Whilst working in darkest Codsall, a poster appeared on the wall of the Police Station asking for officers to register their interest in a trip to New York. This was organised by PC Norman Brennan of the British Transport Police, who had sent the posters to every Police Station in the country. Norman had set up a charity ‘Protect the Protectors’ in the wake of the awful events of September 11th 2001. I wasted no time in contacting him and letting him know that I wanted to go.

Norman was asking for about one hundred Police Officers from around the UK to fly to New York in September 2002 to show solidarity and support for our American colleagues and their families. In actuality, three hundred and forty officers took the opportunity to represent the UK Police Service, not only at the ceremony at Ground Zero on Wednesday September 11th, but also at the Memorial Service for the British victims which was held at St. Thomas Church 5th Avenue on the late afternoon of Tuesday September 10th.

Representing Staffordshire Police were:

• PC Mark Callardine
• PC Matt Derrick and his partner
• Leanne who is a Dispatcher in the ACR
• SC Darren Ferneyhough
• Sgt. Andy Pass and his partner
• Clare Lancaster, S.O.C.O. 
• Myself, PC Mark Wiggin.

I’d opted to stay for a full seven days, as had Clare and Andy, so we travelled down to Heathrow together on Saturday 7th September. Our flight left at 13.52, but because of the five hour time differential, we arrived at JFK International Airport at only 15·31 local time. The first thing that struck us when we landed after a six-and-a-half-hour BA flight was the heat – 90ºF! Most of us had imagined that the weather would have been about the same as at home, so not many had brought Summer clothing with them – I certainly hadn’t... The next surprise was that when we boarded the coach that was to take us to the New Yorker Hotel on 34th St and 8th Avenue, we had an NYPD Police escort all the way, with flashing lights sweeping a path for us on the freeway. The New Yorker had been the largest hotel in New York when it was built in 1930, and even now is impressive, with 1000 guestrooms available.

After checking in, there was plenty of time that evening to explore the centre of New York, which seemed full of bright yellow cabs determined to mow down any pedestrian foolish enough to ignore the red ’DON'T WALK’ signs at every intersection. Reassuringly, there seemed to be an NYPD officer at almost every corner, and I don’t think that any of us ever felt unsafe during our time at ‘The Big
Apple’.

On Monday 9th September, following an early briefing about the next day’s service for the British victims, my roommate, Sgt. Chris Scarisbrick of Merseyside Police, and I made our way down to Ground Zero. It’s now just a huge development plot, a giant rectangular hole in the ground about eight storeys deep, swarming with construction workers and vehicles. The only clue that something catastrophic had happened was that some of the buildings were scorched and blackened, and one of the skyscrapers is still sheathed in a black shroud. Close by is a set of railings on the corner of Church St and Vesey St on which relatives, friends and well-wishers have attached tee-shirts and banners with messages of sympathy, condolence and outrage written on them. It was heart-breaking to read messages from children who’ve lost their mommies and daddies,from people who’ve lost their husbands or wives, girlfriends or boyfriends, and from hundreds of people across the USA and around the world who’ve been moved by the horrific tragedy – even though they never knew personally anyone who was lost in the twin towers.

Around the corner is a memorial to the Police, firefighters and members of the Port Authority who died trying to save the lives of others. There’s a list of all these officers’ names, and a display of cap and shoulder badges sent by emergency services from the US and beyond.
These brave men and women risked their own lives to rescue others. Many of their surviving colleagues tell how they took one turn in the heaving chaos and survived, while others took  another, and did not come back.

Further down the road at Old Slip Road is the NYPD Museum. Located in the former 1st Precinct building, the museum tells the history of policing in New York. But the most dramatic display is a room dedicated to 9/11 and its aftermath. There is a video display of that day’s
events, and on the walls are the remnants of officers’ equipment retrieved from the rubble, including an officer’s utility belt and equipment, and a Police gun which has been driven into the concrete with so much force that it looks as though the concrete was poured around it. Also displayed is this message: NEVER FORGET

One year has passed since terrorists attacked the World Trade Center on September 11th 2001. But not one day goes by when we do not remember the 2,823 who perished. Among those whom we will never forget are the 23 New York City Police officers killed in the line of
duty. In this space we honor the valiant efforts of those who lived and died serving the city on its darkest day. Their stories of sacrifice and service on and after September 11th remind us that the NYPD and the city it serves stand stronger than ever.

On Tuesday September 10th, at 17.30, there was a Choral Evensong held at St. Thomas Church, 5th Avenue, in memory of the British Nationals who were killed on September 11th 2001. This was attended by Rt. Hon. Jack Straw, Home Secretary; George Carey,
Archbishop of Canterbury; and the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Michael Oliver. This was attended by all 340 UK Police Officers in full dress uniform, and a Guard of Honour was formed at the entrance to the church composed of one representative of each of the forces
present. PC Matt Derrick was the Staffs member of the Guard of Honour. The service itself was very moving, with the rector pointing out that each victim had become a hero. The family of one victim would be paying for a cross to be inscribed with words of condolence sent by the Queen twelve months earlier: “Grief is the price we pay for love”.

Many of the relatives said how touched they were that there had been such a massive turn-out of British Police at the ceremony. As we walked back to the hotel when the service was over, many New Yorkers, surprised at the sight of so many ‘London Bobbies’ on their streets. When we told them, everone expressed their appreciation that we had all made the effort to come to
New York and to show our support and solidarity.

The next morning, Wednesday September 11th, was an early start. We rendezvoused in the lobby, again in full dress uniform, and then took the subway down to Ground Zero. Arriving at the corner of Church Street and Vesey Street for 06.30, it appeared at first that we would only be allowed to line the road, but then we were instructed to make our way into the newly-concreted observation area of Ground Zero. There, we were dressed into two lines, and our contingent was the largest and most impressive foreign force represented there. We were stood by a cross that had been erected as a monument to all who had died. No ordinary cross, this was a rusty, broken off part of the skeleton of the building that had been found by construction workers in the early days following 9/11, and which had been transformed into a Christian symbol of hope, love and defiance.

At 08.46, the first One Minute Silence was held. Immediately afterwards, the name of each of those who lost their lives was read out loud. This brought home to me the fact that each and every one of the 2,823 victims was a real person, not just a statistic. At 10.29, there was a second One Minute Silence. Most of the officers stayed until around 11.00, and then we gradually made our way back. Ground Zero had been restricted to relatives of the victims and to members of the emergency services such as ourselves. As we marched past the barriers keeping back the public, we were greeted by spontaneous bursts of applause. As we continued to make our way along the sidewalks, we were continually stopped by people wanting to take our photograph and to be photographed with us. Everyone wanted to know where we had come from and what we were doing there. Without exception, there was a deep gratitude from those we spoke to that we had made the effort to come to New York and to show our solidarity with its citizens.

On Friday 13th September, it was my turn to have a tour of duty with the NYPD. The UK Police were the only foreign force whose members were offered the opportunity to go out on patrol with ‘New York’s finest’. It goes to show just how much NYPD appreciated our support, that they took the time and trouble to accommodate us all, especially bearing in mind how busy they must have been that week.
I was told to make my way to the 23rd Precinct, at 164 East 102nd Street, in Spanish Harlem. There I met Sgt. Mike Troisi and Officer Dave Smutek. Mike and Dave had both arrived at the World Trade Center shortly after the first plane crash. They told me that when the first tower collapsed, they were engulfed in ash and debris. Taking shelter behind a truck, they thought that their last days had come. Since then, Mike says that one of the things he finds most difficult to deal with is the change in attitude of the public. Previously, he says, he was used to ‘being dumped on’ by the public; now he finds the adulation almost impossible to deal with and would rather not talk about it. Dave, on the other hand, finds that talking about the attack helps him to cope.

The tour of duty itself I found very interesting, though the jobs (they call incidents ’jobs’ too) we went to were not so different from those we might deal with at home: two RTC’s, a report of an assault, a bomb scare. None of these turned out to be too serious, and my bullet-proof vest, though reassuring, wasn’t required in earnest. In fact, I scored a few Brownie points by taking some witness details at the scene of one of the RTC’s – Mike said: "Gee, he’s getting his hands dirty!" My stay with Mike and Dave lasted six hours, and the time went far too quickly.

On the Saturday evening, as we were waiting to board the plane that would return us to England, I reflected on those whom I had met in this week which had gone by much too quickly. There were so many different characters I had come across in New York, with different backgrounds, different status and different ambitions. But all were united in their determination to carry on, and to re-build the torn-out heart of the city they loved.

PC 4449 Mark Wiggin.