Page 228 - Once a copper 10 03 2020

myself and he reversed again. This time, whilst the car was moving, Gavin
opened the drivers door and this was enough for the kid to stop the car.

We had checked the XR3i on the police national computer and I came back
as no trace, sufficient evidence for us to suspect it was stolen. Gavin told the
driver he was under arrest on suspicion of stealing the car. He protested that
he had bought the car in good faith. We placed him in our unmarked car
and called for an officer to bring the XR3i to Erdington. Back at the nick he
stuck rigidly to his story so we had to release him under section 43(3) of the
Police and Criminal Evidence Act, with the proviso that he must return on a
given date once our enquiries into the vehicle were completed.

Two days later, Gavin and I learned that after the original chase in Minworth,
he had been identified from photographs an a warrant had been issued in
his name. From our dialogue with him, we knew he would be at the garage
where his dad worked in Perry Barr. Apparently the Capri in the chase had
been stolen from Bloxwich, so it gave us immense pleasure to go to the
garage, lock him up on warrant and convey him to the nice comfortable
cells in our pleasure palace, awaiting collection by the Bloxwich officers.

Finally the boy racer escape artist was captured.

Meanwhile, we had passed on details of the unit in Hockley to the stolen
vehicle squad. We were told they already had the unit and its occupants
under observation, had witnessed our arrest on the forecourt with everyone
praying we would not blow their operation by blundering into the unit. The
vehicle squad concluded that operation successfully, putting a team of car
thieves off the streets for a good while.

As we entered the last quarter of 1986, I received notification that I had been
selected to attend the Junior Initial CID course. Whilst these courses are held
all over the country, my course would be back at the Tally Ho! Training centre
in Edbaston, Birmingham. He course comprised 10 weeks residential training
purely on the finer details of criminal law, with a week in the middle devoted
to interview development training. It was common knowledge that if you
attended a course in your own force area, you were classed as a host to
officers attending from other forces in England and Wales.
My course would start on Monday 5 January and conclude on Friday 13
th
th
March 1987. I knew it was another line on my cv, but secretly I was dreading
being away from the action on Division.

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