Norfolk Police sergeant has chance meeting with American counterpart

A chance meeting saw two police officers exchange their thoughts on the job.

Shaun Quinn, a sergeant with Norfolk Police, was on foot patrol in Diss on December 4, when he was stopped at the train station.

Expecting to be asked for information or directions to a local landmark, he was taken by surprise when he was actually greeted by a fellow police officer from across the pond.

Scott Nichols, a sergeant with Hawthorne Police Department in California, was over in the UK visiting family in Diss when he spotted Sgt Quinn at the station and could not help but say hello.

The pair discussed the similarities and differences in their respective jobs, with the Diss officer saying it was really interesting to hear what life was like in a city more than 5,000 miles away.

As a parting gift, his American counterpart gave Sgt Quinn a Hawthorne police badge.

A post on the South Norfolk Police Facebook page read: “It is always a nice reminder that, even though the job is stressful, there are people all over the world who understand the struggle and have the same desire to protect their neighbourhoods as we do.”