Page 73 - Once a copper 10 03 2020

was to encounter this sort of decision on several future occasions, especially
when eventually I would enter the privileged ranks of the CID.

Many might disagree with a criminal walking scot-free having been caught
bang-to-rights breaking into and nicking church valuables. I was certainly less
than impressed with it happening on my very first arrest. With experience I
came to understand and accept that this sort of trade-off arrangement
would often be necessary to gather otherwise inaccessible information about
far more serious offences involving firearms, serious injury and even murder.

‘Sprat to catch a mackerel’ in fisherman’s parlance. One may have to
sacrifice something of lesser value in the hope of gaining something of
greater value.

We got by with a little help from our friends. .

My second arrest was a bit more exciting. This time I was observer on Delta
Zulu 7 with PC Martin Handsford another experienced copper whose
preference was traffic related matters. Whilst a lot of our time was spent
getting my traffic process numbers up with Martins guidance, the most
exciting shift contained another arrest for crime. He controller came over with
the message that a local resident had seen two west Indian youths disappear
over a wall into the rear garden of a house. GIven the location, the blue
lights went on and we sped to the scene.

Martin was in my humble opinion, the best fast response driver I would ever
be privileged to passenger. At high speed he seemed perfectly in control
and safe, and within seconds he stopped the Zulu a few houses short of the
corner house where the lads had been seen.

On his instruction, I ran to the front of the house to stop anyone leaving that
way. I heard glass smash from the area of the garage. Looking through the
frosted glass window of the old garage doors, I saw him clearly, a west Indian
youth with dreadlocks putting his arm through the garage window garden
side. Bingo! But as I saw him, within a fraction of a second, he also saw me,
and he shouted to his mate who was already inside the house having forced
the side kitchen door. In a flash, they both ran from the rear of the house and
jumped over the wall into the roadway. Other officers were arriving and
jumping out of their cars. I chased the one I’d seen but he was putting more
distance between us with every second.

It was all I could do to keep him in sight. Up ahead of him I saw a middle-
aged man digging with a spade in his front garden. Hearing the commotion
and seeing the lad running toward him, with me lagging but running as fast
as I could, the neighbourly man timed his move perfectly. He edged closer to
the front of his garden and as the burglar was in line with him, he swung his Page73
spade with almighty force across the shoulders and neck of the lad,