Shift workers I I bite back I

I - see page 9 1 I I

The Newspaper of the Essex Police

New structure 'Excellent' detective works leads to the conviction of a brutal murderer sees reduction

THE SHAPE of Essex Police for the 21st Cent~~ry The downfall of has been brought into focus as the first staze of - the restructuring pro- gramme news completion.

The new structure sees the number of senior police managers reduced by a quarter to 76.

And while the cost of setting LIP the new-look Force will be nearly fSOO.OOO. it is expected that savings will be avail- able within two years. Start-up costs will be met from within existing budgets.

The reduction in man- agement costs s h o ~ ~ l d pre- sent the Force with oppor- tunities to P L I ~ more offi- cers on the beat, to buy new equipment or to employ new civilian staff.

When the I0 new territo- rial divisions go live on April I . a layer of manage- ment will have been removed. The aim is to achieve a more effective, more self-sufficient ~lnit. able to concentrate on pro- viding a service to the local community.

Every police manage- ment post in the new divi- sional structure has been worked out. and every officer from the rank of Chief Superintendent to Inspector has been allocat- ed his or her role.

The new shape of Headquarters-based opera- tional divisions has also been worked out, and in the next stage of the pro- ject other HQ departments will be scrutinised.

For the latest news on the restructuring, look out for a special feature in next month's edition of The . L t r ~ . and a short video from the TV Unit.

Cl lnsp. Steve Nessling got a shock when Ihe read Issue Three of the .l11 TOLICII newsletter last 'week to find himself listed ;as the head of CID for the mew Braintree Division. .Apologies to all con- cerned. it should have read ;DC1 Mick Payne.

Mr. Nessling will remain iin uniform, as one of three chief inspectors for the division.

MEET Essex Police's youngest , Now The Law invites you to enter

newest and naughtiest recruit. This O u r A PUPPY" competition to choose names for six of

cute fellow and his nine brothers the lively litter. and sisters were born to police For further details turn to the centre Carla eight weeks ago. pages.

In memory of 'JimmyY TRIBUTE was paid Devlin was to become a Chief Constable. last month to a man familiar name in the Nephew Barry was

who served a remark- able career within Essex Police.

James Devlin was sec- ond in command of the old county borough force, acting as Deputy Chief Constable towards the end of his long ser- vice.

Joining in 1941 as a beat bobby in the town where he was to serve his entire career, 'Jimmy' rose through the ranks qualifying as a legal expert.

force as 'Jimmy' worked alongside his brother Harry, who was Acting

Mr James Devlin.

later to become a super- intendent.

In 1961 'Jimmy' wrote the book Police Charges.

Police historian Fred Feather said: "That book became the bible of sta- tion sergeants across the country.

"I was familiar with it when I was stationed in Hertfordshire before Southend. It was the definitive work in proce- dure for dealing with and charging prisoners."

Mr Devlin, who was 72, lived in Westcliff.

BRENTWOOD was declared a safer place to live this month when Lawrence Mullins was convicted of the brutal murder of Barry Bradford. man

And no one could have happier with the result than Det Supt Malcolm Hargreaves who led the investigation.

Mullins carried out his evil act in the grounds of Highwood Hospital, last March, stabbing Bany several times in the throat and chest, stamping on his head and leaving him stripped from the waist down.

In one of the most bizarre murder scenes experienced by Essex Police, Mullins threw mud over the face of his victim and placed a single daffodil either side of his head.

The team who were to lead the inquiry had nothing to go on, no suspects and no clues.

Said Mr Hargreaves: "The evidence unfolded like a classic detective story. We quickly identi- fied a suspect but had no evidence."

But the evidence swiftly followed.

A refuse collector who recalled seeing a carrier bag containing a shoe box

approach the job. "1 had an excellent team. There were no

slackers and everyone put in an awful lot of work."

Even so, the jury took five-and-a-half hours to find Mullins guilty of murder.

Some members broke down in tears when they discovered that Mullins had

previously left a 16-year- old girl fighting for her life after a similar attack in which he physically ripped teeth from her mouth.

The girl never recovered enough to give a statement.

On sentencing Mullins, Lord McPhersgn said: "You are plainly an extremely dangerous man. I will recommend to the Home Secretarv that vou ..-...- - - - -~

and trainers, led the FSU CONVICTED: Lawrence are imprisonedfor mBny search team to the murder- Mullins. many years." er's footwear. He later awarded Det

When Norton, from Grays Supt Hargreaves and DC1 Wally Whitehill went to search Mullins' dustbin he spotted a to accept on behalf of the him, followed him and was led direct to detective team, the murder scene. Speaking after the trial Det Supt

Two police saw Mullins a Hargreaves said: "I just hope that after re- bridge in Ongar On the 'light the orpanisation Essex Police retain the coma- -.a-...---- ~ -

murder. A blood-stained letter was later rate approach to major crime that made . . . . . . . discovered below the bndge.

Forensic experts matched six red fibres found on Mullins' clothes to a pair of red gloves under the body of the victim.

A daffodil was recovered from the flat Mullins shared with his girlfriend. He had apparantly picked it for her while they were out the day after the murder.

Although Mullins had washed and burned his trainers before discarding them, a smear of blood just a sixteenth of an inch wide was found to match that of Barry Bradford.

Mr Hargreaves said: "There's no doubt that luck fell our way but it's a case of making your luck by the way you

. . this investigation such a success."

2 THE LAW, FEBRUARY 1994

IN HIS new book Blootl Rel~lrior?~, Wilkes takes a balanced approach to

7am start time and certainly has not aligned hims

OVER the past few weeks, I have had many give the plehent sysiern a fair working day and also the new

queries from members concerned about the new chance. we would wait a coin- variable shift systems. plete two months. giving two ~h~ that the

7.00am start time to the Force working day. full shift cycles. before the ~ ~ d ~ ~ ~ ~ i ~ ~ is ca,.,.ying at At thc last Joint Bri~nch Branch Board Secretary, survey is carried out. this tinle i s only with regard to

Boat-d meeting on Jnnual-y 31. would survey all the Force Therefore. the survey will the Force working day. thc.1-c wuh LI full dixcussion with regard to whether they be conducted on March 17. We raised the matter

Team work seems to be the key to success in major

T11e Editors rr.ould like to rlzcrke it clerrr r11at the views e.rl~re.s.sed iri this opinion coluri~ri r<flect tl?ose of' the Editors arid riot those of' t /w Cliiyf' Coristtrblr o r trrly otller rnerllher (!f'E.s~e.r Police.

Food Services hand over the £285 to Jeanette Poston, representing the Gurney Fund for Police Orphans.

, ESSEX POLICE BAND be unwise for our negotia-

at Marconi Club Chelmsford

Admission by ticket with an the Home Secretary by

Easter Egg his deadline date of April 3rd 1994. Hopefully, we

Tickets available from Bill will have some concrete Brightmore, Band Secretary, news by the March edi- Chelmsford Traffic

THE LAW, FEBRUARY 1994 3

RED ALERT AN URGENT assistance c a l l f r o m a s t a n d b y p o l i c e un i t p a r k e d u p n e a r a m a r c h t h r o u g h C o l c h e s t e r s e t t h e a d r e n a l i n - f l o w i n g o n c o n t r o l e a r l i e r t h i s month.

As the anxious con- troller 's voice crackled thro~igh the radio in the Force Support Unit bus, asking if everyone was OK. the source of the prob- lem was quickly spotted - prehs officer Kim White had her foot resting on the 10-9 button!

STUCK ON YOU A MOTORCYCLIST who crashed while being pur- sued by Essex officers had a sticker on his fuel tank which read. "You are not p i n g to get NICKED and you are not going to have an ACCIDENT.

TAXING PROBLEM A SHARP-EYED Basildon officer tried to stop a left- hand drive car with Italian numberplates - for having no tax disc!

And a inan in Epping reported his Metro car had i ~ ~ s t been driven off by a thief. When he called to his wife to ask her the index number. he realised she had lust left for work - in the Metro!

I SWEAR A WORRIED Canvey woman finally rang the police because her next- door n e i g h b o ~ ~ r was continually banging on the wall and yelling obsceni- ties. Officers f o ~ ~ n d the red- faced neighbour unsuc- cessfully trying to put up shelves and sho~~ting angri- ly at himself.

RUNNING INTO TROUBLE RED-FACED Inspector Kevin Doyland fell foul of the new Residents Parking scheme around Police HQ when he stopped off o ~ ~ t - side the Force Sports Shop to nip in for a new pair of trainers.

Quick as a flash, one of the wardens landed a £20 ticket on his Ford Escort. leaving him vowing to run faster next time.

0 OUT OF 10 FOR OBSERVATION A SHARP-EYED WPC. from Epping was out in the area car with a Sergeant one icy evening when the Sergeant spotted what appeared to be an RTA. The WPc. said there was no need to stop as there were several people look- ing under the bonnet and it must be a breakdown.

The Serg~;'s stopped the car and replied curtly, "They're looking under the bonnet because there's a tree sticking out of it." The embarrassed WPc begged the Sergeant not to tell any- one ...

d rA auestion of guilt. - -m - - -

YOU'VE seen the film, got the T-shirt and knowledge of the case because Bamber's com- now it's time to read the book. Just when a n d f o r t h o s e w h o plaint against the Force we all hoped Essex Police could put the remember it all too well. a n d h i s a t t e m p t s t o notorious Jeremy Bamber case down to T h e latter may dispute appeal were still live..

experience, along comes journalist Roger of his material, but T h e b o o k , l i k e t h e Wilkes with a 350-page book on the White i t be harsh court case and Bamber's House Farm murders. question the attempts to win the right

edness his t o appeal , de lves into Like lemmings, offi- up their own minds.

cers and civilians alike f a c t , t h e book W h i l e , i n e v i t a b l y , the complicated forensic

will no doubt be queu- makes a compel l ing E s s e x P o l i c e a r e no t e v i d e n c e o f t h e b lood

i n g u p to famil iar ise read. wilkes has an eye shown in a particularly found in the silencer fit-

themselves with the lat- for detail, and in writ- good light, former Det. ted to the murder est twist in the saga. i n g a good story is Sgt. Stan Jones is por- weapon.

T h o s e e x p e c t i n g c a r e f u l no t t o t u r n a trayed as the hero who The debate will g o on. "Blood Relations " t o real-life tragedy into a 'p his A s W i l k e s h i m s e l f c h a m p i o n B a m b e r ' s cheap drama. never waver lng in h ~ s points out, only Jeremy fight to clear his name H e h a s r e s e a r c h e d be'ief in Bamber's guilt. Bamber can ever know will be pleasantly sur- the Bambers ' compli- A s a r e t i r e d o f f i c e r w h a t rea l ly h a p p e n e d prised, as Wilkes is at c a t e d f a m i l y b a c k - Mr. Jones agreed to g o when f ive members o f pains to remain impar- g r o u n d , a n d t h e c a s e o n t h e r e c o r d a n d b e h i s fami ly d i e d i n t h e tial. It may be a who- itself, thoroughly. interrogated. For those Georgian Farmhouse in dunnit, albeit with only T h e r e s u l t i s a n still serving, the official Tol leshunt D ' A r c y o n t w o s u s p e c t s , b u t h e a b s o r b i n g b o o k b o t h decision was not to CO- that summer night eight leaves readers to make f o r t h o s e w i t h n o o p e r a t e wi th t h e b o o k years ago.

L

- - Blood Relations: Jeremy Bamber and the White House Farm Murders by Roger Wilkes (pub- lished by Robinson Publishing Ltd.), £16.99.

'New Salesman' exercise tests counter-terrorist plans

A i r~ort hiiack drama TERRORISTS seized control of a Dublin-bound air- craft preparing for take-off from Stansted Airport, overpowering two armed police officers and taking their weapons.

Fortunately this terrify- ing scenario was only an exercise but. with Stansted rapidly developing into a major international airport, emergency plans to deal with a terrorist incident have to kept up to date.

In Exercise "New Salesman". nearly 200 Essex officers worked through key questions about what action they would take at critical

stages of the developing incident.

And Essex became the fil-st Force to test lower ranking officers by running the counter terrorist train- ing exercise on four differ- ent days.

Previously. other Forces running "New Salesman" desk-top exercises have staged a single presenta- tion.

The exercises form part

of a national programme co-ordinated by the Home Office, in which police forces bid to hold either table-top, or real-life exer- cises in which resources are actually deployed, and in some cases the Cabinet Office becomes involved.

The aim of the exercises is to familiarise senior offi- cers with contingency plans for dealing with a ter- rorist incident, to increase their understanding of the roles of Government departments, and to create awareness of the sheer

TRAFFIC officers patrolling the county's motor- ways will be donning their shades this week as the Force's dazzling new "Battenburg Cake" police car takes to the road.

Scientifically-designed vehicles. for its high-profile mark- Research has been car- ings, the traffic car has ried out over the last four been nicknamed because years on behalf of the of its colourful blue and ACPO Traffic Committee yellow check livery. to identify a suitable stan-

Essex is one of eleven dard livery. police forces nationwide One of the main aims is chosen to trial the new to enhance the safety of markings on the motor- both police officers and ways for a six month peri- members of the public at od. the scene of accidents.

The highly visible and In addition to the large easily identifiable blue and yellow side "Battenburg" design is checks, the car is marked being tested with a view with red and yellow towards introducing a chevrons on the back, and national standard livery for has a yellow blind fitted to police motorway patrol the back window.

During the trial period. which officially starts on March 3 1 , drivers will be quizzed about their reac- tion to the new design. The crews will also be asked to evaluate its effectiveness.

The Essex car, a new Ford Granada, will operate out of Harlow and Brentwood Traffic garages, patrolling the M 1 I and M25.

Other forces trialing the new livery are Cam- bridgeshire, Metropolitan Police, Surrey, South Wales, Gloucestershire, Lancashire, Tayside (Scotland), Thames Valley, West Midlands (Central Motorway Group), and Wiltshire.

scale of operational requirements, as well as the outside resources avail- able.

Ds Guinan-Browne, who prepared the scenario, pointed out that within months of the last full-scale exercise held in Essex, at Shoebury, the Force was plunged into dealing with a real-life hi-jacking of a Tansanian airliner at Stansted. The experience gained from the exercise proved invaluable.

As well as involving superintendents, chief inspectors and inspectors, Essex Police decided to gain maximum value from the 'New Salesman' exer- cise by inviting crew mem- bers from the Armed Response Vehicles and firearms trained officers based at the airport to take part.

Interesting "It went very well," said

Ds Guinan-Browne. "The Pcs found it very interest- ing, particularly to find out what would be happening at Government level.

"In a table top exercise like this, they get to see much more of the overall picture"

In addition to Essex offi- cers there were observers from 18 other forces including one representa- tive from New Zealand.

The majority of these officers were in the process of preparing similar exer- cises to test their own forces.

The Essex New Salesman planning team, made up of Supt Bob Good, Insp Steve Smith, Pc Wendy Welham and Ds Guinan-Browne, started their preperation work back in August.

Planning is underway for a full scale exercise to be held in Essex later this year.

The camera crew shoots a dramatic scene as the ter- rorists pounce on the two policemen.

4 THE LAW, JANUARY 1994

May the best book win IN 1985 Sergeant John Woodgate pub- lished a book T/?o E s s e . ~ Po1ic.c. and on this occasion Maureen Scollan reviewed it.

As I recall shc had little or nothing to say in favour of i t . Indeed I was so incensed at her scathing critique that I wrote to Tlle kin on the subject.

Then came the publication of Su~or i~ to Se r~ , c~ i n 1993. I t is reported that Maureen Scollan was l0 years in researching and preparing her work. I t therefore follows that she was two years into her research at the tilne John Woodgate's book was pub- lished.

Could i t be that her comments were the

post'. Whilst one must appreciate the volume

of work dedication necessary to prepare a book for publication, I must confess that I feel that T h e Esse.r Po1ic.e by John Woodgate was by far more interesting and readable than Sbvor~i to S e n v .

I found that reams of notes and refer- ences that interspersed the main body of the book quite distracting and I was sur- prised to find that in a book of 160 pages, 43 were devoted to appendices and the index - more than 25 per cent.

In conclusion lnay I point out that I have no intention of publishing a book. neither have ! served with or even met

solely on a personal appraisal of the two publications. John Woodgate won hands down.

K. REVELL, Digby Road, Corringham.

Right to reply... Thank you for the chance to respond to another letter from Mr Revell, the first one being printed in 1985 when he took exception to me as a 'bitchy female', reviewing Mr Woodgate's book on the Essex Police.

Just for the record, my research into police history began before 1970 when I was awarded a Diploma in local history wi th a dissertation called The Kirip's

I ( result of frustration at being .pipped at the either author. My comments are founded Petrce: St~rdies ill Es.se.r Police ~i.st;;r\

Unequal 6Hpdity THE IA W last month featured a Home Office Equal Opportunities Award. The Essex Police Opportunities statement would be unable to qualify while it blatantly allows one very unequal policy to continue.

As I understand it, serving police officers are pro- hibited from applying for civilian jobs within the ser- vice, unless they resign first.

However, there are some jobs (due to be civil- ianised) for which police officers will always by better qualified and more able than their civilian counter- parts.

The policy makers must wake up to the fact that by making it hard for officers to apply for civilian posts, there is a good chance that they will not get the best person for the job.

Until then how can we claim that our opportunities truly one equal and non-discriminatory?

P. CAULFIELD, Castle Hedingham.

No restraints in hooliganism MAY I make some comments on my suggestion that all police offi- cers will have to be armed.

My argument was that because of the many extraneous jobs cre- a ted by the pol i t ic ians we no longer see our streets protected by foot patrolling policemen. As a result, crime. vandalism and sheer unlawfulness is rampant. There are no restraints in hooli- ganism.

I see no other means of restor- ing law and order other than by bringing back the foot patrol . Under present day condi t ions could he carry out this job with-

out means of self protection. Great Britain is now a member

o f the European Communi ty where the policemen o f every other country are armed for per- sonal protection. Why should this country be the odd one out'?

Phil Pewsey has ra ised the question of the cost of arming the police. Does it really mat ter? Surely the question should be - Will it save the life of a single policeman?

I wonder what would be the reply to Mr Pewsey's question by the ghosts of the London police- man murdered.

One other point raised by Mr Pewsey is the emotional suitabili- ty of some policemen to carry a gun. My reply would be that he should certainly not be a police- man if he could not use a gun to save his own life.

Is there now a faint glimmer of hope fo r the fu ture in hear ing President Clinton saying that all persons convicted of crimes of violence for the third time will be locked away for the remainder of the i r l ives . A s t rong decis ion indeed.

RON SEWELL, North Street, Maldon.

Arm officers or I lose the war

@MAY I say a big thank

you to all my friends and colleagues who wished me well on my retire- ment a f t e r s e r v i n g 30 years.

I transferred to Essex in 1966 when I was post- ed to the Grays division, where I remained for all my service.

Dur ing th is t ime I made a lot of friends and it was lovely to see so many of t hem at my retirement party at Grays Police Station on January 14 - a big thank you to eve ryone - espec i a l ly Grays Scenes of Crime.

DAVE JONES, Silverdale,

Stanford -le-Hope.

@I WOULD like to thank the Chief Constable and members o f t h e Essex Force for the beautiful floral tribute sent for my

I husband J a m e s Dav id

@I W O U L D l ike to thank the Ch ie f Constable, ACCs and all police officers and staff, both serving and retirzd, for the wonderful support given to me on Cecil 's death. and for the lovely flowers, letters and dona- tions received.

I was qu i t e ove r - whelmed by the splendid attendance at his funeral, and I know he wou ld have been so proud to be remembered in this way. Thank you, one and all.

JOYCIE JONES, Colchester Road, Holland-on-Sea.

@ P L E A S E ex tend my thanks and appreciation t o all f r iends and col - leagues fo r the i r g i f t s cards and good wishes on the occas ion of my retirement.

1 have pninvprl mv ?fl - - -..J- .'-- .".' I- Devlin who died suddenly on January 21, the Southend-on-Sea Force and Essex years service and hope t~ 1994. Police for 30 years and it has been of keep in touch with all the

I would also like to thank the serving comfort to myself and my two daughters friends I have in this officers for their representation at the to know he was remembered with such time, funera l by an honour gua rd and two respect and affection. REG LITTLE, mounted police, and all his old colleagues MRS B.C.DEVLIN, Outwood Common who also attended. Mannering Gardens, Road,

My husband was proud to serve both in Westcliff. Billericay.

I WAS happy t o hear, through your letters page, that Ron Sewell is still alive and kicking and is as keen as ever to see the war against the 'ungodly' achieve a little more success.

His views about arming the police, are shared by many of us retired officers.

The arguments raised by Phil Pewsey against patrolling officers, and CID detectives being armed, are flimsy in my view.

It is a debate that will become more and more fashionable, and there is no doubt that. as a member of the EC, our police will be armed sooner or later.

Until we have a riot squad. a th i rd fo rce , o r some other way of dealing

lic d isorder , t he Br i t i sh police officers will contin- ue to be, what they have become, front line fighting troops. Ask them whether they would prefer a gun to a pathetic, but ever so tra- ditional piece of wood with which to do battle.

with riots, strikes and pub- I

GEORGE P. RAVEN, ex-Colchester Supt.

'

Welcome back MAY I congratulate Mr J i m Dick inson o n h is award o f t he Queen ' s Police Medal and welcome him back to Essex Police.

MRS JEAN PALMER, Neighbourhood Watch

Co-ordinator.

bqfi)re 1889. A copy was deposited in the Essex Record Office and used by Mr Woodgate, although he chose not to fol- low accepted academic procedure and acknowledge any of his sources.

Surely Mr Revell can see the potential for an index to help trace particular points'? My publisher's contract actually required me to produce an index, but in any case I consider it a vital part of any book intended as a source of infortnation.

I'm sorry Mr Revell found the notes and references distracting, but as a gener- al rcader he should have ignored the111 - that is why they are at the end of the chapter.

He might recall that one reason I criti- cised Mr Woodgate's book was its inclu- sion of columns of figures within the main text.,

Mr Revel1 is entitled to his own opin- ion on the merits of both books.

The preface to Str.orrr fo S e n v suggests there is no such thing as definitive history - every piece of research or reminiscence adds something to our overall knowledge of policing. I am sure that others will soon update and revise both my book and Mr Woodgate's. -Maureen Scollan.

M issing names A T Chri.;tmas I was given the book St~.or11 to Ser1.e by Maureen Scollan.

On page 84 thkre is a reference to two women being employed as police patrols but no record oC their names.

My sister Dora Jordan (2478) and Mrs A.M. Wilson ( 2 164) are the missing names. My sister joined in 19 18 and appointments were terminated 31.10.1919.

The bwk mentions that the two ladies are shown in a photograph of Romford Police in 1918.

The respective numbers of 2478 and 2164 appear in my sister's notebook which her daughter has.

MR P.A. JORDAN, Northants.

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Silver

;-l $7 C\ ~ f l t n g e r f MusxCal Varicr:

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PRI %<'&S TIlEATRE

C'L.;M "I'ON-ON-SEA

'f'~chsb:, f 4 fiom the 130% Otljce.

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THE LAW, JANUARY 1994 5

Constable. m After a recent talk to the Pcs David Parkin and Women's Institute in

Canvey, Schools Liaison Officer, Pc Bob Sheridan

showed 'professionalism and was asked to judge a limer- courage' when they rescued ick competition. the man some 25ft up in a Below is a selection he

Awarded for livemsaving act

H E their own o f f i c e safety to who rescue risked a semi-conscious, drunken man who was hanging over the outside rails of a multi- storey car park, are to be commended bv the Chief

car park in rentw wood.' Other officers to be award- 1

Drugs and property seized in successful county raids

A I l a b a d ed at a ceremony on Wednesday are Special Constable Danielle Prior, Pc Sarsfield, Pc Mark Hall, Cadet Shaun Heckles, Pc Gary Challis, Sgt Andrew Cullers, Pc Graham Dye, Pc Neale Gleeson, Pc Richard Adams, DC1 Philip Mellon and DC Russell.

Best person for the job

WHEN Pc Roy Bates placed an advert in the local paper for a School Crossing Patrol in Southend, he was astound- ed by one of the replies.

I t read: "I write with reference to

your advertisement in the Standard Recorder, dated January 25, 1994, for the post of Lollipop Lady.

It occurs to me that I am entirely suited to this posi- t ion, having had a wide experience of standing on street corners and talking to strangers.

I have, however, not been gainfully employed for the past seven months due to spending this t ime in a n Alcohol Abuse Centre . Nevertheless, t he good news is that I have now vir- tually dried out.

To assist me in the posi- tion for which I am apply- ing, I am pleased to report t ha t I have my own lol- lipop. Same will, of course, be placed immediately a t your disposal f o r use as you see fit."

Pc Bates is still trying to get the Southend Traffic Warden office to own up.

THOUSANDS of pounds of drugs and stolen property have been recovered by police offi- cers this month after several successful raids across Essex.

Thurrock officers took part in 'Operation Gemma' , which w a s set u p t o detect act ive burglars, handlers and thieves. Nearly 300 offences were detected af ter 10 search warrants were executed in the Thurrock and G r a y s a rea . Property recovered included five thousand pounds of car radios and an amount of suspect documents.

Recovered In Che lms fo rd 'Ope ra t i on

Wellington' swung into act ion , there officers recovered property believed to have been stolen from a lorry at the Watford Gap Service S ta t ion a t the beg inn ing of February.

Severa l p roper t ies in t he Boreham area of Chelmsford were searched . Around £ 100,000 of Amstrad TV's, Satellite Dishes and decoders were seized, six shotguns were also found.

Ca r boot sa les d id not e scape e i ther as Benf lee t and Canvey Officers together with representa- tives from Trading Standards and The Federation Against Copyright Thefts toured several sites. 500 v ideo t apes we re conf i sca ted including counterfeit Disney tapes and copies of well known f i lms such as 'The Exorcist ' and 'The Fugitive'.

And it was standing room only at the cells in Harlow Police Station for 'Operation Linda'. As a direct result of information received from the public from previous operations a total of 21 search warrants were executed on add re s se s in t he

A Chelmsford detective unveils a haul Fred Hammerton, Essex Chronicle.

Harlow area, 17 of which had posi- tive results. £20,000 of drugs were found inc luding 3 ki los of Cannab i s , a quant i ty of Amphetamine Sulphate and Ecstasy Tablets. An amount of computers, rad ios , d r i v ing documen t s and antiques were also recovered.

of satellite and TV equipment. Picture:

Acting Detective Sergeant Mick Clark from Harlow said, "the main benefit from this type of operation is that it proves the link between crime and drugs." He added, "we have to act on information received from our informants and the public, it simply can't be ignored."

punch in the face for justice

Essex Police Volunteer Support Group

Sue: (0787) 477874

Tony: (0279) 454984

THE defeated Commons vote on the up to a more violent Britain with only death penalty for murderers of on- their trusty truncheon as the first line of duty police officers will not of helped defence.

heal the scars of 256 officers who Assaults on officers have risen slightly were assaulted in Essex last year. in the last few years. 1990 saw 190 cases

The Dixon of Dock Green image seems to 209 in 1992 and then the to be fading all the time as officers face jump 256 last year. Cases Of

where firearms were used totalled just two.

The recent case of Metropolitan Police Officer Derek Robertson, called to a post office raid and subsequently stabbed to death, has again brought the issue of arming police officers to the surface.

One assaulted officer from Saffron Walden, Sgt Alan Welham, has strong views on the issue. Earlier this month, while off-duty, Alan confronted a group of noisy youths who were shouting obscenities in a residential area of Great

Dunmow. He was punched in the side of the head causing him to fall and fracture his right tibia.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Alan told The Law: "Had I been on duty and armed, my weapon could have been taken off me and used against me" he added "I have serious reservations about the value of arming the police."

Other assau:~ in the last month range from a prisoner spitting at an officer in Harlow and two officers being punched in the mouth at Chelmsford, to an officer from Bradwell who, while leaning through the window of a car attempting to remove the ignition key, was dragged for 10 yards backwards at high speed.

It's questionable what could have stopped these assaults, would they have place if the officer had been armed?

found particularly amusing.

There was a young policeman called Bob

who each day was heard to sob:

"As hard as 1 try to get in the W1

I'm just the wrong shape for the j o b

There was a young policeman called Bob

who got fed up with his job. He needed more pay

so became a DJ and now he's the local heartthrob.

There was a young policeman called Bob

who is frightfully good on the job.

Wrongdoers fear him but ladies cheer him Have you seen the size of his . . . feet!

Video technology exhibition

THE Police Video Unit of Grea t e r Manchester is hosting it's th i rd Video Technology Exhibition on Tuesday, March 22 a t GMB National College and Conference Centre from loam.

Members of the police unit will be on hand to dis- cuss training issues includ- ing interviewing on video and evidence gathering.

Officers f rom Essex wishing to attend, or want- ing more inforGation, should contact DC I a n Jakeman, Force Video Technical Officer on 061 856 2667.

Wrap you brain round this month's brain teaser Mind bender by studying the circled letters.

many ways can this be done.

Each letter is to be regarded as different and I once a combination of \ letters has been used, it 'I cannot be re-used in a different order.

This month's t r iv ia question asks wha t 'musophobia' is the fear of?

The answers to last month's questions are: 1 ) 92. The value of the symbols on the top line reading from

left to right are 24,20, 14 and 32. 2) Incense.

6 THE LAW, FEBRUARY 1994

police skills with AN EMPHASIS on fit- ness and outdoor skills as By Jenny Grinter well as practical experi- ence such as First Aid with Essex Police for Education. and pre-driver training more than 16 years, and The students study for dominates the unique many have gone on to either GCSE exams or A PVC course. which gives join the Force. levels, alongside their college students an PVC is the Police four-and-a-half hours a insight into the police ser- Vocational Course, week of timetabled police

believed to be the only activities, and can take Although far less well- one of its kind in the either a one-year or two-

known than their counter- country, and run in part- year course. parts the cadets. PVC stu- nership with Chelmsford As well as learning dents have been working College of Further self-defence, orienteering

and camping skills, the small group of between 10 and 18 students is

prevention and scenes of said, "It gives them an Duke of Edinburgh's insight into the work of Award scheme.

In addition, the students the police. Those that Last year, the Essex

spend two hours each apply to join then know PVC students proved their

week on work experience, what they are applying worth by winning the

including working in front for." Bedfordshire Police- offices and control rooms

Last summer they also

Second-year PVC stu- dent Sarah Manning, who is studying for A levels in Biology and Sociology, said that while she hoped to join the police eventu- ally, her academic qualifi- cations would give her something to fall back on.

Some of her contempo- raries plan to go on to uni- versity, before applying to join the police as graduate entrants. At a time of little recruitment and vast num-

selected from nearly 400 applicants throughout the U K

from Zimbabwe at one of four lowland sites to carry out conservation and other scientific studies.

The explorers will also undertake an adventure phase including climbing, trekking and water activities.

SPONSORED Sarah has already started organising a variety of chal-

lenging sponsored events to raise her contribution to the cost, which will include a trek across the Three Peaksin Snowdonia, a canoeing expedition, a sponsored abseil and a fi~nd-raising barn dance.

But she needs to find sponsors from local businesses or community organisations to help her reach her daunt-

Already she has started posting hundreds of letters to Essex businesses asking for assistance. She hopes to return in September with sufficient material to give talks and slide presentations about the work, and has also offered major sponsors a copy of her written report

Any readers who can help Sarah with her fund-rais-

T EN tiny puppies have become Essex naughtiest recruits. The patter of 4( for the Force, which has never bred i.

Born to three-year-old Carla , who 14oz and Ilb !

came to Essex from the Metrovolitan rapidly growir

Police as a puppy, the 10 tiny terrors were ' will be groomed to become the police

Three of the the dog sectio~

dogs of the future. Steve Hutley I Carla has already proved her worth as Dave Rudd c

handler Sgt Paul Probyn's faithful Howard and Pc companion for the last two years, while the up with their ne father, Duke. is a recently retired Met dog ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ h i l ~ ( with 15 healthy litters to his name. to her normal p

Now The Ltrbv is launching a special section competition asking readers to choose names for six of the cuddly canines - and we want all the names to begin with the letter A.

Two of the pups have already been named - Jo-Ann, in memory of WPc. Jo- Ann Jennings who was killed in a road accident while on duty four years ago. and Abraham, named after recently retired former dog handler Supt. Mick Abraham.

Two more puppies will be named by children from the local Riding for the Disabled group leaving four bitches and two dogs to be named by Law readers.

Remember the names need to be appropriate for police dogs!

The German Shepherd pups came along as a late Christmas bonus for delighted officers at Sandon dog -

L

hopes he is ba developing programme tc caused by a ns dogs.

With about e year, Essex wil But if Carla's Mr. Barrett h o ~ produce a seco looking to one I

the programme. Mr. Barrett S;

important, but v to supplement (

that good quali be available."

He pointed c Duke h~

section. weighing in at between

Pick a pupp LAW readers are invited

to take part in our "Pick a

Puppy" compet i t ion t o

name six of Carla's tiny

terrors.

We a r e l o o k i n g f o r

f o u r g i r l s ' n a m e s a n d

two boys' names - and

t h e y m u s t a l l b e g i n

with the letter A. You a n d y o u r

family can submit as

many names a s you

l i k e , b u t b e a r in

mind that the pups

a r e d e s t i n e d t o

b e c o m e w o r k i n g

police dogs.

We n e e d y o u r

en t r ies by March 9, s o

h u r r y a n d g e t y o u r

thinking caps on.

O u r six lucky winners

will receive a photograph

o f the i r puppy , a n d a n

invite to the passing out

parade later in the year

w h e n t h e s u c c e s s f u l

m e m b e r s o f t h e l i t t e r

qualify a s fully f ledged

police dogs.

S e n d y o u r e n t r i e s t o

"P ick a P u p p y "

1 c o m p e t i t i o n , T h e L a w newspaper, Press Office,

' P o l i c e HQ, PO B o x 2,

Springfield, Chelmsford,

CM2 6DA. T h e w i n n e r s wi l l b e

a n n o u n c e d i n t h e n e x t

edition of The Law.

THE LAW, FEBRUARY 1994 7

Mrs. Truscott looked on in The grey tabby, named PC SIMON Keightley with the tiny tearaways. Kizzie was placed in the

amusement as a passing taxi Picture courtesy of Essex County Newspapers Ltd warmth of the officers

driver helped two officers to patrol car. Kizzie then Hot-hoofed ponies ran straight into fugitives were spotted in But when local bobby PC Simon arrest the runaway. "It was helped police with their the hands of the law when they Colchester Road by John and Jean Knightley arrived on the scene the hilarious - I was standing enquiries and her owner made their escape from a field in Snowling. runaways were soon rounded up - out in the road in was found. A police When their dog started going dressing gown and spokesman said it had West Bergholt. frantic, the couple looked out of and taken back to his garden for

everybody was chasing been a furry good public The terrible tearawaYs were the window and saw the deserters safety before being transferred to around after him," she said. relations exercise. from a group of 13. But four of the on their driveway. the Colchester Garrison stables.

al crackers' Fined for barn owl sales

8 THE LAW, FEBRUARY 1994

N.A.R.P.O. NOTES - BY ~ o u s ~amplins PENSION INCREASE

Pubic Service Pensions will be increased as from April 1 . 1994. by 1.8 per cent for pen- \ion\ being paid on April I . 1993.

Pensions started after that date will be increased pro rata.

NARPO PUBLICATION You will recall that I mentioned the NEC were looking into the possibilities of improving the image of the quarterly bul- letin.

This has now been taken a few steps near- er reality by the s t ~ ~ d y group convened for this purpose.

The conclusion reached so far is that an A4 glos\y type maga~ine carrying advertis- ing and consisting of some 16 pages would be a b o ~ ~ t right.

Distribution would be direct to the mem- ber by post. However, it is felt that the fund- ing for such a venture could not be covered by advertising alone and the suggestion is that conference be asked to approve a £1 increase per member to cover the cost.

I woi~ld be grateful for any comments. WEEKEND TO BEAMISH

I am very pleased to say that the coach for the above trip on May 6,7 and 8 is filling up. There are still a few seats going, so if you are thinking of joining us please let me know

Colchester and Southend members are welcome to join us. Just give me a ring on 0245 353541 and I will send you details.

One date for your diaries is Friday, July I - the Force Garden Party.

MARKET PLACE ... MARKET' PLACE .. .l A M I G A 500+ computer. Ma~nuala. Deluxe Paint I l l . 12 giuiie, joystick. almost new. f 200. Black computer desk . f 15. Contact D1 D ~ v e Frampton on 0702 526009, Ednet 61 52. CITREON 2CV. Excellent condition. 35,000 miles. fully alarmed. 'E' reg. I yrs MOT. f 1.525. Contact Chri\tine on 0245 1 9 1212, Ednet 3533. CORNWAI,I, , Polperro. Chalet sleep 415, heated indoor and o ~ ~ t d o o r pools, club and 1111 facilities. E55 to E200 per week. Contact Craig Bailey on 0279 653570 or 0279 757601. C Y C L E . Ladies or girls folder type. three speed. bas- ket. Dynamo lights. hardly used. vgc. E60 ono. Contact Chria Brown on 0245 22708 l . C Y P R U S . Flat sleeps 4, Limassol area. two persons f 175 per week. Full details and dates from John Green on 037 1 87584 1. DENON hi-fi. tuner. amp. cassette, CD, timer. o n cus- 10111 stand. remote control. excellent sound. pristine condition, no hpeakers. Cost E700 accept f450. DIMP1,EX I KW oil filled electric radiator. excellent condition. f 25. Three oak bar \tools, f65. Contact Jill Kerton on 0245 46 1247. FLAT for sale. Benfleet. Purpose built. Georgian \tyle. situated in q ~ ~ i e t c~11- de-\ac with own garage and off-street parking. Two bed- rooms, large kitchen and liv- ing room, tastefully decorat- ed. f46.950. Contact Nikki Cornish on 0702 43 12 12, 'A' Shift. FORD Capri 1.6L. 'W' reg. 9 months tax, MOT, tow bar, E150 ono. Contact Nik Beavins 011 0245 466612 or 0215 49 149 1 . Ednet 2695. FOR rent. S t i ~ d i o flat ,

New lands Spring. Chelmsford. fi~lly furnished. Contact Janet Adcock on 0245 49 149 1 , Ednet 2 134 or 0245 442121 for further details. FOR sale. 199 1 Larsen 525 caravan awning, good condi- tion, f 150 ono. Contact Sgt Pollard on 062 1 773276. FOR sale. Caravan - Adria For~na 5 IOC, October 1989. FOLII- berth, winterised, blown ail- central heating, fridge, cassette loo, spare wheel, full awning. porch awning, wheel clamp, excel- lent condition, £4,999 ono. Contact Malgaret Ginn 0245 49 12 12, Ednet 3502. FULL set Sam Snead blue ridge golf clubs, £ l00 ono. Contact Colin Farrell on 0268 288360 or Linda Farrell on 0268 541312, Ednet 3438. HOLIDAY accommodation in Spain. Two bedroom ter- raced bungalow at La Siesta, self-catering. Fully eq~~ipped and furnished to high stan- dard. £47.50 per person per week (adults) f32.50 for children aged two to 10. Contact Alan Bird on 0228 75409. LADDER. Double I8 rove overrated. -D' rungs, safety feet. aluminium, heavy duty, f 150 ono. Contact Sean Hollands on 0622 758043. LADIESIGIRLS 24 inch Hi-Tec mountain bike, 10 speed, 18 months old, hardly used, f50. Contact Dc Toby Larkin on 0702 43121 2, Ednet 626 1 . MARSHALL practice amp, model 5205, 12 watt with reverb and dust cover, as new, £65. Contact Sgt Neil Seymour on 0268 693255. M G Metro, 1987, 'E' reg, MOT until June, Phillips stereo. sun roof. red with

Name and Rank .............................................................. I 1 Station ............................... H o e Tel ............................. I 1 Date .................... Signed ................................................ I L1llllllll,,l,l,llJ

grey upholstery, f2.100 ono. Contact John Worland on 0245 49 149 1, Ednet 2704.

MINI 25, special edition,

'B' rep, silver. low mileage, sun roof, MOT, taxed,

£ 1,150. Contact Richard Raven on 0375 3912 12, 'A'

Shift or 0375 39 163 l .

N.E.S. games system including two controllers

and advantage joystick, plus IS games all boxed with

instructions, £80. Contact

Sgt Shannon on 0206

33 1069.

NORTH Cornwall. Fully

equipped static home, colour TV, fridge, shower,

toilet, completely self-con- tained, five minutes from

sea, sandy beach. Most dates available. Contact D.

Turner on 0375 846704.

RENAULT Savanna TXE

Estate 1990 (G), 2 litre, all

electrics, trip computer, alloy wheels, 62,000 miles,

I year's MOT - a beautiful car, f4 ,950 ono. Contact Dick Bloomfield on 0702 258364.

SALE or rent. Studio apart-

ment, purpose built in

Witham. Part furnished,

f29.995 or £235 PCM.

Contact Pc Andy Kenny

0245 442715 or 0376

55 13 12, Ednet 3922.

SINGER Exclusive sewing

machine, two years old,

£80. Contact Lisa Oakey on

0245 360392.

SOUTH of France. Large

mobile home with toilet and

shower on luxury site

between St Tropez and

Can'nes, Fitted with

microwave, barbecue,

sunbeds etc on a site with

two swimming pools, disco,

half-court tennis. Prices

from £25 per person per

week. Contact Stewart

Calligan on 0430 441 709.

SPACIOUS semi-detached

house in Stanway. Non-

estate, four-bedrooms,

study, garage, large work-

shop, 200 ft garden,

£72,995. Contact John

Worland on 0245 491491

ext 2704.

I Mid Essex Branch :~g&j;:~~~&g@f~;;$$g;@g$&j~~ydj~,~~:::;:*g$~;;:;~3~8@#$@$;$~~~@g~@~ .? ,

I I by Fred Dyson A VERY disappointing response! . . b .

Out of 156 members in the Branch only 18 members attended the AGM on Friday, January 21.

Of the six members on the Committee, all were prepared to stand down and make room for new faces with fresh ideas.

Sadly this did not materialise, the day will come that unless we get some support from non active mem- bers the Branch will not function. Please give this some thought.

The meeting was opened by Chairman Roger Richardson who welcomed the chairman of No 10 Region, Ray Hansen.

He stated that it had been a suc- cessful year for various functions, especially the weekend at lronbridge in Shropshire.

The Treasurer John Bray gave a good report on the finances, despite the loss of £200, this being a deposit on the hotel for our weekend in Blackpool in October which had to b cancelled due to lack of support by our members.

It then came to the election, but of all those members present not one offered to stand. Consequently Roger was prepared to carry on for another year and was re-elected.

Martin Garwood was re-elected as vice-chairman.

Treasurer, John Bray asked to be relieved of his office. An agreement was reached that Social Secretary, Bill Fancourt relinquish his office and take over the office of treasurer.

Dick Giggins was then elected as social secretary.

That left yours faithfully. No one wanted my job so I was re-elected as correspondent and accommodation ofticeer

On Friday, February 10, we once again held our annual dinner at the New Time Inn, Tiptree.

This being Bill's last organised function as social secretary, I would like to thank him on behalf of the committee for the hard work he has done.

ImPmAm NEWS

Friday, March 11 - Visit to HQ some members wives for the AGM. Police Museum It would therefore be helpful to

Friday, March 18 - No 10 Region know in advance how many are AGM at Chigwell. Any members attending and whether you will be interested, including wives, the police coach leaves HQ Training Centre at 7pm sharp.

Friday, April 15 - Motor Treasure Hunt.

Friday, May 15 - A walking ram- ble through the historical parts of Colchester - to be arranged by ex- Cllnsp Hedgethorne.

North East Essex Branch by Jo Dudley

SINCE I last gave an account the number of members in the Branch has continued to increase.

The September day trip to France was a great success and an event which we hope to repeat.

Saturday, October 23 was spent viewing the sights of London under the exper t guidance of Gordon Oakley.

Our intended November trip to the theatre we had to cancel.

An ordinary meeting was held instead at Colchester Police Station with several new members.

On January 10 we had our first annual dinner when a goodly num- ber supported by eight Mid-Essex members en joyed a meal and friendship at the Wooden Fender, Ardleigh.

On January 2 4 w e held o u r monthly meeting at the police sta- tion when a good crowd watched the slides of Gordon Oakley with interest as he explained about his international trips with the IPA. Several present were en thused about the possibilities for the future of undertaking our first such visit.

Our first AGM will be held on Monday, February 28 at 7.30pm for 8pm in the restaurant at Colchester Police Station.

eating. We have made tentative plans for

several months of 1994 which will be confirmed following the AGM.

One firm date is a sight-seeing tour of Stansted Airport on Thursday, April 2 1. Numbers are limited so rush your names to Mick Spalding if you wish to go.

South East Essex Branch by Gordon Oakley

O N request we are arranging a coach trip to Ascot races for Ladies Day on Thursday, June 16. The coach will leave about 9am and will cost £6 per head.

Entry to the course will cost only £4 if you want to go into the Silver Ring. If you wish to join the Royal Family in the Grandstand the entry f ee i s £ 2 4 (mus t be booked in advance).

Please ring me on 0268 734692 if vou are interested. We anticipate a 'bring-your-own' picnic Ascot style of course with a blanket on the ground, before the race.

T h e last race is 5.30pm. so expect to be home about 8pm. The ladies have agreed that the men can join them but we will not need top hat and tails in the Silver Ring.

The latest quiz night at Grays bar on Thursday, January 27, attracted the largest number of teams yet. A close finish was decided with a head to head which was won by an inappropriately named team called Weight Watchers.

The query raised on a question at the previous quiz has now been answered by the Norwegian Embassy - Yes Margaret Thatcher was in officer for two years before Norway had a lady Prime Minister.

The Force extends its sympathies to the families of the fol- lowing o f f i c e r s and civilians:

Ex-CISupt James D e v l i n , aged 72, who retired in 1970, died 2 1 .o 1.94. Ex-Insp R o b e r l Night ingale , aged 92.

1 who retired in 1954. died 17.0 1.94. Ex-Sgt H e r b e r l Hymas, aged 89, whc died 0802.94. Ex-Sgt D a v i d P u r v i s , aged 86, whc retired in 1955, died

1 12.01.94. Connie receives her retirement gifts with husband

Cyril and A C C Jim Conlan.

Retirements E\\ex Pol~ce extend\ ~ t \ good 1 w~\he\ to the follow~ng offi- cer\ rld \upport \tdff who are retlrlnp ACC Terry Rands, HQ, 31 yr\ (3 1 03.94). D1 Peter Marks, Colchester CSB, 30 yr\ (15 02 94). D1 Robert Craven, NCIS, 26 yr5 (06 03 94) Pc. Caroline Harrop, HQIR, 20 yr\ (06 03 94). Pc. Michael Blows, Chelm\tord, 30 yrs (01.03.94).

yr\, ( 13.03.94). - 1 Pc. Kenneth Howard, IT, 30

Pc. Robert Rogers, Rayleigh Mar~ne Sect~on, 30 yrs (04 04 94) Pc. Ronald Taylor, B~ller~cay, 28 yr\ (20.03.94). Pc. Robert Goddard, Grays, 77 vr\ (08.04 94). . .

( Ex-Sgt Frank Drov, I LONG SERVING Connie Turner has unplugged her vacuum pc.' Michael Newstead, 1 aged 77, who retired in 1964, died 16.0 1.94. Ex-Pc John A d a m s , who retired in 1976, died 12.01.94. Ex-Pc Chas williams, who retired 1965, died 10.0 1.94. Mrs L i l y R o s e w i c k s , who died 07.02.94.

cleaner and called it a day after nearly 24 years at the Essex Police Training Centre.

Her highly polished career started in May 1970 in the Training School kitchen. After a short stay she found a flavour for the cleaner things in life and took a journey to 5th floor of the accommodation block where she kept Cadets rooms spic and span.

In recent years she took on a more supervisory role when she was promoted to Assistant Caretaker She was swept off her feet recently at a surprise retirement celebration held at the Training Centre, where ACC Jim Conlan said, that Connie had been Mother Hen to many staff who had been through the front doors of the training school from the Cadets to the Chief Constable.

Colchester, 15 yrs (08.03.94). Pc. Malcolm Kohler, Chelmsford, 3 1 yrs ( 18.02.94). Pc. Andrew Fenton, Chelmsford Crown Court, 30 yrs (03.03.94). Mrs C.J. Turner, EPTC, 23 yrs (2 1.01.94). Mr B.G. Chafer, HQ, 9yrs ( 1 1 .o 1.94). Mr E.G. Slade, HQ, 13 yrs (08.01.94). Mr D.M. Alston, Southend Garage, 37 yrs (04.01.94).

THE LAW, FEBRUARY 1994 9

There Who to bury thell head' In

1

. a disaster. 3 I WRITE with regard to the current debate to the Force working

More concerned with Sheehy day and the new proposed shift systems.

WE REFER to the opinion iy related to the Ottawa style In front of me I can see two documents. perfect, but it was a 100 per cent column in the J~~~~~~ edi- of shift pattern and we ques- The first is The Statement of Common improvement on what we have tion of Tlze IAW. tion its results can P~~rpose , the second is the Implementation now.

Neither of us can recall be used to corroborate the. Guide from the Shift Working Party. The Morale in this Force is at an ever having been so offended Project's survey. two appear to be in conflict with each a l l t ime low and r id ing I hate earlies, I really do, h?; anything we have read in Indeed, queries have been othel 1 quote from the statement: roughshod over the wish- Your Pages as we were by raised over the wording of "........and to be seen to do all this with es of the vast majority Though 1 love to finish a t the stroke o f two, your final paragraph. the questions in the Project's integrity, common sense and sound judge- will only serve to push it lower.

Has it occurred to you survey. There's just one thing, I'm not alive, that during much of the life Regulation 26(6) of The ment. We must be compassionate, courte- We had an individual ballot on th of the shift systems project, Police Regulations 1987 as o u s a n d patient acting without fear of issue of which colour shirt to wear. W h e n I've got to get up at quarter t o five. police officers were more amended clearly states that: favour or prejudice to the rights of others." Was that more important than the wish- concerned with Sheehy than "In discharging his functions Fine words. It is a great pity that the es of the so far unheard majority with a small piece in your pages? under paragraph (S), (fixing Shift Working Party did not study them regard to their future working condi-

While you carefully disas- b) Chief Officer on the start before producing what can on1 y be tions? sociate your views from the tim of the working day the described as a document for disaster, Pc J.E. Toms, Newport Traffic. Chief Constable et al, your Chief officer shall have ~ h , working party are obviously bliss- piihlication reaches beyond regard to the wishes of the f u l l y Llnaware of t h e damage t h a t has serving police officers and Joint Branch Board." support staff. It is argued the Joint already been inflicted on shift workers by

Your opinions are received Branch Board may with- the uncertainty that has been going on for h\. an ever-widening reader- draw agreement to the new the past two years with regard to new shift Yes we are indignant ship of non-police personnel. start time. working patterns. In view of Wivenhoe, I REFER to your opinion column in the January edition to prove that i t was. 'li) attack serving officers in To test the opinion of the most were under the impression that real . yes there are indignant voices being heard around the yes, 1 also agree that Personnel were invited through- Ibis way is disgraceful and Federated ranks, One consultation would take place on a new county regarding the moving of shift start times to one out to express their views but was i t really the intention unforgiveable. wi l l he surveyed when the and better Forcewide Shift System. hour forward. for the majority of Essex Police shift workers to contact

From the moment that we new start time has been in We were a l l wrong. Instead of dismissing these voices should not you, the Shift Systems Project Team individually with their first became aware that being for two months.

~h~ expertise and judgement of the men and others in the Essex Police Service, be asking why comments or to discuss the matter without ever seeing there was a proposal to Once the wishes of the there are so many? any proposals or any other update as to the Project advance by one hour the membership are known, the and women of this Force was not even

Yes, I agree that 450 people were surveyed, however Teams final submissions? start time of the Force work- Joint Branch Board will con- sought. even worse, those who have corn- only 60.22 per cent of those surveyed favoured later surely not, when would they {he tilne to do any ing day we canvassed the sider what, if any, action is plained have been given short shrift by the t i m e and not 73 per cent as you suggested, work on the project? How then were shift workers views of our members and necessary. 'experts' of the Shift Working Party. This percentage actually equates to 271 people - out expected to comment or discuss the proposals to some have reflected what we see as .lust because Policy Group I am at a loss to see how losing my long of a total of over 1.100 shift workers. meaningful purpose'? t h e majority Sh i f t have made a decision you weekend a month working three different The 73 per cent figure was reached by adding on fig- Such updates and proposals are common within workers tell us that they have no right to stifle debate shifts in one week, finishing at 0700 (if 1 ures taken from a different survey carried out by the Essex Police (consider the FIRS Brochure and the not want the change.

The Shift Systems Project J.B.B. in 1991.

Team point to the two sur- veys which each showed about 75 per cent of respon- dents in favour of a change from a 6am start.

It should he pointed out that the original survey, some two to three years ago M. Tarbin (Chairman) & % Number carried out by the Essex and A.G. Rayner (Sec), Police Federation was clear- Sergeant's Branch Board.

I must point out to you how your cotnments in the Opinion Column of I;ist month's Law have upset many officers.

The infor~nation ~ O L I have been given a b o ~ ~ t the way the miss this as whinging. new working times came about is obviously wrong. I t is essential that the management

A short time after the Shift System Project team was set LIP ;I questiontlaire was circulated to all officers. This con- tained q ~ ~ i t e a few ambiguous questions based around shift working. N o onc expected any answers given to be writ- ten in stone.

Officers were expecting that from replies submitted our PC Hennessy, Southend Police Station. 1xo.ject team of experts would draw up various systems to

hc 5tudicd more clohely and voted upon in a fair way I WAS incensed by the the rest of our careers. involving all shift worhcl-\. arrogance of the comments In your editorial you

There then followed n lengthy period where i t was said by the team that anyone could make contact with them on an individual basis.

At this stage a\ nothing had been out forward by the team. I assume most officer\ took the view that there was benefit of your biased opin- right to whinge. nothing to discu\s. ion you have failed to take We have every right to

This is obvio~~sly the reawn why so few officers made into account some very whinge. We, the ostriches of contact with thc team. Individual comments on any i s s ~ ~ e s important facts. this Force, feel that we were atl'ecting the shift workforce are rarely of use.

I t would then seem thal a percentage of officers were actually spoken to individually. Only those spoken to know what questions were p ~ ~ t . Once again i t was not

at has happened to us in tho~tght that those replies would be written in stone. have happened is that th We were then s~~dden ly told of the change to

m, having completed their deli 7atn to 3pm etc when the majority of shift work- ers had no chance to comment.

Surely you can understand shift workers this cross sec- changes are being suggested. would feel very unfairly treated and justifiab tion represented. It is the responsibility of SO. It was also wrong to ballot our employers to properly

I am not aware of your position or i only a cross section. consult the workforce on

you have ever worked shifts. I feel very disappointed you should take such a hard and fast view on this sub- ject when it is o b v i o ~ ~ s you have only

The Law, May 1993 heard one side of the saga. to formally obtain the opin- viduals. You should support I hope if you are ever treated unfairly ions of individuals on a sub- us not condemn us.

you will not comment. ject which is set to change Pc Gentile, Colchester Pc Dave Rose, Saffron Walden. our daily working lives for Traftlc.

- 10 THE LAW, FEBRUARY 1994

Knights og the road THE International Law Enforcement Agency Motor Cycle Club, known as Blue Knights, has been in exis- tence since 1974. Originally founded in America to combat adverse publicity in respect of motorcycling, it has now grown into a major charity fund raiser throughout the world with 'Chapters' in countries ranging from Australia to Norway and from Hawaii to Switzerland. The total world membership now exceeds 15,000

In November 1992, the membership of Blue Knights (England) I1 stood at 21. In just 12 months this has increased to 63.

The aims of the club have not changed - to promote motorcycling, to enjoy the company of those with a similar interest, and to provide funds for our chosen charity, The National Holiday Fund (a group dedicat- ed to providing holidays in Florida for the terminally ill or handicapped children).

Schedule Every year each chapter hosts an International

Rally and below is the Furopean Ride Schedule. APRIL 1 - 3: Mont St. Michel - hosts France 11;

,,/ APRIL 22 - 24: Walworth - hosts England 111; , , MAY 9 - 15: Monaco - hosts France IV; MAY 13 - 15: Bad Honnef - hosts Germany I; MAY 20 - 22: Murrhard - hosts Germany IV; JUNE 10 - 12: LahrISchwarzwald - hosts Germany 11; JUNE 17 - 19: European Convention - hosts Suisse I; JUNE 24 - 26: Lanaken - irosts Benelux I; JULY 8 - 10: Redmire (Wensleydale) - hosts England 11; JULY 29 - 31: Falun - hosts Sweden I; JULY 31 - AUG 5: Maine - hosts BK International (USA); AUG 11 - 14: Sprotze - hosts Germany 111: AUG 26 - 28: Hollenfels - hosts Luxemburg I; SEPT 2 - 4: Epen - hosts Benelux I; SEPT 23 - 25: New Forest Hampshire - hosts England IV. Every member of the Blue Knights is entitled to

attend any of these rallies. All these events are ridiculously cheap, with a

promise of some severe socialising as a bonus. Rlue Knights (England) I1 have organised 'ride-

outs' every Sunday so it does not matter what shift you work, there is always something going on.

It is immaterial what type or size of bike you ride, if you enjoy it why not make the most of organisation formed and dedicated to that aim.

For any further information contact Dave Knight (President) on 0279 641212 ext 5691 or Dick Greaves (Regional Director) at HQIR.

Pedallina for ~ounds This year, why not take up the challenge of participating in a long distance cycle ride Cvc l e fro m L0 n d 0 n to P0 s m 0 ut h and help raise cash for the NSPCC.

Over the August Bank Holiday you have the choice of a one day-ride from London to Portsmouth or Paris and raise cash tor kids or a three day ride from London to Paris.

There is also a choice of cycling routes of either 65. 80 or l00 miles per day.

And there's a special incentive for police officers with a special prize awarded to the police team rais- ing the most sponsorship.

Both rides leave Central London early on Sunday, August 28 and wind their way through the scenic countryside of Surrey and Hampshire to Portsmouth.

Transport for riders and bikes will be available for those wishing to return to London.

Those on the Paris ride catch the overnight ferry to Caen and on day two cycle through the beautiful Normandy countryside to Rouen.

After a night in this medieval town the next day takes the riders to Paris and a welcome party.

The final day is free and can either be spent explor- ing Paris or Rouen before catching the ferry back to Portsmouth with transport back to Central London arriving late on Thursday, September 1.

Money raised by the event will go towards sup- porting the NSPCC's vital work with children and families.

It costs just £15 to enter the Portsmouth Bikethon and £230 for the London to Paris ride which includes medical and mechanical backup, insurance, refresh- ments, marshals, accommodation and ferry transport.

Events organiser. Alison Kenny, said: "These rides have in recent years developed strong links with the police force.

"The rides are marshalled by members of the Bedfordshire Police Motorcycle Club and two years ago Chris Brown, a Kent officer, raised the magnificent sum of over £2,000."

Anyone interested in joining the event should contact the NSPCC Bikethon Hotline on 0234 340335.

l

I

l Saffron Walden Police Station DivisionISub Division H.Q.

1885 - 1994 Police, civilian and retired members of the force together with their guests are invited to join us in commemorating

our change in status brought about by the new force structure

Saffron Walden County High School Saturday 7th May 1994

7.00pm Tickets f 20

The Waldenaires Dance Band Licensed Bar Charity Raffle

All profits to M. E. D./. C. S. (Flying Doctor Service)

Tickets available by contacting PS Schneider or PS Tuffin on 0799 51 3232 extn 5806 ~ - . - - - - . -

(Tickets are limited so please reserve them now!)

P.A.A. JUDO A draw will be made at the begin- choice. ning of the season to allocate these Enjoy spacious rooms, each with

CHAMP[ONSHlPS tickets, similar to the Ipswich Town private bathrooms, double beds, TV, Football tickets and this list will be phone, coffee and tea making facili-

THE P.A.A. Judo championships will be held at Liverpool University on Monday 19th September 1994.

This event is open to all serving police officers and cadets. Anyone who requires any further informa- tion, please contact the Force Sports Secretary.

published to all interested persons. A supplementary charge of £5 will

be made on these tickets. Any per- sons interested in being included in this draw, must submit their names in writing (telephone messages will not be accepted), to the Force Sports Secretary, at police Headquarters, before Fridav 25th March 1993.

ties. Most of the hotels also offer

superb leisure centres too. For reser- vations just call 0895 449 533 and quote Travel and Leisure ClublEssex Police Sports Association special rates.

Reservations for Monday - Thursday inclusive must be made

CROKER CUP three dais before arrival. Some hotels have highllow season-

COMP = 1993 INNS al rates - the first rate is high. the sec-

OFFERS ond I O W . Seasonability differs between hotels. REFERENCE PB 28129 dated 17 January 1994. Several of the events between south and Headquarters have been mixed up.

Theses should be as follows: Rugby: South 0, HQ 2, Sea Angling: south 2, HQ 1, Snooker: South 5, HQ I, Swimming: South 2, HQ I, Table Tennis: South I, HQ 2.

This puts Headquarters 5th on 29 points and South 6th on 28 points.

HERE'S a chance to enjoy a remark- able "get away from it all" bargain whenever you like during 1994.

Essex Police Sports Association has teamed up with Holiday Inns to offer up to 50% off normal room rates at any of the following hotels; Aberdeen £44149, Edinburgh £39159, Newcastle £44149, Sheffield £39, Leeds £49, Manchester £49159, Leicester £39, WarringtonIChester

FORCE LOTTERY THE result of the February lottery is as follows:

f 1500 Cons 1768 Peter Stevens Rochford;

£1000 Cons 1446 Leslie Jennings Stanway Traffic;

£ 500 Cons 22 13 Jason Boots Stanwav Traffic: . ~~ ~ -, - - - - - ~ ~ -

£29134. ~ o t t i n g h a m £39144. £300 Mr ' Michael Wade ESSEX COUNTY Cambridge f 49/59, Telford 34/39? Headquarters Information Room; Birmingham £44149, Reading £49, £200 Cons 595 Robert Boyle CRICKET CLUB Bristol £49159. Maidenhead £44. r,ll,,k..,...

TICKETS THE Force Sports Association has again purchased two Executive Suite tickets for all Essex first eleven fix- tures for this year.

The intention this year will be to allocate these tickets on a day basis, (rather than last year, when they were allocated for all four days of the match).

Each member will be given both tickets which will allow vou to take one guest free and two further guests upon payment of the appropriate charge.

To use the Executive Suite you must be dressed "smart casual". Jacket and tie is preferable, please note jeans, shorts (for men) and T- shirts are not permitted.

Ashford £29134 plus the following London hotels, Brent Cross £44159, Heathrow £49159, Kensington £79, Mayfair £99, Kings Cross £59169, Sutton £44149 and Gatwick £39144.

Whether you want to visit the Highlands or Hadrian's Wall, the Peak District of the Fens, there's a hotel waiting to welcome you and your family. Prices start at only £29 per room per night (for 2-3 people sharing a room) and the offer is not confined to specific days or times of the vear.

L U l l L J U U l J ,

£ l00 Cons 1385 Christopher Dicks Brentwood Traffic;

The following will receive £50 consolation prizes:

Cons 549 Keith Brookes of Roxwell, Cons 2140 David Ellis of Littlebury, Sgt 905 Paul Davey of Headquarters Information Room, Cons 2521 Patrick Whitehead of Corringham East, DCons 1345 Dominic Graham, seconded staff, Cons 1608 John Walsh of Burnham on Crouch, Mrs Stephanie Gosling of . ~ ~ . , - ---

It is available at weekends, seven Harwich Port, DSgt 1819 (3raha.m days a week, throughout July, August C m e r of Corringham, DCons 1717 and September and at other times Keith Marsh, seconded staff, DCons subject to availability (including 1753 Kevin Watson of Headquarters Bank Holidays). It ends only on Crime Ops, Sgt 1315 Peter Smith of December 30. Colchester, and Cons 1438 Philip

One phone call is all it takes to Cane of Headquarters Information stay in style at the hotel of your Room.

-3

THE LAW, FEBRUARY 1994 11

In memorv of T HE 1994 Nutrasweet London

Marathon takes place on April 17 and, once again, among the

30,000 plus throng will be the force marathon team. Maurice

This vear thev will 'do battle' in aid o f the &sex Children's ' Hospice at Southend, one of the county's biggest ever fund raising projects, and very close to heart of our dear departed friend Maurice Brazier.

Maurice, who bravely ran as part of the team in last year's marathon, in the middle of his personal fight against cancer, was determined to be with us in the 1994 event to raise funds for this project.

By Laurie Rampling I Although he can't be with us, 1

am sure he will b: w;th us in spirit, willing us every step of the way.

The team will dedicate this year's efforts to MO's memory and it is hoped that some sort of lasting dedication or memorial to MO can be made at the centre when it is completed.

The appeal was launched last November by the Adult Hospice, Fair Havens, and has the support of it's president, Sir Teddy Taylor, MP for Southend East, who has in turn notified all other Essex MP's about the project to give i t a coun- ty wide appeal.

Sponsorship forms will be circu- lated very shortly and i t is hoped that every officer will be in a posi- tion to make some small contribu- tlon.

The tcam has yct to be finalised, but team managers Allan Barley and Laurie Rampl ing, hope to announce the final line-up in next month's Law.

Negotiate Prior to the main event the team

will negotiate tricky hurdles at Hastings on March 3 1 and Reading on April 10 for the respective half marathons, with other assorted events locally.

It is also hoped that two fund raising activities, in conjunction with Woolworth PLC, can be organised at Lakeside , West Thurrock and Southend, sometime in April.

Last year's London Marathon winner, Eamonn Martin, joined in the fun, once again, by giving up his valuable time to promote the team's efforts for the Evening Echo, with a little bit of impromptu min ing at Gloucester Park. (see picture).

The Echo's efforts are being masterminded by Maurice's good old friend, Jon Guy, the paper's Chief Crime Reporter, who will also be running with the Essex Police Team.

Regular updates on the Hospice Appeal, will appear in the paper

Winner of last year's London Marathon, Basildon's Eamonn Martin, with the 1993 police team.

and anyone wishing to contribute can either contact Laurie Rampling at Grays , Allan Barley a t Chelmsford or the Evening Echo offices.

Looking further forward, the Division Athletics Championships will be held at Th~irrock Harriers Stadium, Grays, on Wednesday, June 1 and a new trophy will be dedicated to the memory of Maurice, when the winner of the Veteran's 200 meters event will also receive the Maurice Brazier trophy.

Maur ice won this event a t Harlow in May last year, prior to him being taken ill. With trophy, his memory will live on.

Fitness fun

FITNESS fanatics will be pleased to hear that aerobics sessions are now being run at Colchester Police Station.

Classes are every Tuesday evening between 7pm and 8pm.

Anyone interested should con- tact Ann Garwood on 0206 7622 12 ext 4343.

*

Angling for a PAA place THERE will be a sea angling competi- tion to be held on Southend pier on Thursday, April 28.

This is to assist in selecting teams for the forthcoming No 5 Region PAA Championships being hosted by Essex Police.

Booking-in time will be 11.30am to 1 1.45am for a 12.30pm start.

Those interested should contact Pc Skingley at Thames Marine Section at Rayleigh on 0268 775533, Ednet 6687.

Cricket

THE proposed Force cricket tour to Zimbabwe has had to be cancelled due to lack of support.

Tour manager Bob Miller wishes to thank those officers who did respond, especially those who were going to support the tour.

A domestic tour is now being consid- ered by the committee, details of which will be circulated as soon as they are available.

Have a smashing heats. The first eight from each heat will take part in the final. Everyone will get a chance to

time for charity compete in the destruction derby.

Every fancied a bit of banger racing? Now's your chance.

On Sunday, May 22 between 6pm and lOpm the Metropolitan Police Motor Club is sponsoring the 3rd annual Emergency Services Banger Race at Wimbledon Stadium.

The event is in aid of the Sara Marie Foundation, a charity which aim's to send terminally ill or seriously ill children on a holiday of a life- time such as seeing Father Christmas in Lapland.

The last two years have raised a total of more than f 9,000.

Every driver will drive in two

There will be trophies for heat winners, final winners, destruction derby winners and the best dressed car.

All drivers must be members of one of the 999 services but civilians in the service are wel- come.

Anyone interested should contact Pc Mick Dunckley on 0812461784orO818684696.

c 12 THE LAW, FEBRUARY 1994

Accidents - Essex agrees to pilot new 'specials' scheme - happen ' ers his or the her possibil i ty career consid- of Pounding the being iri-jured on duty.

Most would think of it in thc context of violent . "

prisoners or armed con- frontations, but not all injuries are caused in q~liet such dra~natic cir- * cumstances. And when the bruising goes down and the pain fades away there's times when you just have to look back and laugh.

Here are three exam- ples of such accident> in the last month.

A Hal-low WPc nursed 21 tender cheek . neck and shouldcr caused by colliding with another officer during the prac- t ise run of a drugs search.

A bruised knee was the injury of a traffic sergeant from Rayleigh. While driving one of the patrol cars, the Vascar unit decided to jump out

t, of its dashboard mount- ing. And where better to land?

Last, and by no means least, was the misfortune of a Benfleet Dc. During a thorough house search, said detec t ive had checked the loft . Unfortunately he hadn't checked that he had secured the hatch prop- erly and i t reopened hit- ting hi111 in the face.

A number of bruises and scra tches will ensure he never makes the same mistake again.

Anything Goes has gone - for now

Due to illness the latest Essex Police Musical Society presentation of A n . ~ t h h g Goes has been re-scheduled.

The the Cole Porter musical will now be staged between Monday, October 10 and Friday, October 15.

Tickets will be re- issued so keep an eye 011t fnr ' - 1 d \ 1 ~ r t i c ~ m ~ n t c

Essex has agreed to be one of 20 police forces in the country to pilot a Parish Special Constables Scheme, following a recommendation by the Home Secretary.

I II The scheme is for rural areas the parish, and hope to forge links and Southminster and Hockley between the community and the were selected for the launch police. which took place on Valentine's Hockley constable, Stephen Judd,

Pc Steve Milbourne takes the plunge. II

Day. The officers will be introduced to

their respective parishes at the next parish council meetings where they will discuss their role in the commu- nity.

Minor crime It is envisaged that as well a s

attending future parish council meet- ings they will also visit neighbour- hood watch groups, give crime pre- vention advice, help provide victim support and deal with incidents of public order and minor crime.

The two special constables who have volunteered for the schemes both have full time jobs. They will be eatrolling regularlv. at no cost to

aged 19, works as a property manag- e r fo r a f irm of surveyors in Southend.

He lives in the Hockley area and hopes this new role will involve him more with the community, particu- larly its elderly residents.

The Southminster parish will be taken on by Lyn Barclay, who lives in the area with her husband, also a special constable, three children and an assortment of dogs and cats.

She works as a checkout operator in Maldon .

The scheme will be evaluated in six to 12 months time and if i t has proved a success, will be expanded countywide.

AS snow fell thick and fast over Essex last week, the Force Support Unit divers were undeterred and didn ' t dare miss their regular Tuesday training session.

If you were cold, imagine how the unit felt several feet under in the icy waters of Heybridge basin.

But it wasn't quite business as usual fo r ou r intrepid explorer Cllnsp Dennis Rensch when he spot- ted the 3 inch white blanket.

Due to the adverse conditions he was unable to make the journey f rom his Brentwood home to Chelmsford Police Station.

Let's hope the weather improves before he takes off to the Artic next month.

Meanwhile newly appointed press officer Ian Deal spent the day issu- ing warnings to motorists via the media on how to drive in icy condi- tions.

Rather ironic as just a few hours earlier, on a 2am call-out, the same M r Deal had lost control of his Vauxhall Nova, mounted a round- about and had a close call with a traffic sign.

Fortunately press officer, car and road sign all remained intact.

Smile. vou could be a CCTV star

YOU may remember that last month Basildon schools joined forces with Essex Police to cut crime and protect pupils in a pioneering SchoolWatch scheme.

the success of schoolwatch, Fryerns have reported a 54 per cent drop in crime since the cameras were rigged up with staff and pupil morale on a high.

To help promote CCTV in schools, town centres, car parks and garages,

I crime prevention officers in the area

Prior to that a close circuit TV sys- tem was installed at Fryerns School.

Although it's too early to reveal (I

'2

Poster'. LUMl~ l ' I ' CRIME HERE AND The power of the press r i z : i t y o i ~ l 2 ~ : t r ~ : ~ : g i -g +h- ,.A-:..nI l,:..A

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. I I I ~ : Ille>>agt: I S clear, commi t teamed up to give victim sup- groups. They agreed is was invaluable crime and get caught on camera. port volunteers an insight into It was acknowledged that the assistance and often led to vital

I

. . . .. - - - - -- - - - - - -- ~ a r ~ r e a v e s , ~ based at ihe general 'opkn' policy the was part of an ongoing training I r d E LAW Headquarters, DC1 Roger force has ado~ted. reduced the Drogramme for sunnort volun- -. - his month by

I Cirlnter and Kim White. . .. Police HO.

has gone - for now

Due to illness the latest Essex Police Musical Society presentation of ~ ~ ~ ~ l ~ ; ~ ~ ~ cOes has been re-scheduled.

The the Cole Porter musical will now be staged between October 10 and Friday, October 15.

Tickets will be re- issued so keep an eye out for advertisements.

- --. .I ---- - J

reporter for the Essex During the meeting Mr from the Crown Prosecution COPY Deadline: 11.3.94 Chronicle, told the Chelmsford Hargreaves and Mr Eason een- Service and Coroner's officer

decided to design their third 'Free C Poster'. The power of the press r i z : i t y o i ~ l 2 ~ : t r ~ : ~ : g i of the criminal kind. GET THE PICTURE

Essex Police and the media operation between the two appeals. The message is clear, commi t teamed up to give victim sup- groups. They agreed is was invaluable crime and get caught on camera. port volunteers an insight into It was acknowledged that the assistance and often Led to vital policelpress relations in the facilities supplied by the Essex information being received county. Police Press Office, such as from witnesses.

Det Supt Malcolm press conference, in addition to The victim support meeting Hargreaves, based at the general 'open' policy the was part of an ongoing training Head quarters, DC1 Roger force has adopted, reduced the programme for support volun- Eason, of Chelmsford CID and need for reporters to 'doorstep' teers who counsel victims of Fred Hammerton, Deputy victims and relatives for major crime. News Editor and crime crimestories. They have already heard reporter for the Essex During the meeting Mr from the Crown Prosecution COPY Deadline: 11.3.94 Chronicle, told the Chelmsford Hargreaves and Mr Eason gen- Service and Coroner's officer victim support section that erally praised the media for as well as been told about post there was generally good CO- their help in publicising traumatic stress.

AS snow fell thick and fast over Let's hope the weather improves Essex last week, the Force Support before he takes off to the Artic next Unit divers were undeterred and month. d idn ' t dare miss their regular Meanwhile newly appointed press Tuesday training session. officer Ian Deal spent the day issu-

If you were cold, imagine how the ing warnings to motorists via the unit felt several feet under in the icy media on how to drive in icy condi- waters of Heybridge basin. tions.

But it wasn't quite business as Rather ironic as just a few hours usual fo r ou r intrepid explorer earlier, on a 2am call-out, the same the success of SchoolWatch, Fryerns

Cllnsp Dennis Rensch when he spot- M r Deal had lost control of his have reported a 54 per cent drop in

ted the 3 inch white blanket. Vauxhall Nova, mounted a round- crime since the cameras were rigged

Due to the adverse conditions he about and had a close call with a UP with staff and pupil morale On a

was unable to make the journey traffic sign. high. To help promote CCTV in schools, f rom his Brentwood home to Fortunately press officer, car and

Chelmsford Police Station. road sign all remained intact. town centres, car parks and garages, crime prevention officers in the area

YOU may remember that last month Basildon schools joined forces with Essex Police to cut crime and protect pupils in a pioneering scheme.

Prior to that a close circuit TV sys- tem was installed at Fryerns School.

Although it's too early to reveal

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