For police officers patrolling the North East, it’s not every day they get to meet a sports star – but for two lucky members of the horse section they did just that after champion jockey Frankie Dettori was on hand to pose for photos and have a quick chat.
Officers from Northumbria’s mounted section were out on horses on Thursday (August 25) afternoon in Newcastle city centre when the iconic jockey wandered past.
Not wanting to miss the opportunity, the officers managed to get a few photos with the celeb, before using the post as a recruitment drive for the police force.
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Taking to social media, Northumbria Police’s official Facebook account posted: “Do you reckon world-famous jockey Frankie Dettori has heard about our recruitment drive?
“Maybe he fancies a role with our Mounted Section?
“The former Champion Jockey was in Newcastle yesterday when he stopped to meet Parker and Penelope who were out on patrol.
“With Dettori in the saddle, we certainly reckon the odds would be stacked in his favour should it come down to a foot – or rather hoof chase – with a suspect.
“However, while we can’t see Dettori swapping his silks for a high-vis – maybe you’re looking for a new challenge?
“Our officer recruitment is still open – and if successful maybe one day you too could be patrolling on horseback.”
After putting the post online, it got plenty of attention from members of the public, who wondered why the jockey was in the North East, with one person commenting: “It’s nice to see him – but why was he there?” while another added: “Frankie Dettori in the North East – that’s not something you see every day”.
As well as a lot of people questioning why the jockey was in Newcastle, others knew exactly why he was there.
He was racing at Newcastle Racecourse – with some quipping on the Northumbria Police page that he “might do better if he used one of the police horses”.
Either way, lots of people enjoyed seeing the sportsperson on the Northumbria Police post, which has so far garnered 350 reactions, 24 comments and numerous shares.
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