Encountered the police in London (3)
I believe the answer is:
met
I believe this is a double definition.
'encountered' is the first definition.
('meet' can be a synonym of 'encounter')
'police in london' is the second definition.
(Metropolitan Police in London)
'the' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for met that I've seen before include "gathered together" , "Encountered by chance or arrangement" , "Came across - police in London" , "Opera company" , "London police (abbr) - New York Museum of Art (abbr)" .)