Page 59 - Once a copper 10 03 2020

Early in the course our basic fitness was tested with a cross country run. Whilst
not known for my athletic prowess, I was pleased to finish in the top half of
the group.

The weeks passed so quickly now and before I knew it, it was week 9 and I
was cramming all I’d learnt in the last 9 weeks in preparation for the big final
exam on Monday of the 10 week. Everything rested on this. Fail and you
th
would be back-coursed, i.e. made to join the junior course as they started
week 6. There was no way I was going to let myself down on that score,
having passed every weekly exam up to that point.

I found studying in that cell of a room difficult. Others who were able to
absorb, retain, repeat and apply complicated pieces of legislation better
than me would often be down the student bar or even off camp at the local
pub each night. Still they could deliver the results on exam day. I relented my
self-discipline one week and went out for a drink each night, only to see my
league table position drop in the following Monday’s exam. I vowed I would
not weaken again, and I stuck to it.

Everyone’s study technique varied. Sometimes we would buddy up, testing
each other. My method was the hard way, repetition until it sunk in, together
with tapes of all the legislation we had to learn, kindly recorded by my other
half at weekends. I used to fall asleep with her voice ringing in my ears, but I
found myself wishing she was saying something other than he definition of
theft!

Week 10 arrived, and all my efforts came to fruition, passing the last exam in
the top half of the class and proud of having passed all 10 weeks. Not bad
for someone of whom it had been said “a good brain if only he would put it
to good use.” I felt I had proved something to myself as well as to my new
employers.

A huge sense of relief swept over the class as we’d all passed and became a
little de-mob happy.
Dining-In Night

Residential courses in the police culminate in a dining in night, which is a posh
dinner and dance where everyone wears formal dress. A formal dress hire
company arrived on site and those of us that didn’t have our own black-tie
outfits hired them from this company.

Suitably dressed in our monkey suits, the senior course of 4/80 took our seats in
the dining room, pleasantly surprised to be served our meals by the very
instructors who had put us though the mill these past ten weeks. A thoroughly
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enjoyable night was had by all and it was with a mixture of excitement for the