Ever wondered what it would be like to join the thin blue line? Is every day just like the show Police, Camera, Action?
Working on the front line comes with a lot of obstacles, as specialist writer Nia Dalton discovered. She spent a Friday night living the life of a police officer and reported back with her findings.
Along the way she joined calls to an attempted robbery, gang crime and a reported stabbing. She was shocked to learn that many officers have to respond to such dangerous incidents alone.
Nia also learned the average police officer deals with over 400 traumatic incidents in their careers. And the pay isn't great.
But the "buzz and people" made her want to return, she admits. In the report from her night with Avon and Somerset Police she discusses the jobs, the tension and those myths around fast food.
Jumping into the back of a police car with my luminous high-vis jacket on, I feel apprehensive about what the next 10 hours will involve. As we set off from the station, I share my prediction that we'll be responding to a lot of drunk and disorderly pick-ups.
But PC James Stone tells me: "There is no typical Friday night, though it's always busy. A lot of domestic calls, public order and thefts."
And just like that, we're called to a shoplifting incident in Bristol city centre. PC Jordan Howe, who is in the driver's seat, says that it makes a change to have company.
"Usually response officers work alone to stretch out resources. The risks are higher and we're safer in pairs, but it's more productive apart," he explains.
Tonight, there are 16 response officers on shift and most of them will be solo. It's nowhere near the amount of officers Sergeant Matthew Britton would like to have working - but the force is overstretched and understaffed.
While Jordan drives, he keeps an eye out for any suspicious activity on the road and listens to his earpiece, while James checks his phone for alerts to CCTV cameras in the area. Multi-tasking doesn't even come close to describing it.
"It comes with experience," he explains, though I struggle to believe I'd ever be able to pick it up.
Robber tried to grab £2,500 designer jacket
The three of us get out of the car and head into the department store, where a £2,500 designer jacket was almost robbed. James takes a statement, photos and contact details, then adds the incident to his long list of reports.
"The demand is now but we might have 10-15 crimes that we're investigating in the background. The job isn't done when we leave and every single call we respond to has to be followed up," James tells me.
Slow days come few and far between, but they're a saving grace for officers with a backlog of paperwork and log updates to complete. Along with attending 999 and 101 calls which require an immediate response, response officers also conduct house-to-house enquiries, CCTV trawls, suspect interviews and provide updates to the victim throughout the investigation.
I'm told response officers do two day shifts, two evenings and two nights, followed by four days off - so it can take a whole week to contact someone during the day. "It can be disheartening not speaking to victims as quickly as we'd like," Jordan explains.
Reports of stabbing
At 7pm, we're called to a report of a man who has been stabbed in the head. We're the closest car to the scene, but we won't get there the quickest.
"A lot of officers can't use blue lights," Jordan says - to my surprise - as we're stuck in standstill traffic along with the rest of the general public. "Tonight, only two people on shift can put their lights on."
It's a huge eye-opener and really frustrating for everyone involved. Police training comes as when they have the time, money and resources.
So you'll find a lot of staff can't stick a siren on and speed through traffic, even in an emergency like this. The thought of a member of the team responding to a knife attack alone fills me with fear, but it's normal for James and Jordan.
"Any worry we have is masked by adrenaline and the responsibilities of being a police officer," Jordan explains. "We are expected to bring calmness and resolution so we can't show any fear."
At 7.30pm, we respond to a call of a building where the panic alarm has been hit. It's dark and eerie as James listens out for any cries for help and checks the area with a torch.
Thankfully, it appears to be a false alarm and we head out to support an off duty police officer who called for back up. But again, we're unable to reach him fast enough in traffic and another member of the team has to go.
"So much can happen in two minutes," James tells me, recalling an incident where a female officer was attacked alone while on the radio. They rushed to her aid but got stuck in red lights. Even hearing the story sends a shudder down my spine.
Gang crime
At 9.30pm, we get a report in of a violent neighbourhood dispute, but after performing door knocks in the area, we leave without an arrest. I hitch a ride with Sgt Britton in the front seat of the van and he explains to me that new entry routes are holding people back from applying to become response officers.
As of four years ago, those interested in the role need to graduate with a Degree in Professional Policing (DiPP), which prevents many people with the relevant skills and experience from applying. Neither James nor Jordan would be able to get the job now with their current qualifications.
As well as the academic requirements, the pay often puts a lot of people off. The average police response officer receiving £27,000 - though it was as little as £20,000 when James started.
Jordan talks me through the other skills needed to become a response officer, and I consider if I have what it takes. "Communication is probably the biggest thing and having control," he explains.
"You have to be good at making decisions and sticking to them. We carry the risk of people's lives every single day, so you have to genuinely care."
At 10pm, we receive a call of a group of youths carrying knives and head out on foot to investigate eyewitness accounts. "Can you read out that number plate for me?" Jordan asks, as I pause and realise I don't know the phonetic alphabet - just another skill that's really important in the force.
McDonald's stop
By 11.30pm, we're running low on energy but it's far too busy to return to the office and eat the food they'd prepared for tea, so we head to McDonald's. I feel a tad uncomfortable walking in but, as much as people joke that officers spend all their time in the fast food chain, we really had no other option.
James explains to me: "There's a stigma but we eat when we can on shift. Sometimes there is no time."
As we head back out to a public order call, I spot a youth spray painting graffiti on a wall and Jordan pulls the car up for a stop and search. The young boy is carrying a large hammer in his pocket, but due to his age we're unable to arrest him, so we return him home.
Standing in a stranger's kitchen at 1am, the events of the night really take a toll on me. I'm just thankful that we aren't doing a house call for a more distressing reason.
"Most people will experience two or three traumatic events in their lives, but as a police officer, you deal with over 400," James tells me. "People do find it hard to cope with and move on, because you still have to come back the next day and put on that same uniform." Thankfully there is support out there for response officers, including an amazing service called TRIM, made up of trained police staff.
Mental health call
At 1.30am, we head to a call of a taxi driver with an adult male in his car, who is suffering from mental health issues. We're the last officers available, so if there are any more emergency calls, all staff are occupied.
As I watch James and Jordan at work, I'm nothing short of amazed. At a time I'd freeze up, they knew all the right things to say.
Responders may not be the best and most qualified people to deal with mental health calls, but at times like this, they are the first ones responding. At 2.30am, we head back into the office where it feels like one big family debriefing and finally unwinding.
I try on James's tabard and struggle to carry the weight of it on my shoulders. It's equipped with a baton, handcuffs, pepper spray, taser, torch, pen, hand sanitiser, radio and work phone - around 8kg in total.
Time to head home
By the time 3am comes, I don't want to leave the office. It's been the longest and most fulfilling 10 hours and I've seen a completely different side to the city I love and call home.
The thought of being out there alone really hung over my head the entire night, from handcuffing the young boy to heading out on foot in the dark. James and Jordan both reacted to every single call in the most humane and level-headed way, and I was overwhelmed with respect for them.
Despite the stigmas, long hours and low pay, Jordan tells me it's all worth it when you "make a difference to people's lives". He added: "Nobody joins for the money. You've got to have the right intentions."
I learnt that it's certainly not a case of hitting your blue lights on to get through traffic, spending lots of time in McDonald's aimlessly waiting for calls, or picking up endless drunk people in town. There wasn't a moment to rest or even think twice, but the buzz and people were enough to make me want to come back again and again.
"You should join the Specials," Jordan says to me on the way out. And I really will consider it.
