It wasn’t a police officer, it was a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO). Generally speaking, these roles are fulfilled by people who haven’t got what it takes to be an actual police officer.....
They are also handed out as plum jobs to members of favored minority groups, so the police forces can prove their loyalty to the diversity commissars. The recipients tend to be among the more militant and outspoken members of their communities. It's quite likely this "police officer" is a committed Muslim activist in real life, maybe even an imam.
-ccm
The type of person we referred to as "wearing a large oak leaf to hide a small acorn." One step lower than meter-maids, but slightly above an unarmed 'security guard'.