Police offers in south west London get candid in a new radio series called Behind the Badge.
Riverside Radio has joined forces with Met Police to bring londoners exclusive content over the next few weeks.
The community radio station, which focuses on the boroughs Richmond, Wandsworth, Merton and Lambeth, will interview six police officers for their new series.
In the first programme, news editor Stephen Menon, talks to two officers from completely different backgrounds who’ve ended up in uniform, serving the people of south west London.
Detective Constable Scerene Williams who’s been in the Met for the last decade explains why it took her some time to feel confident enough to join the force.
"I was born and raised on a council estate in south west London, the very last thing my parents wanted for me was to join the Police," she said.
My mum begged me not to join because of what she saw as racism.
"She thought all police officers were racist because that was her experience when she was first in this country when she arrived here from Jamaica.
"She begged me not to do this.”
Detective Superintendent Owain Richards also featured in the first programme.
“I’m from a Welsh speaking family in South Wales," he said.
"I always wanted to be a Police Officer probably since I was about 10 or 11 and I wanted to try and make a difference, to help people, to protect the public.
"I joined Dyfed-Powys Police on my 21st birthday actually and here I am still alive to tell the tale, almost 25 years later.”
A further two episodes of #BehindtheBadge includes police officers from different ranks, gender and backgrounds who reveal why they joined the force and if life in the Met was what they expected.
Stephen Menon, Riverside Radio’s News Editor said: “Our volunteer news team are delighted to continue our strong relationship with the Met Police in south west London.
"We hope these interviews shine a light on both the unseen positive aspects of working in the Met, and discover some of the difficulties our Police officers face on a daily basis.”
The #BehindtheBadge interviews will feature on Riverside Radio’s news based podcast titled The Ripple Effect which can be heard here.
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