Meet Northamptonshire's crime-fighting sisters with a knack for nicking bad guys

These two crime-fighting sisters are smashing stereotypes — and making Northamptonshire safer while they do it.

Sergeant Torie Harrison swapped stacking shelves in Tesco for a police uniform six years ago, working alongside big sister Georgie Watts.

Torie, aged 28, said: “I enjoy helping people and solving investigations and I can’t think of any other job that would offer the variation and experiences.

“I’ve been a police officer for six years and was a Special Constable for a year or so before that whilst completing a degree and working in the Force Control Room as a call handler. I completed my detectives exam last year and I'm currently work within CID.

“I’ve had days when I’ve gone home crying my eyes out, but also days when I’ve never laughed so much.

"The job I found most challenging was a fatal collision, which transpired to be a police officer from another force, whom I had been at university with.

"I found his phone and saw the photo of him on the screen saver and got really upset in front of all the other services present.

“The reassuring thing was how kind everyone was. The controller rang me and just let me have a cry over the phone whilst I walked away for a few minutes.

"It’s cliché, but you do feel like you’re part of a family.

"Georgie is spot on, she has so much passion to help people and has a really intricate knowledge about all things policing.

"I frequently call her to second guess my decisions and she will always steer me in the right direction.”

Georgie, aged 29, joined when she was 20 and says: “I’ve basically grown up through policing. My parents were both cops, and my sister and husband are too.

“I never had concerns about being a woman and a police officer. I was the only female on my old team but I never really thought about gender differences.

"It’s amazing to have Torie, a best friend who completely understands. She’s so intelligent and grounded and I definitely rely on her to reality-check me if I’m fighting a losing battle or not standing up for myself enough.

"It’s so important to me that women in policing support each other and understand that there is room for everyone at the table if you work hard.

“I’ve attended some really traumatic incidents over the years, like telling a mother her child had died after we had gone out to her nine-year-old in cardiac arrest.

"These types of incidents stay with you."

But there are also plenty of high points in the job.

Georgie added: “One of my first patrols saw me chasing a burglar down an alleyway. His accomplice released a dog that started chasing me.

"I managed to catch the burglar and avoid the dog but when the other officers found me covered in cuts with ripped trousers, I wasn’t quite willing to admit I’d fallen down some steps because my legs were running faster than my brain.

"The burglar actually stopped to ask if I was okay. His mistake, I arrested him and he went to prison — but it taught me that the best jobs don’t always make you look cool.”

■ Police officer recruitment opens again in May 2022. For details go online.