Sergeant Nicola Donald, Advanced Driving Instructor
With over 55,000 kilometers of major roads in Scotland, protecting the public and disrupting serious organised crime on our roads is a challenge. Ensuring that Scotland's officers are well equipped to meet that challenge is the job of the advanced police driving instructors at the Scottish Police College.
Sergeant Nicola Donald is the UK's only female advanced ‘dual' driving instructor, meaning that she can teach drivers on both cars and motorcycles.
"I was so impressed by the driver training that I received at the Scottish Police College that I decided to apply to join the team and become an instructor. I have a passion for motorcycles and I enjoy riding my own motorcycle and regularly tour abroad.
"Many people have a fear of motorcycles but they really are an excellent mode of transport, particularly for the police when responding to emergencies. Safety is our first priority at the College and so all riders are taught how to handle the bike correctly and how to deal with the many hazards on the roads.
"I have always felt valued as a member of staff. I was recently prompted to Sergeant, a process I would not have considered has I not been encouraged and supported by my colleagues and managers here at the College.
"The Police Driving Instructors course is recognised as one of the most challenging courses delivered by the College and gives students some of the highest levels of driving and tuitional skills available in the UK.
"Students are trained and assessed in the disciplines of demonstration driving and basic, standard and advanced levels of driving instruction. They are also expected to undertake training and successfully pass assessments in the additional disciplines of emergency response driving and instruction, skid recognition and manoeuverability instruction.
"Road policing is not a separate arm of policing, its mainstream - it gives you the opportunity to help tackle all types and levels of criminality. Our roads represent a network in which criminals try to hide and further their criminal activity, they also present a labyrinth of obstacles to law enforcement attempting to respond to emergency situations quickly and safely. Through a career in road policing you can be a part of disrupting crime from counter terrorism to human trafficking. It's an opportunity to make a difference.
"I instruct riders at the highest level, passing on skills that are relevant and help to keep them safe in what can be a dangerous job. I get great job satisfaction in developing students from when they attend a course at standard level of driving or riding, improving their performance to a point which often exceeds their own perceived skill level. I enjoy being part of a hard working, dedicated team of professionals at the pinnacle of driver and riding training.
"I would definitely encourage other officers male or female to consider furthering their career through a role here as an advanced instructor or as road policing officer - if you have the drive and dedication it can open doors to a different side of policing."