Gonzalo Londoño - Colonel

Gonzalo Londoño the highest ranking officer to join is a Colonel from Colombia. He is the last one to arrive and be one of the four members of police officers to join the cast of Police Academy UK for BBC. Here are more details from BBC three site.

Colonel Gonzalo Londono

From: Bogota, Colombia

Age: 43 years

Rank: Colonel (equivalent to Chief Constable)

Interests: Loves playing golf with heads of state.

Mission in the UK: To seek out how the dealing of drugs is handled by the British police. He wants to correct the poor reputation for crime Colombia has, around the world.

Skills: An expert marksman who has been fighting the drug cartels all his career.

Other: Gonzalo is at the forefront of his country's fight against crime. For him, policing is a way of life and he loves his job as a high ranking officer. He was recently involved in busting the biggest drug crime of the year with a cocaine seizure of over half a billion pounds. There is a strong need for military style policing in his country because of the drug unions and frequent murders so he was looking forward to coming to the UK to learn from the UK police force.

Why did you decide to take part in the show?

I found this programme to be a great opportunity to show the UK audience how deeply we in Colombia are involved in the struggle against crime – especially in counter-narcotics. On the other hand, I also wanted the chance to show my country as a beautiful safe place to visit, with a very capable police force. To represent my country and my force is a responsibility that you can't refuse.

How did you find the experience?

I found it very interesting, not only because of the chance to know how the UK police deal with the crime on the field but also to share time with my fellow colleagues, from different countries, cultures, genders and ranks.

This mixture of things was at the same time a kind of "social experiment". The good thing was that at the end, all of us became close friends, we learned how to interact with others without any clashes. It's amazing to see how police officers are a worldwide family with the same soul.

What surprised you most about British policing?

I am impressed by how patient and calm a UK officer can be. I was expecting more respect from the British public towards its police force but unfortunately it wasn't like that. It's a pity that young people in the UK show a bad attitude towards the police officers most of the time. On the other hand, it's very interesting the management system of the UK police regarding the use of force.

Did you pick up anything from your time with the British police that you will take back to your own force?

I am implementing in the field in Colombia some of the best practices I saw. For example, the inter-agency work to control the nightlife. Here we used to do that, and I think the Gwent Police mobile police station that they launched recently with flat TVs showing the promotional police videos and handing out lollies and water is something that helps a lot to build bridges between the people and the police. We adapted the basic model and we add other duties such as youth control, traffic police check points, drug awareness, alcohol smuggling, etc.

What was the biggest difference between our police force and yours?

We are a national police force that has to deal with local problems but also with trans-national crime. Because of that, we have more than 160,000 men and women. Ours is a huge force if you make a comparison with a police force like Gwent in Wales.

Ceremony and discipline is a must for us which I think is another big difference.

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Usufono Latu - Constable

Usufono Latu the only woman on the pack is a Constable from Samoa. She is the third one to arrive and be one of the four members of police officers to join the cast of Police Academy UK for BBC. Here are more details from BBC three site.

Usufono Latu constable

From: Apia, Samoa

Age: 24 years

Rank: Constable

Interests: Spends all free time with family.

Mission in the UK: To learn to shoot a gun. To find out how women can be better prepared to police the streets without a male counterpart.

Facts: There is little crime in Samoa and most is dealt with by the village families. Usufono likes to spend most of her time with her mother.

Other: Usufono comes from a place with 300 times fewer people than in the UK. Female officers in Samoa are expected to do all the paperwork so on a day to day basis she is based in the office. Her country is rooted in tradition and it is the men that go out on to the streets to deal with crime.

She is very good at her job but wants hands-on experience over and above the excessive paper work she deals with. Usufono lives with her parents and nine other relatives and has never been anywhere without them. This was her first time ever in the UK.

Why did you decide to take part in the show?

I decided to take part in the show because I wanted to make a difference in my own force as a female officer and I wanted to promote the best practice of service that we offer in our own country. As a female officer I wanted to take up challenges that I never get the chance to do in my own force like handling a firearm.

How did you find the experience?

The experience was fantastic. I have learned so much and have been exposed to a whole different world of policing that does not exist in my own country. The experience helped to build my confidence and I was very happy to get the chance to patrol in big cities that are so different to where I am from. Samoa has a very small population compared to somewhere like Birmingham.

What surprised you most about British policing?

What surprised me the most about the British police force is the community policing and the fantastic support they offer people when they are going out at night. I never thought such services would exists in such a big country.

I'd always thought the British police were tough and that they would not care so much about engaging with the community, but I was surprised that it is so much like the services we offer in Samoa in terms of protecting life and properties as well as upholding the law and apprehending offenders.

Did you pick up anything from your time with the British police that you will take back to your own force?

There is just so much that I want to take back. I know it will take time, but it will happen because I will make it happen.

One of the most important lessons I will take back is that females should have self-defence training so that they can take care of themselves when they go out on patrol on their own instead of depending so much on male officers.

The Public Order training I undertook in the UK was the most fantastic experience I've ever had in my life as a police officer. I have never been able to do that whilst in Samoa and had to come all the way to the UK to do it. Not even the male officers in Samoa have done that!

I want my males colleagues to see female officers as equals and acknowledge that we are capable of doing the same job they do every day.

What was the biggest difference between our police force and yours?

There is so much difference between my police force in Samoa and the police force in the UK.

We have very little resources compared to the UK. Our vehicles are different, our computers are different, we don't carry handcuffs or batons and we rely on the community to help us do our job.

Our police force has to ask for donors from overseas to help provide us with the resources to do our job. In the UK, the police are able to do their job because they have the proper resources in place.

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Luke Elsbury - 1st Class Constable

Luke Elsbury is a 1st Class Constable from Australia. He is one of the first to arrive and be one of the four members of police officers to join the cast of Police Academy UK for BBC. Here are more details from BBC three site.

Luke Elsbury 1st Class Constable

From: Kalgoorlie, Australia

Age: 30 years

Rank: 1st Class Constable

Interests: Loves beer.

Mission in the UK: PC Elsbury is here to find out how we deal with teen drinkers and hoodies. Most of his UK training comes from watching The Bill.

Facts: Luke was in a bank that got robbed, so he joined the police as he was so impressed with their dealing of the crime.

Other: Luke has been a police officer for seven and a half years and is currently a First Class Constable. He currently works in the Goldfields-Esperance district which covers over 800,000 square kilometres. His district is the largest policing district in the world – over three times the size of the United Kingdom.

Luke deals with assaults, domestics, disturbances and traffic offences and his officers place a strong focus on targeting anti-social behaviour, particularly in the Central Business District (CBD).

Kalgoorlie is a mining town with a long-running drinking culture and is one of the only places in Australia where you can walk from pub to pub and drink 24 hours a day.

Luke feels that alcohol abuse is an ongoing problem for his district as anti-social behaviour and alcohol abuse seem to go hand in hand. Several pubs in Kalgoorlie have been rated as the most violent in Australia.

Why did you decide to take part in the show? I took part in the show not only to compare and develop my skills as a country copper but also for the life experience because I had never been to the UK before. It really was a chance of a lifetime for me, I'm still not sold on your 'warm' ales though...

How did you find the experience?

The whole experience was certainly an eye opener for a bloke from sunny Kalgoorlie! I felt like a fish out of water at first coming from a small country town but the UK people were so friendly and accommodating which certainly helped me feel welcome in a foreign country.

What surprised you most about British policing?

I was very surprised just how tolerant UK coppers are compared to where I'm from. There were plenty of occasions where I would have ordinarily locked someone up because in my opinion they had crossed the line. I don't like to see people disrespect police and think it's unacceptable when there are no consequences for their behaviour.

Did you pick up anything from your time with the British police that you will take back to your own force?

I learnt that community policing does have a place in modern day policing which, before this experience, I thought was a waste of time.

I learnt that UK Police are going back to more traditional styles of policing (bicycles, community support officers, neighbourhood policing). This seems to be well received by the UK community so I am trying to get police bicycles up and running in Kalgoorlie, something which hasn't been done for 10 years.

What was the biggest difference between our police force and yours?

One of the biggest differences between our police services is the weapons we carry. I carry a Glock 40 calibre pistol with 31 rounds of ammunition and a taser as part of my standard kit, as does every other police officer on patrol in Western Australia. It seems most police in the UK have never even fired a gun.

I think in today's world with terrorist attacks, gang violence and the like, UK officers should be better equipped. A stab vest just doesn't cut it for me!

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Alfred Nawa - Assistant Commissioner

Alfred Nawa is an Assistant Commissioner from Zambia. He is one of the first to arrive and be one of the four members of police officers to join the cast of Police Academy UK for BBC. Here are more details from BBC three site.

alfred nawa assistant commissioner

From: Lusaka, Zambia

Age: 46 years

Rank: Assistant Commissioner

Interests: Christianity

Mission in the UK: Commissioner Nawa wants to try out the technology here that he can introduce back home.

Skills: The Commissioner specialises in raising awareness of child and sexual abuse. He loves to teach children as "they are our future".

Other: Alfred is sensitive and dedicated, a man whose mission it is to do good and to protect children. He's passionate about his work.

He started as a recruit constable and then went to the Police Academy to join the force. He went on patrols, then was posted in specialised units. He now does detective work as well as prosecutions.

When Alfred first trained, he came to work with the community to educate people about crime. His specialism was talking to people about sexual crimes like rape and the sexual abuse of children and women.

He did his diploma in Zambia, at the Evelyn Horn College and then undertook courses specialising in sexual abuse cases. His aim is to ensure that women and children are safe and protected, as sexual abuse is very common. Alfred has been in the force for 25 years.

Why did you decide to take part in the show?

I decided to take part in the show because I thought it would make a difference and be important to my policing career. I also discovered that taking part in the show could offer me an opportunity to visit the UK and work with the world's most successful police service.

How did you find the experience?

I found the experience so exciting and educational. It enriched my policing methods and I had many opportunities to meet with very important people in the UK. I met with The Duke of Gloucester – Prince Richard, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Monmouthshire and many others. It was a brilliant experience.

What surprised you most about British policing?

What surprised me most was the fact that police in the UK stripped naked those they detained in their custody. This surprise faded out when I discovered that the suspects' clothes were taken temporarily for further forensic investigations.

Did you pick up anything from your time with the British police that you will take back to your own force?

I picked something which I wish to introduce into my own police service. I could have picked quite a lot of things but some of them are expensive and long term projects, eg monitoring crime-prone areas using CCTVs ,The Safer Travel, The SOS Bus, Street Pastors, Dog Handling and many.

However I came up with Bicycle Patrol system, a Community Policing Crime Prevention Venture and Firearm Training for my police service in Zambia.

What was the biggest difference between our police force and yours?

The biggest difference between UK police and Zambia Police was the equipment and high technology. The UK is highly equipped in technology and equipment while Zambia lacks a lot in this area, otherwise we share the same policing system.

Zambia used to be a British Colony; even with a few amendments Zambia still uses British Laws and ways of doing things.

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Police Academy UK

Police Academy UK the newest introduction program tv series from BBC three. Four Police officers of different ranks come together to UK for five weeks to have a feel of what it is like a life of a police in the United Kingdom. Far different to what the police on their country in terms of approach, technique, behaviour and culture. Would the four get the grip of what it is like to be a British Police officer.

police academy uk bbc

These four officers namely Alfred Nawa from Zambia, Luke Elsbury from Australia, Usufono Latu from Samoa and Gonzalo Londoño from Colombia. The individual police officer are deployed to different UK police officers and will accompany them to experience enforcing UK law. The four international police officers will join trainings just like that of an academy such as self defence, riot prevention, drills and more. They will encounter drunken teenagers and adults alike. Mugging which is prevalent on the streets at night. Shoplifters who do not escape the eyes of the CCTVs. Rallies, road rage, football hooliganism, drug related incidents and more.

After their whole experience of the United Kingdom's police way of handling things, the officers will come back to their own countries and get all the good points that they learnt from their stay. The UK police force may also got a thing or two from their guests. Here is a quote from BBC three's press office.

The officers are on a fact-finding mission. They have questions they think only the UK has the answers to. They will spend time with three different forces in the UK, chosen for the types of crime with which they deal.

The international officers will live with each other throughout their stay, and get a true sense of the way we order ourselves as a country.

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Posted in: BBC three,Police Academy UK