Hotspur Hero - Ian Caddy

Fri 26 June 2020, 17:37|Tottenham Hotspur

Ian Caddy has seen a lot as a Metropolitan Police officer for the last 23 years - but nothing like the last three months with the country on lockdown as we continue to tackle the coronavirus.

For Ian, the pandemic has meant long shifts, little rest and being prepared for any scenario, day in, day out.

“As a force, we’ve never dealt with anything like this before," he said. "It’s been an ‘all hands to the pump’ approach. I worked 21 days straight because we needed the resources but staffing levels were down - police officers get COVID as well!”

Despite the grueling work pattern, lockdown gave Ian and his team an opportunity to focus on other elements of the job: “It has been quieter on the streets, but that gave us extra time to deal with other problems that we may not have been able to before.”

Ian also spoke of his sense of pride at being a key worker, joining millions of others in helping to keep the country going under these difficult circumstances.

“We just continue to go about our jobs as we always did - try to keep people safe and carry on. Every time I go the supermarket, I see people carrying on with theirs too. Everyone is doing their bit which is admirable... all key workers have a massive part to play.”

Joining the police and serving the public was always part of Ian’s plan, following in the footsteps of his older cousin. “I always wanted to be a police officer,” he told us on a well-deserved day off, having started his previous shift with drug raids at 4am. “It’s a job where you can help people and really see results.”

Though Ian’s role is naturally varied, he spends most of his time working with vulnerable young people. “We’re trying to get kids who are in gangs out of gangs, divert them away from violence and towards employment... help them turn their lives around really.”

A Season Ticket Holder for the last three years, Ian started supporting the Club through his grandfather, who told him stories of the triumphant sixties.

He misses his matchday routine, the High Road, his friends and watching his beloved Spurs.

He said: “Walking down the High Road, the stadium is just a cathedral of beauty - an icon. I miss the atmosphere, the team and being able to meet up with friends... although the job sometimes means football has to come second!”

Talking about his Spurs family, Ian said: “There’s a really varied group of us. We’ve got an opera singer, an actor, a mortgage advisor, a couple of other police officers... Spurs is what has brought us together.

“Some of the best support I’ve received [through the pandemic] is from the boys I go to football with - they’re always checking on me in our WhatsApp group, called ‘Echo of Glory’. It’s really nice to have that in addition to family and friends. The Spurs lads are there every single day.”