"Is it true that you feed Polos to horses?" was just one question the seven-to-11-year-olds from a Mill Hill school asked Chief Superintendent Sue Akers, the borough's police commander, on Monday.
Commander Akers said afterwards that the Dollis Junior school pupils were tougher interviewers than the professionals, although she had enjoyed the experience.
The children seemed fascinated with the world of guns and murders. One boy asked: "What's your most shocking murder?". Others asked what it was like to: a) be punched and kicked; b) sprayed with CS gas; c) ride a motorbike; d) deal with ruthless drug dealers or e) use a truncheon?
Ch Supt Akers confessed that she was a bit nervous when taking up her job in May, that she hated paperwork, and that the worst physical attack she had suffered was being spat at.
Commander Akers was the latest in a long line of interviewees at the Pursley Road school, which has included Esther Rantzen, Gary Lineker, Vinnie Jones, Mike Gatting and our very own chief reporter Matthew Nixson.
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