A SENIOR police officer who led a forces-wide misogyny inspection following the murder of Sarah Everard is planning her post-retirement future thanks to a leading college.
Superintendent Alison Jackson completed her level 2 Active IQ in Fitness Instructing course earlier this year at Darlington College alongside her day job of being part of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary.
She now plans to start the level 3 course in February to help her in her new career when she retires from the police next April after 30 years’ service.
The 50-year-old mum of two plans to launch a personal training business with particular emphasis on helping women going through the menopause using exercise and nutrition.
To cope with the stresses and strains of being a police officer Alison always turned to exercise.
“Exercise always helped me de-stress,” said Alison, who is married to Andy, the former Durham Police Federation chairman. “I also had to be physically fit for firearms.
“Then, when I made friends with other mums dropping their children off at school, and we got chatting, they suggested I would make a really good personal trainer. I’m not yet 50, so when I retire in April I want to do something. I’m not ready to completely retire, but want to do something I enjoy, that helps other people.”
Alison thought about taking online courses but preferred the idea of going back to Darlington College where there would be greater social interaction. She has been a member of OneGym in Northgate since it opened in 2023 and recently started working at the gym to gain some experience in the fitness industry.
“We spend such a lot of time sitting at our computers, on our phones and in the car that it is so important to get up and do some exercise,” she said. “I met some lovely people at college from different backgrounds and while I was the oldest person there always felt at home.
“I now plan to do some work to support women going through the menopause. Menopausal women is the fastest growing demographic in the workforce but not enough is done to support women at work.
“The symptoms of menopause can really disrupt a woman’s daily life. Exercise and good nutrition can really help women function better in the workplace and at home So I am very keen to focus on that.”
The latest course will continue Alison’s association with the college that stretches back to when she was 16 and studied business and finance there, after leaving Eastbourne Comprehensive School.
After considering university she joined Durham Police as a PC at 19 serving in Bishop Auckland before being promoted to sergeant and transferring to Peterlee and Seaham.
She later transferred to Darlington where she was promoted to inspector and then chief inspector working in Durham. In a joint initiative with Cleveland Police Alison became head of traffic and firearms.
In 2015 she became a superintendent with Cleveland Police and in 2020 she was seconded to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, with special responsibility for Northern Ireland and armed policing.
In 2021, 33-year-old Sarah Everard was kidnapped in South London as she was walking home to Brixton Hill. Metropolitan police officer Wayne Couzens was later convicted of her murder and sentenced to a whole-life term in a case that sparked national outrage.
“We were asked to look at the vetting, misconduct and culture in policing to try to understand how someone could join the police and go on to commit such an abhorrent crime,” she said.
“I worked on this inspection for a year and as a serving police officer was disappointed to find that not enough had been done to improve standards and stamp out misogyny and predatory behaviour. The report was published in 2022 making 43 recommendations to make it harder for the wrong people to join the police in the future.”
For more information on opportunities at Darlington College visit www.darlington.ac.uk.