A reporter experienced first hand the life of an on-the-beat copper when he took part in an unusual job swap.

Worthing Herald chief reporter Chris Taylor spent a day on the frontline of the fight against crime with local officer PC Paul Tonks.

This was followed the next day with PC Tonks downing his truncheon and picking up a pen and notepad for a day in the newsroom.

The idea was suggested to the paper by a Worthing sergeant who thought it would be a way of fostering a better understanding of the respective roles of the Herald and local police.

Chris told HoldtheFrontPage: “I wanted to give them an idea of how we worked and I was also really keen to talk to officers.

“It has already reaped a few dividends in terms of other stories.

“The police were pretty cool about health and safety. I just had two forms to sign.

“I was exposed to some sensitive information so I couldn’t name specifics.

“I wasn’t there to prise any secrets out of them.”

Chris (front) with PC Paul Tonks on frontline duty (pic: Worthing Herald)

During the day Chris took part in police surveillance of a known trouble spot as well as attending an assault on a woman, the arrest of three men suspected of handling stolen goods and a domestic disturbance where they found a man covered in blood.

Chris said the experiment wasn’t sanitised for his benefit and he would have been allowed to attend even the most serious of incidents. It just happened to be what PC Tonks called “a quiet day”.

The next day the officer spent time at Magistrates learning the intricacies of court reporting law and the art of subbing by helping design pages for the print edition.