Protecting a global city – Life in the Met

Protecting a global city – Life in the Met

Off By Ed Hanna

London is amazing: vibrant, vast and diverse. With a population of over eight million people – not to mention thousands of visitors. Protecting this metropolis is a huge undertaking which falls to the Metropolitan Police Service. No surprise that life in the service is a unique experience

 

There’s no average day – or night

When you’re policing a vast urban centre, the challenges can come in all shapes and sizes. On top of this, London is a 24-hour city – which means the Met has to be 24/7 too. Emergencies can happen at any time of the day or night. All this means that life is never dull for the Met’s dedicated workforce.

Today, the threats are more complex than ever. The Met’s 50,000-plus staff and officers do everything from foiling terrorists to investigating fraud. Sometimes, situations are dangerous and require split-second decisions. However, the Met makes sure every officer is prepared thanks to exceptional training. And of course, there’s always back-up, poised and ready to roll out. Every Met employee has thousands of colleagues to count on.

Varied opportunities

Because the Met deals with such a wide variety of situations, it recruits people for all kinds of different roles. Armourers, Custody Nurses, Grievance Helpline Co-ordinators – the opportunities available is incredibly varied. It means the service needs all kinds of people with all kinds of backgrounds. However, there’s one important quality that all recruits have to have: a sense of pride in making London safer for everyone.

The highest standards of training

When it comes to training, there’s no expense spared: the Met makes sure every employee has the skills to do their job well. In some cases, training has the potential to save lives – which is why it can’t be anything less than outstanding. What’s more, training is an ongoing process. The Met encourages continuous learning and improvement. That means everyone there has the potential to move forward, towards promotions or even new directions. The Met’s scale and diversity mean there’s a wealth of career paths available. Employees have the scope to pursue numerous development opportunities. Where new qualifications or credentials would be an advantage, the Met will often support full or part-time study.

The Met’s secret weapon: technology

The Met aims to become the UK’s first truly digital police service. It’s making a multi-million pound investment in the latest technologies. These innovations are designed to support officers, saving them time – and the organisation money. This frees up more funds for crime-fighting initiatives. Digital crime-mapping; cutting-edge forensics; Body Worn Video, the rollout of tablets and laptops for a more agile working service, modern interview suites with the latest recording equipment: they’re all helping the Met to be even more effective.

Rewarding all round

To say thank you for doing an incredible job, the Met gives staff and officers access to Met benefits.  This is an external website offering guaranteed savings on everything from food, clothes and furniture, to hotel stays, cinema tickets and electrical products. These discounts are available at major high street stores and retail outlets nationwide.

The Met also offers access to four well-equipped sports centres – after all, it’s very important for officers to stay fit. The invitation is extended to family and friends. The Met also has an Athletics club (MPAA) and a Sports and Social Association. Both hold regular activities and events.

Naturally, all these benefits come with a competitive salary. But when it comes to rewards, nothing beats the feeling of protecting a huge, diverse community.

Feelings of pride

One of the biggest reasons that people join the Met is the feeling of doing something for others – of giving something back. Making sure that people feel safe in their homes at night brings tremendous satisfaction. What’s more, officers, staff and volunteers are respected by the community. The Met is constantly working to build trust and relationships with London’s many groups. In fact, this is one of the Met’s most important goals.

A role at the Met is not for everyone. But if you thrive on variety, there’s a good chance that you’ll enjoy it. Life in the Met means a stable career that comes with enormous possibilities. And best of all, you can go to bed knowing that you’ve helped towards making London the safest global city.