Police Memories

by Bill Williams

  It was not common but also not unknown for an officer to be sober on leaving the police station at 10 pm but at 1am to return the worse for drink.

  One sergeant had related the case of an officer failing to attend for his refreshment break at 1am on a regular basis so one night he had not left off duty, instead he switched off the police station lights and then waited, the officer eventually arrived the worse for drink. He was reported and moved to another station.

  On another occasion an officer had returned during the night the worse for drink his sergeant had brought this to the attention of the duty Inspector. Unfortunately the Inspector had over reacted and used abusive language at the constable causing the constable to hit him. When it was reported in view of the Inspectors conduct, little was done either to the Inspector or the constable. The sergeant however was dealt with for lack of supervision of the constable.

  This attitude of blaming someone else had crept in over the years. A colleague of Claude’s told him of an officer on his shift who was drinking on duty. In an attempt to curb this, the sergeant had made a point of walking with the officer until all the drinking establishments were closed at about 2am. The constable eventually complained saying his colleagues were accusing him of “Being an informant for the sergeant.” He was told that he was patrolling with the Sergeant to prevent him drinking.

  Another sergeant informed Claude that he had an officer who was drinking so he placed him in company with special constables in an attempt to prevent the regular officers transgressions. He was misled it was only after he retired that the special constables confessed their presence had failed to curb the misconduct of that particular regular officer but they had declined to report the officer.

  There was one officer in one station Claude was posted to who was known for drinking on duty and so the sergeant had at least put him on foot patrol.

  About 1am the officer had returned and whilst the sergeant was upstairs the officer had taken a police vehicle. A search was made and the offender was eventually discovered lying in the front of the police vehicle, the doors open and he was in a drunken slumber. Several officers were required to take him home.

  The following night the officers` wife had stormed into the police station to complain stating her husband should have been arrested. Once informed that if this had been done, her free house and pension might as well have been thrown out through the window, she calmed and left.

  The reader may well ask the question why sergeants did not take more firm action. It was due to lack of support from senior ranks, the tendency was for them to take the easy route and blame the sergeant.

  Recalling the case already mentioned, Claude recalled another.

  The Sergeant had done all he could to curb his drinking colleague. One day the beleaguered sergeant arrived for duty and discovered the superintendent was waiting to see him. Upon arrival in the Supers office the sergeant was not told of the nature of the interview but simply asked what duty he was on the previous Wednesday. He was asked to produce his notebook and when he did so he discovered he was on that night working at another police station some twenty miles away from 10pm until 7 am.

  He was then informed one of his officers had been reported for visiting a pub in full uniform with the police car outside. Having consumed several pints of beer before he left.

  The officer was called and warned, once again.

  The message to Claude’s fellow sergeant was that if he had been on duty it was he who would have got into trouble for lack of supervision. In reality with all the various jobs to do it was impossible to constantly watch each officer.

  No action was taken against the constable. The sergeant was subsequently injured, by a violent prisoner. As a result he was advised he should consider retiring, he took the message and applied for and took early retirement feeling that was the only method to avoid eventually being disciplined as his colleague had been, and possibly lose his pension.

  Claude had recently read a book of poems written by a retired police officer had written of the exploits of one of his colleagues drinking in the various establishments whilst on duty.

  Claude was brought back to reality of the man reporting the sergeant and constable drinking on duty one of which was a poet, he made no comment to the complaining member of the public and walked on.

  Some officers are good cooks, one night patrol after 2am a local restaurant was found insecure. The owner was telephoned but declined to come out stating he had consumed too much to drink. He directed the officers to secure the premises but before doing so help themselves to something to eat and drink.

  Claude was astounded when his colleague constable Busby put on a white apron. Opened the fridge door and took out some steak. He then set about cooking two meals of chips and steak. This was washed down by water as far as Claude was concerned. Constable Busby had a liking for Tia Maria and over the next half an hour or so consumed the whole bottle.

  Claude was later obliged to collect the police vehicle and with a struggle took home his colleague. At the end of the shift he made an excuse the officer had been sick, well that was not too far from the truth.

  Life was not all like that in Ashton; over the last two years Claude had served and enjoyed his stay in the town.

  He was now to marry and as there were no police houses available locally he knew the time had come for him to move on once again.

  Looking at the clock it was time for the extravaganza of the dining room he closed down his machine. He was about to leave when he hesitated at the door making a check the socket for the extension lead was not visible, he then strode over and put in a one pound coin.

  He left the room knocked on the door of Angelina but receiving no reply he assumed she was already down stairs.

  Walking from the lift he met Mr Raving and in passing Claude said, “How is she, still Raving?”

  Mr Raving looked rather stern and replied, “Yes.”

  Moments later he came across the lady herself, her blonde hair flowing and matching the colour of her grey complexion as she passed she smiled and said “Doing much writing are we?”

  Claude took the message and replied, “A Little, just a little.”

  She gave a loud laugh and walked on.

  Arriving in the dining room, Miss Hailsham arrived tapped with her spoon on the table in the fashion of her mentor and announced. “Clients, I am pleased to announce that today is the birthday of Matron.”

  A voice with a distinct Liverpool accent called, “How old is she, seventy?”

  “Please, you there, whatever your name is, shows some respect do not be so rude of our Matron who strives to provide you all with such a wonderful home and in a pleasing atmosphere.”

  “I will continue Matron has long wanted a very nice fairy water feature to be placed outside her office window. In view of her efforts for us all I have taken a small contribution from your allowance and purchased one for her in your name. I am sure no one will object to this, on the contrary you will all I am sure be only too pleased to contribute to the small cost of £500 or £10 each. I will circulate this card, which you are all invited to sign.”

  There was silence for a moment as the clients looked to each other but just at that moment Matron arrived and as Miss Hailsham started the applause the clients or most of them joined in.

  The next morning it was a very nice morning and the birds were singing. Scouser Joe was up early and on walking in the garden came upon the water feature of which he had seemingly donated £10 of his betting money.

  He sat and viewed the item as the water cascaded around and down. Just at that moment Matrons cat “Monty” a none lover of birds from the number it had killed, arrived and was sitting watching a young fledgling being fed by its parent on the lawn adjacent to the water feature.

  With that Joe used his newly acquired walking stick and in the belief he was at the Olympics using the stick as a lance he aimed and threw it at the cat.

  It missed by a mile bounced on the
lawn and hit Matrons water feature.

  The stick caught a hand on the figure snapping it off, the broken piece bouncing a cross the lawn. Joe looked about him; it was too early for Matron to be in her office.

  He might well get away with it he thought but his hopes were dashed when he looked up and around and saw the security cameras recording all.

  “I say Scouser,” said a voice, it was Charles “Now what the hell have you done to our dear Matrons pride and joy?”

  Joe frantically attempted to reunite the missing hand onto the arm but far from putting things right he made it worse for the figure fell and hit him on the head.

  Charles lifted it off him, looked at his watch then reached into his bag and brought forth some glue and in an instant the hand was back on. The two scurried off and out of sight before Matron arrived.

  Later that morning, Claude was passing Matrons office as Charles emerged with several video camera tapes, and called. “I have checked all the tapes Matron this and the other two around the garden were badly worn I have now replaced them. “Oh thank you so much Charles we all know the value of these video cameras within the building and grounds”

  Charles walked on and as he passed Joe he winked and said, “You have a lump on your head go and put some butter on it; you wanna watch these fairies, not as peaceful as some think, especially if you upset them.”

  Chapter 17

  “Time to commence writing again,” thought Claude; he opened his laptop and thought for a moment, yes, he was moving stations having just married.

  Arriving in Copton he had been allocated a police owned house, which was one of a group of about 15 houses in a long row. There was a detached house at the end of the row occupied by an Inspector.

  His house was in the centre of the row. Some may have felt it was an advantage to live so close to ones colleagues especially as in those days the police community was a closed world.

  People did not like police officers and whereas they put on a pleasant face when dealing with officers but in reality there was always some suspicion. From the other side of the coin the senior officers frowned at that time upon officers becoming over familiar with the locals.

  Copton was a much bigger place and thus there were more officers on each shift. The station was commanded by a superintendent, he had deputy being a chief inspector. There were four squads one for each eight-hour shift and one squad on a rest day.

  An Inspector commanded each Squad. There were two sergeants, a station sergeant and a patrol sergeant. Ten constables manned the shifts.

  There was a set of motor patrol cars and detective officers of various ranks.

  The system was more regimented, for example at the commencement of each shift the constables stood in a line and were paraded by the Inspector. The sergeant called the officers to attention and then the Inspector did an inspection for a good turn out, the usual, haircut, moustaches were permitted, beards were banned, polished boots, a crease in the trousers, a clean collar a necessity. In addition the officers produced their staff (truncheon), handcuffs and warrant card.

  If one arrived later than 15 minutes before the start of the shift one was therefore late on the parade, there was trouble. A regular punishment was to tell an officer parading at 5 45 am to work 8 am to 4 pm. This meant he could not go home and return but remained in the police station possibly doing paper work, again in his own time.

  The shifts of course were all male officers, the females worked 9 am to 5 pm and from an office of their own, as previously described.

  In days prior to the 1960s the constables were required to stand in the line to make their notes of what they were to look for such as a wanted person or stolen vehicle to quote just two. When Claude arrived things were relaxed, after the initial parade officers then sat at a large table and made the notes whilst seated.

  The town being bigger was divided into areas or beats and whilst on patrol each officer would keep to the specified area often a street or streets, unless directed otherwise.

  In the old days the whole squad marched out together led by the patrol sergeant and marched into the town, each officer was dropped off at his area and the officer finishing duty would join the line, until all the officers in the line were going off duty and were marched back to the police station. If an officer from the oncoming shift failed to appear the officer already on duty had to remain until a replacement arrived.

  Once the parade was completed officers coming on duty were expected to leave the police station but the procedure had changed in Claude’s time, the off going officer had already arrived in to finish on the hour and the oncoming officers simply walked alone to their areas. There were specific police boxes, they were painted blue and contained a telephone. When an officer was keeping his point he stood at or in the blue police box. In the old days he was required to take his refreshment break in the box, it being brought out during the shift by the constable allocated as the station constable, normally one of the older men.

  As there was a patrol sergeant he was more or less always out checking on the beat officers. The station sergeant and constable dealt with prisoners and callers to the police station.

  It was rare for officer’s young in service to be given duties inside the police station. The exception was normally on night duty when the station sergeant and his office bobby would take their refreshment break during which time as there was a police club within the building they would play snooker.

  On those occasions the junior officer was called to perform station duty and simultaneously refill the solid fuel fire outside with coal or coke.

  One night Claude was performing the station relief when a man arrived dressed in a railway uniform. He rang the bell on the counter and Claude went to enquire what he wanted.

  “I want to see the station sergeant.”

  Claude did all he could to put him off and try and deal with the matter but he would not budge. Eventually Claude was obliged to telephone the sergeant who was not much pleased at being disturbed but eventually he did arrive at the desk. He asked the man what he wanted and with that the man put a bag on the counter and said, “I don’t know who owns this police tunic and helmet but who ever it is, he is currently at my house, in bed with my wife.”

  There was stunned silence for a moment then the sergeant took the bag and instructed Claude to take the man to a rear office. The sergeant telephoned the Inspector in his office, He soon arrived and with the patrol sergeant left the police station. The officer to whom the items were allocated was not seen on duty again.

  On another occasion some time later at about 12 30am a small but well built man arrived at the counter and made a report to Claude.

  “I was walking by the river bridge when four yobs started on me.”

  Claude enquired, “Did they assault you?”

  “Well they tried,” replied the man.

  “Do you wish to make a complaint you don’t look injured?” replied Claude.

  “Oh no,” said the man, “I have just called in to tell you and ask you to call an ambulance I laid all four out, they tried it on but I am in the army specialising in unarmed combat.”

  He turned and left closing the door as he went. Officers attended and sure enough they found the four men still at the scene obviously they had been out cold but were recovering. That was the end of the matter.

  At the end of one shift all officers were told to report the following day in best uniform and white gloves as her Majesty the Queen was visiting. Claude was sure Her Majesty was never aware of some of the incidents that occurred on the great day.

  Having opened a large industrial complex her Majesty continued her engagements. Claude was one of many officers lining the route. There were several rowdy Irish navvies from the building complex standing near Claude. They were the worse for drink and argumentative. Just as Her Majesty arrived the men began to fight. The sergeant standing nearby went to them and said “The Queen is here, what the hell you are doing man?”

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bsp; With that they stopped fight, turned and saluted. When she had gone they resumed fighting as before. They were left by the police to sort the matter out for themselves.

  Later that day she was to visit a large hall and so all the dignitaries were lined up at the front entrance ready to be introduced, The Queens convoy arrived but the lead police car driver missed the turning and ended up driving to the rear of the building, where of course there was no one standing. A quick reshuffle of the guests to the rear resolved the situation. The police driver eventually left and joined the New Zealand force.

  After a long hard day Her Majesty was enroute to stay the night with the Lord Lieutenant of the county also her cousin. Her journey was not without incident.

  The convoy of police vehicles went something like this. First a police motorcyclist fifteen minutes before Her Majesty, when he passed all traffic was stopped. Five minutes before her Majesty arrived another motorcyclist, then the convoy went like this, a marked patrol car, next two security police cars then the Chief Constables car, followed closely by Her Majesty.

  All had been arranged perfectly but those arranging had forgotten one small man in the middle of nowhere, he was of course a nobody just a railway man. The problem was he was operating the signal box and the crossing gates. All the convoy passed through the gates, just as the Chief Constable approached the gates were closed, thus the Chief and the Queen were left stationary and the entire escort had driven on.

  The Chief was seen leaving his car waiving his fist and shouting at the railwayman who simply smiled. Eventually the train passed and the gates were opened.

  Just goes to show how, if you don’t want to leave the Queen in the middle of nowhere without security never forget a little guy miles from nowhere, especially if he has control of the railway crossing.

  There is always a character when a number of people work together.

  Claude was on foot patrol in Copton at 11am one day when a member of the public stopped and was very concerned reporting there was a dead policeman in the park.