Ride Along with Herts Police

I had the wonderful opportunity of spending a shift with the very capable officers from Watford Police recently.

On a busy Friday evening in the city I clocked on around 5pm and was given an initial briefing by Inspectors Simon Mason and Tom Fisher. Within minutes we were called out to an incident regarding a stabbing and later dealt with a drug-dealing incident. On both occasions the perpetrators were taken into custody, which involved transporting them to the custody suite at Hatfield Police Station.

In the early hours of the morning we went out on foot into the City centre as many of the pubs and clubs were closing. On the whole it was pleasing to see the publics' reaction to the police presence, many of whom came to chat to the officers, with some thanking them for their support and hard work.

I left about 3am but the officers were still finishing their shifts and completing the necessary paperwork.

Throughout all of my interactions with the Police during this experience I was thoroughly impressed with their professionalism and all incidents were dealt with promptly and efficiently. Thank you to all at Watford Police for allowing me an insight into the incredible work you do for the county and thanks to Sergeant Steve Alison for allowing me to use his photograph of our experiences in the city centre.

I would also like to particularly acknowledge the work of one of the Special Constables who was supporting the team that night. SCI Don McMundie has completed 40 years service as a Special Constable with Herts Police. A truly amazing achievement in the field of volunteering. Thank you to Don and all of the Special Constables across Hertfordshire for their service.