Page 8 - Once a copper 10 03 2020

Introduction

The fate of every police officer, serving or retired, is to satisfy the curiosity of
family, friends and colleagues about the life of a police officer.

For some the question they ask is: “What drove you to a career as a copper?”
For most, the question was: “What was it like, was it always exciting?” For a
few, the question was more reaching: ”How did it affect you, what life lessons
have you come away with?”

For almost ten years, I was a police officer in the inner city of Birmingham, one
of the most cosmopolitan and challenging cities for policing in the UK. It was
Margaret Thatcher’s Britain in the eighties, so I saw close-up, the community
at its most stressed, through the year of coal miners strikes, two lots of violent
inner-city riots and the daily suffering of the victims of crime.

I saw thousands of people at their peak of stress, in depths of despair, and
desperately unhappy. Later, as a detective officer, I witnessed many
individuals and some of the more severe experiences of the human condition
in its saddest state.

Despite being face-to-face with the darker side of human nature, this only
served to build a great sense of camaraderie among those in ‘the job’ and
the ‘gallows humour’ culture that the police service is known for, serves as a
healthy distraction from what is a hugely challenging and stressful profession.

‘Blagging’ or the playing of harmless pranks is endemic in professions where
danger and the detritus of the human condition form part of the daily
working life. A thick skin and a good sense of humour are prerequisites to any
career when dealing with the public and the police is no exception.

I am pleased to lighten some of these pages with police cartoons courtesy of
the Police Review, a long standing source of information and news.

My police service was split, with two thirds in uniform and the later third as a
divisional CID detective. The officers that served the full term of 25 or 30 years,
together with those officers serving today have my utmost respect and
admiration.

The years that I served provided me with countless sad, scary, humorous and
tragic experiences and memories. I can honestly say I wouldn’t swap a
minute of them. Each of them broadened my perception and perspective of
the human condition and this is a blessing I will always be thankful for.

It has been suggested many times that I should share these experiences in a
book. I hope you enjoy sharing my experiences. The views expressed in this
book are from my recollections of my experiences and are not necessarily
the views of any UK police force or police officer. Page8