Luke Ryde

After graduating from Kent’s MSc Forensic Science programme in 2023, Luke Ryde joined the Metropolitan Police Service as an Assistant Forensic Practitioner. He now plans to complete three years of on-the-job training with the ultimate goal of progressing to either a Senior Forensic Practitioner or an Operational Forensic Manager role.

Tell us about your career path since graduation.

After graduating, I applied for multiple jobs within the crime scene examiner sector and I was accepted into the Thames Valley Police and the Metropolitan Police Service. I decided to go into the Met as an Assistant Forensic Practitioner (AFP) due to the face that after 3 years of training on the job I will become a Forensic Practitioner (FP) and then after that I have the choice to apply for a Senior Forensic Practitioner (SFP) role or an Operational Forensic Manager (OFM) role.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

Everyday is different due to the nature of the job, and being on shift means I could be working an early turn one day, a late turn the next, and occasionally night shifts as well. 

The first thing I do when I arrive at the office is collect the radios in case officers call with forensic questions. A shift will then begin by conducting searches to find what jobs we need to be completed, these jobs will then be split between the number of people on that shift.

Once at the scene, I will chat to the victims to understand what’s happened and then conduct an examination. This will normally include a DNA exam and a powder exam for fingerprints, but this is dependant on the crime and the circumstances.

One of the best things about the job is never knowing what you’re going into on a shift and every scene is different so you will never be bored.

Can you share a professional highlight from your career so far?

A professional highlight from my career so far would be collecting a can of beer that was discarded by a murder suspect and getting an identification from it which led to his arrest. 

How did your time at Kent help you achieve your current career?

My time at Kent helped me achieve my dream career in many ways. My academics Professor Robert Green OBE and Andrew Langley had so much experience and knowledge and they were more than happy to share their stories with outside of uni time. It really felt like a family.

Similarly, lab staff like Diana and Sarah could not do enough for you and encouraged me to keep applying for jobs when I had rejections from other forces. It is safe to say that these people become more than academics and are now friends with whom I’m still in contact. 

The facilities that Kent have in the forensic science programme are some of the best in the country. From the crime scene house, to the cars, the taphonomic facility, and the brand new ballistic facility – it’s all incredible. My only grievance is that I never got to use the ballistic range!

The fact I keep popping back to see everyone when I have a rest day is all you need to know about how great the Forensic Science course, and people that work there, are.

What advice would you give to our current/prospective students who are looking to get into the same line of work?

My only piece of advice I would have to people looking to get into the crime scene examiner world would be to apply for everything, someone will take a chance on you. I applied for every force in a 100 mile radius of where I live and was lucky enough to be accepted by two – so never give up. 

Also remember to apply early, for me personally, it took 13 months from sending in my application to my first day so give yourself plenty of time.

Do you have a favourite memory from your time at Kent?

It’s hard to narrow down just one memory from my four years at Kent!

I would say a professional highlight would be working as a student ambassador and getting to run so many fun events at open days and become good friends with some of the staff.

A non-professional highlight would be doing a fancy dress pub crawl around Canterbury and ending the night in Tokyo Tea Rooms dressed as Mr Incredible (I have never taken so many photos with random people in my life).

Is there anything you would do differently if you could repeat your time at Kent?

If I could redo my time at Kent, I would join a couple more societies to meet more people and I would go to more society events that the forensic science committee hosted as it was a great networking opportunity that I didn’t realise at the time. However, overall I enjoyed my time at Kent massively.

Are you still in touch with other Kent alumni or academics?

I am still in touch with people from my course and most of the academics from the course. I will also be returning to Kent this July to see my best friend graduate as she did an extra year in computing after completing her masters.

What are your future ambitions? 

My plan for the future is to finish my three year training and become Forensic Practitioner and then hopefully become Senior Forensic Practitioner or Operational Forensic Manager later on down the line.

Right now I am very happy within the Met and I don’t see myself leaving the force any time soon but who knows what might happen in the future. I might follow in Andrew’s footsteps and retire and come teach for Kent!