Like father, like son...

A police officer attestation is always a special moment – it’s when they swear their oath to the crown - but at this ceremony at Merseyside Police’s Mather Avenue, two people had a once in a life-time experience. Ged Brown (53) and Harry Brown (21) were sworn-in together.

Harry knew that joining the same career as his dad would mean some overlap: “I was nervous about starting a career that my dad has done for 30 years, but at the same time, knowing I can ask him any questions and he will know the answer relieves a little bit of the pressure.”

Little did Harry know that when he applied to join in November 22’ he and his dad were going to be starting out anew together.

Ged joined Merseyside Police in 1993 and was offered the 30+ Retirement scheme. The scheme gives officers the opportunity to rejoin after a period of retirement, which Ged was keen to use to recharge his batteries and enjoy some time to do the things he wanted to do.

‘It was wonderful. I've never had that much time off in work since I was 23 years old when I joined. I’m 53 now, and only had like maybe four nights off in a row since then. So to have that time was glorious. I spent it with family, I travelled abroad. It was great.”

For officers looking to rejoin the force though, there’s a process they need to go through, and it complicated things a bit for Ged.

“Technically, you come back as a new recruit, so you have to have your attestation again. When I was told that mine would be in August or September, I started to wonder. Am I going to end up clashing with Harry? I didn’t mention it to anyone, but when it was confirmed, I knew I had to double check with him if it was okay. I was very aware that it was his day, and I didn’t want to take away any of the shine from him.”

Harry, though, had no problem with attesting at the same time as his dad: “I felt quite proud about it. Yes, it was a unique scenario to be in, but being in the same ceremony was great. It’s a memory that will last forever.”

Ged and Harry’s family were able to attend the ceremony to support their father, brother, husband and son.

Ged found it all slightly surreal: “I did feel a little out of place at the ceremony when I was sat amongst them – I looked around and felt considerably older than everyone else who was there. I’d seen photographs of Harry in uniform, but I’d never seen him fully kitted out. It felt strange but also right – I was proud. I knew he’d worked hard to get there and deserved to be there.

“Being a police officer isn’t something he just always wanted to do, he gave it serious consideration. He’s had to deal with challenging situations in his work before now, caring for people with additional needs, so I was confident he had the right life experience to draw on. He’s developed good communication skills and you need that.

“When he first told me that he was interested in policing one of the first things I said to him was, well, if you do go down that path, then you've got a lot of choice ahead of it. I'm sure you'll find a kind of policing that really suits you.”

Harry agrees that the choice of roles was partially what swayed him: “When talking about the job with my dad, he explained about how every day is different and how there’s so many different roles you can do within the police. So I know to make the most of each experience and learn every new skill that’s offered to me. Plus, my dad has 30 years of experience, so I definitely need to tap into when learning the ropes. Growing up I had the impression that my dad was keeping my house safe when he went to work, and he always mentioned that he felt like he was making a difference.”

Ged openly admits that, despite doing the job himself and loving it, he has the same worries as any parent whose child has chosen to work on the frontline: “Obviously I know better than most what he’ll be dealing with, what he might have to face. It can be dangerous being on the street, so I think any parent would have concerns. But I know that the training he’s going to get will be first class and he’ll get good supervision and be in safe hands. And what can I say? He looks happy – there’s a spark in his eye. So I’m quietly confident that he’s found the career for him.”