Pola – Humans of Avon and Somerset
“In my Avon and Somerset ceremonial uniform, I rode across the main square of Wrocław – the city where I grew up. I remember watching the Polish Mounted City Guard in the same spot when I was little and eagerly telling my mum, ‘That’s going to be me one day’. I can’t believe it happened!”
From a very early age I showed an interest in animals. I loved all animals, but especially horses. At 12 years old, I was thrilled to start riding lessons, but then high school got in the way and my parents couldn’t fully fund my expensive hobby.
I grew up in Wrocław (pronounced ‘Vrots-wahf’), Poland, before moving to the UK when I was 19. I thought it was just going to be a gap year but I never went back! In the UK, I was fortunate enough to be able to pay for more riding lessons when I had my first full-time job as a waitress.
A few years later, I was working at Bristol Airport where I met numerous uniformed and plain-clothed officers. They boosted my confidence and explained that being from another country and speaking another language would be an asset to policing – not a barrier that I might have expected.
Motivated to do more, I applied to become a police officer in 2016. At this point I had already dipped my toes into policing, having volunteered for both Avon and Somerset’s Road Safety Team and, to my delight, the Mounted Section, mucking out stables in my free time just so I could be around the police horses.
After building my skills as an officer in other operational teams, I was successful in joining my dream team: the Mounted Section. This came as a huge surprise as it’s an in-demand position!
I’ve now been here for four years with my devoted crewmate, Police Horse St Michael. We patrol and exercise daily, work football matches and get deployed on mutual aid to assist other forces. This leads me to two extremely proud moments in my career so far: the first being a mutual aid job in Windsor, where St Michael and I, along with other police colleagues, escorted the King and guests through the town on a state visit. That experience was truly magical.
The second highlight of my career happened this September when I, to my surprise, received an invitation from the Wrocław Mounted City Guard to celebrate their 30th anniversary in my hometown.
So how did it come about?
This summer I visited my family in Poland and, during my stay, attended an equestrian show where the Wrocław Mounted City Guards were on duty.
The Mounted City Guards are not mounted police officers like me; they are specialised equestrian units made up of civilian riders. While they don’t have powers of arrest, they play a crucial role in protecting natural areas – like public parks, municipal forests and wetlands. These areas aren’t easily accessible to patrol cars and pedestrian officers, and some even restrict motor vehicles entirely due to their ecological importance, leading to the creation of the unit in the 1990s. Nowadays, the Mounted City Guards also patrol historic areas of the city centre and support with large public gatherings.
I approached some riders for a photograph at the show and explained I was Polish but serving as a mounted police officer in the UK. We got chatting and, before long, made friends! They showed me around their stables, introduced me to the horses and told me more about the City Guard role. When they mentioned they would be celebrating their unit’s 30th anniversary in September, I asked if I could support them on the day as a helper, grooming the horses and mucking out the stables.
This simple request escalated to being invited to the event as a special guest!
The ceremony was just over a month ago now and I’m still buzzing. I felt honoured to be given a front row seat at the parade, alongside those in charge of various mounted sections across Poland. Together we watched the procession, military orchestra and inspiring presentation of awards, and I was even allowed to sit on one of their horses!
In my Avon and Somerset ceremonial uniform, I rode across the main square of Wrocław – the city where I grew up. I remember watching the Polish Mounted City Guard in the same spot when I was little and eagerly telling my mum, “That’s going to be me one day”. I can’t believe it happened! It felt like a full-circle moment, which I’ll cherish forever.
“Being able to present my newfound friends with gifts from home, including a plaque, pin badges and an Avon and Somerset Police history book, also felt special; it was a reminder that anything is possible if you really want it and work hard.”
The short time I’ve spent with the Wrocław Mounted City Guards and other Polish mounted police officers has already been an education, and I’m keen to learn more about the similarities and differences between the two countries in terms of routines, training practices and tactics.
Sometime in the future, I look forward to inviting my Polish counterparts on a visit to our Mounted Section.