Meet kickboxing Northamptonshire twins on the Met Police beat with matching black belts and crime-fighting degrees

Identical kickboxing twin sisters from Northamptonshire are on the beat after getting matching degrees and joining the Police at the same time.

Leigha and Ria Ravalia, from Silverstone, both work for the Metropolitan Police neighbourhood teams in East London as part of a graduate recruitment programme.

The 22-year-olds — who both graduated from the University of Gloucestershire with a degree in criminology — say joining the thin blue line has always been a "pipe dream".

PC Leigha will be based in Mile End while PC Ria will be working in nearby Spitalfields.

The sisters joined Scotland Yard through Police Now, a recruitment firm which provides a path for graduates to enter the police.

Ria said: “We both had an interest in the criminal sector, but we hadn’t always been set on joining the police.

"It wasn’t until we saw an advert for Police Now that we seriously considered applying. It had always felt like a bit of a pipe dream to work for the Met. I’m not sure either of us really expected it to happen."

The twins, both black-belt kickboxers, completed their training earlier this year and are now being deployed to the street.

Leigha said: "My first arrest was for common assault after responding to a report of domestic abuse.

"It was a difficult day, one of the very young children in the house clung onto my leg when I arrived as he was so scared.

"The offender has been sentenced to six years in prison. It’s a tough job but I was able to go home knowing I had helped protect a vulnerable family."

Ria added: "We have only been in our neighbourhood teams for about a month but we are already very embedded.

"I have mainly been working on warrants and tackling drug crime in my area, but my first arrest was for a man suspected of possessing indecent child images.

"It was a huge case, he was charged with possession of indecent child images and sexual communications with an underage child and sentenced to eight years in prison."