Former cabin crew member from Ashfield who looked after Harry and Meghan begins new role in Nottinghamshire Police control room

Former Qantas flight attendant Nick Kendall-Edwards is among 16 new recruits who are nearing the end of their training to become emergency call handlers in the force control room and front counter enquiry officers.

The recruits, who start their first shifts early next month, will be supported by mentors for a number of weeks before working independently.

And Nick, who lives in Kirkby, is no stranger to high-pressure situations having also met the Queen while working in customer services for the Oasis Holiday Village in 1998 in addition to looking after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their flight in 2018.

He said: “The Queen is just lovely – when she got to me she asked ‘is this where one meets all of the customers? I said ‘yes Ma’am!’

“I only found out the night before that I’d be looking after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the Qantas flight.

“I was told I could only speak to them if they spoke to you.

"They’re just normal people and they asked how my day was going.”

Nick was on furlough and considering his next challenge when the opportunity arose to apply for a call handler role with the force.

He said: “The training has been great – our mentors have told us how it’s going to be and shared real-life stories which has been invaluable to our learning.

“I can’t wait to get started, it feels great to be working for a police force which recognises diversity and which is committed to its values.”

Supt Suk Verma, of Nottinghamshire Police, said he was ‘proud’ and delighted to welcome the new recruits – who are a ‘mixture of people’ joining from such a ‘wide variety of backgrounds and life experiences’.

“The new recruits are all passionate about making a difference to the communities we serve,” he said.

“They have already learned so much and will continue to be supported as they enter the final stages of their training.

“I wish them all every success as they begin their careers with the force, and I’m sure they will rise to the challenges ahead.”

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