TWO Irish police officers who swapped life in Limerick and Wicklow for careers in England have helped start a support network for those of Irish heritage in the Hertfordshire Constabulary.
Noel Walsh and Chris Gottmann founded the Hertfordshire Police Emerald Society in 2015 after hearing about the Metropolitan Police's version.
Walsh, who moved to England in 1994 at the age of 18, said joining the police had always been an ambition.
"It's one of those things, isn't it? Irish people being cops around the world," Walsh said.
He joined Hertfordshire Constabulary in 2002, at a time when there were not that many Irish in the force.
"At the start I would say there was only four or five of us," he said.
Around a decade later, Walsh and Gottmann heard about the Met's Emerald Society and travelled to London for the St Patrick's Day march after being invited by the group.
"They were happy for us to expand it into Hertfordshire, and so me and Chris set up the Hertfordshire Police Emerald Society in 2015," Walsh said.
"It was just a touchstone for anyone of Irish heritage within the force to have that support and that social interaction with other people.”
“It's a social support group more than anything else really."
For Gottmann, policing had also long been part of the plan.
"When I was younger, I always thought I'd join the Gardaí," he said.
He came to England in 1998 for what was meant to be a summer job before finding work in security at Elstree Studios, working on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and Big Brother.
"From there I got chatting to officers from Hertfordshire Constabulary, and they asked if I had ever thought of joining. Then the rest is history. I joined, and I'm still here 22 years later."
The pair said one of the biggest surprises after starting the Emerald Society was just how many of their colleagues wanted to join.
Two members during the St Patrick's Day march in London (Photo by the Hertfordshire Police Emerald Society)Walsh thinks there are now around 60 members, with many being second generation Irish.
"We've got members from Northern Ireland," Gottmann said. "If you're from Ireland, you're Irish. We don't care about borders, we don't care about what religion you are, if you're black, green, blue or yellow."
Beyond big events, both men say the society has become an important source of support for people experiencing difficult times.
"If any of our members are off sick with stress or injury-related stuff or whatever, we'll keep in touch with them, make sure everything is hunky dory," Gottmann said.
"We look after each other."
The society also helps improve understanding of Irish culture in the police.
Walsh remembered one incident on St Patrick's Day when a report was made about someone singing the song Come Out Ye Black and Tans, with concerns it was racist.
"I piped up and said it's not aimed at black people or brown people," he said.
"It's a historic song based on the auxiliary RIC. You give that context and explanation. Stuff like that, little things, can make a difference."
Gottmann said there can also be confusion between Irish people and the Traveller community, with officers sometimes wrongly assumed to have special knowledge because of their heritage.
"For us, when speaking to certain members of the community, we can offer guidance," he said.
Every year, members of the Emerald Society join colleagues from the Met to march in London's St Patrick's Day Parade, proudly wearing their uniforms and medals.
Officers marching in the St Patricks Day Parade in London (Photo by the Hertfordshire Police Emerald Society)"When the bagpipes and the drums start going, you get goosebumps," Gottmann said.
The society has also forged links with police in the US, mainly in New York and Boston, and have taken part in online talks and school visits.
For Walsh, one of the greatest achievements has been helping to create a welcoming space for Irish officers.
"If you're a cop in New York or Australia and you're Irish, it's kind of fully accepted, but sometimes back home if you were to say you were a police officer in England, it's not viewed the same way," he said.
"I think things have moved on quite a bit. I've certainly seen a lot more people of Irish heritage joining the police.”
“I think that inevitably will mean more Irish families are coming to terms with people joining the police, and that then filters down into community acceptance."
Reflecting on what being Irish means to him, Walsh said, "I think our general sort of love of life. I think the Irish have always been the ones to support the underdog."
More than a decade after they decided to create a network for fellow officers, the Hertfordshire Police Emerald Society continues to thrive and grow.
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