Page 148 - Once a copper 10 03 2020

house he did, in that road, confirmed his status as a more organised and
successful criminal at that time.

I spent many hours at a discreet distance from his house noting car numbers
and visitors that would appear, passing the information back to John in the
hope it would build a picture of his associates and activity. Naturally. Much of
these observations were conducted in plain clothes to minimise the chance
of being spotted. Nine times out of ten, Blofeld outsmarted the police. We
knew that for every instance where there was a slither of evidence to
connect him with something, there were many more often complex offences
where he had escaped police attention, thus building his luxurious lifestyle.

Blofeld’s evasive reputation earned him respect among his peer criminal
associates. Among his suspected activities was acting as the ‘arranger’ of
firearms for armed robberies, though never resorting to handling the weapons
himself. His advance share of the eventual proceeds of such activities would
have been substantial.

One day, I conducted a school visit near to his house, giving the ‘don’t go
with strangers’ talk to local kids. Leaving the school, I walked down a gulley
leading to the road where Blofeld lived. His house was a couple of doors
down from the gulley. In full uniform, complete with ‘tit-hat’ I turned out of the
gulley without looking and collided clumsily with a man with such force that
he fell backward onto a lawn. Apologising, I leant forward to help him up,
looking into the face of Blofeld. He regained his composure before I did.
Without uttering a word, his extended stare told me he was taking a mental
photograph of my face for future reference. That put an end to my discreet
anonymity.
Blofeld would continue to build upon his life of crime-fuelled luxury, moving to
one of the more expensive roads in neighbouring Sutton Coldfield.

It was to be some years after my departure from the force before Blofeld’s
number was eventually up. As the ringleader of a multi-million-pound fraud
racket, he was finally caught in the police sting operation that netted him an
overdue lengthy custodial sentence. Author and reader will likely arrive at
the same assumption, imprisoned as at liberty, the prison hierarchy afforded
him a prestigious position. No doubt you will detect my disappointed
cynicism about a judicial system that allows serious criminal activity to be
almost rewarded.

Back in civilian life on social nights out, I would occasionally see Blofeld,
holding court with his hangers-on, his notoriety making him once again, the
Page148
centre of attention. Each time our gazes met, we would both acknowledge
mutual recognition without exchanging a word.