Page 55 - Once a copper 10 03 2020

When junctions were busy at certain times, a policeman would go on what
was called 'point duty' or 'traffic duty', where he would stand in the middle of
the cross roads and direct the traffic.

With some crossroads which were continually busy, he would stand on a small
pedestal, so that the traffic could see him.

On this day, Sergeant Trickett took up a position on an unused part of the
junction and roared “For this
exercise, we’ll start with PC
Bennett, come forward and
stand in the centre”. My
heart sank. “Here we go
again I thought, just try not
to make a prat of yourself.”
That’s like telling someone
not to think of pink
elephants.

TT had a portable tape
recorder at the ready, so this
whole fiasco would play out
to music! He gave the
instruction that when the
music started, he officers on
the horizontal road would
march forward into the
opposite junction, halt and Figure 27 Illustration of Traffic Duty Practical
make an about turn ready to
go again. Then, it would be the turn of the officers on the vertical road to do
the same. This would carry on until he stopped the music and blew his whistle.
On hearing this, I was to take control of the lines, stopping one line to allow
the other to pass, then repeating the process. The exercise would get more
complicated as I was to stop all four lines to allow one line to turn right from
the vertical into the horizontal road.
To make it more difficult, the lines were told to continue marching and about
tuning unless stopped by me.

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