Kole's Story

I trained as an Aircraft Engineer but after finishing my training decided I wanted to do something completely different. I found the idea of working in security in some form or other appealing and thought I'd give this a go – and ten years later I'm still here and I love it.

In all honesty I thought it was going to be very hard when I joined and thought I'd be tested to the max, and I certainly have been challenged, but it's nothing like I thought it was going to be. Maybe in some ways you do get acclimatised, and obviously with experience the fear factor goes down, but, ultimately, you're a professional trained to handle any situation that might occur so you do have the confidence to deal with anything that might happen and incidents are much rarer than people imagine.

I think you need to be a real team player to do this job. You have to work as a team and we all really support each other. If you've had a bad day there's always someone who is willing to listen. When it comes to our relationships with the Prisoners, there is a degree of friendliness and certainly lots of banter, but there has to be a line – you're not here to be their friends. Having said that, the way we maintain a calm environment is by working with them on a psychological level. It's a role that is much more closely related to people management than anything physical, although, of course, sometimes this does come into play.

Decency is really important here – common courtesies like please and thank you go a long way; it's about treating others as you expect to be treated. It's important to try to be a role model, something many of the people in prison have never had. I always try to see the good in people and get people talking. It can take a lot of time, and, with some people, you're never able to make a connection. But when you do, and you can see that something you've said or the way you've explained something has really gone in and made them think, it's an amazing feeling. I don't think there's any greater reward than changing someone's perceptions of what life in general, and their life in particular, could be – and seeing them willing to make the change.