POLICE RIDE-ALONG
PFEW STAFF MEMBER JOINS HER LOCAL FORCE FOR ‘RIDE-ALONG’
A member of the PFEW HQ staff participates in the ride-along scheme and teams up with Met Police officers as they respond to distress calls
Claire is part of the
Events Management team at the PFEW HQ at Leatherhead. She plays a central role on the organisation of the Federation’s most high-profile events such as the National Police Bravery Awards and National Police Memorial Day. She’s done the job for quite a few years now and is
“It was obvious that someone was there. We could see him crouched behind the door, he was hiding from us but we saw him through the letterbox.” Claire Blekkenhorst, Events Manager at the PFEW HQ is clearly still nervous about the incident as she continues to recall: “We had a report of a suspicious figure in the garden of a woman’s refuge. I’d half-heartedly been trying to help the two officers who I was shadowing for the night shift, but I don’t mind telling you, I certainly didn’t want to find anything as we searched the grounds in near total darkness. In fact, I was incredibly fearful when I heard the call that someone had been spotted, hiding.”
Claire was out with two Met Police officers. She was joining them for the night shift and for someone who describes herself as the number one ‘police fangirl’, this was an experience she had been looking forward to for quite some time. “I couldn’t wait to join the officers. I was given a fluorescent jacket labelled ‘COMMUNITY OBSERVER’. Sadly, I wasn’t given a wireless radio, but I couldn’t hide my excitement at being invited along for the shift. I’d somehow even managed to lock my keys in the car as I arrived at the station,” she said.
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quick to tell people how much admiration she has for all officers who serve their communities, especially given the unpredictability of the job. The ‘ride-along’ scheme takes a sizeable amount of effort and administration to organise. Anyone who
come out. After a while he did. Despite the obvious tensions surrounding the situation, the officers were able to ascertain that the individual posed no risk. They were able to deal with the situation promptly and were also able to notify the residents that the matter had been resolved. “I couldn’t believe just how calmly and professionally the issue had been handled. At first, I was genuinely petrified. I have nothing but the highest respect for the officers who dealt with it so well. It was only as we got back to the station after the callout that one officer admitted to me that she too had initially felt scared as she walked up the path.”
“I wasn’t given a wireless radio, but I couldn’t hide my excitement at being invited along for the shift.”
is invited to join the officers on patrol or in responding to a call must fill out waiver forms and should be under no illusions that the job will go on at pace around them, regardless as to their presence. In certain circumstances, local forces may also invite members of the public along to observe. These ‘guests’ may be journalists, programme makers or politicians, and although they aren’t tasked with providing professional support to the officers, Claire says it is impossible not to completely become absorbed with what is going on around you. POLICE picked up Claire’s story as she described what happened next in the garden of the woman’s refuge: “I wanted to run a mile, but the officers were great. They walked up the path to the door and shouted at the man to
Claire also joined the officers as they were called to help some members of the public in distress. One elderly gentleman had fallen in his garden and was unable to get up (a neighbour hearing his cries for help had called 999). During another call, the officers dealt with a young male who was suffering from the effects of drug misuse. In both cases, Claire and the officers were able to provide invaluable help and support until the paramedics arrived. Asked for additional thoughts on her ‘ride-along’ shift with the Met, Claire said: “It was an incredible experience to see community life in the area that I know from such a different perspective. I’m used to driving along those streets but to sit in the police patrol car as it speeds down the same streets under flashing blue lights is an experience that I will never forget.
“I have such gratitude for the two officers and the Metropolitan Police for letting be join them for the night and I’m sure that the unforgettable experience will help me with my work at the Federation in supporting all our members in the fantastic work that they do.”
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