Page 50 - Once a copper 10 03 2020

He gave me an address and date of birth so I started filling out the HO/RT 1
form for him to produce his diving documents “Right Mr Turpin,” I started
(more uncontrolled laughter) “I am reporting you for a bald tyre, no
headlights and no mirrors” I then repeated the caution we had been taught.

I handed him the HO/RT 1 form which he grabbed, screwed up and threw
out of the car. Before I could tell him, I would be adding Littering to his list of
offences, he looked up at me laughing and said, “Look mate, I don’t give a
toss, I got pissed at lunchtime and nicked this heap off he pub car park.” At
which the engine roared into life and he sped off down the street, leaving
yours truly with an extremely red face and wounded pride.

I took a right good-humoured ribbing from instructors and classmates alike,
which collapsed into absolute hilarity when Dick Turpin aka Malcolm Frigging
Bowden skipped back towards the group and said “PC Bennett, Stand and
deliver”. You couldn’t resent Malcolm Bowden for long. His technique may
have been unorthodox, but it helped us focus on the more important
priorities, like conducting a basic vehicle check over the radio and asking the
driver to alight from the car straight away.

As we sauntered back to class after the practical, Sergeant Bowden
appeared alongside me. He said something that was to stay with me, not just
through my police service, but throughout my life thereafter. “Listen son, you
ballsed that one up, but don’t worry, you weren’t the first and you won’t be
the last. The most important thing to remember is you only learn from your
mistakes, not your successes. We all make ‘em, it’s how we learn. Just try your
best never to make the same mistake twice.”
Over the weeks that followed, we dealt with apparent burglars, theft cases,
drunks, the mentally ill, street robberies, fights, domestic disputes and car
accidents which were among the scenarios set for us. Each ‘first’ was
comical with the officer in character enduring giggles at their expense, but
no-one escaped so we all learned by each other’s mistakes.

On future exercises, I gained confidence with each successful outcome.
Many a useful lesson was learned from those practical’s that was better
learned in the safe environment of the course than out in the real world.

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