Karis Sheikh Has Followed His Dad into a Crime Fighting Career
A father-and-son duo have teamed up to form an exclusive club within the West Midlands Police force.
Karis Sheikh, who gave up working in IT recruitment to follow his father Farooq’s footsteps and pursue a career in public service, must spend the initial 18-months of his career being coached by a seasoned officer.
In a twist of fate, the 25-year-old’s mentor, PC Kam Samra, worked under the guidance of Karis’ dad Farooq in the early portion of his career in crime fighting.
Karis said: “I applied after hearing all the positives from my dad about police work, plus I was unhappy doing a 9-5, rooted at a desk and on the phone and email all day.
“I’m looking forward to mixing in communities I’ll be serving, understanding people’s needs and responding to emergencies…and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to driving my first blue light run! I’d like to work in response, it’s a fast-paced environment that suits me, and down the line maybe specialise in traffic or firearms.
“I’m learning a lot from Kam and it’s strange to think some of his advice would initially have been passed on by my dad years earlier.”
Farooq, who has 22 years of experience working in the police force, is an Inspector in the ‘Positive Action’ team, which an initiative which aims to increase the representation within the force of black and minority ethnic groups.
He said: “I joined the police when I was 25 and Karis was two-years-old…so all his life he’s been surrounded by police culture.”
Farooq, who has been recognised 20 times for his numerous acts of bravery and other work within the police force, added: “I encouraged Karis to join as I was confident he’d enjoy policing as much as I have and be in a position to make a positive difference. I am immensely proud my son has decided to follow in my footsteps.
“I’m confident we’ll work together at some point and hopefully with me as his boss…but who knows maybe the other way round! My advice has been simply to deliver the best possible service, the kind you’d want your family to receive should they call on the police for help.”
Kam said: “New recruits have a number of competencies to hit in order to be exposed to the different areas of police work…my role is to guide Karis through those and offer advice along the way.
“One of the first things I say to new recruits is ‘don’t try to be someone you’re not when you pull on the uniform’. As officers we’re trained to spot when someone is lying to us but I think the public can also tell when an officer is not being genuine with them.”
