make me excited about the future of policing.”

A huge thank you to Caroline for your time, honesty, and inspiration – we look forward to building something special together!

For more information on our Policing and Public Services courses visit our web page.