Local emergency response officers feature on BBC series 'The Met: Policing London'

(PC Mahad Abdalla)

Ealing's emergency response police officers will be featured in the BBC One observational documentary, ‘The Met: Policing London’.  

Cameras shadowed Britain’s biggest police force for a year, as they dealt with life and death incidents, crime and its victims.

This Thursday's episode (31 October) follows a variety of incidents in North and South London whilst here in Ealing, response officers PCs Naomi Pearce and Mahad Abdalla deal with a frequent caller who has called seven times over the past week to complain about her husband. Another call takes them to visit a woman who has just received an email scam trying to blackmail her for money.

PC Abdallah, 22, became a full time officer in 2017 after having worked in retail and also serving as a Special Constable. Speaking to Ealing Today he said he loved the job because no day was ever the same 'People don't call us when they're having a good day and when you get that 999 you never know what's going to happen or confront you. I'm not going to pretend it's easy but when you genuinely make a difference it's a great feeling.'

As part of the emergency response patrol he has already dealt with a wide range of incidents in the borough, and says: '' Unfortunately dealing with violence is now a regular part of the job and it can happen at any time like when I attended a stabbing at 9am on a Sunday morning.''

How concerned is he about his own safety on the job though?

'' When you get the call-out you don't have time to worry, you just get on with what you've been trained to do. Afterwards I might think about it but the Met have great support and I know there'll always be great back-up if there's any major problems.''

As tonight's episode shows policing isn't always about violent crime and PC Abdallah and his colleague PC Pearce provide additional advice and support to a woman suffering from domestic abuse and another worried about an email blackmail scam.

The young police office says his regards his best days policing are the ones when he gets to help someone and make a positive difference. '' You don't tend to meet the nicest people in this job and it'd be easy to lose your faith in humanity and get cynical but I like to think more people are decent but we're just exposed more than most to the ones who aren't.''

Would he recommend the job to others?

'' Absolutely, I genuinely love it and having the experience as a Special was a kind of 'try before you buy' so anyone interested should look into volunteering for a taste.'

The BBC Crew filmed in Ealing over 3 months and consent was granted by all who appear in the documentary. PC Abdallah thinks it's a great way of showing the variety of work that Met police do and is nervously anticipating his television debut.

'' Colleagues will no doubt take the mick but hopefully it will give everyone a bit more of an idea about policing in London.''

Series three of the BBC documentary is on primetime TV tonight ( 31st October) and also available on iPlayer, it covers complex homicide investigations to Trident’s efforts in dismantling London’s biggest gangs to policing protests at President Trump’s first visit to the UK to tackling thieves on mopeds and armed robberies to, stop and search and the day-to-day emergency response - this series captures the enormous scale and breadth of policing in the capital.

31st October 2019