In this months Behind The Badge, we meet PS Patrick Lawrence who works in Project Horizons, which works with young people in Brent.
What is your role?
My current posting within the service is in the position of acting police sergeant of a unit called Project Horizons which is based in the NW10 area of the North West of London.
Why did you become a police officer?
I had always wanted to be a police officer from when I was a young child, my love and desire to help people is what drove me to join the service, I get a great sense of joy knowing that me and my team are working extremely hard help keep London safe. I grow up as a role model within school and I pride myself on how I carry myself, the key for me is working in within a job a love helping the amazing people of our communities and beyond.
What are the difficult things in your job that the public may not realise?
I would say the effort of so many employees within the organisation working on the frontline and behind the scenes to keep London safe. There is a lot of stigma around the service, but I believe that if people were able to see all the good work that is being done there would be a slight change in how policing is seen within society.
It is hard at times when as an officer we are trying our best to get the job done to the highest standards possible, but we are sometimes strained due to resources, this is being rectified by increased numbers and from this we hope we can increase how well we do our roles. With the extra officers, we can get more involved in events and community engagements which is very important to me especially running the Project Horizons team
What are the most rewarding aspects of your job?
It would have to be seeing a positive outcome for the public, seeing the public praise the work that I do for me is why I wanted to be part of the service, so seeing what it means to the people I service when I have worked hard and I bring the service and community together that is what is rewarding for me.
What advice would you give to people thinking of joining the Met?
Go for it! I know there is so much that people want to know about policing and as an organisation we are working on delivering the information regarding joining the service in a much better way. I have worked with outreach and can see the work they are doing to provide better information for those who want to know about the service and are thinking of joining. Being realistic, it is a very challenging role but it’s also very satisfying knowing you are helping people, It’s the best job I’ve ever had and feel there is a role in the service for everyone, so many departments and so many opportunities to upskill your skills in the service and within life, it’s a great Job
One more thing about me…
I am an avid football guy, I’m an Arsenal fan, the best team in the world! I also play football outside of the police in non-league.
I represent the Metropolitan Police Service in football at national level for England and for Great Britain.
One more thing, I was actually lucky enough to play football at Wembley stadium for the police in 2019.
