Jonathan Knott

Former British ambassador to Hungary, Budapest

Part of Travel and consular services

10th October 2014 Budapest, Hungary

British Bobbies on the beat at Sziget Festival

Guest blog by Police Sergeant Natalie RANAHAN and Police Constable Steve WARDLE, British Bobbies visiting the Sziget Festival, organised by the Hungarian Police and the British Embassy.

As police officers, both of us have a number of years experience within the Operations Department and in particular Support Group. This involves a variety of duties including the policing of large scale festivals in England.

In July of 2014, we were kindly invited by The British Embassy in Budapest to attend the SZIGET music festival in August – an experience not to be missed – we thought. We were soon packing clothes, sorting travel arrangements and more importantly sourcing gifts for our hosts ( In particular a Police Hat for Levi !!)

Intrepid travellers, we left England during another wet day and were soon being greeted at Budapest airport by the Fantastic guide/interpreter, Agnes. We were soon to experience the next Formula 1 test driver in the form of Zoltan, who transported us to our hotel for the stay. An Experience never to be forgotten.

After resting our weary heads, we were introduced to the Chief of police, a lovely man, and two of their Gendarmerie colleagues from France. Introductions made, we made our way to the festival and were immediately struck by the similarities to our own Glastonbury Music festival.

Police Sergeant Natalie Ranahan and Police Constable Steve Warden promoting the British Embassy's consular campaign at Sziget Festival
Police Sergeant Natalie Ranahan and Police Constable Steve Wardle promoting the British Embassy’s consular campaign at Sziget Festival

Smiles, laughter and shouts of `BOBBY BOBBY` greeted us wherever we went around the festival area. A testament to the excellent `Spot The Bobby` campaign implemented by the British Embassy, which required youngsters to take a selfie with us, and post it to social media. The campaign aimed to raise awareness of partying responsibly through two main messages: “Party Responsibly, Watch your drink” and “A new passport costs £95 = 64 beers” – very cleverly warning festival-goers to watch their belongings and their own selves during the heat of the party. Of course, the overall aim of the campaign was to join forces and assist the Consular section’s work in reducing consular cases.

Sticker - Beer

A more `Relaxed and Laid back approach` is the way we described the atmosphere with people having fun and interacting with us. Feeling like Posh and Becks, we were photographed and interviewed wherever we went receiving positive feedback from all who encountered us.

“WE ARE NOT IN FANCY DRESS” – we had to keep telling people. Dressed in our spotless white shirts, ties and traditional police helmets, it was an image most people had only seen on the TV. This jovial interaction was one of the qualities that made us approachable whilst being professional, friendly and interested throughout our time in Budapest.

Taking a selfie with the Bobbies was an extremely popular activity at Sziget Festival
Taking a selfie with the Bobbies was an extremely popular activity at Sziget Festival

We dealt with a number of incidents during our time at the festival, including stolen/lost property (Our helmets on more than one occasion), missing children, pickpockets and of course the universally recognised question of “WHERE ARE THE NEAREST TOILETS PLEASE?”

Interviews with press and TV were not something we had planned for but were very much up for the challenge, right up to the point where the professional Theresa BUBBEAR, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy, showed us exactly how it should be done. English and Hungarian she spoke. We could only watch in awe at the faultless delivery she gave. WOW!! “WHAT A LOVELY APPROACHABLE AND FRIENDLY LADY “we both thought.

Natalie and Steve with DHM Theresa Bubbear (2nd from left) at the LGBT tent at Sziget
Natalie and Steve with DHM Theresa Bubbear (2nd from right) at the LGBT tent at Sziget

Aside from the Fantastic festival, we also had time to experience the architecture and history of Budapest. The spectacular Parliament building, the imposing Great Synagogue and the fairy-tale-like Fisherman’s Bastion were the main points of interest we enjoyed. Sore feet were a common experience, showing just how much Budapest has to offer sightseers to this fantastic city.

“FANTASTIC, INSIGHTFUL, WELCOMING, FRIENDLY AND A PLACE WE WILL DEFINITELY BE VISITING AGAIN” was how we would describe our visit to Budapest.

“WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE INVOLVED WITH OUR VISIT. THE PEOPLE OF BUDAPEST, LEVI AND HIS STAFF, THERESA BUBBEAR,THE CHIEF OF POLICE, AGNES AND OUR DRIVER ZOLTAN. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN SOON AND WISH YOU ALL THE VERY BEST FOR THE FUTURE.”

Kind regards

Natalie RANAHAN

Steve WARDLE

SpotTheBobbyPosterEmblogo copy

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the British government.

About Jonathan Knott

Jonathan Knott was appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Hungary in March 2011 and arrived in Budapest in February 2012 to take up his post. He left this post on April…

Jonathan Knott was appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to
Hungary in March 2011 and arrived in Budapest in February 2012 to take
up his post. He left this post on April 2015.
He has previously held a variety of diplomatic posts at home and
abroad, several with a particular focus on commercial and corporate
finance issues. Jonathan has served in a number of positions in the
British Diplomatic Service since joining in 1988:
Before his appointment was Deputy Head of Mission and Director for Trade and Investment in South Korea from 2008 to 2011.Between 2005 and 2008 he held the post of Deputy Finance Director in the FCO.From 2000 to 2005 he served as First Secretary (Trade, Corporate Affairs and Finance Negotiator) in UKDel OECD Paris.From 1996 to 2000 he was First Secretary (Head of Political/Economic/Aid Section) in Mexico.From 1995 to 1996 he worked in the FCO as Deputy European Correspondent at the EU Directorate.Between 1991 and 1995 he served as Third later Second Secretary (Political / Press and Public Affairs) in Havana.From 1990 to 1991 he was Desk Officer in the FCO’s First Gulf War Emergency Unit.Between 1988 and 1990 he worked as Desk Officer in the FCO in the Anti Drugs Cooperation Department.
Jonathan holds an MA in law from Oxford University, and he is a
member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. He speaks
English, French, Spanish and Hungarian. He is married to Angela Susan
Knott and has one daughter and two sons.

Follow Jonathan