Age is just a number says new recruit

7 September 2022

Liz Spencer-Creed.

A mother who made the life-changing decision to join the police at the age of 49 is on a mission to prove to others that you are never too old to follow your dreams.

Having spent the majority of her career in the retail industry, PC Liz Spencer-Creed made the transition into policing during lockdown.

She applied to join the Force back in 2021, before starting her training in March and passing out as a police constable earlier this month.

“I saw people in the Force working in the area I live and thought to myself, ‘I can do that’,” explained the busy mother-of-one, who having dropped out of university went on to work her way up into management in retail.

“When I mentioned it to my husband, he was like, you can do anything you want and when somebody continues to tell you that, you start to believe it yourself. 

“If I didn’t give it a try then, I knew I never would. And I guess the rest is history.”

After initially applying to join, Liz admits that every time she got through to the next round, it was a real ‘pinch-me’ moment.

“I don’t think it sunk in until I went to my uniform fitting,” added Liz, “I came away with the biggest smile on my face. I was so proud of myself.

“And Ella, my daughter, has been really supportive too. I suppose I’m doing this as much for Ella as I am me. I want her to be proud of me.”

During her first training session, Liz admits that she was dreading saying her age out loud to her peers. 

“I was the oldest one in my cohort, in fact, everyone called me ‘Mum’. We had to sit in a circle and tell each other about ourselves. I was dreading saying my age but when I did, nobody batted an eyelid,” she continued.

Following 19 successful weeks of training, Liz’s first role has been working in the neighbourhood team. 

“Every day is different, I absolutely love it. It’s very different to training and working in HQ, it’s a real eye-opener working out on the streets,” said Liz, who is hoping to make her first arrest soon.

“My tutor is great, he is the same age as me, so that works really well. And all my colleagues are just lovely.”

She has another-year-and-a-half on probation, and in that time is looking forward to ‘grabbing every opportunity with both hands’.

“Ella is growing up, she is 14, so I feel like this is my time now,” added Liz.

“I can do this without having the dreaded mum-guilt. I can put 100 per cent into my career now.”