Brief July 2015 - Greater Manchester Police

Eye-catching visuals
How the Corporate Media
Imaging team captures the
world of GMP
Local resolution: A new approach to keeping the
public informed about their case
Modern Slavery: How GMP is taking a victimcentred focus
Ramadan: Short films give insight into holy
Muslim month
Columns
A tribute to Sir Peter
Thank you for the privilege
This will probably be my last
column for Brief.
As you are probably aware I will
be retiring in a few months.
I have had the privilege of
leading GMP for seven years
and I am incredibly proud of
what we have achieved during
that time.
It has been a time of immense change for policing
and I know we have a clear plan of how we want to
take things forward. Fit For Future presentations have
been taking place and I hope you can see how you
can help with the changes.
Devolution in Greater Manchester is going to be a
huge change and along with public sector reform,
provides us with some real opportunities.
I will be sad to leave policing after 34 years and to
leave many good friends within GMP.
We have had some amazing achievements, but
also some challenging times and throughout the past
seven years we have shown what we can do.
There are many criminals that have been brought
to justice and people who we have helped during that
time.
It has been an honour to have been the Chief
Constable of Greater Manchester Police for the past
seven years. Thank you for your support and I know
as I leave you will continue making Greater
Manchester safer.
Sir Peter Fahy
Chief Constable
Challenges and changes
I have been appointed Mayor
of Greater Manchester—an
unprecedented role that gives
our region the opportunity to
shed the shackles of Whitehall,
find new ways of working, and
design services solely around
the needs of our
neighbourhoods and local people.
Devolution brings with it many challenges but
also some opportunities to deliver real change for
the people of Greater Manchester.
The work of GMP officers and staff is recognised
nationally, particularly around child sexual
2
exploitation, supporting people living with mental ill
health, and disrupting the activities of organised
crime gangs.
I am still PCC and still very much committed to
building stronger, safer neighbourhoods and driving
forward change and transformation. Neighbourhood
policing and partnership working tie in strongly with
the ethos I hope to bring to the position of mayor. It’s
only by strengthening this and building links across
our public services and the voluntary sector that we
can rise to the challenge of dealing with government
cuts and changing people’s lives for the better.
The future brings serious challenges: the policing
budget is falling at a time when vulnerability, crime
Through his tireless commitment to public
service, Sir Peter has become a highly respected
figure both locally and nationally.
During his seven years with GMP, Sir Peter has
worked to implement fundamental changes to how
Greater Manchester is policed, ensuring that we
protect those that are most vulnerable whilst
ensuring that all of our communities are safe from
harm.
Sir Peter has been a great credit to both GMP
and Greater Manchester and he leaves us in much
better shape than when he arrived. He will now take
up the Chief Executive role with Retrak, allowing
him to put his passion and many skills to use to
continue to help others.
I thank Sir Peter for his tireless work for the
people of Greater Manchester and I wish him every
success and happiness in his next adventure.
Tony Lloyd, PCC
and terrorism increasingly test our society.
I will continue to campaign against the cuts,
which have been too fast and too deep, and I will
work closely with the Chief Constable to make sure
we target resources where they are most needed.
A police service is only as good as the people in
it, which means Greater Manchester is very lucky
indeed.
I want to thank you for your resilience during this
long period of change and – most importantly – to
thank you for the real difference you make to the
community.
Tony Lloyd
PCC
08 Ramadan
Contents
News
GMP highlights the holy month of Ramadan
with three personal stories
04 Devolution
09 US Police Week & #helpbobby
How GMP will work more closely with other
public services
Sgt Julian Hill reflects on his US visit and a
look at the Robert Hart investigation
05 Legal high empire crashes
17 School projects and Safe Havens
Seven jailed in the largest ‘legal high’ drug
investigation ever in the UK
Gorton and South Manchester officers back
to school and a Safe Haven in Manchester
06-07 Divisional Roundup
18 Letters of Appreciation
A brief look at what’s been happening
around the divisions
Members of the public thank officers and
staff of GMP for their work
Spotlight
13 Local
Resolution
Officers
New roles help to
reducing the
incident queue
GMP Life
10 Fit for the Future
Keeping staff and officers updated about
the challenges ahead
21 Federation insurance scheme
Details of new scheme for officers and staff
11 What’s Trending
22 Dementia: a cultural perspective
A look at how the world of social media is
viewing the work of GMP
Rochdale gets guidannce how to deal with
dementia in the South Asian community
12 News in Brief & Give and Gain Day
24 Cricket & HATS fundraising
slavery
Taking a victim-centred approach
News in Brief and how employers are
learning about the Special Constabulary
Stockport supports cricket tournament,
cycling fundraising for HATs
15 Corporate Media Imaging
16 Staff welfare & drug driving
25 Triathlon triumph & basketball
An insight in how CMI are visually shaping
GMP and influencing other forces
Wellbeing days for officers and staff and an
update on new drug driving legislation
Success for GMP’s triathlon team and a
national honour for PC Stuart Jackson
14 Modern
Be published in Brief
Editorial team: (left to right) Melissa Mead,
Krystyna Rudzki, Patricia Jones & Charlotte
Gowers
Photographers: Chris Oldham and Bill Morris
0161 856 2777 | Picture Desk: Lisa Marks 0161
856 2279
Designed and produced by: Corporate
Communications, Force Headquarters, Central
Park, M40 5BP
Contact numbers: 0161 856 856 5939 / 2238 /
5938
Email: [email protected]
Brief online: www.gmp.police.uk/Brief
Articles and contributions
for the next edition of Brief
should be submitted by
Friday 18 September 2015
3
News
Devolution - what does it actually mean?
THE introduction of devolution
means that GMP and other Greater
Manchester agencies will have more
direct influence over how public
services are delivered and how public
funding is allocated.
GMP will also work collaboratively
with other local agencies and be
accountable to the elected mayor, who
will also be the Police and Crime
Commissioner.
Devolution will give extra
momentum to work that has already
begun under the Public Service
Reform umbrella on three levels:
Force (Challenger) – how we
work with partner agencies to
address high risk and harm such as
Serious and Organised Crime
including modern slavery, serious
sexual offences and high risk repeat
domestic abuse perpetrators
Devolution will create an easier and
Investment in collaborative working more focussed way of thinking about
how we work with partner agencies,
is already taking place. For example,
the Association of Greater Manchester such as fire services, mental health
Authorities has recently agreed to fund services, schools and social care, etc,
to tackle the demand and problems
three Local Authority posts on
that come to policing by changing the
Challenger to continue to support our
Borough – local agencies sharing
way we will be funded and how our
information and solving problems
efforts to disrupt and dismantle
success is measured.
together, for instance through work to organised crime groups and protect
tackle re-offending, the ‘Troubled
Next year there will be no elections
the most vulnerable. Most divisions
Families Programme’ or working in
for Mayor and Tony Lloyd will remain
now work with a range of partners in
partnership to support people with
interim-mayor until elections in 2017.
public service hubs to share
mental health needs
To find out more about the
information, solve problems and
Local – integrated neighbourhood
additional
powers that will be devolved
safeguard children and vulnerable
policing, working differently with
to Greater Manchester visit the Force
communities and partner agencies to adults.
Intranet site.
arrived to film at an Australian Zoo.
The female koala named Miley looked
to be a natural behind the camera
before climbing on for a better look
and having a go at grabbing switches
America: University students in
Pennsylvania had a shock when a huge
black bear gate-crashed their Saturday
night party. Police officers chased the
bear up a tree and after coaxing it down
they managed to tranquilize the bear
and take it in to police custody.
Australia: A curious Koala decided to
have a bit of fun when a news crew
4
solve problems and reduce demand.
and levers.
Scotland: Four police officers stormed a
café after the owner reported seeing a
dark figure on his live CCTV feed. But no
burglar was found and there was no sign
of a break in. The owner now thinks
his café could be haunted after
studying the CCTV where he can
make out an average height figure in
a t-shirt walking out of shot. The
infrared detectors also detected
movement.
 England: A woman from Plymouth
woke up to find 107 gnomes carefully
set out in her front garden. Police
were called and a local garden centre
was checked but no gnomes were found
to be missing. It is not known where they
came from but if no one comes forward
to collect them, Marcela can be the lucky
owner of all 107 gnomes.
THE largest ‘legal high’ investigation
in the UK has resulted in prison for
seven offenders.
The gang had international reach
and sold millions of pounds worth of
drugs across the globe from a factory in
Farnworth, Bolton. More than £4million
of drugs was sold online via the ‘Wide
Mouth Frogs’ website.
In total seven members of the
Organised Crime Group were jailed for
their part in the ‘legal high’ empire. The
Mastermind behind the website, Paula
White, was jailed for nine years.
White’s profits from the gang’s
operation were substantial. She owned
a brand new Aston Martin, a house
worth £800,000, a villa in Marbella, and
a swimming pool under construction, as
well as a £10,000 dog kennel.
During the investigation a man sadly
lost his life after taking drugs which he
had purchased days before his death
Paula White’s luxurious villa in Spain
from the Wide
Mouth Frogs
website. The
purchase of
these drugs was
found to have
contributed to
his death.
Paula White
Det Supt
Hudson, head of
operations for Titan, The North West
Regional Organised Crime Unit said:
"This case highlighted a number of
issues for Titan. Firstly, 77 per cent of
the commodities sold as 'Legal Highs'
on the Wide Mouth frogs website were
in fact controlled drugs and anyone
caught with these drugs could face
prosecution.
“Secondly, there were serious health
implications reported by a number of
people from taking these drugs.
“At no stage did this gang test any of
the drugs sold online, when certain
compounds were made illegal they
mixed them with other products and
had no idea of the effects.
"We know that drugs purchased
from the Wide Mouth Frogs website
contributed to the death of one man
and hospitalised a number of others.
This case once again highlights just
what a lottery it is for your health if you
choose to take drugs such as these."
News
Legal high empire crashes
GMP hosted the
BBC’s Crimewatch
Roadshow for two live
shows in July
demonstrating the
hard work of our
officers and staff.
As well as profiles
on water safety and
the Tactical Dog Unit,
there were
opportunities for
officers to feature live
appeals for
information relating to
investigations.
There have already
been some positive
leads and arrests
following the shows —
including one wanted
face who handed
himself in on the day
of the broadcast when
his nan saw it!
It is hoped this will
materialise into real
results for the Force.
5
Divisional News
Divisional Roundup
Tameside
A man was sentenced for
Child Sexual Exploitation
following investigation led by the
Phoenix Tameside CSE team.
Darryl Howe was found guilty
of child abduction, inciting a
child to commit a sexual act and
engaging in sexual activity with
a child. He was sentenced to 33
months in prison. DC Rob Pullan
said: “He knew full well that his
victims were impressionable
underage girls and used this to
his advantage to satisfy his
sexual desires. I hope this
sentence will in some way give
the victims closure.”
North Manchester
ON Thursday 30 July, the
division are holding an
Emergency Services Family Fun
Day on Castle Street. The event
will have a community safety
theme with representatives from a
range of emergency services.
Wigan
AN investigation into a report
of a serious sexual assault on a
16-yr-old girl turned into a real
case of Jekyll & Hyde for DC
Sheen Mearevoet.
The offender, Kristopher
Houghton, claimed he had
multiple personalities and could
not remember what happened.
His mother confirmed that he
had at least four alter-egos.
Despite the defence arguing
this case and saying he could
not be responsible for his action,
the jury did not accept this and
in July Houghton was found
guilty.
Stockport
CI Kenny with the Gorton cadets
THE North Manchester
Cadets have been getting fully
involved with a number of local
events in June.
This included the Higher
Blackley Community Parade,
which saw local residents
turning out en masse to line the
route. The day raised over £900
for a local community centre.
Trafford
TRAFFORD officers and staff
were invited to share their ideas
on how to improve customer
service at the division in return for
a piece of cake. Over 60 people
attended the event including Ch
Spts Mary Doyle and Nick
Adderley.
Oldham
Operation Plumbline in action
6
FOURTEEN people were arrested in the third phase of Operation Plumbline, the ongoing operation to crack
down on drug dealing in Oldham.
They were arrested when GMP officers raided the addresses.
This followed two previous phases and a year of investigation by officers from Oldham’s Organised Crime Unit
and Serious Crime Division into the distribution of heroin and crack cocaine in the Oldham area.
Inspector Paul Walker said: “This third strike is taking us one step closer to ridding the streets of Oldham of
drugs. Operation Plumbline has taken a year of hard work and determination from dedicated officers and has seen
36 arrests so far.”
A five-a-side football
tournament was held in memory
of an officer killed in the line of
duty.
Officers from across GMP as
well as a team from North West
Ambulance Service came
together to commemorate PC
John Egerton, who was tragically
murdered on duty in a factory
yard in Farnworth in 1982.
Eight teams in total competed
and after some close matches,
the final was contested between
NWAS and Astley Bridge All
Stars. Astley were crowned
winners of the tournament, which
has now been running for over 20
years.
Organiser PC Graeme Sharp
said: “It is important that we
continue to remember John
Egerton and this tournament
helps to keep his memory alive.
This year’s tournament was
very successful and the aim is to
get even more teams involved
next year.
“I would also like to thank the
staff at Powerleague, Leverhulme
Park, who play a big part in
making this tournament run
smoothly every year.”
Airport
THE airport played a vital role in a threat of terrorism and serious
joint operation across North West air organised crime.
and sea ports in June, which saw
The end of a week of operations at
£35,000 in cash and a number of
Manchester Airport, using police and
seizures made. The week of action
Border Force dogs to detect
was part of a national campaign to
undeclared large amounts of cash
protect the public from the threat of
and other materials linked to serious
terrorism and serious organised
organised crime.
crime.
Police partnered up with with
colleagues from Border Force,
the National Crime Agency
(NCA) and Her Majesty’s
Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
to carry out multiple briefings to
employees working at 14 North
West sea ports and airports
over the past week, advising
them on what they should be
looking out for to help tackle the SNIFFING AROUND: Border Force dogs at the airport
South Manchester
TWELVE men were arrested on
suspicion of trafficking after a multiagency operation led by GMP and Home
Office Criminal Investigations.
Eight women and seven children,
believed to be victims of trafficking, were
taken to specialist Victim Reception
Centres after officers attended
addresses across the South Manchester
and Trafford divisions. The men have
subsequently been bailed pending
further investigations. Officers are also
investigating whether sham marriage
offences have been committed.
Divisional News
Bolton
Rochdale
A joint day of action was held
with the council to combat
antisocial behaviour in response
to community concerns about
beggars and drinkers. Warning
letters were issued and local
retailers were provided an email
address to report ASB quickly.
Bury
FOUR men who were arrested
after a man died following a fall
from the roof of a building in Bury
have been bailed. The men are
suspected of gross negligence
manslaughter and conspiracy to
pervert the course of justice.
Salford
A volunteer recruitment event
took place which saw
Specials, cadets and officers
engage with the Jewish
community in Salford. Twenty-six
expressions of interest were
received for a variety of
volunteering and support roles.
7
News
Insight into Ramadan
THIS year promises to be the
largest ever police contingent in
any pride parade as we show your
‘DEVOTION’ during the
Manchester Pride Parade on
Saturday 29 August.
Many of your colleagues and
friends have already registered to
march with ‘Police with Pride’.
To join them you can register
your interest by emailing
[email protected]
Remember to state your
Division/Branch and whether you
intend to march proudly in uniform
or model one of the special edition
‘Police with Pride’ t-shirt (please
state your size preference).
8
SHORT films featuring Muslim staff
and officers have given an insight into
celebrating Ramadan at work.
PCSO Ahmed Farooqi from South
Manchester, Sergeant Waseem
Ahmedi from Trafford and Custody
Detention Officer Irfan Jaffi from
Salford talk about observing Ramadan
alongside keeping people safe.
The videos, which have been
shared on social media, help to give
people a better understanding of the
holy month of Ramadan and the
challenges faced by GMP colleagues.
PCSO Ahmed Farooqi said:
“Ramadan is a very important month
for all the Muslims in the world. It’s
one of the most Holy months where
Muslims fast for 30 days from sunrise
to sunset and they give a lot to
charities, read the Quran, read
prayers and in the end the families
come together and celebrate.
“The fasting is round about 20
hours so it is quite long. I try my best
to save my energy as long as I can
and I get regular breaks and time to
pray.”
Custody Detention Officer Irfan
Jaffri said: “Ramadan is one of the
very important five pillars of Islam in
which we have to fast. We can’t drink,
we can’t eat and it can be a big
challenge when it’s very hot or very
stressful.
“However, that’s the object,
you have to put yourself in that
kind of pain to feel how people
feel when they are starved or
can’t have any water.”
Deputy Chief Constable Ian
Hopkins said: “Hopefully the
videos will give an insight into
what observing Ramadan
means for our colleagues and
help to give a better
understanding to those of us of
a different faith or no faith.
“I think it is really important
that we all try to understand the
differences that collectively
make GMP and our
communities stronger.
“Patrolling the streets or
working in roles to support
police colleagues without food
or drink and very little sleep is a
huge sacrifice.
“We are incredibly thankful
to our Muslim colleagues for
their continued commitment to
helping keep people safe
across Greater Manchester
throughout the holy month.”
To view the videos, visit
GMP’s YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/gmpolice
Pictured from top down: PCSO Ahmed Farooqi, Sgt
Waseem Ahmedi and Detention Officer Irfan Jaffri
who have featured in a series of short videos
approximately 12,000 officers. It
culminates with the candles being lit at
each end and gradually the flame works
its way to the middle whilst a thin blue
laser line is beamed across the night
sky.
One particularly moving tribute was
when we attended a small ceremony for
strong Honour Guard representing all
a Met police officer who was killed on
the UK police forces. The event itself
duty. His sister, PC Kirsty Eastwoodsees more than 55,000 officers attend to Smith was one of the officers from the
honour fallen colleagues. All British
Met with us as part of the Honour
officers pay for themselves to attend
Guard.
and raise money for COPs (Care of
We also met a 10-year-old girl,
Police Survivors).
Savannah Solis who wrote a letter to all
A very special moment was a
police officers saying how much she
candlelight vigil held at the National
appreciated what police officers do for
Police Memorial Garden. This is a very others after the two NYPD officers were
moving ceremony involving
IN May Sgt Julian Hill from the
Wigan division travelled to
Washington D.C to participate in
US Police Week and Memorial
Day. He spoke to Brief about his
experience.
“I travelled to the US as part of a 21
gunned down in their car. I think that
nearly everyone was in tears by the
end, although we all denied it.
The culmination of the week’s duties
was the main parade in front of the
Capitol Building. The key note speaker
was President Barack Obama. For our
final duty of the trip we provided a guard
at the National Police Memorial for the
wreath which had been dedicated at the
parade.
If you ever get the chance to attend
this week I heartily recommend you take
it up. It is not an easy week, it is
emotionally draining and I guarantee
you will walk miles. However it is one of
the most rewarding things I have done
since joining the police.”
News
Honouring the fallen at US Police Week
T/Sgt Julian Hill with Savannah Solis
Embracing new ways of investigation
THE investigation into the death of
Robert Hart at Parklife last year broke
new ground through the use of social
media.
Detectives went one step further for
the recent year anniversary of the
attack. Alongside a traditional media
campaign, the hashtag #helpbobby was
launched as a way for people to show
their support and raise awareness.
More importantly, it was also used
as a way for anyone who attended
2014 Parklife to send in their pictures or
video footage of the event. Twitter users
posted their pictures using the hashtag,
allowing the Force’s Corporate
Communications Branch to send the
pictures on to detectives.
Although not appropriate for every
investigation, it was an excellent
opportunity to trial this new technique
for this particular audience. This was
an encouraging example of how our
detectives are testing the relationship
between policing and social media, and
how new technologies can be used to
assist investigations.
9
News
Shaping the Force’s Future
with their own staff.
Rebecca Murphy, Head of Change
& Transformation said: “For the last
two years the Chief Constable has
visited every division and branch to
provide an update on a range of
issues facing the Force.
“This was a huge commitment for
one person and it was time to do
FIT for the Future events are
being rolled out across the Force,
providing officers and staff with the
latest changes and challenges facing
the Force over the next five years.
During last year’s Chief
Constable’s Roadshow, officers and
staff said they preferred to find out
about the latest changes and
challenges facing the Force on a face
-to-face basis.
As a result the Fit for Future
events were developed by the
Business Improvement Partners from
the Change and Transformation
Branch in conjunction with the
Corporate Communications Branch.
The materials provided an
overview of the changes taking place
across the Force and provided senior
leaders with the opportunity to
discuss the impact of local changes
10
something different and get all senior
leaders to be more involved in
engaging with their teams about the
challenges facing the Force.
“The Business Improvement
Partners had also gathered feedback
from officers and staff last year during
the Roadshow and their feedback
reinforced our thinking.”
As part of the cascade the BIPs
brought all the divisional and branch
leads together to ensure they fully
understood what the event was for,
and were aware of how to
consistently deliver the messages.
All the materials for each local
event, including a presentation,
videos and table top exercises were
issued to all the leads so that they
could tailor the events to suit the
audience.
She added: “While each event
has been delivered slightly
differently, there were a number of
key messages that had to delivered
to ensure some consistency across
the Force. This included the videos
from chief officers and the table top
exercises.
“Senior leaders were also
expected to ensure that the
sessions were relevant to their teams
so that discussions could be open
and honest, and officers and staff felt
comfortable providing feedback, ideas
and ask questions.
“Many people have asked us what
is happening to the information that
has been gathered from the events.
“This feedback is, and will
continue to be, collated by the BIPs
and will be used to shape future work
particularly around ethics, culture and
behaviour.”
Officers and staff will also get to
hear about what is happening through
local face-to-face events, on the
Force Intranet site and in Brief.
In the meantime stay up to date
with the Fit for the Future blog.
What’s Trending?
The work of the Serious Sexual Offences Unit (SSOU) and Major
Investigation Team was recently highlighted in a BBC2
documentary 'The Detectives'. Here’s the reaction:
@MaryHadley6 @gmpolice @BBCTwo Loved
this program. Detectives, police officers and
staff are amazing and the victims are brave.
Thank you
the work of @gmpolice & the impact of sexual
offences.
@laalaa1983 Hats off to @gmpolice & the
work this unit do. Harrowing & fascinating in
@tilly_bob Compelling and fascinating viewing. equal measure, skilfully produced
Well done #TheDetectives
#TheDetectives
@Obsolesence Very impressed + fascinated to @JulieHuckvale @gmpolice #TheDetectives
see behind the scenes. I hope it reassures rape How brave are those women? Just shows
victims that they will be taken seriously
justice can still be had years down the line.
#NoEscape
@FlossyMcQ Bravo to all those involved in the
@BBC doc the Detectives. Brilliant insight into @DanAllbon #TheDetectives was compelling
Social Media Praise
@MonkeyBoyUFC @gmpolice
@GMPWigan I have just had to make a call
through to you guys and got through to one
of the nicest people I have ever spoken to.
@Asfandeyar @gmpolice just wanted to
thank you for the swift professional
response of your officers to an incident at
my mother’s house
… She was really helpful & it was much
appreciated
@Rachylou27 @gmpolice @GMPHyde
were absolutely amazing last night. Thank
you
viewing. Great work done by officers at
@gmpolice
@NinaWarhurst Speechless watching
#TheDetectives – the bravery of the victims is
incredible. And good to see so many female
investigators. @gmpolice
Top Tweet— 6,500+ retweets & a
reach of 4 million+
@JoshuaHandley3 @gmpolice
@SurvivorsMcr @StmarysSARC Huge
respect to you in acknowledging male and
female domestic abuse—steps in the right
direction ;)
@stefirth officers reading children’s books
to my nephew last night after his daddy’s
car had been broken into. Top lads
@andyeganukl @GMPDidsbury
@gmpolice Had car broken into and lots
@RussoTheGooner Many thanks to Karen stolen great communication from PC
who we spoke to iin the control room tonight Marcus Holmes. Perp’ caught and charged.
@UniRabbi My child was thrilled to sit
inside a @gmpolice car & learn all about the
#Poliice force. Thanks a lot @TruckerMozzi
for visiting the school!
11
News
A Special exercise for employers
 GREATER Manchester Police is
joining forces with Manchester City
Council (MCC) to service and
maintain their vehicles in a bid to cut
costs and improve the service. From
Monday 13 July, the single workshop
facility at GMP’s Openshaw site
began providing vehicle servicing and
repair for police vehicles and vehicles
currently maintained by MCC. As
MCC is also responsible for
inspecting licensed private hire and
Hackney vehicles, a new taxi
reception area has also been
constructed so that taxi drivers can
drop off their vehicles for inspection
and view MOTs without coming onto
GMP premises.
VOLUNTEERS were celebrated
across the Force during the 30th
national Volunteer’s Week and
national Special’s Weekend last
month. During the week, events were
held across various sites to celebrate
our volunteers and raise awareness
of opportunities throughout GMP to
give something back. DCC Ian
Hopkins said: “GMP is committed to
developing our volunteer schemes,
and we recognise the significant
contribution that volunteers make to
the policing of Greater Manchester.
Volunteering is a way to connect
12
policing to communities and
communities to policing. People give
up their own time to positively
contribute to their local area and their
actions are truly commendable.”
LATER this month, Salford Division
will begin testing the new local
policing model. The new model has
been developed by front line officers
to ensure we can commit to
neighbourhood policing whilst still
being able to provide a response to
calls from the public. It will mean
response officers, neighbourhood
police officers and prisoner
processing units working together as
one team. It aligns resources against
demand more effectively and
introduces a new 16-week shift
pattern. The proposed model comes
after a team of front line officers
completed a review of response and
neighbourhood policing at Salford.
They looked at all demand coming in,
how we respond to the frequency and
types of demand and what
subsequently happens to the work
once it is handed over unit to unit.
Further information can be found on
the Intranet under Fit for the Future.
Employers got a taste of what it’s really like to be a Special Constable
as part of Give & Gain day 2015
ORGANISATIONS including
Halifax, Co-operative Foods and BT
Open Reach each sent
representatives to take part in a day
of activity to see what their
employees got up to when
volunteering with GMP as Specials.
The day began with a welcome
address from Deputy PCC Jim Battle
and ACC Rebecca Sutcliffe.
Superintendent Arif Nawaz then
briefed the group on the day’s
operation.
One of the most impactive parts of
the day was when employers
witnessed a warrant executed by
officers and a large cannabis farm
was discovered, and over the day
over £5,000 worth of cannabis was
seized. Another great result from the
operation included the seizure of over
40 suspected stolen mobile phones,
as well as numerous traffic stops.
The majority of the employers who
took part were part of the Employer
Supported Policing scheme, which
allows organisations to give their
employees time off work to pursue a
role as a police Special.
GMP is also part of this scheme
and supports any member of police
staff who wishes to volunteer as a
special. For more information, please
contact Tina Shelton
[email protected]
AS part of the Force’s mission to
become Fit for the Future, Brief caught
up with Sergeant Alex Metcalfe
(pictured above) from the Bolton North
Integrated Neighbourhood Team to find
out more about Local Resolution.
Local Resolution Officers (LROs) are
now working within neighbourhood
teams to resolve local non-emergency
demand in divisions over the phone.
Sgt Alex Metcalfe has been integral
in making sure the LROs are embedded
in the team. He said: “We are very bad
at saying no. It is so easy to say ‘leave it
with us, someone will come back to you’
but we have to be honest with the
public. Be firm but clear about what we
can do, deal with it appropriately, then
close the incident. That’s what local
resolution is all about.
“In the past jobs have festered in the
incident (SI) queue as no-one has got
round to dealing with it. It could take
several days for an officer to visit at
which time it may be there isn’t anything
we can do anyway – because it is a civil
or council matter. By the end the
customer is left feeling frustrated: ‘why
didn’t they just tell me that in the
beginning?’ and the police officer is left
asking: ‘why have I spent time and effort
doing this?’
“Since their introduction we have
seen a dramatic reduction in the SI
queue. There are fewer appointments
and handovers and victims are able to
move on quicker because their issue
has been resolved quicker. Some of the
blockage we saw in the SI queue
previously however has transferred to
sergeants, who are responsible for
crime management and finalisation, but
we are creating capacity within the
sergeants’ team to deal with it.
“While experience of policing is
obviously useful in the role, the most
important thing is to have excellent
customer service skills – the ability to
talk to somebody. We can teach the
law, but essentially LROs need to be
decision makers and confident saying
no if it’s necessary. But they also need
to recognise where an incident does
have the potential to cause harm that it
is flagged up and dealt with straight
away. That’s why it’s integral that they
work closely with supervisors while they
build up their experience.
“With any theory it takes time to put
it into practice and it is difficult to
change our way of thinking. But it all
comes down to being realistic with the
public. If it’s not a
police matter, say
that straight away,
and direct them to
the right place. This
prevents a lot of dissatisfaction later.
We have to make those challenges so
we can focus on things that really do
matter.”
Spotlight
Resolving non-emergency demand first time
Local Resolution Officers
LROs form part of the Integrated Neighbourhood Team and resolve nonemergency calls on the phone rather than passing it on to a front line officer.
They provide advice or signposting to other services, record crimes over the
telephone and provide a crime number, make initial screening decisions and
where required pass to officers for investigation. The next phase of the project
involves bringing in more police staff as LROs and releasing police officers,
who are currently doing the LRO role, back to other duties.
Chris May is a LRO and is based in
Stretford. He has been a LRO since April
this year. He said: “It is great to learn
that as part of the Fit for the Future
programme and the introduction of the
LRO that officers are able to get back
out on the streets.
“Sergeants I work with have noticed
that there has been a reduction in the
number of low level type appointments,
reducing the number of daily
appointments that officers have to
attend.”
13
Spotlight
14
Prisoners in their own home
afraid to speak to the police and it took
some time to build up her confidence
while the officers gently explained to her
THE new Modern Slavery Coordination Unit (MSCU) has recently why they were there.
Eventually, the girl broke down and
been set up where the victim is at the
begged for the police to arrest her in
centre of every investigation. In a
order to get her safely out of the house.
recent case study Brief shares the
She had several injuries and was
team ethos.
severely malnourished. She was taken
Officers received intelligence that
there was a suspected brothel operating away and gradually her story became
more clear. The mother of the family
in Bolton where women could be a
victim of sexual trafficking. A section 17 had forced her into prostitution to ‘earn
entry of the property was executed and her keep’ in the household. The father
and sons had been transporting her to
a mixture of GMP officers, including
clients. She received no income and
Serious and Organised Crime Group
had no travel or identity documents in
officers and interpreters attended.
her possession.
During the search officers found a
She also disclosed that the other
Hungarian family staying at the
‘girlfriend’ in the property was a victim
property. They were not co-operative
who had been forced into prostitution.
and it took some time for the police to
The son she was in a relationship with
interview each of the individuals to
became jealous and beat her. She was
ascertain their identities and conduct
pregnant and he had kicked her in the
background checks. Within the family
stomach to try and abort the baby
there was a mother and father, two
because he thought that she could have
adult sons, two teenage sons and a
been impregnated by one of her clients.
daughter. Each of the son’s girlfriends
Officers returned to the address and
was also staying there, and one had a
rescued the other girl and her baby
baby.
daughter.
It was discovered that one of the
The two girls stayed in care for a
girlfriends had been a victim of a sham
couple
of days before they were entered
marriage previously. Officers decided to
into
the
National Referral Mechanism.
isolate her from the rest of the family to
speak to her in private. At first, she was They eventually returned back home to
The Modern Slavery Co-ordination Unit team , led by Detective Inspector Denise Pye (seated)
Hungary with police escorts.
DC Chris Nield from the MSCU said:
“This operation was a success because
at every stage we put the victims first.
“In these situations, a standard
interrogation carries the risk of
frightening people and they may then
not feel they can disclose any
information. However the careful
approach that was taken and sensitive
handling of the victims has potentially
saved all their lives.
“Making sure they were safe
afterwards was also extremely
important.”
Made up of a mixture of GMP
officers, staff and representatives from
local partners, the MSCU can offer
advice on a variety of issues, principally
where a victim has been identified.
The team is available Monday to
Friday between 8am and 4pm and
the UK Human Trafficking Centre
provides a 24/7 service for out of
hours enquiries. For further
information visit the MSCU Intranet
pages.
contacted CMI Manager
Chris Oldham, he and his
colleagues thought the
videos were professional
and a really useful tool.
Chris said: “Imitation is
in fact the highest form of
flattery and I was more
than happy to help the
Budapest Police develop
their own version of these
videos.”
The videos are GMP’s
most successful series ever and is just
one example of the great pioneering
work of the CMI team, who
are an integral part of the
Corporate
Communications Branch.
The team works with every
division and branch across
the Force, and also the
media. They uphold the
image of the Force,
frequently providing
photographs, videos
and sound clips which
are regularly broadcast
on TV, radio and online.
They are truly
innovative, creating new
ways to promote the
great work that GMP
officers and staff do
every day.
There’s no such thing as
a typical day for this team.
A day may involve anything
from taking photos and
video of early morning
raids, to puppies, to
officers on patrol, to, Force
initiatives and PR
campaigns.
Spotlight
THE Crime Prevention team of the
Budapest Police Force were so
impressed with the 60 Second Security
videos they have produced their own
version - ’60 másodperc biztonság’.
The videos were produced by our
Corporate and Media Imaging team
(CMI) in conjunction with Judith
Hackney, Prevent and Secure Crime
Reduction Specialist, and PC Chris
Hayden, who also stars in the GMP
videos.
After coming across the series of
short 60 second videos on YouTube,
Police Liutenantcolonel Sándor Dombi
The work of CMI can also be found
on the Force’s Flickr site, Pinterest and
YouTube. The GMP Flickr site recently
reached 18 million views and is well
received by all its followers.
Spot the difference!
Contact CMI by phone on ext 62777
[email protected]
CMI are: Chris Oldham, Bill Morris, Geoff Lingard
and Lisa Marks
The GMP Flickr site can be found here.
The GMP 60 Second Security videos can be found
on the GMP YouTube page
15
News
Becoming happier and healthier
AS part of GMP’s commitment
to the welfare of officers and
staff, a number of wellbeing
events have been taking place
across the Force this month.
A fair was held at FHQ on
Wednesday 8 July showcasing a
range of services available to
officers and staff to assist with
their physical and mental
wellbeing.
Organisations who attended
included Anxiety UK, Cancer
Awareness and Living Streets.
There was also a beauty bar and
Transport for Greater Manchester
offered a ‘Dr Bike’ service for free
bike check-ups.
The event was very well
attended, with colleagues visiting
from other divisions and
branches to speak to the various
partners involved and gain
valuable advice on a range of
wellbeing topics.
In addition to this, a wellbeing
programme open to all officers
and staff is currently in place at
Sedgley Park. Running over a
series of dates in July and
August, the programme consists
of a full day wellbeing activity
where staff can attend a number
of different sessions such as
meditation techniques, a guided
four mile walk, a spinning class
and a health fair.
For more information on the
events take a look at the latest
news items on the intranet.
NEW legislation introduced in
March this year makes it is easier to
bring drug drivers to justice.
The new powers place legal limits
on eight illegal drugs and eight
medicinal drugs, working in the same
way as drink driving. It will run
alongside existing drug drive laws but
removes the need for prosecutors to
prove impairment of driving due to the
influence of drugs.
In addition new drug driving tests,
which GMP piloted before the national
roll out, mean that drivers can now be
tested at the roadside for
cannabis and cocaine using a
swab of saliva.
It goes without saying that
drugs pose as much of a danger
as alcohol and officers have been
urging the public that the same
rule applies – none for the road.
Summer operation
During June’s summer drink
and drug drive operation, officers
carried out 93 drug tests using
the new kit and 73 per cent tested
positive for cannabis or cocaine, and
in some instances, both.
Ch Insp Rachel Buckle said: “The
latest figures demonstrate the scale of
the problem out there and it’s
imperative we use legislation and drug
testing kits to our advantage to
increase safety on the roads.
“Tests are available 24/7. If you
suspect you may be dealing with a
drug driver then please contact the
Roads Policing Unit immediately, as a
number of drugs degrade quickly.”
Sgt John Brennan demonstrates one of the kits
16
OFFICERS from the Gorton
North Neighbourhood Policing
Team took part in a ‘Super Learning
Day’ at All Saints Primary School in
Belle Vue, Gorton. The theme of the
day was ‘safety’ and throughout the
day the children got chance to
experience a wide range of fun
learning.
The Gorton North team turned
up with a dog unit, a carrier and
different bits of the uniform so the
children could have a taste of life in
the police. They also made sure the
children knew the police were
around for their safety and to help
them should they need it.
PC Dale
Chadwick said:
“We wanted to
create a fun
learning
environment that
would firstly give
the children an
unforgettable
experience and
secondly teach
them about the
The kids get acquainted with two GMP recruits
importance of
being safe in
their community. It was great to see
I think that was one of the
the children’s faces when they saw
favourite bits of the day for a lot of
the dog.
the pupils.”
SCHOOLS TOGETHER:
Colleagues from South
Manchester Division held the
annual ‘Schools Together’ event
hosted by Nicholls College and
Manchester Academy. The event
took place over four days and
more than 750 children from 18
primary schools came together to
learn skills about honesty,
integrity, pride, truth and
achievement all through sporting
activities. Local police officers and
PCSOs used the opportunity to
speak with the children and help
to break down any barriers that
may be in place.
A safe haven
for revellers
GMP Life
Super learning in Gorton
CI Laura Marler and Deputy PCC Jim Battle with a
Manchester Street Angels representative
OFFICERS from the North
Manchester Division have piloted a
scheme to provide revellers a place for
support and ease the pressure on
frontline services.
The ‘Safe Haven’ was trialled for four
weeks and during that time it
successfully supported people by
providing assistance to reunite people
with their friends, offer a place to sober
up and ensure that emergency services
were not unnecessarily called out.
Based at the Nexus Art Café on Dale
Street, Manchester ‘Safe Haven’ is
supported by regular officers, special
constables, Manchester Street Angels
and the LGBT Foundation Village
Angels.
17
Letters
Letters of Appreciation
I wanted to let you know how
grateful my wife Fiona and I are
to one of your officer’s, PC
Nathan Butterworth.
We have been severely
harassed by a man that has left
us both on the brink in his
attempts to destroy our lives. PC
Butterworth has been our
salvation and we hope his
intervention will help bring this
matter to a conclusion so we can
rebuild our lives. Without a doubt
he is one of the best officers we
have ever come across and
without his help, heaven knows
where we would be. He is brilliant
at his job and an absolute credit
to the Force.
Mr S, Trafford
I was involved in a car
accident in May and I was left
very shaken along with my
passengers, one of whom had
two fractured ribs. I wish to say
how impressed I was with the
policewoman who was involved,
PC Joanne Worsley, from the
Road Policing Unit. She was
efficient, sensitive and followed
me home to ensure I was ok. She
also telephoned my friends to see
how they were later on as they
18
had to go to A&E because of their
injuries. A job more than well
done.
Mrs H, Chadderton
I am writing this letter to
express my gratitude to the
services by the police officers.
The officers saved me from my
house which could have ignited
fire at any minute after smoke
caused by the burning food. Due
to some health complications I
became unconsciousness.
Indeed I have to admit that
had it not of been your police
officers who risked their lives I
would have been dead thus I
value their actions as
extraordinary as they risked
themselves.
To me and my family back
home this is a precedent as we
found it rare for the police to enter
a smoking house to save
someone.
As if rescuing me was not
enough the officers provided aid
to me until I got into the
ambulance. I was very weak but I
overheard one of the officers
advise the ambulance crew of my
disability.
The actions of the officers
rejuvenated my trust in the police
which I had completely lost.
Indeed, they proved me wrong
about their role which I had
underestimated but today I feel
very proud and secure and I am
alive because of them. Some of
my fellow African men and
women talk proudly about these
officers and the calls are still
pouring to find out the authenticity
of my rescue by the police
officers. My family back home are
very proud and have no words of
expressing my thanks to those
officers for saving my life.
Mr Nkomo
I would just like to thank all of
the staff who kindly attended our
school summer fayre on Saturday
13 July at St John's CE Primary
School Pemberton. I would
especially like to thank the PCSO
Ben Heppenstall who organised
the visit and all the resources.
The children really loved it and
we really hope to see you again
next year! Thank you PCSOs
Ben Heppenstall and Ann
Simpkin, and PC Ian Corcoran
for giving up your time it was
greatly appreciated!
Miss C Myers
Tremendous support
I have experienced a number of
neighbourhood issues over the last six
years. This has involved continuous
dog barking, blocking access to the
back of my property and rubbish being
left on my property.
I was visited by PCSO Anita Ashton
who took details of what had been
happening. She came back the following
afternoon with PC Phil Atherton.
I was overwhelmed by the response
as it showed that both officers were
treating this as a serious matter.
They spoke to the neighbour asking
her to move her rubbish. The neighbour
was rude to the officers but they
dealt with her in a calm and polite
manner and she was told to move the
rubbish before the end of the day.
She didn’t move the rubbish so I
had to report it again. By Sunday
morning the rubbish had gone.
The support from Anita was
tremendous and if all officers where
more like her then issues would be
resolved a lot sooner.
Mrs C, Wigan
PC Paul Mottram and
PCSO Nigel Kirk have
helped to secure £1,800 of
funding from the High
Sheriff’s Trust for Winton
Wanderers Football Club,
who are based in Eccles.
Nigel said: “The head
coach Adam Pritchard is a
dedicated coach and
mentor to the children
under his care. We were
really impressed with his
work at the club as well as
his sterling work to the
Winton Wanderers football club with PC Mottram and PCSO Kirk wider community.”
What’s On?
Wednesday 22—Sunday 26 July
GMP Life
High Sheriff’s Trust
RHS Flower Show Tatton Park
Saturday 8 August
Man Utd vs. Chelsea
2 July—19 July
Manchester International
Festival
Friday 31 July
Badly Drawn Boy, Bridgewater Hall
Caption Competition
Sunday 2 August
Sky Ride
Manchester City
Centre
Saturday 1 August
Last night of the Halle proms
Bridgewater Hall
13-15 August
West Side Story,
Palace Theatre
Sunday 16 August
Manchester City vs. Chelsea
Last edition’s winner:
“My dad used to hit me over the head
with a Kodak camera, I still get flash
backs” PC Adam Murphy
Send your caption suggestions to [email protected] by 18 September 2015. We will
print the winning suggestion in the next issue
Saturday 29 August
Manchester Pride Event
Tuesday 4—Saturday 8 August
Barnum, The Lowry
Friday 18 September
Florence & The Machine
Phones 4U Arena
19
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By Ian Hanson, Chairman GMP
Police Federation
GMP colleagues have long benefited
from the superb cover provided by the
Federation Group Insurance Scheme
(shown as LIAS on your payslip). The
protection we offer is always developing
and the Trustees who run it are
constantly looking for improvements.
Group Insurance is unique - it is
exactly what it says on the tin -access to
the scheme is limited to police officers,
their spouses and the police family and
we can negotiate excellent rates with
underwriters.
Membership of the scheme amongst
police officers stands at around 97%
and when spouses and retired officers
are added on the total membership
stands at over 11,000, giving us stability
and negotiating strength to use on your
behalf.
Police staff have not yet taken
advantage of the scheme. So, the
Trustees have decided to launch a
bespoke policy tailored specifically for
police staff in GMP, with some of the
benefit amounts reduced which has
reduce the cost significantly when
compared against the main scheme.
Police staff colleagues joining will still
enjoy the same travel and motor
breakdown cover, as well as full family
legal protection and home emergency
insurance, however the benefits paid in
the event of death and critical illness
have been set at £40,000 and £10,000
enabling us to offer this at a cost of
£14.95 per month for a serving member
of police staff and £3.29 for their
spouse. Full details of all the benefits
provided can be found here, together
with policy booklets for all levels of
protection provided under the scheme.
The main elements of the scheme
are life cover and critical illness cover.
The GMP Federation scheme offers
an extensive list of conditions which are
covered as part of the critical illness
insurance, with varying levels of cover
dependent upon which element of the
scheme a member subscribes too.
The top band of protection is set at
£20,000 for a serving police officer in
the main scheme, the maximum level of
life cover is set at £140,000 for death by
any causes and is paid on a Trust basis
very quickly after an event to provide
financial assistance when it is needed.
If you are already a member ensure
the Federation Office has an up to date
Nomination Form of your beneficiary in
the event of something happening – it
can be found on the GMP Federation
website.
All branches of the policy also
provide cover for many things
colleagues are unaware of and
sometimes are paying for duplicate and
unnecessary cover elsewhere.
Scheme members and families have
full worldwide travel insurance for up to
60 days which also extends to
dependent children travelling
independently up to 18 or 21 if in fulltime education.
Grandchildren are also covered if
travelling with a member, even if their
parents are not on the same trip. There
is full motor breakdown and recovery
protection for member and spouse
including Europe.
Home emergency cover is also
included which protects against boiler
failure amongst many other domestic
perils. For full details of all the cover
offered go to www.gmpfederation.com/
download-area/
GMP Life
Staff Insurance Scheme
BETTER HEALTH: NHS health professionals (pictured with Senior
Investigating Officer Bob Tonge) paid Nexus House a visit to offer free
health check ups for people based in the building. Over 50 officers and staff
took advantage of the service to check their blood pressure, learn about
their cholesterol levels and get advice on how to improve their health. The
event proved so popular that an extra day of appointments was arranged.
21
GMP Life
22
Dementia: a cultural perspective
By Ch Insp John Taylor, Rochdale
residents of Rochdale.
and advice to support services and
other professionals.
He is a visiting lecturer at Salford
University’s Institute for Dementia,
“Because many BME/South Asian
ROCHDALE division has taken
having
worked
in
the
field
of
learning,
communities
do not have a word for
steps to help officers with the demands
dementia; people living with the
of dealing with dementia with a series of skills and community development in
the
public
sector
for
25
years.
He
also
condition are often referred to as ‘crazy’
innovative training inputs, with a
has personal experience of caring for
or assumed they are possessed by evil
particular focus on the perception of
spirits – this is often
mental health in South Asian
delaying diagnosis.
communities.
“So as part of my training I
Ch Insp John Taylor has
talk about black magic and
co-ordinated the events. He
how that can impact on the
said: “Dementia has an
family’s beliefs and culture.
increasing impact on our
aging communities and we
The police are a valuable
really wanted to do
part of our community and
something different to
I am delighted to share my
coincide with the national
knowledge and experience
dementia awareness week in
with them; and I was
May.”
humbled when Chief
Inspector Taylor invited me
Over a five week period
to deliver this training to his
all front line staff took part in
staff.
two 45 minute bespoke
training sessions, both of
“Hopefully we can roll out
which were designed to raise
this innovative programme
awareness and share
to all Greater Manchester
A new perspective on dealing with dementia: Ch Insp John Taylor with
community activist Shahid Mohammed at one of the events
knowledge of dementia.
divisions, and maybe even
Shahid Mohammed from
nationally.”
Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Health his mother, who suffers from dementia.
This training is ground breaking for
and Wellbeing delivered the second
the
police and benefits go beyond
When asked about his work, Shahid
session focussing specifically on the
dealing
with mental health.
said: “I decided to set about on a
South Asian Community.
Understanding different cultures and
campaign to engage with the BME and
Shahid is a community activist in
taboos helps with community
South Asian community in Rochdale
dementia and the Founder of BME
engagement, confidence in policing and
and start a process of raising
Health & Wellbeing who is passionate
awareness of dementia, providing help community cohesion.
about making a difference for the
Pennine
Anniversary
THIS year, the Pennine Way
celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Kevin Hoines, a retired police officer
sent Brief a photograph of a group of
cadets including himself who walked
the Pennine Way in 1968.
He completed almost the entire
walk until their support van broke
down.
The 268 mile trail, which was
officially opened in 1965, stretches
from Edale in the Derbyshire Peak
District to Kirk Yetholm on the Scottish
border.
Today Kevin (pictured below) still
walks, raising money for a mountain
rescue organization.
SPECIALS Sergeant
Carmen Thompson
and Special
Constables Rebecca
Fitton, Mark Goulding,
Dudu Miah,
Mohammed Ali and
Kamran Bashir took
on the challenge of
climbing Mount
Snowden to raise
money for the charity
Retrak.
Carmen said: “We climbed up the Pyg route in
a record of two hours and 15 minutes after
working together as a team. We were determined
to reach the top!
“Mark carried on even though he had cold
knees and Mohammed kept everyone going with
his flapjacks. We raised more than £600 between
us.”
CH Insp Umer
Khan also
ascended
Mount
Snowden with
a group of
friends, family
and
colleagues to
raise money for Retrak and an orphanage in
Pakistan.
Umer has been fund raising since November last
year—£2,000 went to Retrak and £1,000 for the
orphanage.
Obituaries
Mr Harold Snape, died 01/04/15, aged 83
GMP Life
Snowdon successes
Mr Keith Woodward, died 01/04/15, aged 66
Det Ch Insp Sidney Horne, died 16/04/15, aged 82
PC Nicholas Doyle, died 24/04/15, aged 88
Mr Gerald Speight, died 25/04/15, aged 86
Ch Ins Mary Davison, died 27/04/15, aged 87
Officer Donald Durie, died 29/04/15, aged 93
PC Christopher Bradley, died 04/05/15, aged 58
Officer Brian Grimsditch, died 11/05/15, aged 61
Father and son get in the saddle
DET Sgt Damian Threader from the Serious Crime
Division and his son Michael have taken part in a charity
cycle ride at the Manchester Velodrome to raise money
for Haematology and Transport Support (HATS).
The charity (Hatsupport.co.uk) provides support and
care to patients and families undergoing stem cell/bone
marrow transplants. Damian’s father, Peter, a retired
GMP officer had a successful life-saving stem cell
transplant at The Christie in 2012.
Peter said: “I am proud and grateful to both Damian
and Michael for supporting the charity. Despite the
nerves, cycling at the Velodrome for the first time, they
both enjoyed the experience. The event was a huge
success and a lot of money was raised.”
PC Alfred Siddle, died 17/05/15, aged 87
Officer Edward Etherington, died 23/05/15, aged
66
Officer William Alexander, died 24/05/15, aged 78
Det Frank Gorrie, died 29/05/15, aged 79
Supt Michael Baker, died 05/06/15, aged 54
Officer Eric Heyes, died 12/06/15, aged 64
PC Gerald Lloyd, died 12/06/15, aged 81
23
Sport
Cricket and the community
THREE GMP officers competed
for the British Police Water Polo
Team in the police sport UK
invitational tournament at Bury on
May 16, beating teams from Bury,
Radcliffe and Liverpool to win the
trophy.
The cup was kindly provided by
the widow of PC Dave “Ralphy”
Briggs who had played water polo for
the police until his passing in 2009
from a brain tumour.
Public Order instructor Mike Short (Coach) far left,
PC Andy Pearson (GK) second left, DC Graham
Elleray (holding plaque), DC Steve Davidson
(captain) holding the cup.
Left: the team in action
NEWTON Neighbourhood
Policing Team in Stockport has
been helping to break down
barriers between young
children and police by
organising the annual interschools community cricket
tournament.
PCSO Tony Novotny, from
Newton NPT said:
“Tournaments and community
events like this present us with
an ideal opportunity to meet
the children and encourage
them to feel confident in
speaking to the police from an
early age.
“The vision is to expand the
24
event next year to include a
bigger community and include
more schools.”
Funded by GMP and local
businesses, primary schools
from the Hyde, Hattersley and
Broadbottom areas took part in
the annual tournament which
was held at Flowery Field
Cricket Club in June.
With support from New
Charter, Hyde Clarendon
College, Flowery Field Cricket
Club, local businesses and
councillors, the event turned
out to be a fun filled day for all
involved and a huge success
for community involvement.
A raffle and donations raised £415 for
the Christie Hospital Charity.
If you’re interested in joining us please
email [email protected]
GMP to host national netball event
GMP is to host the annual Netball PSUK
in September this year.
As part of this year’s event the two GMP
teams will be raising money for the PC
Nicola Hughes Foundation and the Willow
Rose Charity.
PC Verity Farry, from the Tameside
Division is part of the PSUK Netball team.
She said: “We would love lots of people to
come along and support us. The
competition takes place on Saturday 12 and
Sunday 13 September between 9am and
4pm.
“So make a note of the date in your diary
and come along and support us.”
(a half ironman distance), where he
recorded strong times in very
THE GMP Triathlon Team has
competitive fields.
competed in a number of PSUK
The final event of the season
events this year.
was at Ullswater on Friday 10 July
GMP won the team event at the for the PSUK Olympic Triathlon
Emergency Services sprint event
(1500m swim, 40km cycle, 10km
(750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run)
run) around beautiful surroundings
in Nottingham in May against some in the Lake District where the team
strong teams from the Fire Service launched their new kits.
and the Metropolitan Police.
GMP was strongly represented
Craig Morgan, Richard Sample over 10 entries. Craig Morgan
and Steve Hall fared the best with
came third overall.
the rest of the team recording good
Anyone wishing to join the team
times.
please contact PC Ben Coombs or
Craig Morgan also represented any of the team members.
GMP at the inter-services duathlon
We aim to get some training
championships and the middle
events throughout the year and
distance Triathlon championships
come back stronger next season.
Sport
Triumphant
triathletes
By PC Ben Coombes
The triathlon team at Ullswater, (left to right):
Phil Slicksby, Martin Taylor, Ben Coombs, Craig Chapman, Kate Barlow, Matt Hawtin, Mike Buddy, Rick
Sample, Matt Oldham, Martin Wildman, Steve Hall and Craig Morgan
National honour for basketballer
A GMP officer has been chosen
to play for the GB Basketball team.
PC Stuart Jackson from the
Tactical Aid Unit has been playing
basketball for more than 25 years.
He started playing basketball at
the age of 14, and has played in
Division One National League
representing Bury and has been
playing for GMP for 10 years.
He said: “The selection process
included regional qualifiers,
national final scouts followed by
trials in December last year and
March this year.
“I was very proud to put on my
GB kit for the very first time and
able to represent my country.”
The team played the British
Army last month and won 96-71.
Stuart is also hoping that the squad
reaches the World Police Games in
Greece in 2017.
25
Students from Whalley Range 11-18 High School accompanied by ACC Dawn Copley helped mark the first national day of remembrance for victims of honourbased abuse on July 14 by releasing balloons. The #dishonourthecrime campaign, introduced by the charity Karma Nirvana in conjunction with Cosmopolitan
Magazine, aims to remember victims and to encourage young people to denounce honour-based abuse crimes.