Page 41 - Once a copper 10 03 2020

and I wondered if I should make my own ‘Great Escape’. The only thing
missing was the barbed wire fences and the machine-gunned guarded
watch towers. I found myself silently humming the famous theme tune as I
headed towards the reception building carrying my bags.

As I entered the reception building, I was met by an
impressive character in pristine police Sergeants uniform, with
the sternest glare. He wore a flat cap with its peak slashed
lower than his eyebrows so that he had to tip his head
back slightly to look at you. It created an almost
menacing military appearance. What really grabbed my
attention was a red corded lanyard threaded under his
epaulet and a pair of boots with a shine on their toe cap
that looked like glass.

“Name?” He barked at me. Figure 17 The menace of a slashed peak

“Steve Bennett Sarge” I said, more meekly than I would have wanted.

“It’s Sergeant, not Sarge, you haven’t earned that right yet lad. And you give
your name as a Police Officer, you’re not talking to your mates down the pub
now” He said.

“PC Bennett Sergeant” I said, trying to extinguish the nervous squeak from my
voice.

“Force?” He asked.

“West Midlands Sergeant”. I found my confidence returning a little.

“Right, go with this officer”.

This was my first meeting with Police
Sergeant Tom Trickett, who I was to learn
was our drill instructor, the man who would
teach us to march and ensure we looked
like professional smartly turned out police
officers.
Sergeant Trickett and his officers were the
duty squad reception committee for new
recruits. Only officers who had passed
through half of the ten-week course were
afforded duty squad responsibilities. These
Figure 18 Passing out parade officers would greet us and take us to our
accommodation blocks.

When several us had arrived, we were duly escorted to what would be our Page41
home for the next ten weeks. I got chatting with a big bloke called Phil Ball