A DETECTIVE Sergeant aims to swap collaring criminals for wearing a dog collar as he embarks on the journey to become a priest.

Richard Burgess, who operates from Rayleigh Police Station, was graded exceptional after completing a two-year Christian Studies course at Chelmsford Cathedral and is now undergoing a discernment programme.

During the programme, Mr Burgess is mentored by Canon David Tudor, the vicar of Canvey’s St Nicholas Church, and Rev Hilary Le Seve, a deputy director of ordnance, to explore his personal Christian development.

In about a year, he hopes to be ready to be interviewed by the Bishop’s Advisory Panel, who will decide whether to accept him into the Church of England ministry.

The 45-year-old hopes to complete ministry training at the time he is ready to retire from Essex Police.Although he was taken to church by his mother as a child, Mr Burgess said his true development as a Christian came as a teenager, which is when he first felt the touch of the Holy Spirit.

He said: “I moved away from the church in my early teens as I was more into karate, motorcycles, girls and football, which doesn’t quite lend itself to a Christian outlook necessarily.

“In 1984, when I was about 14 or 15, I went to a youth group and a priest came in one day and started talking about God.

“He asked if I wanted to learn more and I did confirmation classes and at the end of it, I became confirmed into the Church of England.

“My nan pulled me over to one side after my confirmation and asked if I felt something when the bishop touched my head.

“She said ‘Did you feel something like a peace of comfort? Like an electric shock but not a bad thing?’

“I said ‘I did as it happens’ and that’s the moment I felt the Holy Spirit.”

But Mr Burgess’ journey exploring Christianity hasn’t always been smooth. In February, he went to Jerusalem with Mr Tudor on a pilgrimage and came across a Jewish dad being attacked .

He said: “He was being beaten and dragged down an alleyway. He had CS gas sprayed in his face and he would have been killed.”

Mr Burgess said that he ran down the alleyway and pulled the man away from the attackers, getting one in a headlock.

It was then when he was hit over the head with a claw hammer and ordered to leave once they realised he was trying to diffuse the situation.

He is passionate about carrying out guided tours of Holocaust and battlefield sites as he sub contracts for Anglia Tours. During the tours, he hopes to guide young people through the Christian faith.

He said: “I am very proud to serve God, remember those I come into contact with in private prayer, both in and out of the police, and serve Essex as a detective.

“I am looking forward to being able to spread the Gospel of Christ.”