The Police Service of Northern Ireland has released the fifth instalment of its new podcast series, PSNI: Beyond the Badge, today, Wednesday 4 November, featuring Chief Constable Jon Boutcher and Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton.

The episode, available at psni-beyondthebadge.podbean.com/, coincides with the PSNI's 25th anniversary. The organisation began on Sunday 4 November 2001, realising the Patten Commission's vision of a more representative, cross-community police service.

In a conversation hosted by Lata Sharma, the Service's most senior officers reflect on what drew them to policing and the family values that continue to guide their work.

They also discuss how television dramas such as BBC's Blue Lights and Peelers: the PSNI for Real are offering the public a deeper understanding of day-to-day policing.

Chief Constable Boutcher talks about his childhood and the path that led him into the job, highlighting the influence of his parents. "I have met incredible people, Royalty, Prime Ministers and Taoisigh, people who have made a huge difference to society through incredible achievements, but nobody still touches my mum and dad," he said.

"My dad was a minicab driver all his life and worked far too hard so that we could have whatever we needed. Mum was a hairdresser and spent 40 or 50 years on her feet. They also fostered many children… My dad saw an advert for the police in London and thought that I might be a fit, that started my career in policing." Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton, who joined as part of the first PSNI student officer cohort in November 2001, recalls his motivations for applying. Deputy Chief Constable Singleton said: "I worked the whole way through university. I was the first person in my family to have gone and finished university. But I knew that I wasn't going to work in retail or business or anything like that. I wanted to do something where I genuinely felt I was making a difference.

"As I was coming through school and university, it was just around the time of the peace process and the opportunity just presented itself just exactly at the right time for me. I applied to join the PSNI and was in the first squad of the PSNI that started in November of 2001.

"We need people from all backgrounds to consider a career with the Police Service. We have men and women who do difficult work and we are well represented, but we need even greater representation."

Chief Constable Boutcher said: "The podcast series has provided a further opportunity for us as an organisation to tell our story. In this episode we acknowledge the PSNI's 25th anniversary and it's particularly timely as the organisation is currently running a student officer and various staff posts vacancies.

"What our officers and staff are delivering every day, and the legacy of this organisation for the last 25 years is something that everybody who's been in the PSNI, at whatever level, whatever rank, should be extremely proud of.

"Everyone should be very optimistic about policing in Northern Ireland, because the future is really bright."

For information on current student officer and police staff opportunities, visit www.joinpsni.co.uk/.