Detective Inspector Kate Kieran, 43

Kate currently leads the Family Liaison Officers (FLOs) assigned to the Grenfell Tower fire investigation. FLOs are specially trained and deployed to support bereaved families throughout police procedures and investigations.

“Deployed since day one, I’ve managed my team as they worked on behalf of the coroner to identify the deceased in the Grenfell Tower fire. We also work with the bereaved families through the coronial process of identification and repatriation.

I’m responsible for working with external partners within the community to offer a joined-up response to the Grenfell tragedy and ensure the police response is appropriate while maintaining impartiality as we continue the investigation.

Looking after my team who’ve helped families identify the deceased and provide evidence for the coroner has been an amazing privilege.

I started my police career in the borough of Croydon in 2002, but I knew I wanted to be a police officer back when I was 15 years old, thanks to a week’s work experience.

I had to travel for over an hour across London to arrive at the police station for 6am. It didn’t matter. I knew instantly that I wanted to be part of this team; a team that at its heart wanted to help those who needed it.

Although I’m gay, my sexuality has never been turned against me once in my 17 years working at the Met, which is testament to those before me breaking down barriers.

Throughout my career, I’ve had many different roles. For the London 2012 Olympics, I managed a national debrief of officers involved in the 7/7 bombings to capture learnings from them.

This formed the basis of my preparedness plan for the Olympics, which I worked with colleagues to deliver national training for all forces.

We went on site visits, which was really important – if something major happened we’d seen the site beforehand and knew how it worked.

This also meant we visited several sites before the public, which was amazing.

I’m really sporty and I remember the day it was announced we’d won the Olympics. I was shouting out with excitement.

5 stories from women about what it's really like in the police