UK fighting force takes on NYPD in own back yard for charity fundraiser
An elite UK band of crime-fighters is taking the action to the streets of New York tonight.
An elite UK band of crime-fighters is taking the action to the streets of New York tonight.
The eight-strong group of boxing officers from the Blue Glove Academy will be pitting their muscles and ringcraft skills against colleagues from the famous New York Police Department (NYPD) in their own back yard.
The event, billed as the Battle of the Badges, is set to be the highlight of a fundraising campaign by the academy a not-for-profit gym run by Staffordshire Police officers that has already amassed £250,000 for good causes since being founded.
Tonights bouts, involving two sergeants, five police constables and Hanley PCSO Michelle Chadwick, is being staged outdoors at an Italian restaurant on Coney Island in New York with the NYPDs childrens charity Atlas Cops & Kids the main beneficiary.
PC Colin Gay, co-founder of the Blue Glove, which took on the NYPD at a similar event in Fenton Manor, Stoke on Trent in 2012, said stepping into the ring in New York was massive for those taking part.
Were raring to go and the team has been working really hard in and outside the gym to make this trip a reality, he told Police Professional.
Its good to have ties with NYPD. The club is extremely honoured to have been asked over to New York for this event, supporting our colleagues in the NYPD, in the process raising some vitally needed funds for their charity”.
Blue Glove Academy, drawn from locations across the force, has been actively fundraising over the past few months, with a host of businesses lending their support.
Staffordshire Police Chief Constable Jane Sawyers said of the trip: “Im sure the team will be excellent ambassadors for the force and theyll prove a knockout with their American colleagues.
“Boxing training is notoriously tough, so I admire the dedication the boxers are showing in their preparation for the event.
“Whether they beat the Americans or not theyll still have reached their goal, as theyll have raised a lot of money for charity.”