Fifteen police officers went head-to-head in the boxing ring with fifteen firefighters and raised £12,000 for the Sussex-based charity, Canine Partners, who support Help for Heroes by training dogs to look after injured soldiers. The event, held at the Hilton Brighton Metropol hotel on Saturday 28 April, was organised by Lee Brown Events and hundreds attended including Sussex Police Chief Constable, Martin Richards and Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive, Des Prichard. The police officers were matched according to weight and height with their firefighter opponents and each pair boxed three one minute rounds to the cheer of the excited crowds and pumping dance music. To add to the fun each fighter entered the ring to the sound of their chosen theme song like the Sweeney or Britney Spears, -Hit me baby one more time- and some donned fancy dress costumes before stripping off to their boxing gear. Sussex Police Firearms Officer, PC Russell Dean, who was the police team captain said: "The effort that all the participants put into training for this event was phenomenal and took immense guts and dedication. "None of the contestants had a boxing background - so it was a real challenge to not only spend months getting fit but also to learn how to throw a proper punch and all of this was done on top of their demanding day and in some cases, night jobs. "We are now all having a much needed rest from the gym but I will soon be getting another police boxing team ready for the November event." Firefighter, Greg Curl, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service team captain, said: "It was a fantastic effort by both teams. The evening was very well supported by staff from both East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service and Sussex Police and we raised a lot of money for the charity, Help for Heroes." Lee Brown who organised the charity event said: "It was an extremely successful event with great support from the community. I am pleased that the overall result was a draw - four wins to the police, four to the fire service, five draws and two non decisions due to safety reasons. "The safety of the competitors is paramount and is the most important aspect of these events. We made sure that each fighter was supplied with the correct protective gear and had stoppages in the bouts when appropriate, no matter how unpopular it was with the crowd. "I'm looking forward to organising the November event when West Sussex Fire and Rescue will go head to head with Sussex Police."

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