James's background is in the health and fitness industry and recreation management. He was previously responsible for the day to day running of a public sector leisure facility. This included customer satisfaction, health and safety, and development and training of staff. During this time he was widely involved in the coaching of groups and individuals in a variety of sports and at many different levels and abilities. Due to the nature of the facility, good communication and interpersonal skills were essential when dealing with the diverse and difficult situations that emerged.

For the past 8 years he has been a qualified home office personal safety trainer and has been involved in personal safety training for a variety of different agencies including the police, NHS, local education authority, drug awareness groups and various private sector companies.

Currently James role uses all of his skills including: Force legislation, communication skills, personal management skills, unarmed defensive and offensive skills, various baton disciplines, handcuffing and related restraint equipment, PAVA skills, edged weapon skills and post incident debriefing.

Other key skills include: