Thick skinned on the thin blue line: We joined Twickenham police constables out on patrol

Within minutes of our patrol we were called to an emergency call from an elderly woman living in Hampton who had pressed her “Care line” button, alerting the council of a problem. When she was unable to pick up the phone, we were called to investigate.

PC Vicky Kumorek skilfully weaved through traffic and the occasional pedestrian, one of whom continued to cross the road in front of the speeding police car, despite the blaring sirens and flashing lights.

“That’s one of the most important things they taught us,” the 29-year-old PC said, “that the main problems won’t be with your driving but with the other cars and people on the road.

“You can never predict what they’re going to do.”

We get to the 94-year-old’s house just before a neighbour arrives with a spare key to let us in.

Inside the police car driven by PC Kumorek

The woman had fallen in the kitchen and was unable to get back up, so PC Hassan helped her to her feet while PC Kumorek checked for any injuries.

Calls like this were fairly common in a borough with an ageing population, I was told.

“You do feel like you have helped someone, and she was very grateful we were there.”

Satisfied the woman was not injured or in distress, we left her with the neighbour and a cup of tea to continue the patrol.

Police budgets have been reduced by more than 18 per cent in real terms since 2010, resulting in the closure of police stations, a reduction of procurement costs and a decline in the number of officers by more than 12 per cent.

Despite this, crime rates in Richmond have decreased and the borough remains the third safest in the capital.

I asked the officers what the hardest parts of their jobs were.

“Balancing your work and home life,” PC Kumorek told me as she explained the emergency response teams’ six-day week had been recently changed to seven days with three days off and officers were now lucky to get one weekend off every five.

I asked the officers how often they feared for their safety while on duty.

“Every day,” said PC Hassan.

The custody suites at Kingston Police Station are used by Twickenham's Police

PC Kumorek told me she had been kicked in the face and spat at many times.

She said: “There are people who have been bitten who have ended up in hospital with fears they had been given HIV.”

PC Hassan added: “Don’t get me wrong, anything can happen to anyone; I could slip in the shower at home.

“But in this job especially, there is always a danger. I have been attacked, hit in the head with a plank before, you name it, but like everything else we have to get on with it and do our jobs.”

PC Kumorek said the increased threat of terrorist attacks was a concern that had become more pertinent.

She said: “Especially now they are targeting police, the army and people in uniforms.

“But you can’t go hiding. If we went hiding what would the public do?

“We have to accept that we are a target and just do our jobs.”

During one domestic call we attended, a member of the public not involved in the incident began behaving aggressively towards the officers. I asked how common this was.

It can happen quite often, I was told, and officers were often challenged by people when grabbing something to eat while in uniform.

PC Kumorek told me about an officer who had spent eight hours on a crime scene without a toilet-break or food.

A colleague had fetched them a meal from McDonald’s and someone had lodged a complaint about the officer for eating on the job.

She said people often tweet photos and criticism of police picking up food in restaurants.

“If you work in an office you expect to be able to nip out to grab something to eat,” she said.

“But for some reason some people expect us to work without any break.”

I was with PC Hassan and PC Kumorek for the first five hours of their shift, and they did not stop for a break.

The team received a call about a young man with mental health problems who had run from The Maddison Centre in Teddington while receiving his medication.

The missing man had previously had suicidal tendencies and was a potential danger to others, the officers were told.

We visited the man’s home and the Maddison Centre, and he was eventually found in Twickenham just over an hour after he was reported missing.

“This couldn’t be a better result,” said PC Kumorek.

PC Hassan told me his nine years on the force had been tough but enjoyable.

He said: “It is a good job. I like it and in a way I am giving back to society.

“But like every job you have days where things don’t go according to plan.”

My experience certainly gave me a small glimpse into how tough it can be protecting the public for a living and how some officers perhaps do not receive the gratitude they deserve for their efforts.

With further cuts and efficiencies expected London’s policing could yet undergo further changes, but as PC Kumorek said: “No matter what the constraints are with our service we still have a job to do and we have to crack on and do it.”