'My love for Silent Witness led me to join police force'

Virginia Fletcher said her love of science and TV shows like Silent Witness inspired her to work in criminal forensics

A forensics officer said she was inspired to pursue a career in fighting crime by her love of a BBC TV show.

Virginia Fletcher, 25, has achieved her "childhood dream" by securing a job at Nottinghamshire Police and said characters from crime drama Silent Witness were a major inspiration.

Ms Fletcher - who began watching the show aged 11 - now helps to solve murders and other crimes for the force.

She said: "It's nice now watching Silent Witness with my parents."

The latest series of Silent Witness aired in January

Ms Fletcher began an apprenticeship with the force before securing a permanent role as a forensic analytical services laboratory officer, based at the Arrow Centre in Hucknall.

"I really liked science at school - I remember a lesson about DNA when I was in Year 7 and that got the ball rolling in terms of my interest in forensic science," she said.

"From there, I was always watching programmes such as Silent Witness and playing around with forensic science kits designed for kids."

Ms Fletcher said she watched the show - which has run continuously since 1996 - with her parents.

"Only now they keep asking, 'do you do that?'," she said.

Ms Fletcher now helps solve murders and other crimes that require forensic evidence to secure convictions

Having been inspired by the BBC series, Ms Fletcher went on to achieve a biomedical sciences degree from the University of Sheffield, followed by an MSc.

"I'm absolutely loving it. What I love about working with the police is you can do something with what you find, such as solving a case and getting justice for a victim," she said.

"Eventually you might hear on the news that a person has been convicted and you know yourself you played a key role in that happening - and it feels amazing.

"There's a puzzle to be solved every day."