Though he never knew it, Jeremy Hindle was the reason I joined. Well, he wasn’t the only reason, because I’d hate to think that a person like that has such an influence over me, but he was the main reason. Whenever people ask me, What made you want to be a policewoman, Nat?’, my answer is simple. Spite.
When Natalie Winters drops out of university, it takes her a while to figure out what she wants to do with her life. But one day she idly toys with the idea of joining the police force. Spurred on by the nasty reaction of a boy whose advances she once spurned, she secretly applies to join the force. Her acceptance signals the start of a new career, and the end of her old life.
Into the Blue traces Nat’s twenty weeks of recruit training at the police academy, and the first months of her life on the beat. She has to cope not just with the stresses of the training and the job, but also with the pressure it places on her family, and her relationship with her boyfriend. There is also an attraction to a co-worker, and some pretty yucky experiences out on the beat, as well as one incident which makes Nat question whether being a policewoman is something she is really cut out for.
Written by a policewoman with several years experience, this is an interesting insight into the daily life and training of young police officers. It will likely appeal to teens who are interested in a career in the force.
Into the Blue, by Catherine Prattico
Lothian, 2006