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One of our PCSO’s will be honouring the memory of her late father – a former marathon world record holder – when she joins our Commonwealth Games policing operation.
Kate Heatley wanted to keep her family’s athletics legacy alive by being part of the sporting spectacular in the region.
Her dad Basil broke the record for the world’s fastest marathon time in 1964 and then competed for Great Britain in the Tokyo Olympics the same year.
He took the silver medal after finishing second to iconic long distance runner Abebe Bikila who took Basil’s record at the same time.
Basil passed away in 2019 at the age of 85 and Kate vowed to be involved in the policing operation at the Games in his honour.
The keen athletics fan will be based in Birmingham for large parts of the competition and can’t wait for it to get under way.
The 57-year-old grandmother said: “I know Dad would have loved the Commonwealth Games coming to the region. It’s such an exciting time, not just for Birmingham but all parts of the Midlands.
“I’m a big fan of athletics myself and I just knew I had to be involved. It’s a one-off and something I never thought I’d experience.
“I really wanted to keep our family links to athletics going, and it just felt like my way of giving something back to athletics too.”
Kate has been a PCSO with the force for more than 14 years, having swapped a school kitchen canteen for patrolling the streets.
She said: “I knew it was time for a change and I spoke to someone about joining the force and it really appealed to me.
“There’s never been a day I’ve regretted the decision, and just knowing you can make a difference to people’s lives every day is inspiring.”
Interested in joining the policing family? We have lots of opportunities. See here: https://jobs.west-midlands.police.uk/