Little did copper Alan Davison know when he first watched hit TV show The Bill, he was about to be inspired to enter an almost 30-year career in policing.

A career in blue never occurred to the now Inspector until he was almost 30 when he joined the police in 1994 after becoming hooked on The Bill.

Now Alan has spoken of his almost three-decades of service as he prepares to retire.

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“I started work as an apprentice plumber at Swan Hunters in 1981 and after being there for quite a while I was unemployed for a short period,” said Insp Davison.

“I watched quite a bit of daytime TV at the time and funnily enough got into The Bill.

“It piqued my interest in policing and that’s when I applied to join Northumbria Police.”

The Bill ran for an impressive 26 series on ITV from 1984 until it was axed in 2010.

The Northern Echo: The Bill aired on ITV between 1984 and 2010.The Bill aired on ITV between 1984 and 2010.

Last May The Sun reported that a reboot of the iconic series was due to land on our screens this year.

Inspector Davison was first stationed in the West End of Newcastle from joining in 1994 until 2000 and described the experience an “eye-opener”.

“There was a real variety of work which helped to improve you as an officer, responding to different types of crime,” the dad-of-two continued.

The Northern Echo: Inspector Alan Davison is hanging up his handcuffs after more than 28 years of policing.Inspector Alan Davison is hanging up his handcuffs after more than 28 years of policing. (Image: NORTHUMBRIA POLICE)

“One of the biggest changes back then was that all of your reports had to be handwritten, none of it was typed up on a computer.

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“So if the Sergeant didn’t like it, you got a red pen through it and told to do a better job!”

He also spent six months on a plain-clothes crime team and nine months working on a crime skills unit in CID.

After that he transferred to Byker in 2000 and following two-and-half years he was promoted to Sergeant in Morpeth in Northern Area Command.

From 2007, Insp Davison was the Northern area events planning Sergeant, based at Bedlington. In this role he had to liaise with local authorities in helping to keep both larger and smaller events safe for those attending, including the Northumberland County Show and concerts at Alnwick Gardens.

Promoted to inspector in December 2012, he took up a role in the Response Policing Team for Byker and Newcastle City Centre.

“That was a challenge, dealing with the issues which arise from the night-time economy but I think we do a really good job in managing those as a Force,” he said.

Insp Davison then became Neighbourhood Inspector back in the West End, coming full circle to where he first started in Northumbria.

“I knew the area really well and there were a lot of familiar faces,” he said. “I got to know some of the children and grandchildren of people I’d worked with when I came into the police.

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“Since October 2019 I’ve been based at Whickham, which I joke is the first time I’ve gone south of the Tyne apart from when I fly to Spain on holiday.”

Davison has encouraged others to follow in his footsteps into a career in policing as he hands up his handcuffs.

He said: “I’ve always been proud to be a police officer and I know my family are proud of me too.

“Policing is a fantastic and rewarding career in which you really can make a difference.”