He's in the Territorrial Support Group so signed up knowing full well that him and his colleagues would be expected to drive around various shitholes in London and get up close and personal with some of the nastiest and most violent crimnals our glorious capital has to offer.
And when a riot or other major public order event occurs he's one of the Old Bill in overalls and a helmet having scaffolding poles and petrol bombs lobbed at him with only a plastic shield for protection.
It's certainly not a job that many would relish and it definitely attracts a certain type-even for the Police- but the lads and lasses that he works with are some of the fittest, most effective, resilient and professional coppers you'll ever meet. 
Incident a couple of years ago, will just mention basic details. Me and missus getting bus from Hackney Wick, was empty and late at night, bloke sat three seats behind total lairy gammon type who seemed quite well lubricated sat with what I took to be his OH (female version of him), we started to hear P word this (aimed at her), 'fucking dead' etc. Knew she'd be OK but I feared the worst (I'm a punter, not a fighter), bus came to a stop and I saw there was tape over the road, we used this as means to quickly alight the bus and there was some kind of cordon and several vans. He stumbled off the bus and still seemed quite 'intent', I went over to one of the coppers and explained it, they said 'Not on, leave it with us', I looked over and saw him mouthing off to one of the ones in a riot helmet in front of a blue van, "And what the fuck are you going to do about it?"
Didn't quite see what happened but heard him hit the ground. Job done, cunt.
News item next day about 'disturbance' with several arrested after a shooting. Yep, there sure was.