DCG Success Stories

Coming from a staunch military background, security officer Sam Bowbanks always knew he’d work in uniformed services.

Sam, 20,who took the Extended Certificate in Uniformed Protective Services  Level 3 at Derby College Group, joined the course straight after school with thoughts of potentially joining the police.  

He said: “Nearly every older man in my family has done some kind of uniformed service.

“My grandad was a paratrooper and I have marines and grenadiers among my uncles and great uncles, so serving in the military was completely normalised for me, growing up. I took a liking to it and knew I’d do something similar but wasn’t sure what.”  

Sam, who is 6ft 5’ and plays for Derby Rugby Club’s second team, enjoyed everything about his course at Broomfield Hall, including the PE training. 

He said: “PE was fantastic, though it was tough going at the time. Our instructor, Rob Butler wanted to get the best out of us – he got me back into shape! I knew something about radio communications from my grandad but the telecoms etiquette side of the course was brilliant too.” 

Sam’s psychology lessons on the level 3 have also proved extremely relevant in his role as a close protection officer with a Midlands-based private security firm. 

He added: “It’s been interesting to apply what we were taught to real life work scenarios. Understanding the psychology behind someone’s behaviour can help you predict how they might react in a certain situation” 

Sam’s job is non-public facing, with most of his work undertaken for private individuals and commercial clients, protecting them, their homes and premises. 

He added: “The best part of my job is keeping people safe. It’s a lot of responsibility as we’re privy to confidential information.

“If for example, we’re providing protection at a big event, we’ll do recces and risk assessments in advance so we know exactly where the nearest exits, CCTV cameras and police stations are.”  

Sam is on course for promotion with his employer and, if circumstances allow, he’d like to run the business one day. His backup plan, should he leave the security sector, is to take his transferable security skills and apply to join the police. 

He added: “I’d definitely recommend my college course. What I learned on it can be applied equally to roles like mine as well as those in the emergency services and armed forces. 

“I’ve given talks to Broomfield Hall students and they’ve shown real interest in security careers.”