facts or figures? - west midlands police federation€¦ · · 2016-09-05different look at life...

POLICEThe Police Federation of England & Wales www.polfed.org

December 2013 Happy Christmas to all our readers

Facts or figures?Uncovering the truth behind recorded crime statistics...•Commission report recommends chartered status for police officers

20 POLICE December 2013 www.polfed.org

News & Comment

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www.polfed.org December 2013 POLICE 13

POLICE December 2013 – in this issue:

News reports by Syreeta Lund & Richard Pain

5............EditorialPolicing minister says public confidence is the key

6............View from the chair: Steve Williams on the importance of committing to community policing

6-7........Brave officers are honoured on the 2013 Civilian Gallantry List

8............Local Focus: Ned Liddemore, vice chair of West Yorkshire Police Federation

8-9.........Independent Police Commission report calls for chartered status for officers

10..........The Station Sergeant is... opening his advent calendar

Service needs to ‘deal with its demons’

11..........Attacks on officers should never be ‘acceptable’Climate of cuts leaving officers stressed in Kent

12-13....Dogberry: the lighter side of policingthrough the years

24..........Members’ benefits

26..........View from the sidelines: Clive Chamberlain, chair of Dorset Police Federation, takes a different look at life

Nick O’Time cartoon

27..........Sudoku

14..........A rollercoaster yearPolicing has again been through a rollercoaster year with both tragic losses and issues over integrity, but also events showcasing the real hard work of police officers across the country

18..........Facts or figures?Former officer Dr Rodger Patrick recently gave evidence to MPs regarding the reality behind recorded crime levels, and hopes not all politicians will be fooled by the figures

22..........Barcelona ShadowsForensic officer turned author Marc Pastor talks about his latest dark novel set in the streetsof Barcelona – based on a real case from the early 1900s. Syreeta Lund writes

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Cover image: Evlakhov Valerley / Shutterstock

News & Comment

Public trust key tostop officers beingtarnished like MPs

At this time of year I always feel the urge to referenceDickens. It’s a tradition, like a burnt turkey and drunkenuncle covered in silly string on Christmas day. I wonder ifwe ran a competition in a parallel universe to become theghosts of Christmas past, present and future to take theHome Secretary on a journey from Peel to the present day,how many takers we would get from across the ranks?

Everyone one knows policing is on a journey – theSteven’s report has tried to crystalise what’s happening inpolicing – reforms, changes to pay and conditions,accountability, what the public want and what the servicecan provide. Perhaps a journey through the decades would

clarify the government’spolicing priorities.

I can picture the salubriousfigure of Christmas presenttransporting Scrooge aroundto watch the festivities butalso pointing out those in theshadows deprived of the rightresources to ensure they toohave a healthy future.

It is only right that peoplepull the purse strings in –

forces need to be part of that during a time of austerity,but they also need the right resources to function in ahealthy way. I have seen many local federations aroundthe country discuss officer morale and sickness levels. Inthis month’s news pages we cover the increasing numberof officers suffering psychiatric illness such as stress.

On a positive note – there are those around the countrydoing their best to ensure forces can carry on providing agood service to the public in the face of fiscal challenges.Bob Jones, police and crime commissioner in the WestMidlands, has announced they will dip into reserves andup the council precept by 6p per week to provideadequate levels of police and staff.

Let’s hope government and the Police Federation canembrace the Christmas spirit, working together to ensure a positive New Year for policing and the public.

Merry Christmas to all.

Policing minister DamianGreen believes it’s essentialthat the police service stays“ahead of the curve” when itcomes to ensuring thatofficers are trusted by thepublic – and are not left in thesame position as MPs afterthe expenses scandal. Mr Green said he still hears

his constituents talk about theMPs expenses scandal, andthe controversy would “affectthe reputation of politiciansfor a generation”.

www.polfed.org

Minister aims for confidence in the service

December 2013 POLICE 15

Hope for theChristmaspresent andfuture?

Editorial, December 2013Syreeta Lund, Editor

“Forces need tobe part of theausterity, butthey also needthe resourcesto function in ahealthy way.”

integrity but that is not anews story. One specificofficer does anything wrongand they have to live with it.There are many professionswhose reputation has taken anose dive,” he told delegates. He outlined some of the

measures the government isbacking to maintain publicconfidence in policing, suchas the College of PolicingCode of Ethics for officers,bolstering the powers andfunding of the IPCC, as wellas effectively introducing a‘struck-off ’ register. Mark Botham, chair of

North Yorkshire PoliceFederation, questioned whothe IPCC would beaccountable to when itspowers increase. Mr Green said the IPCC

would have to report toministers, who are held toaccount by Parliament andthe wider public. He added:“The IPCC is not a body thatdoes its business in private.”Mr Green urged the Police

Federation be part of the“journey” in ensuring highstandards in policing.

Follow me on Twitter @SyreetaLund

Policing minister Damian Green

Picture: David Jones / PA Wire

“The biggestpercentage ofpolice officers doa dangerous jobevery day… withabsolute integritybut that is not anews story.”

He was speaking at thePolicing Crime andCommissioning Conference2013, held at Centre Point inLondon, which focused onthe future of UK policing. He told delegates including

senior officers, police andcrime commissioners, PoliceFederation and Unisonrepresentatives, that he didnot want to see individualcases where police integrityhad been called into questionto impact on the reputation ofof policing in the same way. “The biggest percentage of

police officers do a dangerousjob every day… with absolute

News & Comment


Last month was the closest we have come to a RoyalCommission on Policing since 1962. That doesn’t sitparticularly comfortably when more than half a century has passed and radical reforms implemented minusanother Royal Commission.

Lord Stevens’ review gave due consideration to therealities of the job. Many of the recommendations struck achord with our membership and reinforced much of whatthe Federation has long been campaigning for.

The ‘golden thread’ of the report, and fundamentalregardless of which direction the service is pulled, is thebasic requirement for neighbourhood policing. Cuts to theservice have resulted in the erosion of this core element ofpolicing, yet this is the foundation on which trust and

confidence are built.The value of the

neighbourhood policeofficer cannot beunderestimated, in terms of theirknowledge andexperience ofoffenders and patterns of behaviour.It is crucial thatneighbourhoodpolicing teams areembedded in thecommunity andproperly resourced.

Lord Stevens rightly says that police officers are muchmore than ‘crime fighters’. There are less of us doing thejob and expectation currently outstrips supply. We aredoing our level best to plug the gaps but the public andour officers deserve better.

I was encouraged that Lord Stevens gave recognition tothe way that crime is changing, with a rise in cybercrime,fraud and terrorism.

These are challenging times and this quick paced,impulsive reform is setting us up to fail. We remain to beconvinced with some of Lord Steven’s recommendationsand of course we do not yet know what will come of them.What we wholeheartedly agree on is that the relationshipbetween the police and local communities should be atthe heart of any reform programme.

Communityrelationshipis crucial

View from the chair – Steve Williams,chair of the Police Federation

There are less of us doing the joband expectationcurrently outstripssupply. We aredoing our level bestto plug the gapsbut the public and our officersdeserve better.

Brave police those being

Four officers are among those recognised for

Four police officers areamong the Civilian GallantryList for 2013 for their braveactions – two of which endedin them paying the ultimatesacrifice as they attempted toprotect the public.The awards, announced by

the Cabinet Office and PrimeMinister’s Office this month,honour officers and civiliansfor their actions. They includePC Ian Dibell, the Essexofficer killed while trying tokeep the public safe from alone gunman.

“He could haveobserved from asafe distanceand requestedassistancewithout tacklingthe gunman. Buthe believed thatinnocent liveswere at risk andthat he had toact quickly anddecisively.”

The tragic shootinghappened in July last year,when PC Dibell tried todisarm the man after he cameto a stop in his car. Leaningthrough the window of thevehicle, the officer attemptedto wrestle the revolver off himbut was fatally shot in hisbrave attempt. PC Dibell wasalso the overall winner in thePolice Federation’s BraveryAwards in October this year.PC Dibell’s George Medal

citation states: “He knew thata gunman was shooting atmembers of the public andmust have assumed thegunman was still armed. Hecould have observed from asafe distance and requestedassistance without tacklingthe gunman. But he believedthat innocent lives were atrisk (including childrenreturning home from school)and that he had to act quicklyand decisively.”PC Claire Louise Murphy,

from Greater ManchesterPolice, has been awarded theQueen’s Gallantry Medal aftershe rescued a 56-year-oldwoman from an overflowingriver in June last year. Thewoman had fallen into thewater after trying to pull out her dog; she was with afive-year-old child and an 11-year-old, who both rushedto get help. PC Murphyarrived on the scene and, after initially attempting topull her to safety with herutility belt, she plunged intothe water and held onto the

The officer, who was off-duty at the time of theincident, has been awardedthe George Medal forattempting to disarm agunman who was runningafter two of his neighbours,already in fear for the livesafter being shot at.

News & Comment


Pictures: Essex Police, Bedfordshire Police

officers are on the list of honoured for gallantry

their outstanding acts of courage and bravery in the 2013 Civil Gallantry List

Posthumous gallantry award recipients PC Ian Dibell (left) and PC Jon Henry

woman, who by now was indanger of being swept away. With the river in full flow

and the woman becomingincreasingly weak, had eitherwoman become detachedfrom the river bank it is likelythey would have been lostdownstream, but PC Murphyremained calm and reassuringuntil more help arrived.The Queen’s Commendation

for Bravery has beenposthumously awarded to PCJonathan Henry, fromBedfordshire Police, after hetackled an armed suspect inJune 2007 following reports ofa stabbing in Luton towncentre. Four police officerswere on the scene andordered the man to drop his

after he evacuated a coachload of people – many womenand children – from theburning vehicle. PC Swan hadbeen travelling with his familyin July 2009 when he spottedsmoke pouring from thedouble-decker coach. He sawthat the rear nearside wheelwas on fire. He pulled his carin front of the coach in orderto bring it to a standstill.Once the coach had stopped,he went onto the vehicle andordered all the passengers toevacuate, He went upstairs tohelp bring children down, anddespite flames moving up theside of the coach and twosmall explosions, the officerstayed on the vehicle until allthe passengers were off.Steve Williams, chair of the

Police Federation, said: “It istruly humbling to see somany of this country’s policeofficers nominated for such aprestigious award. Theseawards rightly recognise someincredible acts of courage,bravery and commitment.Policing is a fine institutionand we are extremely proudthat we have so many selfless,dedicated and hardworkingmen and women within theservice. The officersnominated act as an exampleand inspiration to us all andare testament to the dangersand challenges faced byofficers every day. They are all a credit to the service andto the communities theyserve. Congratulations to eachand every one of them.”

knife. After he showed noresponse the officers tried tocontain him and PC Henry,who was unarmed, wasstabbed as he attempted toapprehend him.

PC Henry’s citation read:“Despite being unarmed PCHenry took the decision toattempt to detain the suspect.“He was aware of the danger

he faced when he took thedecision to try and detain thesuspect. He knew the suspectwas armed and that he haddemonstrated his willingnessto use the knife in hispossession. Unfortunately,due to the confined space inwhich he found himself, PCHenry was left with noopportunity to retreat.”Off-duty Met officer PC

Colin Swan, who wasnominated by HampshireConstabulary, has alsoreceived the Queen’sCommendation for Bravery,

“The officersnominated act as an exampleand inspirationto us all and aretestament to thedangers andchallenges facedby officers every day.”

News & Comment


Report calls for officers as part

Policing for a Better Britain report highlights

Police officers could have toregister for chartered statuslike accountants, lawyers orteachers to ‘professionalise’their role, according to a newreport launched last month byLord Stevens.The report, Policing for

a Better Britain, has beenpublished by the IndependentPolice Commission, and was commissioned by theLabour Party. It makes 37recommendations about the future of policing,including proposals toprofessionalise the policethrough chartered status.Lord Stevens, former

commissioner of the Met,spoke at the launch of thereport saying that policeofficers are suffering from low morale, an issue which he believes could beaddressed by “building apolicing profession”.He added: “While

recognising the Office of

Constable as sacrosanct, werecommend professionalisingthe role by creating a‘chartered’ professional,incorporating all thoseworking within publicpolicing, readily recognisedthrough national standards of

“Who wouldofficers becomeaccountable towith charteredstatus? Couldthey be in aposition wherethey have toarrest someoneto justify theirqualification and remainaccredited?”

This month we saw two of our officers shot at with one leftcritically injured while on a so-called ‘routine call’ in Leedsduring on December 4. This followed a spate of eventswhich highlight the everyday actions of our officers.

The attack on the officers in West Yorkshire followed on from the tragic incident in Glasgow where ten peopledied after a helicopter crashed into a pub; among thosewho lost their lives were PCs Kirsty Nelis, 36, and TonyCollins, 43. Another officer in Thames Valley was leftcritically injured at the end of last month after trying tostop a stolen car.

The attack in West Yorkshire came after the officer wascalled to a relatively low-level criminal damage dispute

between neighbours inHeadingley. The femaleofficer ended upsustaining injuries to herface, neck and righthand after being shotduring the incident.

It is just one examplewhere officers doingtheir jobs face constantdanger; when it comesto police officers there is no such thing as aroutine call. The officerhad three and a half

years on the beat, working in the neighbourhood responseteam, and ended up having surgery after this call out.

After such incidents the support given to our colleaguesis outstanding. The officers’ colleagues, friends, theFederation and police family have come together and willcontinue to support them through the days, months andyears ahead. I want to thank all those who showedextreme professionalism in difficult circumstances,including her colleagues, paramedics and the members ofthe public who ensured they gave information promptly toarrest the suspect. There has also been a flow of messagesof support across the board, particularly on social media.

Here again, we see what policing is all about, it’s aboutindividuals who put themselves in harm’s way to protectothers. I wish all those out on a cold wintery night thisChristmas a safe shift, and want to put my thanks onrecord for all you do to keep the public safe.

No suchthing as aroutine call

Local Focus – Ned Liddemore, vice-chair of West Yorkshire Police Federation

I wish all thoseout on a coldwintery night thisChristmas a safeshift, and want toput my thanks onrecord for all youdo to keep thepublic safe.

The report from the Independent Police Commission, Policingfor a Better Britain, recommends a “blueprint for the wayforward in policing”. Here are just some of the Report’s 37recommendations:

n The social purpose of the police should be enshrined within law: there needs to be more clarity on the purpose of the police – not that they are simply crime-fighters but also have a broader ‘social mission’ such as improving safety and preventing crimes in communities.

n A local policing commitment should be introduced introduced: the neighbourhood is a key ‘building block’ of fair and effective policing, and it is vital that visible and local responsive policing are protected during times of fiscal constraint.

Scrap PCCs, a more local focus – some of the key recommendations from the Stevens’ Report

News & Comment


Report calls for chartered status for policeofficers as part of professionalisation plans

Policing for a Better Britain report highlights professionalisation, public trust and community commitment as keys to success for service

Lord Stevens, pictured chairing the inaugural meeting of the Independent Police Commission, believesestablishing a chartered status for officers would help to build “a policing profession”

generic and specialist trainingand qualification.”Officers would need to

register with the College of

Policing, possibly paying afee, and would need to haveregular professional training.Under the professional

register officers found to have committed seriousmisconduct could be struck off.

Steve White, vice-chair ofthe Police Federation ofEngland and Wales, said theFederation is keen to ensureofficers are given the bestpossible training andmaintain high standards, butadded that the report wouldneed to be examined in detail.Following the launch, Mr

White said: “We need to workout exactly what charteredstatus would mean for officers – who would officersbecome accountable to withchartered status? Could theybe in a position where theyhave to arrest someone tojustify their qualification andremain accredited?”Lord Stevens also outlined

recommendations in thereport for serious misconducthearings to be held in public.More recommendations

outlined in the report can befound on the Commission’swebsite, at independentpolicecommission.org.uk

n The PCC model is systemically flawed as a method of democratic governance, and should be discontinued in its present form at the end of the term of office of the 41 serving PCCs.

n Decisions over local policing matters should be devolved to a more local level, and at force level a Policing Board comprising the leaders of each local authority within the police force area should be established, with the power to set budgets, appoint and dismiss chief constables, and formulate and agree with the chief constable the strategic priorities for the force.

n An independent review of the effects of the Winsor recommendations should be set up within two years of their implementation.

n The new starting salary for constables should be rejected, but the status of constables should be enhanced, raising the standard set for new recruits.

n Staff with key skills such as crime scene investigators, crime analysts and cybercrime investigators should have a route into the service via lateral entry.

n Create a ‘chartered police officer’ as the basis of the police profession – a chartered police officer accountable to a strong professional body. This would include a register of ‘chartered practitioners’. There would be open public hearings for decisions on serious misconduct and officers could be struck off the register.

Scrap PCCs, a more local focus – some of the key recommendations from the Stevens’ Report

Pictures: Stefan Rousseau / PA Wire

News & Comment


Like all advent calendars, the dates are all in the wrongorder, to add to the fun.18th – A voucher for an e-learning course on non-custodialdisposals. Enjoy.8th – An Airwave radio. Try not to use it, it’s too expensive.1st – The Home Secretary, grudgingly giving you 1 per centpay rise.11th – A politician, greedily demanding an 11 per cent rise.22nd – An office light on a motion detector, switched off.4th – A ‘Use of Force’ form. You’ll probably need it.17th – A folder of Home Office statistics, showing thatcrime is at its lowest level ever.10th – A cancelled rest day as we are needed to police a protest.21st – A shed load of additional work linked to the latestfashionable crime-type.6th – A new car for the chief.19th – A stressed out, overworked bobby, reducing crimeeven further.9th – A Daily Mail article criticising the police service.24th – A gathering of chief constables prostratingthemselves before a PCC, resplendent in halo and robes.2nd – A new round of spending cuts to demoralise us further.12th and 13th – A closed front counter, with a signdirecting you to the 14th.7th – A politically-correct multicultural sandwich, devoid ofany filling which might upset anyone.15th – An opinion poll showing two-thirds of the public stilltrusts us, to the consternation of the Police Minister.20th – A smart new uniform for the Chief Inspector of Constabulary.5th – A pair of tatty combat trousers.14th – A harassed counter clerk dealing with a long queueof the public.3rd – A bike, obtained through the cycle-to-work scheme.16th – An empty cell, its occupant having been freed tocontinue his life of crime.23rd – A poke in the eye from the government.

Merry Christmas, and stay safe!

The StationSergeant is...opening hisadvent calendar

The Station Sergeant

Follow me on Twitter @stationsargeSuperintendents’ Association President Irene Curtis has called forswitch of focus from targets to public service

Service not in crisisbut needs to dealwith ‘demons’

Police leader calls for public service focus

The police service is not incrisis but has some “demons”to deal with, according to the president of theSuperintendents’ Association. During a discussion on

professionalism and standardsin policing, and issues aroundtrust and integrity, IreneCurtis said the police serviceneeds to get to grips with anumber of issues, but that didnot constitute a ‘crisis’. At the Policing Crime and

Commissioning Conference2013, held in London, shespoke on a panel includingSteve Williams, chair of thePolice Federation of Englandand Wales, Rob Beckley, chiefoperating officer at theCollege of Policing, and KeithVaz, chair of the HomeAffairs Select Committee. Ms Curtis said that over the

past 15 years the focus hasbeen on targets instead of theservice to the public: “Thereis pressure at every rank levelto deliver on targets acrossthe sector… we have toaddress it from the top down.”

She urged chief officers to“put their heads above theparapet” on the issues oftargets and performanceculture, and reiterated theimportance of staff beingtreated fairly and withrespect, as those standardswould then be likely to bereflected across the service. Mr Williams said: “Once

integrity starts to bequestioned, trust starts tounravel and society starts tobreak down.” A recentComRes poll found 82 percent of the public are stilllikely to believe what policeofficers say, but Mr Williamssaid the service could not becomplacent about those whodo not trust the police. The College of Policing is

providing a frameworkaround standards, such as theCode of Ethics, but chiefoperating officer at thecollege, Rob Beckley, said itwould not work without boththe leadership and everyoneelse within the service beingon board.

Picture: EdStock / iStockphoto

News & Comment

Police officers being attackedshould never be ‘acceptable’


Hampshire Police Federation chair John Apter says many officersare not reporting assaults because they believe it’s ‘part of the job’and that the courts will take little action

Assaults on police officersshould be treated as a specificoffence against those whohold a public office, says thechair of Hampshire PoliceFederation, John Apter.His call for a specific offenceto be introduced comes offthe back of figures from anFoI request to the force byThe News show, which foundthat 2,895 officers had beenattacked in the line of duty inthe Hampshire force over the past three years, up to Aprilthis year. Around 800 assaults on

police officers took place overthe last year; although officialfigures show assaults aredown 22 per cent year onyear, Mr Apter says thefigures are still too high, andcould actually just be the ‘tipof the iceberg’. He told Police magazine:

“Officers I speak to aresubject to being spat at,

not, it’s an assault. Manyofficers do not report it ifsomething happens becausethey perceive that nothing

will be done. Why shouldofficers accept getting akicking when they are tryingto protect the public?” Mr Apter said cases are not

always dealt with robustly bythe courts, giving theimpression that violenceagainst police is acceptable.“Violence against anyone isunacceptable, why should itbe acceptable as a policeofficer when you are doingyour job to protect people?” He added that the

introduction of Taser is likely to have reduced thenumber of assaults, as simply the threat of using the device can prevent anattack on an officer.Hampshire’s deputy chief

constable Craig Denholmwelcomed a drop in thenumbers of assaults but saideven one assault on a policeofficer was unacceptable.

punched in the face andkicked, and there is aperception that this is anacceptable part of the job; it’s

Hampshire Federation chair says officers often fail to report being kicked and punched

Picture: Serge Bertasius Photography/ Shutterstock

More than half of officers on long-termsick in Kent are suffering a psychiatriccondition such as stress or anxiety,according to force statistics.The figures were described by Kent

Police Federation chair Ian Pointon as“alarming” at their annual open meeting,held last month.Ian Learmonth, chief constable of the

force, who is stepping down in Januaryfrom the role, has said people in the forceare “creaking” under the strain of budgetcuts. Kent has already reduced policeofficer numbers by around 500 and inthe next period of cuts needs to find anadditional £20 million in savings.Mr Pointon said police officers were at

breaking point already and some hadgone beyond that. He added that of thoseof on long-term sick, defined as 28 daysor longer, 61 per cent of around 47officers sited some form of ‘psychiatriccondition’ such as anxiety. The figurescome from the force’s absencemanagement group, which meets todiscuss issues such as sickness absence. “Policing and the demands placed upon

it have changed out of all recognition,”said Mr Pointon. “By the end of thecomprehensive spending review 2 we willhave numbers closer to the 1980s thanthose required to police the complexitiesof the 21st century. That simply cannotbe right; it cannot be right for police

officers, our staff colleagues and, moreimportantly, the people of Kent.”Mr Learmouth also highlighted the

risks to neighbourhood policing teams;he told officers at the meeting in Kentthey had become ‘volume crime’ teams.He added: “The volume of work has not

reduced; the workforce most definitelyhas – it doesn’t take a scientist to workout that if we reduce our work force andkeep the same demand then everybodyhas to do more.”Ann Barnes, police and crime

commissioner for Kent, will be joiningtogether with the chief constable to raiseawareness with politicians about howbudget cuts will impact on the force.

Kent officers suffering stress and anxiety in climate of cuts


Dogberry

New legislation came into effect in October removing theright to bring a civil claim for damages where there hasbeen a breach of health and safety legislation. This changein the law has reversed the legal position that has been inplace for over a century whereby an injured worker couldclaim damages for any injury caused to them by theiremployer’s failure to comply with health and safety law.

The Enterprise & Regulatory Reform Act amends theHealth & Safety at Work Act 1974, so that a damages claimcannot be brought for a breach of health and safety lawsunless the regulations specifically permit such a claim.None of the existing health and safety regulations state

that they give rise to civilliability for damages ifbreached, so you can nolonger rely on an employer’sfailure to comply with healthand safety regulations inpersonal injury claims.

While claims can still bebrought in negligence, thischange in the law will make itharder to recover damages foraccidents at work. Statutory

duties are more prescriptive than the common law duty ofcare that forms the basis of negligence claims. Theregulations focus on particular aspects of work or theworkplace and generally impose a higher standard of care.

Health and safety regulations have transformed safetystandards in the workplace, compelling employers to carryout risk assessments and take a proactive approach toareas of work such as manual handling and protectiveequipment. They have fundamentally changed theapproach of many employers to the health and wellbeingof their employees, preventing accidents and saving lives.

The Courts will still be able to have regard for health andsafety regulations when assessing if an employer has beennegligent, so it would be wrong to conclude that they willnow be irrelevant in personal injury cases, but while somecases will still succeed as before, others will not. In manycases the relevant standard of care will be less certain andfurther guidance will be required from the Appeal Courts.The legal uncertainty arising from this significant changewill make it more difficult to assess the prospects ofsuccess for many cases brought by people injured at work.

Reverse in law over health and safety claims

ADVERTORIAL COLUMN

Richard Geraghty, Principal LawyerSlater & Gordon’s London Personal

Injury Departmentwww.slatergordon.co.uk

Tel: 0808 175 7739

This change inthe law willmake it harderto recoverdamages foraccidents at work.

This month Dogberry takes alook back at some of the talltales, stories of stupidity andmoments of misunderstandingthat have kept readers laughingover the last 15 years

December 1988: For weeks, members of C Division in theGreater Manchester have been anxious for news of thereorganisation of the city’s inner divisions which affects themconsiderably. No one, not even the Federation reps, have yetseen the report, but all is not lost. The other day, one of thecleaners at Grey Mare Lane station returned from aNALGO/NUPE meeting bearing her copy of the report, and wasable to inform interested police listeners when the plan would beimplemented. So, not withstanding all these managementservices and enhanced communications skills of today, the oldadage remains true: if you want to know the gen, ask the cleaner.

September 2002: A malewalked into Roath policestation in Cardiff and handedin a credit card he had foundin the street. He explained toSgt Max Davies that althoughhe had found it, there was aslight problem. He had used it– three times to buy a mobilephone, trainers and variousother goodies. He went on tosay that he was going to throwthe card away but he thoughthe’d get into trouble. He did.

December 2005: A young inservice officer attended thescene of a violent disorder. Hereturned to the station andsubmitted a crime report.However, the report was notcompleted properly and wassent back to him to add moreinformation to the victimpage. He was asked to showthe victim as ‘Regina’. Hewrote the next page along thelines of: “I do not have awitness called Regina and Idon’t know who she is.”

Please send your Dogberry entries to: [email protected]

Dogberry


July 2005: A police officer from SurreyPolice brought a prisoner into theFarnham custody suite a couple of monthsago. As with all prisoners, the officer wasasked to search the detained person inthe custody suite, which he duly did.The officers finished and left thedetainee in his cell. However, notlong after the man began to pressthe buzzer in the cell for attention.After the third buzz for refreshmentsin as many minutes the detentionofficers were getting a bit annoyedbut were surprise to be asked for akettle to boil some water. When askedwhy he wanted hot water the detaineesaid: “Well for my Pot Noodle ofcourse,” holding up the full-size beefand tomato Pot Noodle.

January 2001: They are a festive lot down at the Burglary Squad Office atKingston Police Station in the Met. Three senior members of that squad witha combined service of 83 years decidedover the Christmas period to get into thespirit of the occasion by putting up aChristmas tree complete with lights, tinsel and baubles. When the decorations had been

completed they all left the office to dealwith a prisoner, only to return a shortwhile later to find the tree missing. In its place was a note: ‘£50 or the tree getsit!’ The tree was later found alive and welland the hunt for the suspects continues.

October 2004: An officer was on patrol with his colleague in Bristol when they werestopped by a member of the public who directed their gaze to nearby rooftop wherethey saw an owl perched on a chimney top. The man, obviously quite knowledgeable onthe subject, described the owl by its Latin name and told them that it would be in adistressed state as it was a long way from its natural habitat. He asked the officers tocontact the necessary agency to check on the bird’s welfare. The officers waited for several minutes waiting for a break in transmission to contact

the control room and sent the man on his way. Finally through, they explained thesituation to control staff and were told by the dispatcher that this particular owl hadbeen resident on the rooftop for more than 20 years and was made of plastic.

January 2003: Down in Bodmin, Cornwall,the troops decided to get together for aChristmas dinner. The dining room wasbooked and the invitations sent out.One of them was sent to a certainconstable with a suitable proviso thathe brought the crackers with him for the festive occasion. It wassomewhat fortunate that he met andfell into conversation with a trafficunit and told them his mission. “I suppose this is what they meant,”he said producing a packet of Jacob’scream crackers.

December 2012: One afternoon, a PCSO from Caerphilly in Gwent Police was coveringfront desk duties when a phone call from a concerned resident was passed his way. Thefemale caller continued to explain how the previous occupier of her current dwellingshad gone to spend some time in prison and she was after some advice on how todispose of some discarded property. Being more than happy to oblige, he offered his knowledgeable service to the woman.

She proceeded to say that she had “found a pelican in the attic and would like someadvice on how to dispose of it”. Taken aback by the remark, he politely asked the woman to hold while he continued to

ask a now confused officer for any advice. A decision was made and he replied to thewoman: “I think it’s probably best to ring the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds,”to which the woman replied, slightly surprise: “OK, but it’s a pellet gun I have found.”

14 POLICE December 2013

2013 Review of the Year

Policing has again been through a rollercoaster year with bothtragic and sad events, issues over integrity but also events such asthe Bravery Awards which provide a showcase for the real hardwork of police officers across the country

JanuaryPaul McKeever, chair of the Police Federation, tragically died onJanuary 17. Mr McKeever, who was 57, had been admitted tohospital in the preceding days following a suspected embolism.A Metropolitan Police Sergeant, Mr McKeever’s career inpolicing spanned over three decades. He had chaired thenational federation since 2008 and had been days away fromretiring when he died.Steve Williams, then chair elect of the Federation, said of Mr

McKeever: “A true gentleman, his leadership and reputation willbe remembered highly by all those who knew him.” On January31 a memorial service for Mr McKeever was held at SouthwarkCathedral and attended by senior police figures, family, friends,colleagues and politicians. Speaking at the service, CliveChamberlain, then chair of Dorset Police Federation and a closefriend of Mr McKeever, said: “Paul McKeever embodied all thebest that a human being can hope to be.”

FebruaryDale Cregan, the career criminal who stood accused ofmurdering Greater Manchester Police constables Fiona Boneand Nicola Hughes in September 2012, changed his plea fromnot guilty to guilty four days into his trial on February 12.Cregan, 30, was also convicted of the murders of David Shortand his son Mark Short. He was jailed for life in June.The Police Federation announced on February 26 that former

Home Office permanent secretary Sir David Normington wouldchair the panel appointed to conduct an independent review ofthe organisation. The panel also consisted of former ChiefInspector of Constabulary Sir Denis O’Connor, industrialrelations professor Linda Dickens, former TUC general secretaryBrendan Barber, former Merseyside Police Federation chairKathryn Kane and CBI deputy director general and chiefoperating officer Dr Neil Bentley.Sir David said: “The Federation has a proud history of

representing and negotiating on behalf of rank and file policeofficers but, like all organisations, the environment in which itoperates is continually changing.”

MarchSome 81 per cent of police officers who took part in a PoliceFederation ballot on industrial rights indicated they wanted theright to take industrial action. Out of the 133,108 officers eligible

www.polfed.org

A rollercoaster year

Paul McKeever, chair of the Police Federation since 2008, diedsuddenly in January at the age of 57, just days before he was due to retire

December 2013 POLICE 15

Pictures: © Peter Anderson / Anderson Photography, PA Images

2013 Review of the Year2013 Review of the Year

www.polfed.org

to vote, 56,333 took part in the ballot, with 45,651 answering‘yes’ to the question: “Do you wish for the PFEW to seek theright for police officers to take industrial action?”However, the Federation’s policy stated that a clear mandate to

seek industrial rights could only be provided by more than halfof its total membership voting in favour. Federation chair SteveWilliams said: “A significant proportion of our membership hasindicated that they want the right to take industrial action. Thishighlights the pressures currently felt by the rank and fileofficers throughout England and Wales. However, it would notbe appropriate to undertake a course of action that couldpotentially change the employment status of more than 133,000police officers if fewer than half of those officers have voted forus to do so.”

AprilNational news headlines over the Easter weekend weredominated by the case of Kelly Jones, a Norfolk PC who wastaking a civil action against the owner of a petrol station aftershe tripped on a curb and injured her leg and wrist whileinvestigating a break-in report. Her solicitors said the area wasdimly lit and not “reasonably safe”.Federation chair Steve Williams acknowledged the case had

impacted on the wider reputation of police officers but said itwas wrong to vilify PC Jones and the existing processes neededto be scrutinised to ensure officers had a means to recoupearnings lost as a result of injury sustained on duty. PC Joneslater withdrew her claim.The government confirmed on April 25 that the existing

Police Negotiating Board would be replaced by a police payreview body, similar to that used to set pay in other publicservices. Mr Williams said: “While the Police Federation ofEngland and Wales does not welcome the announcement, wewill engage fully with the pay review body once it is established,to ensure the interests of officers we represent are best served by the new arrangements.”

MayAnyone found guilty of murdering a police officer should facelife in prison with no chance of parole, Home Secretary TheresaMay announced at the Police Federation Conference inBournemouth (May 14-16). In her keynote speech to delegatesMrs May said that, subject to consultation with the SentencingCouncil, the government would change the law so that thestarting point for anybody who kills a police officer should be alife sentence without parole. “The murder of a police officer is aparticularly appalling crime. To attack and kill a police officer isto attack the fundamental basis of our society. We ask policeofficers to keep us safe by confronting and stopping violentcriminals for us. We ask you to take the risks so we don’t have to.And sometimes you are targeted by criminals because of whatyou represent. We are clear: life should mean life for anyoneconvicted of killing a police officer.”Federation vice-chair Steve White, who had outlined the debate

in Police magazine the previous month and debated the issues ata session on the criminal justice system, welcomed the move,saying the Federation has been pursuing a higher minimumsentence for those who killed police officers.

In February, six months after the deaths of PCs Fiona Bone andNicola Hughes, their killer, Dale Cregan, pleaded guilty to murderand was jailed for life. At the Federation Conference in May, HomeSecretary Theresa May said the government would change the lawso that police killers were jailed for life, without parole


2013 Review of the Year

JuneAround 3,600 officers from mainland UK were deployed toNorthern Ireland to provide mutual aid for the G8 Summit atCounty Fermanagh, which took place on June 17-18. Prior todeployment the officers embarked on three-day training coursesat Longmoor military camp in Hampshire or Catterick Garrisonin North Yorkshire. The officers began arriving on June 14,remaining in Northern Ireland until the end of the summit,which passed off without major incident. The following month,officers from the mainland were again deployed to NorthernIreland to assist with policing the marching season.

JulyThe Home Office released figures showing that recorded crimedropped by seven per cent in 2012/13 while police officernumbers fell by 3.4 per cent (4,516) during the same period. Thelatest statistics meant that more than 14,000 officers had beenlost since the last general election. The figures coincided with areport by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary that raisedconcerns about the erosion of neighbourhood policing.Federation chair Steve Williams said: “How do you measure the

value of an officer patrolling the streets? If this form ofpreventative policing is falling by the wayside then how manycrimes are now going unreported because an officer is not thereto spot suspicions behaviour?”

AugustThe Federation welcomed the introduction of on-the-spot finesfor poor lane discipline and tailgating, but said its success woulddepend on officer numbers. Vice-chair Steve White said: “Intheory this is a positive initiative, in practice this will wholly relyon having an adequately resourced police service to enforce.”

SeptemberThousands of police officers who died in the line of duty werehonoured at the annual National Police Memorial Day onSeptember 29. HRH the Prince of Wales, a patron of the charity,was among those in attendance at St David’s Hall in Cardiff.He was joined by Home Secretary Theresa May, more than 40

chief constables and around 2,000 former colleagues and familymembers of serving police officers who lost their lives whilecarrying out their duties. More than 4,000 police officers havedied on duty since the service was formed over 180 years ago.

Around 3,600 mainland officers joined their PSNI counterparts topolice the GB Summit at County Fermanagh in June. In September,more than 2,000 friends, family and colleagues of officers whohave lost their lives on duty attended the National Police MemorialDay in Cardiff

Pictures: © Peter Anderson / Anderson Photography, PA Images


2013 Review of the Year2013 Review of the Year

OctoberEssex PC Ian Dibell was posthumously awarded theoverall national Police Bravery Award at a ceremony in London on October 17. PC Dibell was off-duty whenhe was shot while tackling gunman Peter Reeve near tohis home in Clacton-on-Sea on July 7. His award waspresented to his brothers Neil and Paul, an inspectorwith Essex Police. Prime Minister David Cameron, who attended the event, said: “Every day a police officergoes to work they’re putting their lives on the line.Tragically for Ian and his family that’s what happened.He was not even on duty but he went towards danger toprotect others and that says so much about policing inthis country.”An IPCC-supervised investigation into the conduct of

three Police Federation officials who made comments tothe media following a meeting with MP AndrewMitchell found they did not have a case to answer formisconduct. However, IPCC deputy commissionerDeborah Glass released a statement saying InspectorKen Mackaill (West Mercia) Detective Sergeant StuartHinton (Warwickshire) and Sergeant Chris Jones (WestMidlands) should have faced misconduct charges. Thethree officers were later brought before the government’sHome Affairs Select Committee, prompting the case tobe re-opened by the IPCC.

NovemberThe Labour Party-commissioned Lord Stevens Reportinto Policing recommended a series of reforms to thepolice service, including the abolition of police andcrime commissioners and the current 43-forcestructure. The report, published on November 25, alsosaid officers should be made to sign up to a ‘charteredstatus’ and stressed the importance of neighbourhoodpolicing. Federation vice-chair Steve White said: “It isencouraging that the commission rightly acknowledgesthat the public still has confidence in its police serviceand it is imperative that this confidence is not eroded byunsustainable cuts to officer numbers and resources.”The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced on

November 26 that one Metropolitan Police officerwould face charges over the ‘Plebgate’ scandal. PC KeithWallis was charged with misconduct in a public office.On the same day, the IPCC said seven otherMetropolitan officers would face misconduct charges.However, the CPS said there was insufficient evidenceto suggest that the officer who had the initial exchangewith Andrew Mitchell had lied or that Mr Mitchell hadbeen the subject of conspiracy.

DecemberThe Federation confirmed that PC Toby Rowland, theMetropolitan Police Officer who had the initialexchange with Mr Mitchell at the gates of DowningStreet in September 2012, is making a libel claim againstthe former Chief Whip over comments he made in themedia following the incident.

Essex PC Ian Dibell, who was shot and killed tackling a gunman while offduty in July, was posthumously awarded the overall National Police BraveryAward. The Award was presented to his brothers Neil and Paul, an inspectorwith Essex Police, by Home Secretary Theresa May, at a ceremony inLondon in October


Picture: Lasse Kristensen / Shutterstock.com

FeaturesFeatures

In a week when it was reported that theelectorate were becoming increasinglydisillusioned by politics and thedemocratic process in the UK, thereemerged a gleaming example ofParliament at its best. This beacon ofhope came in the form of the PublicAdministration Select Committee(PASC), chaired by MP BernardJenkin, looking at the reliability of police crime statistics.I along with Peter Barron, a retired

detective chief superintendent from theMetropolitan Police Service, Paul Ford,secretary of the National DetectivesForum, and PC James Patrick (norelation), a serving officer from the MPS,were questioned on the reliability ofrecorded crime statistics.The chair was well briefed and sought

an explanation of all four categories ofpolice ‘gaming’ techniques employed tocreate the impression of enhancedperformance. These are:

n ‘Cuffing’ – making crime disappear by failing to record it. This is facilitated by a re-interpretation of the National Crime Recording Standard and a pre-disposition to assume that victims are falsely reporting crime in pursuit of bogus insurance claims. In effect it means treating victims as suspects; thus by an Orwellian twist, reducing the well-used slogan ‘tough on the causesof crime’, to getting tough on the victims who are causing crime by reporting it.

n ‘Nodding’ – the practice whereby suspects nod at locations where they have committed crimes and are able to have them ‘taken into consideration’ without any risk of increasing their sentence. This administrative procedure has a long history of abuse and there have been a number of reported instances involving inducements in the form of reduced sentences, sex, drugs and alcohol linked to admissions.

n ‘Stitching’ – fabricating evidence. While the use of such tactics to secure convictions at court has largely been addressed by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act,administrative procedures still offer the opportunity to obtain detections without sufficient evidence to secure

Facts or figures?


“PCCs have the powerto dismiss chiefconstables, but havelittle to gain byensuring performancedata is reliable as thismay reflect badly uponthem. This could easilybe rectified by passinglegislation empoweringthe Home Secretary toforce a PCC to resignand call an election ifaudit results were sopoor that the publicwere actually beingdeceived about thelevel of service beingdelivered.”

Features

Dr Rodger Patrick, a retired detective chiefinspector with West Midlands Police, wasone of four serving and former officerswho recently gave evidence to MPsregarding the reality behind the recordedcrime figures; he explains why he is stillhopeful that not all politicians will befooled by the manipulation of statistics

a conviction. Evidence suggests ‘stitching’ is still prevalent in this arena.

n ‘Skewing’ – concentrating effort and resources on areas subject of performance indicators. It would appear that more difficult and resource-intensive areas of police activity, for example the prevention and investigation of serious crimes such as child abuse and sexual offences, have suffered as police leaders seek to hit the targets set for them. The spread of resources, a by-product of the move to local geographical policing, is also identified as a potential problem as officers are be redeployed to more affluent neighbourhoods.

Employed in unison these techniquesrepresent what can be referred to as aPerverse Policing Model.None of the witnesses deviated from the

view, consistently expressed by the PoliceFederation, that officers are beingpressurised by senior managers to engagein unethical conduct. Such a positionleads to the inevitable conclusion that


KEY RING


Illustrations: Evlakhov / Shutterstock.comchief officers are responsible and should

be held to account.While the current government has

introduced reforms to police governanceand brought in fresh blood in the form ofTom Winsor to the Inspectorate, thereare still signs that the manipulation ofperformance data and the damage it doesto public confidence and trust in the statewill continue unabated. The HomeAffairs Select Committee’s faith in theCollege of Policing and a ‘Code of Ethics’to herald reform is well intentioned butunlikely to succeed.While my fellow witnesses made valid

suggestions to improve auditing, increasestaffing levels at the Independent PoliceComplaints Commission (IPCC) andpursue prosecutions for corporatemanslaughter when there is clearevidence of a link between a death andorganisational failings, I am of theopinion that motivating PCCs to ensurestandards are maintained is the key.

direct access the IPCC is unlikely tobring relief, as it cannot be relied upon to hold chief officers to account fororganisational failings.That said, the rank and file officers

should salute the efforts of BernardJenkin and his committee members for challenging such behaviour. To havethe humility to apologise on behalf of Parliament for their part in creatingthe current situation is the mark of a true parliamentarian.It is also worth recognising the efforts

of Lord Lytton, the spearhead of a smallgroup of peers who have been tirelesslyseeking improvements in policetransparency and accountabilityincluding in ACPO. Let’s hope theirexample is followed by others with theauthority to bring about change.

Dr Rodger Patrick BA (Hons), MSc (by research), PhD, Beta Gamma Sigma

Dr Rodger Patrick believes that there are still clear signs that the manipulation ofperformance data, and the damage it does to public confidence and trust in the state, will continue unabated

An empowered and truly independentHMIC could carry out the auditfunction, made easier by a redefined‘prima facie’ National Crime RecordingStandard. This would also provide a face-saving opportunity for a fresh start.In his submission to the PASC,

Professor Tim Hope outlined statisticalresearch on the ratio between incidentsattended and crimes recorded. Coupledwith my own work this could provide the baseline for measuring how thepolice service responds to publicdemand, as well as focusing inspectionactivities on suspect forces.The restriction on whistleblowers

exposing wrongdoing directly to themedia should be removed. The currentrequirement of going through the policehierarchy is nonsensical, as the seniorofficers receiving the complaints aredriving the very behaviour causingconcern. The experience of PC JamesPatrick is hardly likely to encourageothers to follow his path. Even allowing

Features

They have the power to dismiss chief constables, but have little to gain by ensuring performance data is reliableas this may reflect badly upon them. This could easily be rectified by passinglegislation empowering the HomeSecretary to force a PCC to resign andcall an election if audit results were so poor that the public were actuallybeing deceived about the level of servicebeing delivered.

“The restriction onwhistleblowersexposing wrongdoingdirectly to the mediashould be removed. The current requirementof going through the police hierarchy is nonsensical, as the senior officersreceiving thecomplaints are drivingthe very behaviourcausing concern.”


Lurking in the dark shadows of 20thcentury Barcelona is somethingmonstrous – someone is abducting thechildren of prostitutes and InspectorMoisés Corvo is determined to trackthem down. This is the basis of BarcelonaShadows, the book written by forensicdetective Marc Pastor who works for theCatalan Police. It is recommended as oneof the top 50 winter reads by TheIndependent newspaper. Being a police officer can obviously give

an insight into the dark underbelly ofsociety and I wonder if this inspiredMarc to cover such a gruesome topic,based on a true story and set around1917? Speaking on a ropey Skypeconnection you can still hear the officer’senthusiasm for the darker side of life, andMarc confirms his interest started yearsbefore he joined the police. “I have been writing all my life. When

I was a child at school, about nine yearsold, I would be reading Stephen King. I was reading Misery at a very young age– I liked noir,” he tells me, adding thatSherlock Holmes author Arthur ConanDoyle is an influence.

“Barcelona was ashadowy city by night inthose days. It may havehad the opera andculture, like the Gaudiarchitecture but it was adark city, an almostschizophrenic feel withprostitutes and beggarsat night. I was trying toreflect this in the novel.”

FeaturesFeatures

BarcelonaShadows

Marc himself is the author of fournovels: Montecristo, Barcelona Shadows, awarded the Crims de Tinta prize in2008, L’any de la plaga and Bioko. This is his first book to be written inEnglish. He wrote his first book at 21, his first published book when he was in his mid-20s and, unsurprisingly, hewent on to study criminology and crimepolicy and has been a policeman since1999, moving into forensics in 2004.


Insp Corvo, one of the centralcharacters of the book, is a pretty hard-nosed old school cop, so did Marctake his influence from anyone he hadmet or known in the Catalan Police? He says that although there is no onespecific, Corvo’s character is more of anamalgamation of traits that were based ina particular era: “I wanted the detectiveas a kind of violent thug, taking intoaccount the time he is living in and howbrutal it is. He is a kind of hard-nosedpoliceman – a Clint Eastwood, DirtyHarry-type who is cynical by nature. I also wanted him to have a kind ofschizophrenic nature, like the city itself,so he contemplates moral and ethicalissues deep in his soul, though just showshis hard side outwardly.”Set in a kind of Victorian Barcelona,

he also wanted to give the book a ‘Wild West’ feel and the pages turn to set the scene with Insp Corvo windinground the streets and alleyways –pastbrothels in the Raval area and leading on to where the high life exists and theglitz of the casinos. Marco says: “Barcelona was a shadowy

city by night in those days. It may havehad the opera and culture, like the Gaudiarchitecture but it was a dark city, analmost schizophrenic feel with prostitutesand beggars at night. I was trying toreflect this in the novel. The cityinfluences the characters in the book.”In his ‘day job’, Marco is part of the

equivalent of the CSI team we see in theAmerican TV series which people seemto be fascinated by, but did he use hiswork as a basis for some of the scenariosthat unravel in the book?“I have used some of my experiences in

my books. There are some things inBarcelona Shadows that are true, andsome adaptations of what has happened.There are things that I saw in my job andI transferred into a literary context. “It could be the reaction to murder,

words from the victim, not necessarilyliterally, but I would use them for input.The book is based on a real case – ahistorical case and I put some aspects ofreal cases from my job in disguise.”

Barcelona Shadows is published by Pushkin Press for

£12.99 (pushkinpress.com).

Features

Forensic officer turned author MarcPastor talks about his latest dark novelset in the streets of Barcelona – basedon a real case from the early 1900s.Syreeta Lund writes

Illustrations: Peter Zurek / Shutterstock.com


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Sidelines

Nick O’Time Colin Whittock

To all thosepast, presentand absent

View from the Sidelines – Clive Chamberlain,chair of Dorset Police Federation

I once had an idea of becoming a pianist. I was always ableto pick out a tune by ear, but have never been able to readmusic; however my playing is so bad I have had requestsfor a number while I was actually playing it.

Vain attempts to scale the heights of my dream, giving glimpses of embarrassing high comedy to those

who listened, weresoon dashed.

In November 1980 as flawed andconfused as anyyoung man trying tofind his way in theworld, I joined thepolice service.

I always tell people that my career choicewas because I didn’tattain any formalqualifications and my parents had notbeen married when I was born.

Having been released into the community after initialtraining my first duty at Swanage, on a winter’s day, was to be on accompanied patrol with a tutor constable. As it was, the inspector (akin to a deity) arrived to welcome me.

He explained that there had been an outbreak of foot andmouth disease on Jersey and I had shown enough promiseto be allowed out on my own. I was told to walk to the pierand await the cattle boat.

My assignment was to ensure all cows walked through thedisinfectant footbath and I was to take the station stampand use it on the official documents.

After hours waiting in freezing sleet a car arrivedcontaining the inspector and sergeant. The window wasopened just enough for the boss to say “Don’t let me catchyou being so naive again” and with that they drove off – their laughter reverberating through the town!

Since then it has been my great privilege to be paid towalk, drive, cycle and work in a beautiful county that otherspay to visit. I retire at the end of December – extremelyfortunate to be doing so – many have not made it.

In wishing you a Happy Christmas and all the best for2014, I will on December 31 be raising a glass of elderflowerpresse to you all, but more poignantly to absent friends.

With Clive’s hopes of a piano career quickly dashed, he turned toa different beat, and retires from patrolling the towns and villagesof Dorset at the end of December, 33 years after joining the job

The window wasopened just enoughfor the boss to say“Don’t let me catchyou being so naiveagain” and with that they drove off – their laughterreverberatingthrough the town!

Illustrations: Alexey Fursov / Shutterstock.com

Sudoku


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