It has been exactly 4 years and 1 day after my attestation that I resigned from the Met Police. That was about 6 weeks ago and having got a bit of time to digest what I did, I think it is time to write about my time in the Met.
People always ask "Why did you do it at first place and join?" And I must admit, I got into it like the Virgin Mary who suddenly found herself pregnant and had no clue how and by whom.
So, one day I read a book about freelancing and it said, one has to do some voluntary work to make it easy to talk about something when in touch with new clients, etc. The day after I read that I saw an advertisement in the Tube that the Met is looking for Special Constables - those are voluntary police officers with the same rights and duties as regular policemen, but their commitment is only 200 hours a year on a voluntary basis. This is a very British institution and not really known around the world.
Anyway, I applied, went through the 2 days of assessment centre and got offered a place at police school. I attended. That was August 2009. And if I remember well, I wrote a few blog entries about my time there.
My first 2 and a bit years I spent in a Safer Neighbourhood Team in Westminster and my job was mainly to patrol the streets of that area, in uniform. Sometimes though we were in plain clothes, when we did special operations.
Those were fascinating 2 years. Every duty was different. Sometimes we did drug searches, I was involved in a raid of a pub (also drug related), we investigated crime scenes, regulated traffic, controlled crowds at special events, took calls from the radio, went out and got witness statements, and the list goes on and on.
I took part in a few major events then - There was the Opening of Parliament and I was based right outside Buckingham Palace from where I could see the Royal carriage leave and return, and then, a major highlight, the Royal Wedding, at which I was also in front of Buckingham Palace. That was pretty amazing. The shift lasted for about 15 hours or so and I could barely stand on my feet anymore on that day. I saw the kiss on the balcony!
Another major event in those years were the London Riots. That was not so much exciting but thrilling. The riots started at a weekend and lasted for a few days. I was stuck at home and did not know about riots as I had a quiet weekend without doing anything, not even watching TV. Monday, I signed up for duty (unknowingly still) and found out on my way to the police station what happened. I signed up for 3 days and worked for about 50 hours from Monday to Wednesday.
It was fascinating to see what kind of team spirit there actually is amongst officers in the Met. It made me feel proud being part of that team, and I dedicated all my available time that week to be part of that and fight for peace in London. It sounds all a bit overly patriotic, but it was really what it felt like in those days.
A little bit after the riots I obtained IPS, my independent patrol status. This means, I could walk the streets of London on my own and did not have to pair up anymore with someone else. This was actually rather scary, as I could no longer rely on a partner. But I like pushing my boundaries, and patrolling alone was always exciting. One never knows what's happening in the next second. Time just passed by like crazy on days when I was on duty.
At some stage I saw that the Met was looking for special constables to attend a detective course so we could help out in SCD and CID, too. This was a pilot project and I applied, and got accepted. Together with about 15 or so, I went back to police school for a few weeks and got trained up. Suddenly, I was transferred to CID, the Major Crime Unit, permanently after I finished my training. And that's where I spent my nearly next 2 years.
CID started for me a few months before the Olympics for which I added extra shifts so that this big event could take place smoothly across London. It was again good to be part of something and I did my share.
Once in CID life is completely different. We got cases on the table and had to investigate. Investigation can mean - CCTV collection and viewing, taking statements, sitting in interviews, doing forensic research, and much more.
All in all, I think it was one of the best choices I have ever made to join the Metropolitan Police. And I already planned ahead till my retirement, as I wanted to spend all my life there. It was the ideal hobby for me. As freelance consultant I always made sure, my contracts gave me flexibility to perform my duty and manage to get to my 200 hours per year and beyond.
I was still in my bubble of happiness and feeling good that I did not anticipate radical changes within the police force. This of course led to my resignation a few weeks ago, as I find it impossible to spend time there.
This branch of voluntary police officers, the Special Constabulary, turned into a recruitment tool for the Met. When someone wants to join the Force as a regular he or she has to become a Special first and that for about 2 years before an application was accepted. This basically means, there are tons of young volunteers who only do so because they want a job afterwards. It sounds like modern slavery. "Real volunteers" like me, who only see this as an opportunity to spend some time doing something useful, became a minority.
There were those changes in the Met recently, a new policing model came out and all Specials were called back into uniformed service mainly at weekend nights patrolling the Westend and other busy areas and answering calls. Basically, back to the basics. And unfortunately, that does not work for me. I can't do nights at all and I need weekends for myself to relax as my daytime job as management consultant is quite demanding. And to be truthfully honest, I don't want to do nightshifts either.
There is only one way out, and that was my resignation. It is really a shame but that's life. I tried to negotiate, but got told - either I accept the new conditions or I have to leave. And I left. It is fine now. Initially, I went through some proper bereavement, as I missed my lost status as copper a lot. Not being part of the Met was quite hard to accept for me; I really saw this as my second career. But at least now I have more time for myself and am not longer that much restricted in my life. And let's face it, there is an end to everything.
