Police Constable Akeem Griffiths

"My drive is to protect and serve Londoners"

PC Akeem Griffiths has been in the Met two years and works on emergency response team.

What is your day-to-day like?

I’m on the Lewisham response team, which means dealing with any call that comes through, so whether that’s dealing with a sudden death or a domestic incident we have to be ready to attend any call. I also able to attend level 2 public order events for example anything to do with organised protests. We make sure any organised protest is managed effectively, so that people are able to protest in a peaceful but compliant way whilst being mindful that there are other members of the public going about their daily business or traffic flow that we need to manage. 

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

Going home at night knowing I have given it my best, that I’ve tried my absolute best. If I have done everything and helped a victim as much as I can, although as an officer you might not get the response you sometimes deserve, I am still happy and can sleep at night.

Can you give an example of a stand out moment where you feel like you made a change?

One moment that stands out for me is attending a sudden death. We attended the scene and were very empathetic and understanding. We gave the grieving family the information they needed and explained next steps, what they needed to do going forward and most importantly what level of support was out there for them.

We don’t attend a call to get gratitude or thanks but the following day the father of the person who has passed away called in the next day to thank the officers who had attended. We don’t just turn up and deal with the situation, we are there as a human, we have feelings and know how to help people and offer support when needed.

What inspired you to become a police officer?

When I used to live in Wales there was always a large presence of police officers, which made me feel comfortable and safe, but whenever I would visit London, it felt like I didn’t see as many police because it is a much bigger place. It motivated me to make people who live, work or visit London feel safe the way i felt safe growing up in Wales. My drive is to protect and serve Londoners. 

Having decided to become a police officer, have you had to overcome any significant barriers?

I was the first person in my entire family to join the police. My mother was concerned about me being an officer, particularly in London as she was worried it was dangerous, so it was a challenge to reassure her over those reservations. As an officer in the Met I feel very safe and supported by other officers. Although we might attend dangerous situations, I know that if I ever I needed help, if I press my emergency back-up button someone is going to be there to help me almost immediately, within minutes. 

How have you seen the Met change?

During my two years of service, we are definitely more diverse and more transparent. Irrespective of what background you are from or where you were born, everyone is treated the same and are offered the same opportunities. Ultimately as long as you are motivated and determined then you will get levels of respect and opportunities that you deserve as a police officer.

What is one skill you have developed becoming a police officer that might surprise people?

It might surprise people that know me but I’m a lot more empathetic! Not that I wasn't previously, but I hadn’t been in situations where I had needed to show much empathy. My more empathetic side has definitely come out and I have had to take a step back and give families, respect and the time to reflect in certain situations. 

What is one skill that you have taken from a previous job that you didn’t expect to be useful in the Met?

One skill set I have taken from my previous role is my ability to coach people. I didn't think I would ever be coaching people, especially with just two years of service.  Although experience and length of service is important and plays a huge part in your development, you learn something new every day. There have been times when I have attended a particular scene with more experienced officers, yet I have been able to coach them and share my knowledge on what to do in that situation as they haven’t dealt with it before.

What do you like doing outside the job?

It sounds a bit cliché but there are two things I enjoy outside of work. I like being a father and teaching my daughter some of the skills you need to grow up in a world like today. I also like to do work for charity so any opportunity to anything extreme that will help others, I’m up for it! Hopefully climbing Everest is on the cards one day, however I’ve previously taken part in a charity football match that lasted for nine days to help raise money for people who need help.