The study of crime has paid off for Teesside University student Allan Cattermole as he has gained his first job as a partnership intelligence analyst with Redcar and Cleveland Council.

Although employed by the Council, Allan is working as part of Redcar & Cleveland Community Safety Partnership based at Redcar & Cleveland Police HQ at Kirkleatham in a diverse role.

This includes the monitoring and evaluation of drugs intervention programme and the prolific and priority offender scheme. He is also providing analytical support in the areas of crime, drugs and antisocial behaviour.

 Allan, 21, from Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, graduated with a BSc (Hons) Crime and Investigation. He said: “I was attracted by the variety of the degree as it includes law, forensics, criminology and psychology.   There are so many different avenues you can go down after graduating, such as finger print analysis or law. The lecturers also give a lot of support; they’re always willing to help at any time.

“I enjoyed the law modules, looking at how criminals have been caught out by processes.  I also enjoyed my final-year dissertation where I explored football hooliganism over a 20-year period,from 1989 to the present. It showed what’s perceived as hooliganism has changed massively over that time.”

  The Community Safety Partnership brings together the public, private,community and voluntary sectors to work in partnership to deliver positive outcomes in crime, fear of crime, antisocial behaviour and substance misuse for the residents of Redcar and Cleveland and Allan’s post is a crucial part of this partnership.

Allan gained the job after his first interview and said: “The degree helped me gain this job and I’m sure the skills I’ve gained at university will be valuable, such as research and working on my own initiative.  I’m enjoying being involved in helping towards the reduction of crime.”