PERSISTENCE paid off for 22-year-old Jake Anderson - star of reality TV show Forensics: The Real CSI - who landed his role in digital forensics after initially being rejected.

Jake, now a digital forensic officer with West Midlands Police, didn’t get through the paper sift when he applied for an apprenticeship scheme but his positive attitude changed that.

He called the forensic services department to ask for feedback to help him with future job applications but the person he spoke to was so impressed by him - they reviewed his application and the rest is history.

Jake, who has always had a passion for IT and computers, saw the value of building his own computer systems from a young age and always knew he wanted to work in IT.

Today, he is a digital forensics expert - uncovering people’s online secrets by digging into their digital worlds through their devices like computers and smart phones.

Jake Anderson - digital forensic officer and star of Forensics: The Real CSI. Pic - West Midlands Police

Jake Anderson - digital forensic officer and star of Forensics: The Real CSI. Pic - West Midlands Police

He said: “I consider myself really lucky, most of my colleagues have degrees and I was lucky enough to be accepted onto the apprenticeship scheme. Working in digital forensics has opened up opportunities for me that I never expected."

He added: “I thought when I joined that it would be glamorous, like it is in the films. That I would be hacking computers, looking at fraudsters and dealing with cybercrime but the majority of my work uncovers things that are much more sinister.

“I would say the vast majority of work that comes through my door involves helping catch paedophiles and people who download offensive indecent imagery. At first it was definitely a shock having to deal with some of the things I have to see. But, I’ve had to learn to switch off and not think about work when I leave for the day."

Programme Name: Forensics: The Real CSI S2 - TX: n/a - Episode: Forensics: The Real CSI S2 - ep 2 (No. 2) - Picture Shows: Jake Anderson - (C) Blast Films - Photographer: Ryan McNamara

Programme Name: Forensics: The Real CSI S2 - TX: n/a - Episode: Forensics: The Real CSI S2 - ep 2 (No. 2) - Picture Shows: Jake Anderson - (C) Blast Films - Photographer: Ryan McNamara

Jake, a keen footballer and amateur boxer, says sport and keeping fit helps him decompress after a busy day at work.

His most memorable moment to date is winning his first fight as part of the West Midlands Police boxing team.

Jake, who is about to start working in the force's Regional Organised Crime Unit as a communications data investigator, said he ended up with a starring role in the new BBC Two documentary series, which focuses on the force's forensics experts, as his "team mates were a little camera shy". He said: "It wasn’t that I was persuaded, I just thought well someone has got to do it and stepped up for the team.

“I examined the computer of a 15-year-old boy who had been killed to see if we could get any answers as to why he was targeted. I like to think that the small part I played helped in securing justice for the boy’s family.

If you haven't seen the show yet you can watch it on the BBC iPlayer.