! Don't Forget The SPRCA AGM - 29th June @ Bramley !
Surrey Police Retired
Comrades Association
‘For those who served’
June 2016
In This Issue
• Chair's Chomp
• Lives Remembered
• Updates
• New Members
• Editorial
• Bridgmanland
• Rosams Reminiscences
• John Walters - A
Shooting @ Old Woking
• Roger Martin
Remembers
• John Molyneux
Remembers WW2
• Surrey Policing News
• Other News & Views
• In This Month
• Notes for your PNB
• First Direct Entry Supts
• Plus much, much more!
Newsletter - Issue 152
Chair's 'Chomp'
A lot has happened in the last month. The elections for
PCC’s went ahead – with more people voting than the last
time. Considering the appallingly low turnout five years ago
that is not difficult but still painfully low. Surrey has a new
PCC, David Munroe and I congratulate him on his election victory. Mr
Munroe lists his pledges as: Cut crime and keep Surrey safe; Tackle rural
crime; Make our town centres safe; Support Victims; Make every pound
count; and Tackle the threat of terrorism. All laudable but I rather get
the feeling he does not understand his role properly. He will only achieve
those things with the active participation of the good people who work
for Surrey Police, warranted or otherwise, and the support of the people
in Surrey. Perhaps he has just explained it badly. Let’s hope so.
In other Forces the PCC for Humberside has warned his Chief over
standards, the PCC for South Yorkshire has started proceedings to have
their Chief dismissed, (related to the Hillsborough affair), and in Devon
and Cornwall the PCC has been referred to the Police watchdog in her
first week! What can I say?
The Police Federation Conference in
Bournemouth
saw
the
Home
Secretary once again attacking the
Police. Seems to be a regular
feature and we would no doubt be
surprised if she didn’t. This time
she is concerned
about the
Federation spending, claiming it
“defies explanation”. I do not think
pointing at others “guilt” is a sound
way of defending anyone and if the Feds are doing something illegal then
that should be investigated but a Government Minister criticizing
spending? An MP sitting in the Palace of Westminster worried about such
things, really?
Mrs. May has also spoken about the first wave of direct entry group
graduates. Apparently they have the potential to “challenge old ways of
thinking”. Leaving aside my desire to facetiously discuss thinking as a
1|Page
cerebral process rather than the outcomes from it she is clearly
concerned with, it beggars belief that she thinks any of us old codgers
were incapable of challenging the norms in any way. And not just people
above constable rank. I wish I had a pound for every time I heard, “with
respect Sir”, which of course was often followed by a valid concern
explaining why the idea uttered by someone above had come up with a
“bad idea”. Such comments also fail to take to account the numerous,
and often very good, changes that occurred over the years. You would
think the Police were all living in the Victorian era according to Mrs. May.
Still with direct entry officers, one of the Superintendent cohorts
compared constables with “Bin men” saying his time with one was about
as much use as a Council Chief Exec. spending time with a bin man.
Personally I think that not only shows a lack of respect but a failure to
grasp the importance of the role of constable – how sad. The individual
concerned possibly does not remember piles of refuse filling the streets
of cities when refuse collectors went on strike. Perhaps he doesn’t care.
Constables cannot go on strike of course but he fails to see that when he
is not there, if they do not want to follow his plans then it isn’t going to
happen. Nothing like taking the Team with you is there?
On a positive front, Sir Tom Winsor has declared his respect for officers
“has increased considerably”. Nice to know. Perhaps he can now
encourage Mrs. May to get out of her ideological ivory tower a bit more.
Let me close with this - the Referendum is dominating the News. Forgive
me if I pass over that one quickly. Suffice it to say, whatever the
outcome, Surrey Retired Comrades, (and Surrey NARPO), will still be
here to help and support all our members wherever they live.
Stay safe and stay happy everyone.
__________________________
Lives Remembered
Retired Sergeant Peter A BRADLEY:
Tony Suter writes: I have been informed and am saddened to advise
you that Peter passed away unexpectedly at 0802, 11th May 2016 in
2|Page
hospital in Devon. You will be aware that he had a fall and was
recovering from surgery.
Peter's funeral took place on Wednesday 25 May. There was a family
only service at the local crematorium at 1400 hrs which was followed by
a memorial service at 1500 hrs at Bovey Tracey Methodist Church.
THIS NEWSLETTER IS
BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE
SPRCA TEAM:
Kevin Morris: Chairman
Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to Diabetes UK, c/o Coombes
and Sons, Funeral Directors, 73 Fore St Bovey Tracey Devon TQ13 9AB.
Messages of condolence can be sent to Mrs. Sheila Bradley, 'Barkley', 38
Kiln Close , Bovey Tracey, Devon.TQ13 9YL. Telephone 01626 834644.
Tony Suter: Surrey Police
Pensioners’ Welfare Coordinator, representing
Retired Comrades and
NARPO
Robin Crorie: Technical
Services
Denis Turner: Editor
Newsletter
Paul Hickman: Welfare
support list and stats.
Consultants:
Spike Milligan: NARPO
Surrey
John Miskelly: Pension
Matters
Bob Bartlett: Historical
Surrey Police Website
Contact Us:
The Chair:
[email protected]
Welfare:
[email protected]
The Editor:
[email protected]
Technical:
[email protected]
History: [email protected]
Old Control Room: 1968-70 - Peter Bradley centre of picture
~~~~~~~~~~
Sylvia Herd - Wife of Retired Constable Alec Herd:
Tony Suter writes: I have been advised by Alec that his wife, Sylvia,
passed away at Frimley Park Hospital on Friday 22 April.
Her funeral took place on the 19 May at the Church of St Mary the Virgin,
Frensham. After the service there was a committal at Guildford
Crematorium for family only.
Alec requested family flowers only but as Sylvia had a favourite charity,
"Children Today", donations to them will be welcome and received by
Farnham Funeral Services, 100 Shortheath Road, Farnham, GU9 8SE in
her memory.
~~~~~~~~~~
Retired Sergeant Ken Durrant:
Tony Suter writes: I have been informed, and am saddened to advise
you, that retired Sergeant Ken DURRANT died on 7 May following a brief
illness.
His funeral will take place on Friday 27 May at 10.00 hrs. at The Poole
3|Page
Crematorium, Gravel Hill, Broadstone, Poole, Dorset. BH17 9BQ
Following the funeral and from 11.00 hrs. there will be a reception at
The Royal British Legion Club, Tudor Road, Broadstone, BH18 8A, (01202
692688).
Ken's wife, Ruth and family would be very
pleased to see any of Kens friends and colleagues
from his time with Surrey Constabulary.
The family have requested donations to Marie
Curie, in Ken's memory, via the Funeral Directors,
Co-op
Funeral
Care,
366
Ringwood
Road, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset BH12 3LT (01202
743158).
Sgt. Ken Durrant
Messages of condolence can be sent to Mrs. Ruth Durrant, 4 Kipling
Road, Parkstone, Dorset. BH14 0QN
~~~~~~~~~~
Updates
Graham Richings writes about Gerry Bixley:
1970 MK2 Cortina at Godstone 'HTG'
What an
interesting story from Gerry Bixley, of his life, in the May edition of O&B.
What Gerry failed to mention understandably, was what a good copper
he was. I had the pleasure of being a regular crew mate of Gerry's when
working at Chertsey Traffic Centre, (HTC), in the late 1960's. Apart
from being a really good policeman he was also a really first class driver.
I learnt a lot from him whilst crewed with him. It was a pleasure to be
the observer in a car driven by Gerry for eight hours. I went to HTC in
1968 and I remember I had only been working with Gerry for a couple of
days. We were on nights and were in the Painshill area when over the
radio we heard that there had been a smash and grab in Woking.
A Vauxhall Cresta had driven away from the scene of the crime. Gerry
was driving a GT Cortina and we headed down the Byfleet Road in the
direction of Woking. As we went around the Oyster Lane Roundabout,
there coming the opposite way was the Vauxhall Cresta travelling at high
speed. It went around the roundabout and on towards London. We went
around the roundabout after it and were gaining on it as we went past
Brooklands Road. As we approached the dips in the Byfleet Road, prior
to the traffic lights at Seven Hills Road, the Vauxhall went out of sight
over one of the humps in the road and when we went over the brow it
was travelling on its own with both off side and near side doors wide
open and the occupants fleeing into the woodland on either side of the
road. The car came to rest a bit further along the road and the
absconders were subsequently rounded up by dog handlers and
arrested. I learnt a lot from the likes of Gerry Bixley and Roy Coole in
those early days of my service at HTC about police work and the way to
talk to people to get the best result and am deeply indebted to them and
others at HTC. I subsequently spend the next twenty years on Traffic
Department. I certainly think that we saw some of the best days.
4|Page
In his article Gerry mentioned taking his double decker bus on the
London to Brighton Commercial Vehicle run. I was on his bus that day in
1990 and what an enjoyable run it was. The following is a photograph
from those far off days and shows Gerry topping up the bus with an
essential fluid on the way to Brighton!
Gerry giving GCD 48 a drink
_________________________________
Surrey Police Force Lottery - SPRCA Winners:
NB: From the 1st of April 2015 the prizes for the force lottery changed
and are as follows.
On the first Tuesday of each month there is one prize of £3000.
On the remaining Tuesdays of each month there are now three prizes of
£250, £200 and £150.
The results are published in the Weekly Global email and the ‘Old and
Bold’ publication.
4th May 2016
1st £3000 345162 O'RIORDAN, T – Pensioner
10th May 2016
1st £250 12223 McGIBBON, EL - CU/CC/CC/PCT Police Counters
2nd £200 345176 CALLOW, A - Police Pensioner
3rd £150 345060 LEWIS, N - Police Pensioner
17th May 2016
1st £250 040665 OSBORN, DR - NS/OP/ST/APT APT-Spelthorne
2nd £200 347589 HENSON, M - Pensioner
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3rd £150 671 DAVIS, PA - OP/DG/DG/DGO Operational Dogs
Pensioners will now be paid their winnings by BACS.
Former Sports and Social Club Secretary, Peter Wickens writes:
I am pleased to see that we have got back into
circulating the Lottery results. However the winnings
don't seem as good as a few years ago. Based on
results over the last few weeks, it looks as if the
annual prize money is £60,000 per year. That's 40
weeks of £600 and 12 weeks of £3000.
I know in
2008, (upon my retirement from lottery duties), we
were paying over £73,000 per year based on 12 weeks
of £2000 and 40 weeks of £1,230. That means over
£1000 per month less prize money now. I wonder what
has changed? Is it the old rule of the Sports Association that 75% of the
lottery subs must be returned in prizes or the fact that probably less staff
means less Sports Association members?
If this downhill trend continues it will be a pity because you have no
losers with the Sports Association lottery - you're either a prize winner or
the money goes to Surrey Police sport.
Over my reign the prizes were adjusted every few months, (always
upwards during those years), to meet the lottery rules that 75% of its
income had to be returned in prizes. If the rule still applies, (and I've
never seen a rule change published/agreed by the members), then we
must assume that there are less participants/chances. It would be nice to
know either way. The lottery was bringing in about £25,000 per year
for Surrey Police Sport.
(ED: I have passed this on to HQ and await a response.)
_________________________________
New Members
Ed: No reported new members this month. If you hear of anybody who has not
signed up or, having signed up, are no longer receiving emails from the SPRCA
please tell them to get back in touch and we will do our best to resolve any
issues.
Editorial
Jeremy Thorpe leaving the CCC - 1979
ithout looking at your pocket note book or diary it would be
difficult to remember what you were doing on a specific day in
Maybe if it were a birthday or an
June 37 years ago.
anniversary you would/should recall it but on the 22nd June 1979 I was
on duty in London at the Nationwide TV studios with Inspector Stan
'Timber' Wood of the Dog Section. Nationwide was presented in those
days by the infamous Frank Bough. We had with us 12 recently born
GSD puppies, Mountbrowne bred, together with their Mum Lucy, my
working GSD. We were all set for our five minutes of fame. Mum and
pups were behaving in the studio in a special cage that had been erected
but just as we were about to appear on TV this news broke - Thorpe
cleared of murder charges - Former Liberal Party leader Jeremy
6|Page
Thorpe has walked out of the Old Bailey a free man, after a jury cleared
him of the attempted murder of Norman Scott.
Mr. Thorpe, who
resigned as leader in 1976 amid allegations that he had had a
homosexual affair with Mr. Scott, hailed his acquittal as "a complete
vindication".
And that was that as the whole programme was then taken over with this
breaking news and it left us with nothing further to do but pack up the
van with our dogs and head back to Mountbrowne thoroughly fed up!
What a waste of a day, thanks a bunch Mr. Thorpe! (He died in 2014.)
PC Denis Turner & An Armful
Of Lucy's Pups Circa 1979
Many things we can all recall when looking back on our time as police
officers, some are light hearted such as the above, others are burnt into
the brain and will bring dark memories of incidents attended which in
turn makes you wonder how some of the victims have coped after life
changing incidents. One such incident is recalled by former Woking
Inspector, John Walters and I have included it in this month's newsletter.
It is an amazing tale of bravery and survival of a young woman who was
brutally and grievously injured by her father in 1983. She still lives with
that suffering to this day but in doing so shows immense courage and is
an example to us all.
On a lighter note Roger Martin recalls life in the old Guildford Section
House and the day that he was on patrol in North Street, Guildford when
the then Chief Constable, Herman Rutherford, appeared in his yellow
Ford Consul convertible and passed the buck to Roger. Also included in
this issue is an item by John Molyneux recalling his growing up days in
Dorking during World War Two, a tale of a very different Britain.
Whilst I am writing this the streets of Leicester City are thronged with
excited fans after their Premier League victory. My Leicestershire born
wife is a very happy lady and whilst I am not a football fan I doff my hat
to the club showing as they have that teamwork will win hands down
over exorbitant pay scales and prima donnas'. However, after many
years of working within the police service we all knew that didn't we?
Meanwhile,
Muttley
medal
madness
magnificently makes an appearance in the
Essex Dog Section where, as a result of a
suggestion by a handler, retiring police dogs
will be awarded a medal in recognition of their
loyal service, (“Gimme, gimme, gimme!”).
The first ceremony is to be held this month.
I am also reliably informed, (by a respected
person involved with all things dog), that the
Chief Constable of Bedfordshire has been
approached with a proposal that all retired
Bedfordshire police dogs should be fed and
veterinary expenses paid for by the force until
the end of life. Whilst I cannot confirm it my information is that this
suggestion is being taken forward and will probably be implemented by
the end of the year. On the face of it this sounds to be a laudable idea,
however the cost is bound to grow exponentially and in view of shrinking
police budgets resulting in shrinking police dog sections, surely the
7|Page
money would be better spent on keeping a dog and handler on the
streets of Bedfordshire?
Our Welfare Co-ordinator, Tony Suter, has made some progress with his
'BT' problems, but continues to monitor the situation. He has also drawn
up some guidelines regarding death notices which is published at the end
of this newsletter together with the guidelines on other welfare matters.
Tony receives numerous enquiries about many subjects so it is hoped
that the information provided will assist relatives and friends in the future
when dealing with such a sensitive subject.
Also Peter Wickens wonders if the lottery payout is not what it once was?
All this and more in the June edition of your
newsletter, enjoy.
Thy true vriend an’ zarvent
Denis
_________________________________
The view from BRIDGMANLAND
I have just returned from a week in Jersey where I went to give
advice to a Mr. Mansell on how to drive at speed. A pity he wasn’t
home – I’ll have to go back again! All serving officers will remember
occasions when we gave advice on subjects many and varied –
including some about which we knew practically nothing – but
hopefully the little bit we did know exceeded the knowledge of the
recipient. As Trooper Cooper, formerly of the Tank Regiment,
Farnham, Burpham HTB and the Burglary Squad, taught me long ago
“Bullshit baffles Brains”. How grateful I was for this priceless advice –
which I fear I used frequently!
PC 845 Bridgeman
1971.
I took with me to Jersey the book recommended by Spike Milligan in
O&B 151, namely that written by former Egham Sergeant Ed Annetts,
“Campaign without Medals”. I rarely buy books these days as I still
haven’t read the 200 odd which I’ve collected over the years but,
recognising Spike as a credible witness, I went on Amazon and
bought a used copy for a fiver. What a good deal that was! This book,
which relates Ed’s experiences as a five year prisoner-of-war, is
extremely well-written and most informative – as will be recognised
by all those retired officers who now rush out to buy a copy! I never
worked with Ed, though I met him at several NARPO do's, but having
read his book I can recognise him as a most experienced and skilful
author and I can only regret that I never told him so. It never ceases
to amaze me how much admirable experience is available within the
Police “family”. Such experiences used to be discussed over a few
beers in a police club as I remember – but that won’t be happening
again anytime soon!
I also noticed in O&B the story of the Town Council at St Blazey which
refused to share its office with police officers who might want to take
tea there. Some of you may have been surprised by such news as
indeed would I have been while serving. But having retired and
moved to Hampshire, I was asked to join the local Parish Council.
8|Page
I did so and, over a few months, checked out the responsibilities and
intentions of my fellow councillors. I fear I was not impressed by
many of them, and was even less impressed when I checked the
activities of the District Council and its elected councillors. I realised
that Local Politics conceals a great deal of skullduggery and is allowed
to do so simply because very few voters ever bother to check out the
merits or otherwise of the candidates for election. I conclude that had
I bothered to investigate while serving the actions of local politicians,
I would have been very busy! But I didn’t, because like most of us,
we were busy with routine thieves and vagabonds. Well, it has long
been recognised that a society begets the police service which it
deserves – and I suppose it begets the standard of local politics which
it deserves too. So I’m not looking ahead with any great optimism!
Since the last O&B I see that Surrey has elected a new Police and
Crime Commissioner, in the shape of Mr. David Munro, whom I met
while I was resident in Farnham. I am not aware that he has any
experience of policing but he is a paid up member of the local
Conservative Party and was leader of Surrey County Council. So
what’s not to like? – see my comments above and pray for good
weather!
The May bike ride of SCMCC was attended by a huge crowd of seven
SCRAP members, and the outing was blessed by the appearance of
Harry Sales, who rode up to wish us well. Ex Traffic man John Botham
was present, plus Alan Miles, Ian Thomas, Andy Howard-Smith, Mick
Whalley, myself, and Dave Pratt, all the way from Northampton. We
enjoyed 150 miles of bright sunshine, and will be doing the same
again on Wednesday, 1st June at 10.00am at Newlands Corner.
As usual we will scan the horizon for members of the modern police –
but are unlikely to see any! Motorcycle fans who like to support the
41 year old SCMCC may wish to attend the club’s AGM, scheduled for
Thursday, 9th June, 2016 at 7.30pm at Guildford Nick. But hurry to be
there – since apparently the station closes at about 8pm!
This will be the club’s 41st AGM – which makes me smile, since Sir
Peter was assured that the club would wither and die before the age
of 4. Is it withering now? We shall see!
Rosam's Reminiscences
My object all sublime
I shall achieve in time —
To let the punishment fit the
crime —
The punishment fit the crime;
And make each prisoner pent
Unwillingly represent
A source of innocent
merriment,
Of innocent merriment!
W. S. Gilbert
The Mikado (1885)
THE RIGHT PUNISHMENT
Reading Peter Wickens memories of his Cadet days of the 50`s and his
visit to the Young Offenders Institute at Goudhurst in Kent reminded me
of a visit that I made during that same era. The Institute housed youths
who had been given sentences of from 3 to 6 months. I took 5 youths
there who had been sentenced for badly assaulted a youth for no reason.
As we neared the Institute the youths from the Institute were working in
the fields and as we passed not a head was raised. When we entered the
building we passed through several doors which clanged shut behind us.
We reached the reception area and whilst they were being documented
one youth spoke out of turn and was immediately made to run up and
down the corridor.
9|Page
I got the impression that the Institute was run on the lines of the old
Army Glasshouses. On entering you did not stop running for 3 months.
Apparently the best results were from those youths who had never been
in trouble before as they had a short sharp lesson which kept them out of
further trouble. Of course there are always some hard cases even at that
age who never learn. I met those particular lads some months later,
they were ones that had learned their lesson, at the slightest sign of
trouble they disappeared.
Then what happened? Along came a certain MP who had the conditions
in the institutions watered down. The result was that whereas in the
past many of these youths did learn their lesson the hard way, later
inmates were looked up to by their mates as little heroes, ask those of us
who came across them.
'Don't forget to keep
sending in your memories
and anything of interest for
inclusion in future versions
of the newsletter and the
history website'
Can anyone be blamed for having cynical views when reading of some of
the judicial finding of our courts? Who to blame? The magistrates,
judges, lawyers ? No, as always blame the legislators'!
_________________________________
Former Woking Inspector John Walters Remembers:
Karoll
Shooting in Old Woking 31st August 1983
I first met Karoll almost thirty three years ago when as the police
inspector in charge I went to her family home in Old Woking at 05:50 am
on 31st August 1983. Her father faced with an exclusion-order had gone
mad, and tried to shoot his two daughters and his wife. He later shot and
killed himself. I was the first on the scene and found a bloodbath, I
dragged poor Karoll into an adjacent house and administered first aid.
There appeared little hope as the
top part of her skull had been shot
through and I remember the clear
cerebral fluid oozing over my
boots.
Luckily for her sister and mother
the gun had then jammed after
Karoll had been shot. They had
escaped with the mother receiving
a beating around her head with
the butt of the offending gun.
Karoll then endured years of
hospital and many operations.
Today she is a common sight
running around Woking in her
wheelchair selling tickets for the
Hospice draw. She knows the part
I played in the incident, although
she has no memory of it.
John Walters with Karoll - 2011 Eric Theobald
Award for unsung heroes.
She was 15 years then, and since that day has suffered dreadfully;
10 | P a g e
Links are shown to other
websites from this
Newsletter. Click on the
links for access:
Surrey Constabulary
History Webpage
Robert Bartlett:
'I
see
myself
more
as
a
collector than a
writer;
a
collector
of
fragments of fact
that would otherwise be lost
because no one else would
trouble themselves to write
them down and pass them on
to the next generation'
convulsions every other day, severe headaches, depression and every
day numbing pain, (her words). She can’t watch television or play a
game on a computer because the flicker would send her into a fit.
Reading a book is beyond her because of her short term memory loss,
and time moves slowly and tediously in her life. She has given up ideas
on a relationship although she yearns for children.
Her younger sister who now lives in Queensland, Australia, has three
children, and although she visited her it simply highlights her
hopelessness.
Her despair and her pain are known only to a few. Most people see her a
chirpy though sad young-woman in a wheelchair who seems to be the
main seller of Hospice lottery tickets. In 2012 she was the principal
money-raiser, personally raising £16,500 for Woking Hospice.
I have met many brave people in my life but few people have carried her
load of pain and remained outwardly cheerful. The only person I would
consider as an equal would be her mother with whom she lives.
The photo was taken outside Woking Borough Council Offices in 2011
after she has had been awarded the Eric Theobald Award for Unsung
Heroes.
The Daily Express reported the incident in their edition of the 1st
September 1983 as follows:
Girl shot as bully father goes on rampage
SCHOOLGIRL Karoll Frost was fighting for her life last night after being
shot by her berserk father who then killed himself during a four-hour gun
siege. Only Karoll's nine year-old sister Karla escaped unscathed as 46
year old Ron Frost tried to destroy his family on the day he had been
ordered to leave them.
It was brave Karla who first raised the alarm at 6 am with a 999 call as
her father savagely fought with her mother and Karoll lay unconscious on
the floor. Police said later they believed Mr. Frost first woke Karoll, took
her downstairs and shot her behind her left ear with his .22 pistol - one
of four guns for which he held licences.
Smashed
Mrs. Shirley Frost, 44, was woken by the shot
and came down the stairs as her husband was
coming up.
As they fought, Karla slipped
between them to the telephone. Her mother,
blood pouring from her head after Mr. Frost
smashed her with his pistol, ran screaming from
the house shouting for help. Minutes later Karla
followed saying, "Daddy's in the bedroom with a
gun." The ex-Army Sergeant was known to be a
crack marksman who trained regularly at the
Bisley ranges near his council maisonette home
at Old Woking, Surrey. But, undeterred, two
neighbours, Mr. Ken Stedman, 20, and Mr Les
Ins. John Walters & Sgt.
Steve Raine at the Old
Woking incident in 1983.
11 | P a g e
Calder, 30, went to the maisonette and carried out unconscious Karoll.
Armed police were already on the way.
After getting no response to loud-hailer appeals they moved into an
adjoining house and finally, at 10.30, went into the Frosts' home where
he was found dead with a rifle at his side.
Later Chief Inspector Lionel Attwood praised Karla for her presence of
mind, and the courage shown by Mr. Stedman and Mr. Calder.
Last night, as Karoll lay critically ill at the specialist Atkinson, Morley
Hospital in Wimbledon, Mrs. Frost was being treated for her wounds.
Swine
'The working life of the
Surrey Constabulary 18511992'
Neighbours spoke of her life with her bullying husband. " He was a
swine," said Mrs. Kay Ryan, 25. " He made life hell for them." " It was
mental bullying rather than physical cruelty. He loved aggravating the
children and her." "He was 'weird in his behaviour and he often used to
leave a tape recorder hidden in the lounge and running so he could
record their conversation on what they said about him."
For months the couple had not spoken to each other. Mr. Frost had been
due to leave the house under a court order yesterday while the couple
waited for their divorce hearing.
(ED: Bob Bartlett has more details on his website including eye witness
accounts from 'Joff' Clements and Alan Bridgman who both attended the
scene. Click here to read more and go to page 30 of the document
entitled 'Surrey Constabulary History - Journal 17')
_________________________________
Please do not forget to
check out this excellent
body of work which is
carried on the website of
the International Centre for
the History of Crime,
Policing and Justice.
There are many personal
anecdotes uploaded to this
site, some may even be
yours.
To view the site click here.
Roger Martin: My Other Encounter With The Chief
Constable
When I joined the Surrey Constabulary in 1963 as
PC 173 new recruits met at the police station in
Woodbridge Road, Guildford to be issued with
uniforms prior to being sworn in at the Magistrates
Court. The clothing stores were run by Jock
Alexander, a retired PC and all uniforms were
supplied "off the peg".
Roger Martin
I remember being asked for my collar size, but
Gerry Queen who was standing next to me didn't know his so he asked
what mine was and asked for the same. They were 2 inches too big for
him so later on, on course 197 at Sandgate, Will Squires, the drill
sergeant, told him to get collars that fitted. Fortunately collars were
separate from the shirts and attached with collar studs which made this
relatively easy. Not all tunic sizes were available and I remember Jock
saying, "It'll be fine wi' a jumper under it" and seeing a new recruit in
front of a full length mirror with Jock standing behind him with a great
handful of tunic saying, "Purrrfect fit laddie". However we all felt very
proud walking through Guildford to the court and catching glimpses of
12 | P a g e
our reflections in the shop windows.
THE OLD & BOLD
‘ORGANISATION’
As members of the Old &
Bold Network you have full
access to back issues.
Rather than repeat the
same
information
every
month please be aware that
Volume 118 contains an
account of how ‘Old & Bold’
works.
Not fully up to date but if
you’re a new member, or if
you’re just curious, please
take a look as it gives you
an
idea
of
the
work
undertaken.
Don't forget to visit the
history
of
the
Surrey
Constabulary website it is
really quite fascinating. (If
you can contribute anything
you’ll be welcomed with
open arms!)
Back Issues for list
members only: http://www.sprca.org/mou
ntbrowne/
Operational History of the
Surrey Constabulary History
site: http://www.surreyconstabulary.com/#WELCO
ME
Why not have a look?
When the 3 months course finished I was posted to Guildford and
accommodated in the section house which was a large room on the top
floor with lots of small rooms formed with curtains. It wasn't until you
were a senior PC like Denis Edwards with at least 18 months service that
you got a proper room of your own. It doesn't seem possible now that
steam trains ran out of Guildford and beat radios hadn't been invented.
We were very ably catered for by our cook Mrs. Hart known to all as
"Auntie". I recall spending a rest day sea fishing off the south coast and
returning with a sackful of tope. Auntie single-handedly skinned and
prepared them and produced rock salmon and chips for everybody in the
section house.
We worked the usual shift pattern, earlies, lates and nights, followed by
a week of traffic duty with lots of point duty and process. Back then we
worked a 44 hour week, and one Saturday morning found me making up
the extra four hours working a split shift. We used to parade 15 minutes
early in order to start on your beat at the first point, and we always
produced our appointments to the patrol sergeant. I remember my
handcuffs were the old fashioned bolts which a couple of years later
wouldn't fit the wrists of a prisoner responsible for a serious pub fight.
That day I was given number 2 beat in North Street which was market
day.
The street soon became very busy when I heard the
sound of an intermittent car horn in the distance and
getting closer. A bright yellow convertible Ford
Consul which I recognized as belonging to Lt. Col.
Herman Rutherford, the Chief Constable, appeared at
the bottom of North Street and coming towards me.
When he saw me he overtook the car in front and
pulled in front of it forcing it to stop. He leapt out of
his car in an agitated state shouting, "Officer, arrest
this woman," He spent a minute or two waving his
arms about and shouting, before jumping back in his
car and driving off.
Lt. Col. Herman
Rutherford
The woman's car contained a long curtain rail the end six inches of which
was protruding from the front nearside quarter light. I told her she
would be reported for consideration to be given to the question of
prosecuting her for a dangerous load and I cautioned her. She said,
"Who was that man?". I told her he was the Chief Constable of Surrey,
and she replied, "Oh, he wouldn't make a very good policeman would
he?"
A few weeks later on earlies the patrol sergeant Wilf Sivill told me to
report to the Divisional Office sergeant. The DO sergeant was
charismatic Bert Field who whenever and wherever he saw me would
recite in a loud voice, "It wasn't the Almighty who lifted her nightie, it
was Roger the lodger the sod." He told me I had a not guilty plea. At
first I dreaded taking a witness statement from the CC, but none was
required and at a later date I gave my evidence at Guildford Magistrates
Court.
The magistrates listened to my evidence before retiring and returning
13 | P a g e
stating "case dismissed." The Chief Magistrate said to me, "Not a very
good case of dangerous load officer" and amid the grandeur of the court
I felt very small indeed.
ALWAYS REMEMBER TO
Roger remembers some names, from the right: In the cape, PC 247 Terry
Winton, Eric Darnell, Mick Kidd, Fred Joyce, Mick Juniper, Pete Davies.
Roger met up with 88 year old former Dog Sgt. Fred Booker during May.
Fred is still driving around the UK and uses his Sat-Nav and mobile
phone to do so. Good on you Fred!
(ED: Bob Bartlett's history website contains a very interesting article on
14 | P a g e
the life and times of Lieutenant Colonel Graham Rutherford CBE QPM
which includes some rare photos of the man. To view click here)
~~~~~
From the Archives:
John Molyneux - My Memories of the Second World War:
I was born in Dorking in 1937 and so was only
eight years old at the end of the war.
Facebook users:
At the end of this
newsletter is an
explanatory page about the
Surrey Police Facebook site.
Phil Rawlings is the
moderator for this site.
Whilst not an official part of
the SPRCA many colleagues
have joined up. The site
can be found by clicking
this link.
Please remember that not
everybody has access to
Facebook, (some members
do not have computers and
rely on printed copy), and
therefore comments you
might leave on Facebook
will not be seen by all.
If you have a precious
memory or wish to leave a
lasting tribute to a friend or
former colleague make sure
that you send them in to the
Editor for recording here
and possibly on the Surrey
Police History website.
One of my earliest memories is going from school
to the air raid shelters, which were in sand pits,
about half a mile from the school. The shelters
have all been filled in and the area is now part of
an industrial estate. When the siren sounded, we
lined up in twos and marched off, in crocodile
style, to the shelters. The things I most remember
about the shelters were the slatted benches and
the stale damp smell.
Cadet John Molyneux 1950's
My school, which was in Vincent Lane, Dorking,
was next door to the Pneumatic Tent Company , and we could see the
women there sewing parachutes and barrage balloons.
Towards the end of the war we got food parcels from Canada. One of the
most popular items was drinking chocolate powder, which was issued out
into tins which we took to school.
My grandmother died in the summer of 1940, and for the school holiday
my family stayed with my grandfather at his house, which overlooked
The Nower. I recall a German ’plane getting rid of its load of bombs and
incendiary bombs over The Nower, before crashing in the Westcott area.
The Nower wasn’t out of bounds, unlike the Second Nower, which
became a training area. Fortunately, my father was a driver for a local
agricultural merchant, so he had a permit allowing access to most parts.
He used to take me for walks and often I accompanied him when he was
delivering to the farms.
The Second Nower, which was part of the Bury Hill estate, contained a
small pistol range, a warren of trenches, several scaling walls and the
drive was lined with Nissan huts which served as offices and the storage
of fuel.
In a nearby field were two old tanks, filled with concrete, which the
soldiers attempted to destroy with mortar bombs. Dispatch riders did
some of their training at Boxhill. Starting at the ‘zig’ they rode straight
up the side of the hill, coming out onto the road again about 200 yards
above the ‘zag’.
One autumn, it was probably 1942, we were gathering hazel nuts in the
Deerleap woods, when I saw a group of children in the yard of Park
Farm. It was explained to me that they were children from London who
had lost their homes due to bombing and had been evacuated to live at
the farm.
15 | P a g e
During a school holiday, I was with my father in the Ranmore area .There
was a searchlight battery near the YHA and both sides of the road across
Ranmore Common was lined with hundreds of vehicles.
There was a static water tank at the Dorking end of the common, a
similar one in North Street, (where the car park now is), and another dug
out in the shape of a pond in the grounds of Nower Lodge School in
Coldharbour Lane.
Surrey Cadets in Wales
We were lucky not to have had any
bomb damage. We lived on a hill and,
although we had our windows broken
several times, the worst blast was from
doodle bug which crashed in the Pixham
Lane area. I once saw a doodle bug pass
over the Glory Woods, heading towards
London, but as we didn’t hear the engine
cut out, we knew it wouldn’t land near
us.
Morrison Shelter (File Photo)
SURREY POLICE CADETS:
If you were once a Surrey
Cadet, and following the
mention in recent issues,
have you joined the Surrey
Cadet Facebook site?
A number of you have, and
have supplied memories of
what it was like and where
you went and who you
knew. A number of you
have also expressed delight
at being able to get back in
touch with people you
haven’t seen for many
years.
If you’d like to add to the
unique wealth of knowledge
that we all possess, please
don’t forget O&B but at the
same time don’t forget to
join the Facebook group
We had a Morrison shelter in our front
room. Although most families had an Anderson shelter, our garden was
too tiny for anything else.
On 6 May 1942 we were treated to a spectacular fireworks display when
the ammunition dump at Friday Street exploded. There was a lot of
military activity in the Leith Hill/Friday Street area, with many roads
made using rubble from London bomb sites.
As far as I know, there were not many un-exploded bombs in the
Dorking area. The only one I recall fell in a field the Holmwood side of
the road to Coldharbour. Because it had fallen in very rural surroundings,
the bomb disposal left it several days before they attended The ground
was very soft and mainly clay- Dorking Brick Works was only a mile
away. It must have been during a school holiday, because I watched
them as they tried to dig down to defuse the bomb. As they dug, so it
slipped deeper into the clay. Eventually, it had slipped so deep that the
BDS declared the area safe and filled in the hole. It’s probably still there!
The Canadian soldiers commandeered several large houses in the
Dorking area. Normanholt and Woodhurst in Tower Hill and St. Margarets
in Vincent Lane are some that I know of and all were trashed by the end
of their occupation. Most of these soldiers were smokers, mainly of
Sweet Caporal cigarettes. During the war there were no cards in the
packets, but their packets had cards on them, a series of aircraft
recognition called Learn to Know Friend from Foe. These cards were
eagerly collected by us boys.
At the junction of Falkland Road with Vincent Lane and also in the High
Street near Pump Corner, were concrete blocks let into the road surface.
Into these blocks would go L shaped iron girders, in the event of
invasion, to impede tank progress.
One Sunday walk with my father was up Tower Hill where there was a
number of horse chestnut trees. Hanging from these trees were strips of
paper, like paper- chain papers but black on one side and silver on the
other. This was known as ‘window’, and was thrown out of enemy
aircraft to confuse radar operators.
16 | P a g e
Returning to school early from lunch, I then went with my mates to
Deepdene Avenue, near Cotmandene, where an RAF Hudson had
crashed, when returning from a bombing mission. I later found out that
this was 20 April 1942,and all four of its crew had bailed out and landed
safely. When we arrived, the fire was out but there were still firemen on
the scene. One of them had dug a deep hole at the side of the road, into
which he had poured an oily liquid, followed by many rounds of live
ammunition, to stop, as he eloquently put it, you little b*gg*rs from
getting hold of it.
During the war, there were several ‘Spitfire Days’ when an aircraft was
on display and a collection made to fund the building of more planes. The
Queen Mary trailers, on which these aircraft, or the collected wrecks of
crashed planes, were carried, were often parked overnight at the rear of
the Dorking Halls.
I have often been asked what my father did during the war. He was blind
in one eye, so was not called up, but he spent most nights fire watching.
His post was on the roof of a shop in Dorking High Street. Members of
the Home Guard received a certificate from the King for their service, but
fire watchers received nothing. Because of this, he did not bother to
apply for his victory medal.
Dorking Police Station - Saturday 17 May 1986 on the occasion of an open day at
the Police Station. The Surrey Police Radio Club was formed in May 1982 and ran
until August 1989.
Left to right, John Molyneux (G6 DCH), Dave Pack (G3MPS - Home Office Radio
Engineer), Colin Howell (G4LJU - Metropolitan Police), Peter Cole (G6 PLV), Harry
Fowler (G1GFP), Richard Hook (G8LVB), and Barry Sullivan (SWL).
~~~~~~~~~~
(ED: Great memories John, thank you. Your mention of Morrison and Anderson
17 | P a g e
Shelters set my mind thinking back to the house where I was born in Weymouth.
Although born in 1945 between VE Day and VJ Day, I grew up with an Anderson
shelter in our back garden which housed my Dad's chickens, (my Dad was also
born in 1901 and was in the Home Guard). I am fairly sure my parents made
use of it during the war years though because the area all around our house was
bombed in WW2 and I grew up playing on the bomb site that was the Chapelhay
and Rodwell areas of Weymouth in the late 40's and early 50's. Maybe my
parents saw the following advert in 1940 and that prompted them to obtain one?)
Family in Anderson Shelter
1940. Click here to see video.
Extract from the Internet: Anderson shelters were dark and damp and,
although some families slept in them every night, most people were reluctant to
use them except after the air raid sirens had sounded - and often not even then.
People were recommended to take important documents with them, such as birth
and marriage certificates and Post Office Savings books. But it was difficult to
remember what to do when you had just woken from a deep sleep, it was totally
dark and the sirens were wailing. In low-lying areas the shelters tended to flood
and sleeping was difficult as the shelters did not keep out the sound of the
bombings. If there was a toilet at all, it took the form of a bucket in the corner.
Another problem was that the majority of people living in industrial areas did not
have gardens where they could erect their shelters. It is therefore not surprising
that a November 1940 survey discovered that only 27% of Londoners used
Anderson shelters, 9% slept in public shelters and 4% used underground railway
stations. The rest of those interviewed were either on duty at night or slept in
their own homes. The latter group felt that, if they were going to die, they would
rather die in comfort.
Many families tried to brighten their shelters in various ways, and they often
grew flowers and vegetables on the roof. One person wrote that "There is more
danger of being hit by a vegetable marrow falling off the roof ... than of being hit
by a bomb!'
_________________________________
Surrey Policing And Other News And Views
Tony Suter writes: Funny old world. My daughter, Carolyne, is an avid
fan of Peter James and the Superintendent Grace series of stories. I
18 | P a g e
introduced her to them.
As I lived in Sussex for some time and I know most of the area around
Brighton his stories are really close to home and parts of the area he
describes I know or knew really well.
In one story he referred to the area of Southlands Hospital in Shoreham
by Sea where Carolyne was born in 1969. She did a feedback and wrote
to Peter saying how the story conjured up memories etc for her and her
family. To her surprise he replied personally to thank her for reading his
books and expressed the hope she enjoyed them
She went back to him and did a further explanation that her Dad was a
copper in Surrey etc. and she merely offered the name as one he might
wish to use in a future novel. He has only done it!!
My name, which to be fair is not as usual as say Smith or Brown,
features in Chapter 5 in his latest book as an alias as a person in the sex
trade. Carolyne had no idea until she was reading the book on her Kindle
and she copied and sent the relevant page to me and which is attached.
Needless to say she has got me the hard back for a Fathers' Day gift!!
All very tongue in cheek but if anyone cares to upset me the chance of
their name appearing in a future novel is pretty high! So there.
_______________________________
Peter May: Initial Course Photo Plea
I am trying to locate a photo of my initial training course number 181 at
Sandgate and I seem to recollect my syndicate was B2.
I have looked everywhere and can’t find the original. The course was
August to November 1961 and whilst I was there quite a few Surrey
people were on the overall intake. I am sure that Trevor Saunders and
possible John Rowse, (465), were in the same syndicate as me.
If anyone can assist I would be grateful.
_______________________________
Our retired colleague, Roger Ball, has informed us that he was
fortunate enough to succeed in getting a couple of tickets in the lottery
for places to go to Thiepval on 1 July 2016 as part of the WW1
commemorations of the devastating Battle of the Somme in 1916.
19 | P a g e
As part of the visit Roger will be able to lay a wreath in memory of the
lives lost and, in doing so, his own particular memory will be of his late
Father who managed to survive this conflict.
It is possible that some of our members might have wished to be able to
participate in some small way and Roger has kindly offered to include
names etc. on a card that will be attached to the wreath of any relatives
of Surrey Police Retired Comrades who lost their life at The Somme.
This is a very generous offer and if anyone wishes to take advantage
they should email Roger with details as soon as possible and in any
event by Thursday 16 June.
Roger's email address is [email protected]
If anyone should take advantage of this arrangement, and we hope you
will, perhaps a voluntary donation to the Royal British Legion or similar
military charity might be appropriate at your discretion.
________________++++++++++++++++____________
Theft of car number plates - More than 20,000 number
plates are stolen per year.
Huge numbers of drivers are now having their number plates stolen,
according to new research by the RAC.
The organisation sent Freedom of Information requests to 34 police
forces and based on the responses it received, it has revealed that more
than 20,700 number plates were stolen in England and Wales during
2014 – an average of 56 per day.
Why are criminals stealing just the car’s number plates?
Put simply, to disguise their own cars, or cars they plan to use for
criminal purposes. One of the most common ways to use stolen number
plates is in fuel theft. Drivers attach stolen number plates to a car and
then drive into a fuel station, fill the car with fuel and drive off.
But fuel theft isn’t the only reason number plates are stolen. Cars with
stolen plates have also been used in other crimes, including shop lifting,
burglaries or robberies.
20 | P a g e
Other cases have involved drivers avoiding paying for insurance or tax by
attaching stolen number plates to cars of a similar make, model and
colour, and then driving around without the risk of triggering automatic
number plate recognition systems on police cars.
How can I prevent my number plates being stolen?
First, follow the usual car theft prevention tips. Make sure your car is
always parked securely in a well-lit area, as close as possible to your
home or the place where you’ll be staying. It’s a good idea to leave it in
sight of buildings or offices, or even better, to park it in an area with
CCTV coverage.
If you really want to prevent your number plates from being stolen, you
can purchase anti-tamper screws with which to secure them to your car.
These work on the same principle as locking wheel nuts, and come with
special heads that can only be removed with a locking tool, also supplied.
Some versions even come with a rotating sleeve around the head, so
that they can’t be grasped with pliers or mole grips.
If that’s not enough for you, you can also buy theft-resistant number
plates, which are impossible to remove in less than three minutes. Some
versions are even rendered unusable if they aren’t removed properly, in
a particular way.
What should I do if my number plates are stolen?
Without hesitation, you should contact the police. Making them aware
that your number plates have been stolen could help you enormously if it
later turns out they were used to commit crimes.
What’s more, they may be able to track down the offender or even stop
them while out on the road.
You should also get your number plates replaced as soon as possible, so
that your car is road legal again. Be aware that you may then be stopped
by police more frequently when out on the road, simply to check whether
your number plates are legally yours or not.
_________________________________
BOB BARTLETT & His BERTS & BEVS Reprint of an Article Originally published in Surrey Life magazine
April 2016
•
A Village Prone To Flooding
In a brand-new series, best-selling Surrey author Miriam Wakerly
will be discovering some of the unsung heroes who really do inject
life into ‘village life’. For the first instalment, she brings us the
amazing story of Brockham’s Emergency Response Team
I have long been writing elsewhere about the colourful characters of
Surrey’s villages, as well as imaginary ones in my novels, and for my first
instalment for Surrey Life, I wanted to bring you something a little bit
special.
21 | P a g e
In the beautiful village of Brockham, tucked away to the east of Dorking,
there resides an extraordinary organisation called the Brockham
Emergency Response Team (BERT) – though the name somewhat belies
its purpose, since activity is focused on preventive measures rather than
a knee-jerk reaction. In any event, its members truly keep calm and
carry on with the good work.
Originally set up by Simon Budd, Bob Bartlett and Bob Thomas, the
organisation was created following the floods of 2013 when, on
Christmas Eve of all times, 90 houses were seriously flooded, 20 cars
written off and people in their vehicles washed away and left stranded on
the roofs.
One of the driving forces behind
BERT, Bob Bartlett
At the other end of the scale, Brockham is best-known for one of the
biggest bonfire nights in the south of England and BERT also works
closely with the bonfire committee – and that’s not all either.
As Parish News editor, Jane Gardner, goes on to explain, “Its members
also monitor and clear ditches and drains… Simon Budd is involved with
this and you will see him out with a team of young lads (young BERT!) in
all weathers!”
A village lifeline
According to Bob Bartlett, BERT works because Brockham is an active,
neighbourly village, with a population of all ages. If something needs
doing, there is a willingness to see it done for the good of all, he adds.
Perhaps Bob, an ‘ex-policeman’ – in fact, former head of operations for
Surrey – was the right person at the right time to help steer the
volunteers. Twelve years ago, he set up an e-mail system enabling
villagers to sell items, raise funds, share information and problems; so
this was a ready-made communications tool for BERT.
Back on the subject of the floods, Brockham has often flooded over the
years, so it’s clear that BERT is very much needed. In 1968, Poland
Bridge was washed away – and, actually, its ‘temporary’ replacement is
still there today! The River Bridge, closer to Dorking, was rebuilt in 1991.
However, contrary to appearances, the flooding is not necessarily due to
the River Mole but sometimes as a result of drains and ditches becoming
blocked by debris, combined with the heavy rain that comes with climate
change. Tanner’s Brook, normally a benign stream, brings water from the
hills and once this volume gets into the main drainage ditches, it turns
into a raging torrent.
Thanks to BERT, though, the avoidable problems can be nipped in the
bud – and the way that they and the local council work together sets a
fine example for other such communities. For example, the group meets
in a Flood Forum with councils and agencies, and they also raised £7K for
a camera that records what is going on. The footage is then put on
YouTube and the link is sent to the council so they can take action. BERT
also lays down sandbags and continues to raise funds with the help of
locals, including through a pub quiz evening and from generous
donations.
Bob adds: ‘‘As well as the flood monitors, we now have crime prevention
cameras too. Both work. The flood-warning devices have already been
22 | P a g e
activated this year.”
Many years ago, two men were employed to clear the ditches. How
things have changed!
• Miriam Wakerly is a Surrey author, her novels all based in the typical,
but fictitious, village of Appley Green.
For more details, see miriamwakerly.blogspot.com.
_________________________________
Bob Bartlett's Blast from the Past - From the archives:
Bob writes: I have read of the death of Sgt. Ken Durrant. In the mid
1960's Ken was the author of a paper on the police use of firearms in
Surrey including tactics. His father was believed to be Superintendent
Durrant who, in 1951, wrote the history of the Surrey Constabulary. I
knew him at Dorking. The following picture taken from an archived 'Off
Beat' shows Ken with others at his long service medal presentation.
~~~~
Other News:
Police Oracle Reports: It is time to prove the safety of police
officers is paramount
Royston Martis says it will look very bad on individual forces if they fail
to provide additional crime data this year.
Vicious attacks on police officers are in the headlines. The police officers
23 | P a g e
in South Yorkshire who were attacked with a machete - one ending up
with a broken leg, a cracked skull and losing a finger. The police officer
in the Met who had his leg broken after having a car driven at him. The
police officer in Essex who was hospitalised after his vehicle was
rammed. The police officers in the West Midlands who were attacked
with a screwdriver and a Stanley knife. And that was just in the space of
48 hours.
I have worked in the police media industry for 13 years and I can't
remember a spate of such violent attacks on officers.
And that's just
some high profile incidents. What about all the other officers punched,
kicked, spat at and bitten over recent days, weeks and months?
There were 23,000 assaults on police officers in England and Wales last
year, according to Government statistics. That's more than 440 attacks a
week. 63 a day. Two to three every hour. I promote these official
Government numbers — derived from forces across the country - quite
often. But in truth they are a load of rubbish. There were and are many,
many more assaults on police officers in England and Wales than that
every year, week or day. And we finally just might find out the truth.
The recorded number of assaults on the country's cops is going to rise
dramatically this year after the Home Office demanded more accurate
data from forces. Figures published by the Government last July —
which was the first time they had officially been published by the Home
Office for years, (with Police Oracle filling the gap), — were based on
data from forces' Health and Safety records.
But from this year, Home Office mandarins will also be seeking crime
data from forces.
The change in recording practices will see a
"significant increase in numbers of those who have been assaulted,"
according to John Apter, the Chairman of Hampshire Police Federation,
who has been leading the push for more accurate numbers of police
assaults.
According to John, research in Hampshire shows that only
about 20 or 25 per cent of actual assaults gets recorded on the Health
and Safety system.
So that means when the figures for the last financial year (2015/16) are
published by the Home Office this summer, we could actually be looking
at there being 100,000 assaults on police officers in England and Wales
last year. That's more than 1,923 attacks a week or 274 a day. More
than 11 every hour. That could be the true picture of attacks on police
officers in this country -274 assaults a day. One police officer in England
and Wales attacked every five and half minutes. Simply staggering. But
will we get this true picture of the dangers officers face?
For some reason, the Home Office's request for the crime data on officer
assaults from forces is voluntary this year. John Apter said "the pressure
now is on forces across England and Wales" to provide their crime data
on officer assaults — whether it is voluntary or not.
"If they want a true and accurate picture of the level of violence being
used against their officers and staff on a daily basis then, [forces], are
morally obliged to make sure that that data is passed across to the Home
Office," he added.
Well said. The numbers need to be accurate. How do we know the true
24 | P a g e
picture of the dangers officers face if the data forces provide is flawed?
It will look very bad on individual forces if they fail to provide the
additional crime data this year. And I for one will be exposing the ones
that don't.
How do we know if there are enough police officers out there to keep
them and their colleagues safe? Whether single or double crewing might
make a difference? Whether more Taser is needed? Whether stiffer
sentences or punishments for perpetrators are required?
All of that starts with having the numbers. And the correct numbers.
Just about every senior or chief officer I have ever spoken to about the
dangers front line Bobbies face states: 'The safety of our police officers is
paramount".
It's time for them to start proving it.
__________________________________
The Police Oracle Also Reported: Bid to block volunteers being
given access to CS spray
(ED: Is it me or is this report a worrying sign that police powers
continue to be eroded? If this continues the warranted officer will be
soon be a defunct species but maybe that is the reason or am I just
being an old cynic? Private sector policing here we come....)
Labour also says unpaid staff should not be allowed to work on
abuse or counter-terror cases.
The Labour Party says it will attempt to stop volunteers being able to
attend scenes where force or restraint may be required.
In parliament later today, (26th April), the party will attempt to have
proposed legislation changed so that police support volunteers will not be
able to use CS spray.
The government is attempting to steer the police and crime bill through
the House of Commons. This will allow chief officers to bestow police
powers — apart from a small list of those reserved for constables — on
volunteers and staff.
Shadow Home Secretary Andy Bumham said: "There's a proud tradition
of the public volunteering with the police, but not replacing them.
"Labour is calling time on this plan - the government cannot cut the
police budget and ask the general public to take the jobs.
"Just when security concerns are paramount, they have hatched a plan
for thousands of volunteers to attend even the most serious cases.
"Public safety is at risk if the Police cannot mount experienced officers in
the event of an attack.
"David Cameron and Theresa May need telling - you simply can't have
25 | P a g e
policing on the cheap."
In a parliamentary statement Home Office minister James Brokenshire
refused to accept the party's suggestions that volunteers should not be
used to tackle child sexual exploitation, serious crime or terrorism.
He insisted that it will be up to chief constables to decide what volunteers
can do.
He said: 'Volunteers will be subject to the same tests as police staff
before they are designated with powers, namely that the chief officer
must be satisfied that they are suitable, capable and adequately trained
(that is, the tests set out in section 38(4) of the Police Reform Act 2002),
so police forces will not be able to deploy volunteers on tasks they are
not capable of performing.
"If it is acceptable to confer all the powers of a constable on one type of
volunteer, namely special constables, it is inconsistent to object in
principle to conferring a narrower set of powers on other suitably trained
volunteers.
"Under this bill, however, parliament will retain control of the list of core
powers that will only be available to police officers. For example, all
powers under counter-terrorism legislation are listed in Schedule 7 to the
bill as core powers of police officers."
He added: "These reforms will place the individual decision-making as to
which personnel perform which roles firmly in the hands of chief officers,
who have the professional expertise and local knowledge to know which
powers are needed in their area.
"It is important that we do not restrict the operational powers of the
police, who retain the right to deploy staff as they see fit."
Minor amendments to law have been proposed since the bill was first laid
before parliament, including to the Firearms Act to exempt volunteers
from requiring a certificate under section 1 or authorisation under section
5 in order to carry CS spray or PAVA.
______________________________
Police Oracle Reported On This Also:
police dogs with medals
Force to present retired
First ceremony will be held in June.
A force is set to become the first in the country
to honour its retired dogs with medals when it
holds its first ceremony in June.
Essex Police will now give medals to general
purpose and detection dogs in recognition of
their loyal service.
The medals will be engraved with the name of
the dog and the dates of their service and
handed out at ceremonies to be held on a
26 | P a g e
regular basis.
The idea was thought up by dog handler PC Paul Nicholls, (left), who has
worked with eight dogs throughout his career including his current
general purpose German Shepherd Fidget and drug and blood detection
spaniel Ludo.
Last year, he campaigned for a plaque dedicated to the memory of police
dogs to be installed in the chief constable's garden, something which was
installed last year.
"Our police dogs work incredibly hard and support their police officer
colleagues throughout their career," he said.
"Therefore it seems only right that their loyal, brave and unfaltering
service be recognised.
"It's important too that we don't forget those dogs who have died during
service so we'll be presenting medals in their memory to the handlers
they partnered."
PC Nicholls worked on the idea with Dog Unit Inspector Brad Dickel,
Essex Retired Police Dogs Fund and Essex Police Federation, who are
funding the medals.
"Police dogs deploy with handlers 24 hours a day every day throughout
Essex in the on-going fight against crime. The support provided by these
outstanding animals across a wide range of specialisms ensures the
safety of the public remains an absolute priority," said lnsp Dicke!
"It is only right that every
retiring
police
dog
receives recognition for
their unfaltering bravery
and dedication."
(ED: Nobody is more pro
police dogs than I am but
please... they cannot be
serious. As one of the
comments
about
the
article stated, 'The dog
no more appreciates a medal than if it was given a bound set of
Shakespeare')
_______________________________
Sky News Reported on Police Firearms Training:
A leading police firearms unit has
revealed it was "inundated" with
requests from unarmed officers to
retrain after the Paris terror attacks
last November.
In a special report after a week of
exclusive access to the West
27 | P a g e
Midlands Police firearms section, Sky News has followed the recruits
aiming to join the team that protects almost three million people in the
biggest British urban area outside London.
Senior officers have already doubled the amount of armed officers on
duty at key times of the day in the West Midlands while leading a
national recruitment drive to ensure more officers are qualified to carry
weapons.
After five years of declining armed police numbers in the UK, 1,500
officers are now being retrained across England and Wales in response to
the current threat from terrorism.
A full report and video from Sky can be viewed here.
(ED: It appears that there are still many officers out there serving in the
best traditions of the police service, putting service to the public before
their own safety. We can only hope that the support services are in place
if/when they are called upon to do the job they are being trained for.
However, a report in the Independent seems to be at odds with the
above - Police Federation sends warning over shortage of firearms
officers - 'Officers are not volunteering to carry guns because
they fear being 'hung out to dry').
_______________________________
Get Surrey Reported on the outcome of the PCC Election:
Is available online. You
can
either
click
on
http://sprca.org/offbe
at or http://off-be.at it's the same place, but
the latter is easier to
remember - note the dot
between the E and the A.
Conservative Party candidate David Munro was
confirmed as the next Surrey police and crime
commissioner after a count in Redhill.
He was successful in the second round, polling
100,122 votes out of a possible 239,935.
The turnout was 28.07% - not great but significantly up on the 16% in
2012.
He will succeed the incumbent, Kevin Hurley, who received 57,681 votes.
Mr. Munro, who will step down from his role as a councillor in Waverley,
will take up the post from 12 May and will remain in the role until the
next election in 2020.
Cllr. Munro said: “I am delighted in the confidence shown me by Surrey
residents, and promise to serve them to the best of my ability for the
next four years. I am particularly looking forward to working with the
chief constable and all ranks and staff of Surrey Police in our joint
enterprise of serving everyone in Surrey.”
The identity of the next chief constable is another question, following the
departure of Lynne Owen who now heads up the National Crime Agency,
28 | P a g e
having fallen out with Mr Hurley.
The temporary chief constable is Nick Ephgrave, until a new appointment
is made. Interviews will begin in the coming weeks.
Kevin Hurley, outgoing police and crime commissioner, has seemingly
taken a little swipe at David Munro’s party, (the Conservatives), and its
funding of the police.
“In my day as a police officer, we used to say ‘the public gets the police
force they deserve’, and in this case, they will get the police force with
the budget that they voted for,” he said.
David Munro: My Policing Plan for Surrey
Cutting Crime and Keeping Surrey Safe
As your Police Commissioner I will ensure that
Surrey Police delivers more visible policing,
relentlessly pursues criminals, improves detection
rates and reduces reoffending.
Tackling Rural Crime
Rural areas have been forgotten by the current Commissioner. I will
overhaul the 101 Hotline, improve response times and ensure victims
have a single point of contact throughout an investigation.
Making Our Town Centre's Safe
Our town centre's can become noisy and violent places after dark. I will
work with officers, local businesses and residents to make our town
centre's safe for all.
Supporting Victims
Independent inspectors rated Surrey Police's support for victims as
'inadequate'. I have met with the Minister and will take urgent action to
provide proper support for the victims of crime.
Making Every Pound Count
I will fight for fair funding for Surrey Police and target resources at the
front line to drive down response times and improve detection rates.
Tackling the Threat of Terrorism
We face new threats from terrorists, home-grown and from abroad. We
need a plan to deter and defeat terrorists in Surrey.
See also: Conservative candidate David Munro criticises Surrey
Police and Crime Commissioner Kevin Hurley's "vile" comments
The Conservative candidate for Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner,
29 | P a g e
(PCC), has criticised what he called “vile” comments of incumbent
commissioner Kevin Hurley, who said he wanted to “break [the] legs” of
a criminal.
Mr. Munro said: “These comments are vile. It is right criminals should be
punished but that is why we have a criminal justice system, rather than
individuals taking the law their into their own hands."
“For a PCC to condone violent vigilantism is horrific and an utter disgrace
to the legal system he represents."
“Surrey deserves a Police and Crime Commissioner who will treat the job
of tackling crime seriously rather than making offensive comments”.
________________________________
Police Oracle Reports: Defeated ex-officer turned PCC 'weeps for
future of police'
Few regrets from vocal critic of government for three-and-a-half
years.
Kevin Hurley at the Police Federation Conference in 2015
One of the most vocal and high profile of the class of 2012 police and
crime commissioners, the former Met and City of London chief
superintendent failed to win re-election last week.
Asked what he plans to do now, he rattles off a long list including visiting
the Himalayas, Everest, Africa, 'working in an orphanage for a while' and
writing a book.
He adds: "I will get back to my business interests and make money for
myself. I'm looking to see what opportunities I can take up."
But don't expect that to mean we won't hear from him again: "I'm still
concerned about policing, I'm concerned that the cluster bombing by the
Home Secretary and current government will continue."
"The loss of nine independents leaves me with one thought: I weep for
the future of our police service."
Within a couple of hours of the election result being announced, an
official statement from the PCCs' office featured Conservative victor
David Munro saying: "I am delighted in the confidence shown me by
30 | P a g e
Surrey residents, and promise to serve them to the best of my ability for
the next four years."
Mr. Hurley's, which followed in the same post, said: "In my day as a
police officer, we used to say 'the public gets the police force they
deserve', and in this case, they will get the police force with the budget
that they voted for."
Speaking to PoliceOracle.com three days later, the former PCC said he
had no regrets about that, nor about much else he had done since
November 2012.
Rarely out of the spotlight for long, he regularly made high profile forays
into debates over police funding, security, mergers and recently stated
that he considered dismissing Chief Constable Lynne Owens prior to her
appointment as head of the National Crime Agency.
And yet, for all his appearances on BBC Radio 4, Sky and the rest, his
message did not get across to enough people to ensure he won the seat.
"For all that media savvy, it wouldn't have mattered what I had done. If
I'd have imported Martians into police buildings the people who decided
the election wouldn't have noticed.."
"My vote remained strong, I didn't lose any votes, (compared to 2012).
People who valued policing turned out to vote for me."
"All that's happened is a big turnout because of the council elections
encouraged people to come out knowing who their local councillors are
Tory, Lib Dem or Labour and stuck to their party for the PCC election."
Two other independent candidates appearing either side of him on the
ballot paper also cost him both first and second preference votes, he
believes.
Nine formerly independent areas became party political in the election,
but according to Mr. Hurley: "There's been no swing away from
independents, it's just a bigger turnout of an uninformed electorate
voting along party political lines - and with no information about the
elections it is understandable."
"The government only spent about £3,000 on a website and refused a
free leaflet or booklet - how does that help old people?"
"It's a sad day for policing because the PCCs are meant to be nonpolitical and so the elections should be held on a different day to any
other."
For Surrey's new PCC, the appointment of a chief constable looms high
on the agenda. For the former one: expect more comment in the nottoo-distant future.
________________________________
In another Police Oracle Report:
Met considering specials as detectives without serving in uniform
first
31 | P a g e
Bid to make volunteering more attractive sees review float ideas.
Met Police management is examining whether special constables could
join CID and other non-uniform roles without having spent time on patrol
first.
The force's review of its special constabulary, which was first reported by
PoliceOracle.com, revealed that more than half the volunteer officers
sworn-in with the force did not complete their basic 16-hour requirement
last year.
Commander Lucy D'Orsi, (left), the author of the report, was interviewed
by Police Oracle. The number of specials in the force has also dropped
by 40 per cent since 2012.
The review suggests the force scopes possibilities for having people join
as specials in CID or SCO roles without having worn uniform first.
Training experienced specials as detectives is something which has
sometimes been done before in some areas, but to begin as a special
detective would be a departure.
Cmdr D'Orsi explained: "Sometimes people want to offer their
volunteering time, they don't necessarily want their frontline policing
being on the streets. It's worth looking at it, we might discount it in the
end, but the aim is to support regular colleagues and the public as well.
"Do you need to have independent patrol status on the streets to
potentially specialise as a detective and if it is that you want to be a
detective, what do you need and what training do you need to do that
role'?"
And it is one which could potentially bypass the special constabulary
altogether thanks to the Policing and Crime Bill currently before
parliament, which will enable volunteers without full police powers to
serve in roles such as investigation and detention.
It is also being floated at a time when the Met is struggling to fill its
detective roles. Its submission to the pay review body in January called
for it to be able to pay a bonus in order to attract people to the role as a
matter of urgency.
One change which is already planned for the Met's special constabulary
—by far the largest in the country — is more flexible training to make it
more convenient for people to take, as well as the chance to learn
legislation before actually joining.
A draft report suggested that the London residency requirement which
has been introduced for new regular recruits apply to specials as well.
This report revealed that some specials had home addresses as far away
as Northern Ireland.
Cmdr D'Orsi said the idea will be "kept under review" but it is not
currently felt worth introducing, given the potential for putting off
volunteers giving up their time for the force.
32 | P a g e
Plus This Police Oracle Report:
First direct entry group graduates, with potential to
'challenge old ways of thinking'
First cohort have completed their training and
have been welcomed by the Home Secretary.
A former banker, RAF Regiment leader, hospital
manager and HR professional were among the eight
new superintendents who have passed the 18-month
assessment process of the first ever direct entry
programme.
Five of the superintendents will serve with the Met Police, and one each
with City of London, North Yorkshire Police and Sussex Police.
They are the first group to enter policing at such a level.
The eight went through a rotation through different ranks below
superintendent, while taking in classroom based training.
The Home Office initiative is intended to open up leadership positions to
individuals with experience outside of the police.
It had hoped the scheme would bring in 20 people via the route every
year.
PoliceOracle.com revealed previously that more than £150,000 was spent
on advertising the direct entry positions, with 18 candidates eventually
making it through to the first ever national assessment centre for the
posts.
Training costs an estimated £120,000 per recruit, including salaries.
First direct entry graduate
Superintendents, with
potential to 'challenge old
ways of thinking'
In a statement celebrating their graduation Home Secretary Theresa May
said: "For too long, policing has been a closed shop — with forces
prevented from harnessing the best talent and ideas from outside and
officers missing valuable opportunities to gain skills elsewhere.
"These candidates, the first superintendents to graduate from the direct
entry scheme, bring with them a wealth of diverse skills and experience
gained outside policing.
"They and others like them have huge potential, not least to challenge
old ways of thinking, bringing different perspectives and fresh impetus to
the senior ranks of the police. I look forward to seeing what they can
achieve."
Chief Superintendent Nicola Dale, from the College of Policing — which
trained the officers, added: "The candidates have been through an
incredibly demanding programme — the first of its kind - to ensure they
have the skills necessary to act as a senior leader for other police
officers.
"They have been through intense operational training on the streets at a
33 | P a g e
variety of ranks to prepare them for the difficult decisions they will need
to make as a superintendent. Their officer colleagues at all ranks have
been supportive and helpful throughout the process.
"I would like to congratulate these superintendents on their graduation
from the programme and look forward to seeing them continue to use
their management skills and professional experience to benefit their
forces."
The second cohort of direct
entry superintendents began
with seven recruits, with the
third
round
open
for
applications — alongside the
first ever direct entry to
inspector programme.
~~~~~~
ED: The Times has reported that a direct entry Superintendent was not
impressed with aspects of his/her training. The article attracted much
comment, mainly relating to quotes it contained that direct entrant
induction time spent with a constable was as irrelevant as having a
‘council chief empty the bins’, and a description of PC's by ‘an existing
superintendent, (not a direct entrant),’ as ‘piss-takers’.
The Times, amongst others, has reported on the disquiet and resentment
generated.
See - Fast-track police chief causes fury by comparing bobbies to
binmen (£)
Bobbies on the beat were already rankled
enough when 180 years of tradition was
abandoned to allow bank workers, civil
servants and former members of the
military to leapfrog them into senior
policing ranks.
That disquiet has exploded into outright resentment, however, after one
of the cohort of the Conservative government’s new-style police
superintendents likened their lower ranking colleagues to bin men.
This report stems from an academic paper written by Richard Smith of
the University of Portsmouth. It can be found in full here - it is an eye
opener and well worth reading giving as it does an insight into the minds
of those people who have entered the direct Superintendent route.
Former Greater Manchester ACC Ian Wiggett provides a considered
response to this paper and also the Times article. It was published in
Policing Insight.
IMHO it is an excellent article by Mr. Wiggett so I decided to extract it
and I have included it in this newsletter for you to read here.
34 | P a g e
Former Greater Manchester ACC Ian Wiggett provides a considered response to an academic paper
that, according to the Times today, has "caused fury by comparing bobbies to binmen"
Richard Smith of the University of Portsmouth recently examined the experience of the first cohort of direct
entry superintendents (Police Journal). It was entitled “Don’t Call me Ma’am: Direct entry into leadership
roles in British policing” – the first element of the title being a quote from one of the superintendents,
frustrated at the unwillingness of officers to address her by her first name.
Richard Smith’s article highlighted the challenge for the new cohort, as their fresh attitudes encounter
cultural resistance – at all levels of the service.
The article attracted much comment, mainly relating to quotes it contained that direct entrant induction time
spent with a constable was as irrelevant as having a ‘council chief empty the bins’, and a description of PCs
by ‘an existing superintendent (not a direct entrant)’ as ‘piss-takers’. The Times, amongst others, has
reported on the disquiet and resentment generated.
Former Greater Manchester ACC, Ian Wiggett, provides his response…
I gave up many years ago on asking constables to call me ‘Ian’. I was quite happy for them to do so, but after
being a PC for four years, I understood that rank is not about being called ‘sir’, but about the respect you are
held in. That respect has to be mutual – and it should be earned. Being called ‘sir’ was sometimes a sign that
the relationship was not good, but first names do not make you best mates either – we each have our jobs to
do, and it’s about an effective working relationship.
One of the great strengths of UK policing is that officers start as
Senior officers can look the
constables and work their way through the ranks. Chief constables are,
frontline in the eye, and say that
after all, still ‘constables’, and have the same powers as the newest
they
know exactly what the work
t
recruit. Senior officers can look the frontline in the eye, and say that they
is like. The common experience
know exactly what the work is like. The common experience is a great
is a great leveller, and a
leveller, and a fantastic touchstone through your whole career. All
fantastic touchstone through
officers, regardless of rank, will have strong memories of their first time
your whole career.
on patrol, their first arrest, the difficult incidents they dealt with, the
scares, and the friendships. The work is all about dealing with the public
during some of the most difficult and sensitive times in their lives – which gives you a fantastic grounding of
skill and experience as well.
That common experience at the coalface is viewed with suspicion by many outside the service. The greatest
suspicion seems to come from those who like keeping a distance between ‘management’ and ‘workers’.
Despite our symbols of uniform and badges of rank, other organisations (including private companies) are
often far more fixated on hierarchy, and where managers really struggle to communicate with staff – let alone
the public.
Those with military officer experience, expecting a familiar environment, often become disoriented in the police
world: badges of rank are similar, but bear little relationship to how the work is done and how decisions are
made. Those with senior management experience elsewhere can get frustrated by the police focus on
operational realities and action, rather than ‘strategy’ and ‘bigger picture’. Those with private sector
experience, not used to the political context and constraints, complain about the slowness of carrying out
change. Police senior leaders are frequently criticised for their lack of diversity, lack of skills in business
management, resistance to change – and defensive responses to criticism. ‘Pale, male, stale’, as the saying
goes. And every so often, there is an incident of poor judgement which only confirms that picture.
Policing was traditionally a ‘blue-collar’ job, and most senior officers up to the 1990s would have joined as
police cadets direct from state schools, without university education. Margaret Thatcher was reputedly keen to
introduce an officer class, after becoming frustrated at the resistance of senior leadership to change (and
probably also the general level of education). There have been numerous schemes since the 1930s to
improve police senior leadership. Most sought to nurture talent from within the service. The Special Course
and Staff College were established as a way of attracting talent and fast-tracking the most able officers through
the ranks. A large number of chiefs were products of the Special Course. The Home Office expanded this into
the ‘Accelerated Promotion Scheme’ (lately the High Potential Development Scheme) during the 1990s. This
coincided, however, with a major change in the police recruitment profile. Cadet schemes were closed and
recruits became older, from more diverse backgrounds, and many more had degrees. The need for a fasttrack scheme was increasingly questioned.
A considerable amount of management training used to be provided for
The 2010 Coalition
officers being promoted to chief inspector and superintendent. Most
government brought in the idea
forces also ran their own leadership development programmes, including
of
o direct entry (DE). We never
Outward Bound, external secondments, and funding for further education.
got to know what the precise
In the mid-2000s, the Home Office responded to a decline in the number
problem was that DE was trying
of candidates for chief officer positions: the National Senior Careers
to solve. Was it poor quality
Advice Service was established to support officers at superintendent level
leadership? Lack of talent in
through to chief officer rank. Much of this has been trimmed back or
“
“
senior roles? The wrong style
removed entirely.
of leadership? Too similar a
The 2010 Coalition government brought in the idea of direct entry (DE).
style of leadership? Lack of
We never got to know what the precise problem was that DE was trying
diversity?
to solve. Was it poor quality leadership? Lack of talent in senior roles?
The wrong style of leadership? Too similar a style of leadership? Lack of
diversity? Sir Hugh Orde, the head of ACPO, was against the scheme: “it has not been thought through…it is
not about police leadership, it is about politics… I don’t want work experience people having senior roles in
policing”.
This view was derided by Richard Smith as self-interested defensiveness, typical of police leaders trying to
protect the ‘mystique’ of their role and status. The alternative view is that Sir Hugh was voicing the fears of the
vast majority of chief constables, concerned at the operational risks the scheme posed, and the lack of
recognition of the complexity of police work. Few organisations would dare to put new recruits straight into
senior management, let alone roles that involve complex, high-risk and high-profile decisions.
After considerable effort, nine candidates were selected from 867 applicants, and eight now serve as full
superintendents in 4 forces. (Interestingly, those are similar ratios to selection for the old Special Course.)
Without Metropolitan Police support, and a considerable financial sweetener, the DE scheme would have
collapsed at the outset – and there remain opposing views at the top of the Met.
I am sure the eight are very talented people with a lot to offer policing, but I find it difficult to accept that an 18month ‘induction’ can equip an individual to command at superintendent level. Constables have to undergo 2
years’ training just to be confirmed in the role. The bread-and-butter work for a superintendent is not
‘management’, but operational command. In addition to the serious incidents, armed operations, public order
events, major investigations, there are many aspects of a superintendent’s job that require deep and broad
technical knowledge. As an assistant chief constable, I was still spending much of my time dealing with
operational matters – invariably the most challenging ones – where I was drawing on nearly 30 years of
operational experience and specialist training. While I invariably had to draw on the specialist advice of other
officers, I brought my own skills to the table as well: a mix of specialist knowledge broad knowledge of the
police organisation, partnerships, and importantly the public perspective; and personal qualities of
communication, decision making, and leadership that had been tested throughout my whole service.
The DE superintendents will, I am sure, possess these qualities – although of course not in the policing
context. Crucially, they will not have the specialist knowledge. That leaves them personally vulnerable. For
chief constables, a DE superintendent is a risky gamble. This is not about their individual ‘credibility’ – it is
about the amount of operational and organisational confidence that can be placed in their technical policing
competence.
The article emphasised that the scheme is about ‘different’, not necessarily ‘better’. The logic seems to be that
other superintendents will be technically ‘better’ at police work, but are clearly too ‘similar’ and ‘closed’ in their
way of thinking. Hence the need for some fresh people who can bring in some ‘difference’. I’d dispute that –
officers are all individuals under that uniform – but I do accept that they will all have been fashioned to some
degree by their police service. It’s impossible not to be (and interestingly, one of the DE superintendents
described how they were already ‘becoming a different person – the move from being a civilian’).
I looked for the ‘difference’ in the DE cohort, but couldn’t see it. I saw newly qualified superintendents who are
talented and eager to make a difference. There is a mix of men, women and visible ethnicity, but nothing
remarkably different from superintendent cohorts in many forces. I looked at their backgrounds, and the
majority seemed to have local government, military, or police-linked experience. In fact, a rather narrower
range of backgrounds compared to constable recruit intakes.
I looked at their motivation to join. Most appear to be interested in the challenge of police work and motivated
by a desire to serve the public. Again, typical of police recruits. Rank/money was a factor to the extent that
the DE officers already had careers and domestic commitments, and therefore could not afford to join the
police as a constable. Bin-emptying apart, I got the impression that DE superintendents wanted to be cops,
and the DE scheme offered a way for them to change career in mid-stream.
So what is this ‘difference’? Indeed, what is the ‘norm’ for a non-DE superintendent? There surely have to be
some basic expectations around leadership and management skills that would apply for any senior role,
whether in the police or elsewhere. The DE superintendents evidently have these core qualities. Their own
descriptions of their leadership styles are precisely what I would expect from any superintendent.
Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said he was looking for people who are ‘not trapped by assumptions’, who could bring
‘new perspectives…new pace and momentum’, and ‘make the organisation more diverse’.
Well, their impact on diversity, at least visibly, is minimal. I don’t know to what degree the DE cohort offers new
perspectives, although they clearly have ‘energy’ – although I’d expect any newly promoted superintendent to
be equally eager to make a difference.
In effect, the Commissioner is saying that his current superintendents lack pace, and cannot provide fresh
perspectives. He is clearly looking for people who can help bring about a degree of cultural change. But I
would start by looking at the training and development being provided for officers internally. Maybe the existing
(and past) promotion processes are not selecting the ‘right’ people, or are not testing candidates for the ‘right’
qualities? Or maybe the the organisational structures and processes are constraining the existing
superintendents and preventing them from acting in the way the Commissioner wants?
Organisational culture is a complex thing; changing it is not easy, and rarely quick. Leaders play a big role in
determining that culture, and some ‘fresh blood’ often helps kick that change off. But wider cultural change
cannot be achieved through changing a few managers, no matter how good they are.
“Put a good person in a bad system and the bad system wins, no contest” (W. Edwards Deming)
In This Month
A look back in history and a selection of events that took place during this month
1st June 1985: Hippies clash with police at Stonehenge
More than 300 people have been arrested after an attempt by police to prevent a
convoy of hippies reaching Stonehenge led to a violent confrontation.
The travellers were on their way to the ancient stone circle in Wiltshire for an
illegal festival but were stopped seven miles from their destination by 500 police
officers, who blocked a road and refused to let them pass.
Officers from six
different forces dropped 15 tons of gravel onto the road and used council vehicles
to block the path of the 140-vehicle convoy.
The Battle of the Beanfield, as it became known, was the first major test of an
English Heritage ban on midsummer festivals at Stonehenge.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2nd June 1994: MI5 officers killed in helicopter crash
An RAF Chinook helicopter carrying more than 20 of Britain's top intelligence
experts has crashed on the Mull of Kintyre, killing everyone on board.
An investigation is under way to find out why the aircraft - described by RAF
officials as "state of the art" - came down during a routine flight from Belfast to
Inverness, killing 29 people.
The deaths of 25 senior police, army and MI5 officers - some of the most
experienced intelligence experts in the country - were described by the Chief
Constable of Northern Ireland as a "catastrophic loss in the fight against
terrorism".
In 1995 an initial RAF board of inquiry ruled that the pilots - Flight Lieutenants
Jonathan Tapper and Richard Cook - were guilty of "gross negligence".
But since then campaigners have fought to clear the pilots' names.
In September 1999 the government faced calls for a fresh inquiry when
Computer Weekly released evidence claiming to cast doubt on the reliability of
the helicopter's engine control software, supporting campaigners' claims that the
aircraft was at fault and not the pilots.
In February 2002 a House of Lords committee opposed the RAF's verdict and
concluded there were no grounds for blaming the pilots.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
18th June 1972: UK's worst air crash kills 118
All 118 people on board a flight from London Heathrow to Brussels have died
when the airliner crashed minutes after take-off.
The British European Airways plane came down in a field in Staines, missing the
town centre by just a few hundred yards. It is the worst disaster in British
aviation history.
The Trident jet - which had been involved in another accident in 1968 - left
Heathrow at 1708 BST and was only three miles (4.8 km) from the airport when
witnesses said it "dropped out of the sky".
35 | P a g e
What’s Coming Up?
Surrey Police Retired Comrades Association - AGM & Reunion
Lunch - Wednesday 29 June - Bramley Golf Club.
Following our recent committee meeting, we are pleased to announce (or
confirm) that the SPRCA Annual General Meeting and Reunion lunch will
again be held at Bramley Golf Club on WEDNESDAY 29 JUNE.
At a subsidised cost of just £23.00 for a three course lunch in pleasant
surroundings with friendly company, it is highly recommended. Full
details are shown on the attached programme and booking form. Our
Secretary, Fred Smith eagerly awaits your booking.
Though there are 'membership' conditions to qualify for attendance,
these are very flexible and, basically, anyone (retired or serving Police
Officer or Police Staff) who has served over 22 years is very welcome to
attend.
If you are unable to attend, then make arrangements to book a day at
the seaside - historically we always have a warm sunny day! Please do
not blame me if this year is an exception.................
Look forward to seeing you there,
Best wishes: - Tony Suter
SURREY POLICE RETIRED COMRADES ASSOCIATION
Fred Smith is now in his twenty fifth year as the Hon. Secretary of
the former Old Comrades Association, now known as the
Surrey Police Retired Comrades Association (SPRCA).
Fred writes: The Association was founded in 1931 by Captain Saint after
he retired as the force Chief Constable and every year since then it has
held its Annual Reunion Dinner preceded by the AGM.
Fred Smith - Hon.
Secretary SPRCA
Those pensioners wishing to attend please would they complete the
following form and send it to me at the address shown.
~~~~~~~
36 | P a g e
The Retired Comrades Association’s Annual Reunion and AGM for 2016
will be held on Wednesday 29th June 2016 at Bramley Golf Club,
Guildford Road (A281) Bramley and the Committee can guarantee a
warm welcome and enjoyable day for attendees
Membership of the Association is free and open to police officers and
police staff, pensioners of the Surrey Police and constituent forces, or
who have served as police officers in the Surrey Police or constituent
forces and their widows/widowers/partners upon death of such members.
Former Surrey Police officers who retired from another force, serving
police officers or police staff with more than 22 years service on making
a request to the Secretary to become a member.
Programme of events
1030
Reception (coffee and biscuits)
in the Club Dining Room.
1050 Group Photograph.
1100
Annual General Meeting (Items for AOB to Hon. Sec. by 25th June
please).
1200
Social Gathering (with bar) in the Club Dining Room
1315 Luncheon.
1445 Presidents Address.
1500 Further Social Gathering or Round of Golf (£25).
1600 Afternoon Tea (At individual request & cost).
I intend to come to: (Please tick as
applicable)
..
Annual General Meeting.
Reunion Luncheon.
..
Vegetarian.
I will require: Reception (coffee & biscuits)
(No charge - cost being sponsored).
(Please tick as applicable, including Golf).
Luncheon
(£23.00)
Group Photograph
(£2.00)
Play Golf
(£25.00) Pay to Club on day.
I enclose my cheque for the sum of £
Please make cheques payable to Surrey Police Retired Comrades
Association (SPRCA)
NAME:
ADDRESS:
POSTCODE:
37 | P a g e
TEL.NO:
EMAIL:
CAR REG.:
SIGNATURE:
DATE:
Please send to:
Fred Smith,
Honorary Secretary SPRCA,
c/o36,Pond Meadow,
Guildford,
Surrey,
GU2 8LF.
(Contact via Tel. 01483-836197 or e-mail: [email protected]).
____________________________
Surrey Constabulary Athletes Reunion - Saturday
24 September 2016
Mick Wayland writes :- I am pleased to confirm that the above event
will
now
take
place
between 12.30
and
15.30
hours on
Saturday
24
September
2016
at:
The
Beacon, 95 Guildford Street,
Chertsey. Surrey. KT16 9AS
There is no parking available at
the venue, but there are several
large,
pay
and
display car
parks within 100 - 300 metres, the
largest and closest of these is
Sainsburys.
Mick Wayland with Cross Country
Champions of 1978/9
'The Beacon' is some 10 minutes walk from Chertsey Railway Station.
Exit railway station car park by level crossing and turn left along
Guildford Street - go straight ahead across pedestrian traffic lights at
main road, then pass two small roundabouts and The Beacon is 200
metres on your left. See location map here.
Entry is via the front door in Guildford Street, then immediately up the
stairs inside - please let me know in advance if you will need to use our
lift and I will arrange escort.
I have arranged a finger buffet lunch and drinks and ask for a donation of
£10 each to cover costs.
I will arrange for display boards, so please bring along your photos please mark rear of photos to enable identification after!
I will supply
Blue tac.
38 | P a g e
All former Surrey Constabulary officers/civilian staff/team supporters
during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s are most welcome and I look forward
to seeing you and your partners.
I need to give caterers numbers by Monday 19th September so please
confirm attendance by email on [email protected] or call
or text 07951 417940.
____________________________
THE CATERHAM POLICE REUNION - 18th June 2016:
Tony Collman advises of the arrangements for this year's Caterham
reunion.
Date: - Saturday 18th June 2016.
Time - 6.00 pm until midnight.
Location: - Portcullis Club, Kenley Airfield, Victor Beamish Avenue, (off
Salmons Lane West), Caterham, Surrey, CR3 5FX.
Follow Victor Beamish Avenue to the end and turn right at the aerodrome
following signs for the Portcullis Club.
The cost is £5.00 per person which will cover entrance and food. There
is a licensed bar on the premises. Dress is Casual.
The decision has been made to use this local clubhouse again as it is out
of the way and totally private. For Health and Safety and Catering
reasons, people will need to book and pay for their places before the
night.
If you are able to attend, please can you let Tony know how many places
you would like and the names of the people attending. His email address
is [email protected]
Cheques in payment should be made payable to A. Collman and posted
to 8 Foxon Lane Gardens, Caterham, Surrey, CR3 5SN.
Tony is looking forward to seeing you in June.
____________________________
THE METROPOLITAN POLICE CADET TRAINING REUNION
AT HENDON- 26th August 2016:
Martin Bruton has advised that the Metropolitan Police Cadet
Training Centre, Hendon reunion is booked to take place on Friday
the 26th of August at 1730 hrs. Any former Surrey Cadet who
went to Hendon in the early 70s will be welcome.
The venue is Peelers, a restaurant in New Scotland Yard (NSY) and
will be the last at those premises as NSY is closing prior to moving
to new premises. There will be a bar (obviously), and a buffet. All
ex-cadets are welcome. As Martin says "a last (nostalgic or
otherwise) opportunity to see the current building before it
closes."
39 | P a g e
For security reasons it will be necessary to supply a list of names
of those attending so advance booking is a must. Martin will be
providing further information once arrangements are complete
but suggests those interested reserve the date in their diary.
If you want further information in the meantime, please direct your
questions to Martin at [email protected]
____________________________
The Surrey Constabulary Police Cadet Reunion- 4th
September 2016:
The Surrey Constabulary Police Cadets reunion is being
organised at Mount Browne on the afternoon of Sunday 4
September 2016. This re-union will be open to anyone who ever
served as a police cadet in Surrey, whether or not they continued in
police service in Surrey or elsewhere.
Tony Forward will be providing more information soon but asks that
you reserve the date in your diary. You will recall that it was
originally planned to hold this event last September but for various
reasons it had to be put back until this year.
____________________________
THE TRAFFIC REUNION – 14th October 2016:
Dick Johnson writes: The 2016 Traffic Department reunion is to
be held as usual at the West Byfleet Social Club, Station Approach,
West Byfleet on Friday 14th October 2016 at 7.30pm
All past and present members of Traffic Department, and Mobile
Support/Roads Policing and the Driving School are welcome to
attend together with their wives/husbands/partners.
Could they please contact me at [email protected] so
that I can get an idea of how many will attend this year for
catering.
A small amount will be charged per head on the night to cover the
catering costs.
Look forward to seeing you there.
Richard & Sue Johnson
_____________________________
THE GODSTONE TRAFFIC AND MOTORWAY
REUNION - 26th November 2016:
ROOM
This year’s Godstone Traffic and Motorway Room reunion will be
held at 7.30pm on Saturday the 26th November at the usual
venue, The White Hart Barn in Godstone village.
Jerry Taylor is organising it and has asked for anyone who’s
40 | P a g e
changed their email address since the last reunion to let him
know at [email protected]
In the meantime, please put the date in your diary. More details
later on in the year.
_____________________________
If you have a function coming up or wish to organise a reunion
then drop me a line to have it advertised here in your newsletter.
Email: [email protected]
_____________________________
'La vie en France'
Snippets of information about life in France.
Mayday emergency call originated from m'aidez
As a former small boat owner in the UK,
some years ago I spent a day on a course to
take my ship's radio licence exam. As I
was used to using a police radio it was fairly
straight forward although some interesting
bits were learnt that I was not aware of as a
landlubber using a radio.
English may be the international language of
travel and aviation but did you know that the key emergency words are
French in origin? In 1923, when international radio communication was
in its infancy the senior radio officer at the, now closed Croydon Airport
the first of its kind in the world to employ an air traffic control system,
was asked to come up with an easily memorable word to indicate that an
aeroplane had an emergency. It had to be easy to pronounce and easy
to understand, even in emergency conditions or where transmission or
reception is poor.
Frederick Stanley Mockford came up with "Mayday", which he derived
from m'aidez, the imperative pronominal form of the French verb aider or
"help me". Part of his inspiration came from serving in France during the
First World War plus hearing regular chatter from planes flying from
Croydon to Le Bourget Airport on the outskirts of Paris.
Four years later, the International Radiotelegraph Convention of
Washington DC confirmed Mayday as the official voice distress call,
replacing the SOS Morse code message. Today, any vessel that makes a
Mayday call repeats the word three times so it is not mistaken for any
similar sounding phrase under noisy conditions and to distinguish an
actual Mayday call from a message that mentions a Mayday call.
A less serious emergency call is "pan-pan", which indicates an aircraft or
vessel needs help, but that no one aboard is in immediate danger. This
also comes from the French - panne, which indicates a breakdown or
failure.
41 | P a g e
In fact, French words and pronunciations are commonly used in
important safety and emergency situations to separate them from
standard English radio chatter.
Sécurité, for example, is used to indicate that the following message
contains important safety information, such as a hazard to navigation or
weather information.
Equally, the French pronunciation of silence ("see-lonce") indicates that a
particular radio channel may only be used by a vessel in distress and
responding authorities.
All other vessels should remain silent until
otherwise informed - usually with the French words silence fini ("seelonce fee-nee"), indicating that the emergency is over, or silence
prudence ("silence proo-donce"), meaning that the channel can be used
again with care.
Reverting back to the (old), police wireless procedure, will you please
now show me ten-ten!
"Grow old along
with me! The
best is yet to be"
Robert Browning
HMS POLICING UK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
©SPRCA - All Rights Reserved
Edité à proximité du Mont Saint Michel dans la Manche
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
42 | P a g e
Please Note: For ease of use all the links in this document can be
accessed directly from the document using hypertext, (hypertext
enables objects, text, pictures, music, programs, and so on, to be
creatively linked to each other).
Therefore all text that you see in this newsletter in bold purple is
hypertext. Clicking on that text will take you directly to the site
mentioned or in the case of an email address will open your email
client and allow you to write an email directly from this newsletter.
In some case a security warning box might open such as this -
This document has been prepared and checked with a reputable virus
checker and can be safely used. However if you feel you would rather
copy the address and paste it into your browser or open your email
client directly to write an email then please do so.
CONTACTING TONY SUTER – YOUR WELFARE CO-ORDINATOR:
Just a reminder: With an O&B membership well into 4 figures, it’s
hardly surprising that your volunteer Welfare Coordinator, Tony
Suter, receives something like 40+ e-mails every day even before you
Whilst he’s always
start counting the scams or bargain offers.
delighted to hear from O&B members he does ask if you could perhaps
help to make his life a little easier.
If you’re sending him an email on a 'new topic' he would be very
grateful if you would actually create a new email rather than simply
hitting the 'reply' tag on an earlier email that he might have sent out.
(We’ve all done it, and it’s a quick and easy way of getting in touch
without having to go to the trouble of looking up an e-mail address and
thinking up a new ‘subject’ but it’s always better to start afresh and so
avoid confusion).
If you send him an e-mail that mentions a previous subject there’s
always a danger that it can be treated as simply an acknowledgement
and – when time is short - it could easily be deleted as an ‘old matter’.
Be gentle with him! Tony thanks you in advance for your help.
43 | P a g e
The SPRCA Borough Welfare Representatives are listed on the following
two pages.
PLEASE NOTE THE NEW SPRCA E-MAIL ADDRESSES!
Borough
Elmbridge
Rep
Mick Wells
01932 881547
87 Burwood
Road Hersham
07887 996926
KT12 4AF
Epsom &
Ewell
Phone & Email
Email: [email protected]
David Chave
21 Devonshire
House,
Devonshire Ave
Sutton
07789 948433
Email: [email protected]
SM2 5JJ
Guildford
David Amos
Lawnend
Charterhouse
Rd Godalming
GU7 2AW
Mole Valley
RH5 4TD
Email: [email protected]
01306 875625
07791 432478
Email: [email protected]
Ken Hewitt
101 Nutfield Rd
Merstham
RH1 3HD
Runnymede
07502 794102
Roger Young
20 Elder Way
Nth Holmwood
Reigate &
Banstead
01483 420187
Shane
Burrows
4 Junewood
Close Woodham
Addlestone
01373 643472
Email: [email protected]
01932 344607
07724191714
Email: [email protected]
KT15 3PX
Spelthorne
Laurence
(Spike)
Milligan
12 Spring Ave.
Egham
07777 690744
Email: [email protected]
(Continued on the next page)
TW20 9PL
44 | P a g e
Borough
Rep
Surrey Heath
Tony Suter
1 Ullswater
Close
Lightwater
GU18 5TD
Tandridge
01276 474399
077380 79602
Email: [email protected]
Chris Kearsey
35 Gordons
Way
Oxted
RH8 0NA
Waverley
Phone & Email
Graham
Marshal
75
Summerlands
01883 714223
0774 808657
Email: [email protected]
01483 275659
Email: [email protected]
Cranleigh
GU6 0NAl
Woking
Allan Hurlow
11 Fairfax Road
Old Woking
Woking
07703 568638
Email: [email protected]
GU22 9HN
Note:
Clicking on any of the email addresses above will open
your email client to send an email to the rep. required.
SPRCA Welfare Representatives
Every now and then, someone needs or will need help for a myriad of reasons and usually the first place to turn to is
ones' family. Occasionally they are unable to directly assist or, in some cases, retired colleagues simply do not have a
family. This is where, perhaps, the SPRCA can come to a resourceful rescue. I am privileged to serve the Association as
the 'Welfare Co-ordinator' and I am equally fortunate to have volunteers in each Borough of Surrey who I can call upon
for local issues. I am certainly not in charge - SPRCA does not have a rank structure!
Our united aim is to help retired colleagues, their relatives or carers where we can. Examples of some ways in which we
might help - transport to/from hospital for appointments or taking to visit relatives, visits to hospital home, keeping in
contact either, again, by personal visits or even just a 'phone chat for someone who simply needs or wants to hear a
friendly voice. Even the smallest contact can make all the difference.
How do you get help? Minimum formality - contact either the Borough representative, listed above complete with email
and telephone number, or contact or me as Welfare Coordinator and leave us to do the rest. We may not always have
the complete answer immediately but be assured we have the ability to sort out the almost impossible in a relatively
short time. Some may recall that last year a former colleague in South Wales needed help and within 2 hours of asking
we had something in hand to benefit and help when it was needed most.
It is important to remember that even if you have retired to 'foreign parts' (and that includes anywhere in the UK north of
the Thames or west of Ash) then contact me. We have links with NARPO, the National Chaplaincy Service and other
organisations we might be able to call on if needed.
Just a very brief insight into what can be done. Any questions, refer to me at [email protected] and collectively we
will always try.
Tony Suter - Welfare Co-ordinator
45 | P a g e
Obituaries
Something, they say, that is as inevitable as paying taxes is death. Always an emotive occasion and there is
a balance to be drawn between the wishes of relatives, our late colleague and that of our membership who
naturally want to know so they can pay their respects to their departed friend.
If I may, a very brief general guide as to how O&B endeavour to 'manage' the information process.
Notifications should be made to me as Welfare Co-ordinator at the earliest opportunity. I will circulate an
initial notification of the sad event which goes out to over 1,000 O&B 'members' plus Human Resources at
HQ (for notification to the Chief Constable and serving Officers and Police Staff, many of whom will be O&B
recipients anyway).
A copy also goes to the Pension Administrators, Equiniti so they can deal with pension payments without
delay. Though this might appear insensitive, it is important that the correct/amended payments are made
at the earliest opportunity to avoid the possible added distress of having to ask relatives for a pension
overpayment to be repaid. It also ensures that, where appropriate, the spouse of the late colleague properly,
AND PROMPTLY, receives a widows pension.
Rather than send out bits of information in several emails, I prefer to only circulate two notifications, the
initial advice and then follow it up with details of the funeral, requests for floral tributes or charitable
donations in lieu and to whom and where any messages of condolence may be sent. I appreciate this is not
always possible but it keeps emails to a minimum which colleagues are then more likely to read
If you have been advised of a death, and you are in close contact with the family, it is better that you
maintain that liaison rather than relatives being pestered by me as well.
Ideally I/we like to know:
Date of passing,

Date and time of funeral and venue.

Venue of a post funeral reception/wake

Name and address of the funeral director.

Details of floral tributes or charitable donations - where to send etc.

Whether the family wish to have the coffin drape and/or CASPER Standard bearer in attendance. I
would add that attendance of a standard bearer is dependent on availability as many who do this
voluntary role are serving officers or police staff.
As always, we cannot cover every aspect but if the above can be used as a guideline that will be very helpful.
If anything else is required, just ask, if I don't know the answer I am sure that there will be people who will!
In closing I would advise that for some reason, the notification to the force has been the subject of change
which hasn't always worked well. I am advised that the system of advice has since improved in that 'death'
messages of pensioners receive more prominence in mail boxes and, when accessed the reader can add their
own memories or tributes which are filtered back to me for passing to relatives. A nice touch and well done
Corporate communications for this very welcome development.
Tony Suter:
Welfare Co-ordinator.
46 | P a g e
A Note From Our Sponsors - aka The Free Ads.
HAVE YOU ORGANISED A WILL OR LASTING POWER OF ATTORNEY?:
Hate to be morbid, and much of
what follows may well be
superfluous, but at the same
time
there
may
be
O&B
members who have not ‘put
their affairs in order’.
Wills Explained
Are you one of the 70% of
people in the UK currently
without a will? If you want to be
sure your wishes will be met
after you die, then a will is vital.
Writing a will can ensure that
your assets are kept within the
family and are passed on down
to the next generation. Many
people
are
concerned
that
second families or new spouses
will inherit their assets in the
future. This may or may not be
a good thing, and a wellstructured will can help to
prevent any possible disputes
after you’ve gone.
It is pointed out that a will is the
only way to make sure that your
savings, your possessions and
your estate will go to the people
and/or causes that you most
care about.
Disputes over wills can cause arguments even amongst close family members and may require the
services of a solicitor to resolve them.
When you leave a will it should remove any possible doubt about just who you want to leave your
estate to.
At the 2015 SPRCA AGM Tony Forward mentioned a company called New Patch that has been
recommended by the Surrey Police Federation in respect of LPA's (Lasting Powers of Attorney), and
Wills, etc.
He has used their services personally, as have a number of our pensioners and they have found the
firm to be both excellent and much cheaper than any other provider that they have been able to find.
In short, they are recommended!
If you need to get your affairs in order then compare their rates - [email protected] or
01252 601078
47 | P a g e
Geoff Burch Has Released His Latest Book In The Rambling Railwaymen Series
Contact Geoff for more details by email by clicking here
______________________________________________________________________
Anyone interested and requires more information and application form please contact :[email protected] OR [email protected]
48 | P a g e
The Surrey Constabulary Facebook Group.
Because Facebook has recently made it possible to do so, the Surrey Constabulary Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Surrey.Constabulary.Group/ has been enhanced from
“Closed” to “Secret”. The differences are listed in the chart below:-
Closed
Secret
Who can join?
Anyone can ask to
join or be added or
invited by a member
Anyone, but they
have to be added or
invited by a member
Who can see the group's name?
Anyone
Current and former
members
Who can see who's in the group?
Anyone
Only current
members
Who can see the group description?
Anyone
Current and former
members
Who can see the group tags?
Anyone
Current and former
members
Who can see what members post in the group?
Only current
members
Only current
members
Who can find the group in search?
Anyone
Current and former
members
Who can see stories about the group on Facebook (ex: News
Feed and search)?
Only current
members
Only current
members
For all types of facebook group, any group member can add their facebook friends as members.
Should a current member wish to add a new member to the Surrey Constabulary facebook group, please
ensure they are current or previous employees of Surrey Police and then:1. Go to the group and click the “+ Add People to Group” field in the top right column.
2. Type your facebook friends' names and click on them to add them to the group.
3. If the person asking to join is not your own “facebook friend”, please refer them to another group
member who is, then refer to 1. above.
49 | P a g e
Security Online And The SPRCA.
The SPRCA exists for the benefit of its members and right from the outset the computer systems set up
by Robin Crorie were designed with the security and protection of member's data in mind. As there are
no commercial pressures nor any shareholders to satisfy there never has been and never will be the
need to share personal data with anyone other than those tasked within the organisation to assist with
welfare or other matters connected to the SPRCA.
Any circulations to members are sent via a secure server and only to members that are signed up to
the SPRCA with their email addresses. It is important to remember that personal details are included in
relay emails, the newsletter and other circulations and we ask that you give strong consideration about
whether you should pass on such correspondence to non list members for obvious reasons.
Much consideration is given about any personal details included in circulations and it would be a
travesty if we had to stop including contact details for people who have lost a loved one for instance
due to a moment's thoughtlessness as a result of circulations being passed on to other than SPRCA
members. The same applies to the welfare list at the end of this newsletter that contains welfare
volunteer's contact details.
The organisation has always taken the security of personal details very seriously but we cannot control
what members do with any information once sent out so we ask that you do not send on anything that
you consider might compromise the hard work that has been undertaken in this area.
Facebook.
Many of you have decided to join up to the Surrey Facebook page. This was initially set up as an offshoot of the SPRCA by Bob Bartlett but because it entails handing over personal details to a commercial
enterprise it was never adopted as a part of the SPRCA organisation. As of the fourth quarter of 2015,
Facebook had 1.59 billion monthly active users, a huge organisation that controls all of the data that
members feed into it.
It is based in America and therefore is run under American law. In 2015 it was found that Facebook
breaches European Law in regard to privacy. The European Union's highest court ruled that U.S. law
isn't enough to protect European users' online privacy when it comes to sites like Facebook, Twitter and
Google.
A trade program known as "Safe Harbor" allowed American companies operating in Europe to send data
on European users back to the U.S. The agreement let companies bypass the EU's data protection
requirements, which are typically tougher than those in the U.S. That will no longer be the case after
that ruling however, it is an ongoing situation that is likely to change back in Facebook's favour, see The US Safe Harbor – breached but perhaps not destroyed!
Principle 8 in Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 1998 specifically refers to the matter of where data
is stored:
Personal data shall not be transferred to a country or territory outside the EEA unless that
country or territory ensures an adequate level of protection for the rights and freedoms of
data subjects in relation to the processing of personal data.
On 6 October 2015, the Court of Justice of the European Union declared, in the case of Schrems v
Data Protection Commissioner [of Ireland], that the USA does not so provide an adequate level of
protection, and a huge number of data controllers in the UK are breaching Principle 8 either without
knowing it, or without being too worried about the potential consequences.
50 | P a g e
For example, if you use, or are listed on, a popular Web-based mailing system called "Mail Chimp", you
need to be aware that Mail Chimp is based in the USA and has no data centre in the EEA... so every
single EU citizen can seek damages from the data controller if it is within the EU under the European
Directive on Data Privacy, Directive 95/46/EC - in the UK, this was implemented by means of... yes,
you guessed it, the Data Protection Act 1998. Section 13 is the one that gives data subjects a right to
claim damages and compensation for distress.
Phil Rawling now runs the Surrey Facebook page as a standalone and many SPRCA members and
others have signed up to it. Phil takes the security of the site very seriously and has introduced
measures to protect those who sign up but he can only do so much as the data is controlled by
Facebook and not the person who runs the site and therefore you must be aware that your own
security online is up to what button you press and what you do not.
General security tips for Facebook
Adjust Facebook privacy settings to help protect your identity
Unlike some other social networking sites, Facebook provides some powerful options to protect you
online — but it's up to you to use them!
Read the Facebook Guide to Privacy
At the very bottom of every page on Facebook, there's a "Privacy" link. The linked page is "A guide to
privacy on Facebook," which contains the latest privacy functions and policies.
When in doubt, use the "Preview my profile" button on any privacy settings page to check how your
information appears to others.
Think carefully about who you allow to become your friend
Once you have accepted someone as your friend they will be able to access any information about you
(including photographs) that you have marked as viewable by your friends. You can remove friends at
any time should you change your mind about someone.
Show "acquaintances" a slimmed-down version of your profile
You can choose to make people 'acquaintances' who only have access to a slimmed-down version of
your profile if you wish. This can be useful if you have associates who you do not wish to give close
friend status to, or feel uncomfortable sharing personal information with.
Disable options, then open them one by one
Think about how you want to use Facebook. If it's only to keep in touch with people and be able to
contact them then maybe it's better to turn off the bells and whistles. It makes a lot of sense to
disable an option until you have decided you do want and need it, rather than start with everything
accessible.
#Security
In conclusion and returning to the security of the data held by the SPRCA please think hard before
forwarding anything sent to you by the organisation and that includes loading it up to Facebook or any
other social media site. If in doubt, please don't.
Thank you.
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