day three

finally, we can get to the meat and potatoes of what we were coming to learn about. first thing in the morning we went to Charing Cross Metropolitan police station where we got a briefing on what the Met does. we were also familarized with the typical "kit" of each officer which consisted of a kevlar vest, a bobby helmet, static cuffs, CS spray, and a wooden or acrylic baton, oh yeah and a radio. at the station we were able to see a few of the police vehicles including patrol cars, fast patrol cars, and vans (paddy wagons). Constable Watson then took us into the holding cells and booking area of the jail where despite it only being 10 am there were some less than happy chaps being booked in. we also got to see the electronic printing machine that they use. in the afternoon, we went to the central london police training center which has all but replaced the old center at Hendon. here we learned about the training that regular constables receive and learned about "special" constables.