Durham Peeler - Summer 2022 by Durham NARPO

BranchDurhamN.A.R.P.OMagazine Summer 2022 DURHAM PEELER Phone: 01325 327165 E-mail: Durham2@narpo.org Web : E-mail:Graphicwww.durhamnarpo.org.ukDesigner:FinleyKendallFinn.e.kendall@gmail.com

Sadly, we also lost Retired Chief Constable, George Ernest Hedges BEM, QPM, DL, who passed away 6th May 2022 aged 80 years, following a short illness. Mr Hedges served as the Deputy Chief Constable from 1993 to 1997 and then as Chief Constable from 1997 to 2002, when he retired. My gratitude, once again, goes out to Bob Brown, our Website Manager for his unwavering efforts in its constant updates and improvements. Bob has recently updated the Chief Constables page by adding their photographs.

The luncheon, at the Durham Indoor Bowling Club, unfortunately this will have taken place by the time you receive your copy of the magazine. Due to time constraints, we were only able to promote this via our website, Facebook and ThereTwitter.has been changes to the Force Executive Team, with the retirements of Deputy Chief Constable, David Orford and Assistant Chief Constable John Ward. They are replaced by Cieron Irvine and Tonya Antonis, respectively. We welcome them in their latest posts and wish them well for the future.

General Manager

Well, since the last publication we have seen a number of changes in respect of Covid restrictions; I believe that the compulsory wearing of face coverings is probably one of the most welcome. This makes the identifying those people we come across in day-to-day life much easier, provided that we can remember their names! We should however still be conscious of those who are vulnerable in respect of their health issues and respect them and others that feel more comfortable in wearing face Imasks.thinkthe majority of us will have had our first, second, third and in some cases fourth vaccinations. June 2022 sees the Platinum Jubilee of our sovereign, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, now in her 96th year. In celebration of this event, we brought our annual luncheon forward to Sunday 12th June.

CHATEDITOR’S

As previous mentioned, NARPO holds personal details of its members, whatever their membership grades, on a central database. Details of the Privacy Policy can be found on the National NARPO website. A few Branch Officers have access to the Durham Branch membership only; this allows them to manage and update records as necessary. This ensures that your record is as accurate and up to date as possible, a legal requirement placed upon us under the General Data Protection Regulations.

Ray Jones

I would urge you to make use of the Additional Information Form printed in this magazine to assist in the efficient management, legislative compliance and best service to you, our valued member.

Whilst Force Headquarters, upon being advised of the death, pass on contact details for Durham NARPO to the family, few actually act upon this and without consent of the family we cannot publish anything on the website.

We strive to provide a respective and informative obituary to the deceased, but rely heavily upon this information being made available to us by the person themselves, prior to death, or by the family, following death. The reason for these issues is due to the extremely scant information provided to us by Force Headquarters Departments. This is due to the cleansing of personal records, Data Protection Regulations and staffing issues. It is normal practice that we are informed of deaths, but this is very much restricted to the full name and date of death of person and whether they were a retired officer, widow/ widower, police staff etc.

Ray Jones

I would urge you to make use of the Member Information Form printed in this magazine to assist in the efficient management, legislative compliance and best service to you, our valued member.

Email: Durham2@narpo.org

I am sure that most of our membership, with internet access, appreciate the death notices published on our website in respect of retired officers, widows and widowers, family members and police staff. It seems to be common practice nowadays for many deaths not being advised via newspaper announcements; where deaths do appear in the press, the circulation of such is often insufficient to alert friends and ex-colleagues who may wish to attend the funeral to pay their final respects.

Chairman & Durham Peeler Editor Email: Durham2@narpo.org 2

Chairman & Durham Peeler Editor

Quite rightly, the criminal justice system in general and policing in particular have come under intense scrutiny in recent months over the investigation and prosecution of Atrape.11.1%, Durham has the highest charging rate for rape investigations of any of the 43 police forces in England and Wales. That performance is built on Durham’s top-to-bottom culture of prioritising high harm crime and everyone from the call handler who takes the initial contact to the investigating officer in the case understands that. On average it takes 282 days between an allegation being made and a suspect being charged, roughly half the time taken by some other forces. CONSTABLE A message from the

CHIEF CONSTABLE

CHIEF

We have developed a close working relationship with criminal justice partners, especially the CPS, to put survivors first, leading to good case management and speedier justice. But the entire criminal justice system needs to do more if we are to deliver the results that survivors deserve. To do that, everyone involved in the investigation and prosecution of rape needs to take a long and serious look at our own practices, learn from our collective mistakes and commit to making change when change is necessary. A message from the

Jo Farrell

Further Reminder: The GOV.UK’s ‘Tell us Once’ scheme for notifying deaths DOES NOT notify the Police Pension Providers in England and Wales. Notification to Durham Constabulary should be directed to Police Pay & Pensions Department, Police Headquarters, Aykley Heads, Durham DH1 5TT (Tel: 0191 375 2218).

That’s why Durham Constabulary is taking a leading role in Project Soteria, a radical research project which aims to transform the policing and prosecution of sexual offences across the country. Leading academics are working with our officers and staff to better understand suspects’ behaviour, scrutinise investigative decision-making and ensure all reasonable lines of inquiry are explored. The academics are taking a fresh, outside look at what we do and how we do it, pouring over thousands of previous investigations to see where we get it right and where we get it wrong. Their initial findings make encouraging reading. It is clear that survivors of sexual offences can have the confidence to report to Durham Constabulary and will be treated with respect and sensitivity by our officers when they do.

Soteria researchers did not identify a single case over the last four years in which the victim had not been listened to and their evidence taken seriously. They also found a widespread understanding among detectives about pervasive rape myths and a willingness to challenge them whenever and wherever they were encountered. But if we are to deliver justice for survivors and bring about a fundamental improvement in how we deal with rape and sexual offences, then we have to be genuinely open to fresh thinking to bring about sustained change and in coming months the Soteria academics will be offering constructive criticism of how we can serve victims better. Rape and other sexual offences are among the most harrowing crimes that we as police officers investigate and that’s why tackling high-harm offences, including rape, is a top priority for Durham Constabulary. We know there is a long way to go in addressing some of the issues around the investigation and prosecution of sexual offences, but any measure which makes that process easier for survivors and increases the number of rapists that we convict and ultimately jail is a very welcome step in the right direction.

Hon President: (Ex Officio) Chief Constable Jo Farrell Chairman & Durham Peeler Editor: Raymond T Jones Tel: 01325 327165 Mob: Mob: 07535 Emails:261063 rayjones2341@gmail.comDurham2@narpo.org Vice Chairman: Martin Hall Tel: 01388 816617 Mob: 07866 824177 Email: martinhalliam@hotmail.co.uk Secretary: Stuart A R Ingram Tel: 01388 814768 Mob: 07989 333025 Emails: Durham@narpo.org sji1179@ btinternet.com 2022DURHAM BRANCH COMMITTEE Treasurer: Susan K Knaggs Tel: 0191 388 4052 Mob: 07932 613031 Email: susan0095@gmail.com Welfare Officer: Mike McGuire Tel: 01740 238694 Mob: 07486 065460 Email: mikej.mcguire@sky.com Committee: Bill Bramfitt, Tony Burn, Mel Davison, Bob Gadd, Peter Harrison, Audrey Ledger, Jeff Miller, Ken Anderson Website Manager: Bob Brown Tel: 0191 377 1791 Mob: 07767 324896 Email: 1093brown@gmail.com Thursday 14th July 2022 Bishop Auckland Hospital Social Club 19:30hrs Thursday 15th Sept 2022 Bishop Auckland Hospital Social Club 19:30hrs N.B. Our Branch meetings take place on alternative months and are open to all. Due to changes at Bishop Auckland Hospital Club, further dates have not been published at this time; please continue to check out our website durhamnarpo.org.uk for information, news and updates.

2022NARPO DURHAM BRANCH MEETINGS NARPO DURHAM BRANCH MEETINGS 2022

Due to changes at Bishop Auckland Hospital Club, further dates have not been published at this time; please continue to check out our website durhamnarpo.org.uk for information regarding news, venues and updates.

Thursday 15th Sept 2022 Bishop Auckland Hospital Social Club 19:30hrs N.B. Our Branch meetings take place on alternative months and are open to all. Due to changes at Bishop Auckland Hospital Club, further dates have not been published at this time; please continue to check out our website durhamnarpo.org.uk for information, news and updates.

2022NARPO DURHAM BRANCH MEETINGS

Thursday 14th July 2022 Bishop Auckland Hospital Social Club 19:30hrs

Bishop Auckland Hospital Social Club 19:30hrs

2022NARPO DURHAM BRANCH MEETINGS

BRANCH MEETING VENUES: Durham Indoor Bowling Club: Abbey Road, Pity Me, Durham DH1 5GE

Thursday 14th July 2022

Bishop Auckland Hospital Club: 32A Escomb Road, Bishop Auckland DL14 6TZ

ALL CREATURES GREAT & SMALL 6

ALL CREATURES GREAT & SMALL

This is my story of how my police dog, Sultan, appeared in a book about Yorkshire Vets. In late 1969 I was stationed at Peterlee dog section. I had recently completed my initial police dog course at Harperley Hall. I left the course with a long-haired German Shepherd bitch called Rona. Rona was a county bred dog. Both of her parents were police dogs. Rona was a lovely dog. She had a brilliant sense of smell and specialised in tracking and searching. Our first posting was at Bishop Auckland division. At that time Bishop was a reasonably quiet place and most of the dog section work involved scenes of crime. Rona just didn’t seem to have a nasty streak in her, which we hoped might develop as she matured, given sufficient time. On being posted to Peterlee things were quite different. At that time Peterlee was combined with Hartlepool and on occasion Peterlee dogs performed duties there. Work consisted more of disturbances and violent situations. It soon became obvious that Rona just did not have what it took to be a police dog in that area. My Sergeant at Peterlee at that time was Peter Hedges. It was decided to look for a replacement dog. There were two methods of obtaining suitable police dogs. One, as with Rona, was to breed our own. The other method was by obtaining “gift dogs”. Gift dogs were dogs that had been owned by members of the public and who felt they could not continue to look after them for various reasons. These gift dogs were usually between 9 months and 16 months old and if suitable were given a trial to be a police dog.

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One such dog was Sultan (Simba of Aycliffe). He was brought to Peterlee kennels, at the rear of Peterlee police office, on his way to Harperley Hall. He did not like this change of circumstances, refused his food, and did not like humans. I spent some time with him in the kennel yard. He eventually approached me and took food from my hand. For some reason Sultan and his handler on his initial course did not complete the course. Sergeant Hedges asked if I wanted to try to train the dog up to take over from Rona. I agreed and I trained up ISultan.made

some enquiries about the history of Sultan and found that he was bred by a lady called Mrs Arrowsmith of Grindon, Sunderland. Mr & Mrs Arrowsmith, Nan & Tony were the owners of a bookshop in Sunderland town centre. The Arrowsmith’s were not dog breeders but had Alsatians as pets. They had Sultan’s mother, Della, and also his brother Karl. Karl was a big dog, he had a floppy ear and suffered from epilepsy. He was a” big softy” and had never been known to bark in his life. One of the duties of dog section at that time was to police crowds at Roker Park football matches. I contacted Mrs Nan Arrowsmith and asked if she would be interested in seeing her “pup”. She was very interested and couldn’t wait to see the dog. The Arrowsmith’s had called the dog “Tiger Tim”, he was the smallest of the litter but a fighter. Following one of Sunderland’s home matches I parked up the dog van at the rear of the book shop and took Sultan in where he was made a big fuss of by the Arrowsmith’s and their staff Sultan proved he was quick to learn and together we did well in our force dog trials. He was good at obedience and especially good at “man work” and crowd control. At that time (early 70s) the Durham County Show was held at Lambton Lion Park, near Chester le Street. I was chosen, with other members of the dog section, to represent Durham County Constabulary. Competitors came from other forces, Northumberland, North Yorkshire, Teesside and there was even a competitor from City of London (PC Fred Jolly). I contacted Mrs Arrowsmith and told her that her “Tiger Tim” was going to compete in the police dog completion on that day. Mr & Mrs Arrowsmith came to the show and brought with them Karl. It was a lovely sunny day which brought large crowds. Several other competitors completed their obedience tests and my turn came to enter the roped off enclosure. “PC Wood with police dog Sultan, from Durham County Police” was announced over the public address system. Apparently as I entered the enclosure Karl gave one tremendous “Woof”. The Arrowsmith’s were stunned and looked at their dog in disbelief. Mrs Arrowsmith said it was though he had recognised his litter brother and was cheering him on. This was the first of many competitions s we took part in, and we were awarded a rosette for 3rd place in criminal work and also a rosette for 3rd place in a competition for the 6-foot scale. A good result for our first competition

QUEEN’S REVIEW OF THE BRITISH POLICE SERVICE

Ten thousand Police Officers took part in the parade, including some three hundred Policewomen and forty-two Police Dogs.

One of the Police Officers on the parade was PC 686 James (Jim) Spiers Gray (pictured), who had been selected to be part of the Durham County Constabulary contingent.

Sultan was later commended by the Chief Constable as a result of attending a scene of a burglary in Burnopfield, recovery of property, and arrest of a gang from Newcastle area. A rare occasion of a Police dog being commended by name something I was very proud of.

Barry Wood

The Queen and Prince Philip inspected the ranks from an open Land Rover, slowly driven by her majesty’s chauffer.

On my first visit to Arrowsmith’s shop after the football match Mrs Arrowsmith told me that her relation, (nephew or cousin) had been to the shop recently. He was signing copies of his book. His name was Alf White and he was writing about his life as a vet in rural North Yorkshire with the non de plume of “James Herriot”. In conversation with Alf White, Mrs Arrowsmith mentioned about Karl barking for the only time in his life when he saw his police dog brother. Alf later included this in one of his books. Because it was about a Yorkshire vet, he formed the story as the dog taking part in a sheepdog trial.

QUEEN’S REVIEW OF THE BRITISH POLICE SERVICE

One of the Police Officers on the parade was PC 686 James (Jim) Spiers Gray (pictured), who had been selected to be part of the Durham County Constabulary contingent.

On 14th July 1954, the first Royal review of Britain’s Police for 19 years took place in Hyde Park, London, when Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh inspected the huge presence of Police Officers from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Due to the enormity of the event, Jim’s wife Jessie who had never been to London, travelled there independently. She was a keen photographer and captured the Royal Party as they drove past her position in the crowd.

During his police career, Jim had been stationed at Crook, Jarrow and latterly Stanhope, retiring in the 1960’s.

Photo by Malcolm Smith, provided by Jim and Jessie’s daughter, Christina in 2020.

By sheer coincidence a bundle of photographs was passed on to me by the family of previous Police Officers, Bill and Mary Forrester. One photograph also shows the Hyde Park parade and portrays the number of police men and women on parade that day. Photograph donated by the Forrester Family

After Jim’s death, his widow Jessie Hunter Gray, remained in their Stanhope residence up to her death on 21st April 2020, at the age of 104 years.

Short film footage of this event can be found on the internet at: https://www.britishpathe.com/video/ queens-police-review#

The absent Band Members were replaced by musicians from Stanhope Silver Band and singing group, ‘Bon Achord’ providing vocal renditions with jovial inserts.

CHRISTMAS CHARITY CONCERT

However, this was yet another function that had been adversely affected by the Covid-19 virus. The attendance had to be limited due to social distancing restrictions, the Mail Voice Choir had to withdraw its performance due to the recent bereavement of the pianist’s father and a number of its members suffering Covid symptoms. In addition, some Band Members were unavailable for the same reason.

Having said that the performers were affected in this way, it did not distract from the entertaining evening and the determination of its organisers, with the spirit of ‘the show must go on’.

On 16th December 2021, I attended the Force’s Christmas Charity Concert at Spennymoor Town Hall. This was to follow the usual format of previous concerts, involving both the Durham Constabulary Band and Male Voice Choir.

Unfortunately, the Chief Constable was unable to attend the event. Durham Constabulary Chaplain, the Reverend Canon, Adrian Gatrill represented the force. The evening’s ticket and raffle sales generated the sum of £614.80, which was donated to Macmillan Cancer Support. Chief Constable Jo Farrell presented a cheque to their representative, Kevin Richardson at our Branch AGM on 8th March.

Kevin Richardson - Macmillan Cancer Support, Jo Farrell - Chief Constable, Dennis NobleMusical Director, Stuart Ingram - Durham NARPO 10

I have to say that Spennymoor Town Hill took the Covid sanitising extremely seriously, as I found out when I visited the ‘Gents’ prior to leaving and saw their advisory notice! I complied with their instruction to my horror; my it didn’t half make my eyes water – wouldn’t you think they would have provided alcohol free wipes!

The 4th March 1982 was a day that is engraved in the hearts of the Durham Constabulary Family of Police Officers, Police Support and Staff Officers for all the wrong reasons. This was the day that one of our family, DC James Brian Porter was killed, murdered in the line of duty, whilst attending and dealing with the outcome of an armed robbery at the wallpaper factory of Chamberlain Phipps at Greenfields Industrial Estate, Bishop Auckland.

Jim and Bill drove to that vicinity, alighted from their car and approached the suspects. At point blank range Horner raised his gun and fired, hitting Jim in the chest and fatally wounding him. Bill also dropped to the ground; feigning being hit.

Also alerted to the ongoing developments of the robbery and shooting, Scientific Aids Officer, DC Brian Stewart who was driving his police van in the opposite direction. On seeing the CID car approaching, Brian made the decision to crash, head-on, into the getaway vehicle, disable it and attempt to detain its occupants. Despite being injured himself, Brian hurriedly got out of his van and ran to the CID car, securing a firearm.

Horner and Standen jumped into the parked CID car and drove off towards Toft Hill in an attempt to make good their escape; their get-away car, had been driven away by Thomas Bright, 54 years, when he realised their robbery had not got to plan.

Jim Porter was on duty that day, when he attended the incident in a CID car, together with fellow office, Temporary DC William Simpson.

DC JAMES BRIAN PORTER

The two men responsible for the robbery, 24 year old Edward Horner and 21 year old Paul Standen, had made their way from the factory, across fields, towards a stile in the hedgerow, near a cottage at the nearby hamlet of Woodhouses.

Dog Handler, Jim Mulgrew had been alerted to the scene of the shooting in his dog van, and as he drove near shots were fired at his vehicle; one shell entered the rear of the van, ricocheted around its inside and finally embedded itself in the rear of the driver’s seat back. Upon assessing the situation as he approached and seeing the gun being raised, he accelerated away, rather than braking, an action that probably saved him serious injury.

Brian Stewart also had the memories of that day and the loss of a close colleague to live with from that day.

On the last working day of his Police Career. Deputy Chief Constable, David Orford outlined the circumstances of DC Porter’s death and the memorial services and plaque.

Bill Simpson suffered with dealing with the incident emotionally and mentally and of course his family also bore the burden of the aftermath.

Jim, Bill and Brian were all awarded Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct, albeit Jim’s being posthumously awarded. At their trial, all three defendants were found guilty and received the following sentences for their involvement:

Thomas Bright: 5 years Imprisonment

This incident had a dire effect on so many people over many years to follow. Jim Porter and his wife Eileen, had 2 young children, Tracey aged 5 and Brian aged 8. They had to resume life without their loving husband and father.

Edward Horner: Life Imprisonment

Other casualties of that day in 1982 were Jim Mulgrew, his Policewoman wife, Sheila and son Gordon. Jim was badly affected by the worst day of his Police Service so much so that on the 9th of October 1992, he took his own life. On the 40th anniversary of Jim Porter’s death, a ceremony was held at Durham Police Headquarters at Aykley Heads, where a Memorial Plaque was unveiled by Mrs Michael Winner, Chairman of the Police Memorial Trust.

As would be expected a large number of Police Officers attended the scene of this serious incident, from numerous departments and disciplines.

Paul Standen: 12 years Imprisonment

Two additional items were on display at County Hall, having been borrowed from the CID Training Centre at Hutton Hall, Preston, Lancashire. These were a ‘Sherlock Holmes’ styled Squirrel (Front Cover), which had been presented ‘To the Staff at Hutton Hall by Courses J164 & J165’, at some time in the past and the Jim Porter Memorial Trophy, which had been donated by ‘Friends of Courses’, pictured above.

The Service Card, produced by The Police Memorial Trust is replicated.

Jim’s name is also to be inscribed in the Roll of Honour at the National Police Memorial in the Mall in London. The service was attended by Jim’s family, friends and fellow officers to pay their respects once again to the loss of one of our own.

The plaque will be located later this year at the entrance to a new housing estate being built on the site of the old Chamberlain Phipps factory. A street will also be named after him.

Following the service, a reception was held at County Hall, where DCC Orford again spoke to those present. He also read out a letter, which had been sent from retired Chief Superintendent Alf Charlton, via the Chief Constable, expressing his apologies for being unable to attend, due to him recovering from a recent fall. Mr Charlton said that although he would not be at the ceremony, he would be stood straight and tall at the appointed time of the ceremony, in Jim’s honour. The PCC Joy Allen and Force Chaplain, Adrian Gatrill also addressed the assembly, affirming the dedication, praises and gratitude for Jim’s commitment to the Police Service.

Thein.

A NEW ROAD (MY

At the time it seemed like nothing as I only had a sore right knee, and a bit of a limp for a few days afterwards. However, it now seems that this impact had ever so slightly displaced the alignment of my spine, and was causing an acceleration of degeneration of the discs and facet joints in my lumbar spine.

response from the Health System was very typical for Chronic Pain sufferers, endless months and years of being passed from one NHS department to another with long waits for appointments, plus the usual prescribing of pain killers including strong opioids. In fact, for years, I was taking 24 pain killers a day including 8 Tramadol or similar opioids plus morphine patches. All without any effect on the pain. In fact, my mood swings were becoming more and more intense.

A message of hope for all those suffering from long term Sincepain.2006 I have been living with Chronic Lower Back Pain, and associated Anxiety and Depression, as result of fairly advanced degeneration of my Lumbar AlthoughSpine.

I didn’t realise it at the time my problems probably began way back in 1985 when one October evening, whilst on Motor Patrol Duty, in Darlington, I was struck, while on foot, by a stolen car, at what seemed to be a fairly low speed. The impact spun me round off my feet and I landed on my backside on the grass verge. JOURNEY WITH CHRONIC PAIN)

Over the next 20 years I occasionally had short episodes of back pain, which normally passed after a few days. Then in early 2006 these episodes became more frequent and progressively more intense, until one day whilst on holiday in Scotland with my wife and after doing a short walk near Loch Ness, we drove to Fort Augustus, with the intention of calling into one of the cafes at this tourist hot spot for a bite to eat. Well then the problems really started, as I got out of the car in the main village car park I suddenly felt like I’d been shot in the spine. The pain was intense and just wouldn’t ease. In fact, the pain just never went away from that point. I subsequently retired from the Force in 2007, after 30years service. The lower back pain just became worse as the years passed and left me more and more debilitated both physically and mentally. I became extremely reclusive, not leaving the house unless I absolutely had to and then having to use crutches and eventually a wheelchair, as I was reduced to being unable to walk more than 3 or 4 metres before the pain really started to kick

1917

After initially waiting for several months, I eventually got an MRI scan which showed that the bottom 4 discs of my lumbar spine had pretty much disintegrated, along with the linings of 6 Facet joints, plus I had developed a slight double curvature of my spine, significant muscle imbalance and wastage. I was told that my condition was inoperable as there was just too much damage and degeneration, (that was a real morale boost !!). So, over the next few years I received several sets of nerve blocking injections directly into my spine, around 30 in total, and a similar procedure where 16 long metal needles were pushed into my spine in pairs and an electric current passed through them to numb the nerves down either side of the spine. These procedures had varying degrees of success ranging from zero effect to total pain relief but only ever lasted for a few weeks at most. Eventually I came to a point when even these procedures were no longer possible due to too much scaring in the nerve tissues. In fact, some of these procedures had to be done privately due to NHS waiting lists of well over a year and cost me thousands of pounds. But, then a stroke of luck. My last procedures were done privately by a Pain Management Consultant called DR. Milligan. Mr. Milligan, was upfront about my options being very limited and was concerned for my mental health (I had by this time been having daily suicidal thoughts). So, he had a mental health assessment done on me and I was diagnosed with having significantly high levels of depression and anxiety. He must have been concerned but also recognised that I might be a good candidate for a relatively new method of treating patients with Chronic Pain being trialed over an extended period at a handful of hospitals around the country. Fortunately, he also worked for the NHS at one such Hospital (James Cook, Teesside). He wrote to my GP and got me referred to his Pain Management Unit at James Cook, where along with a number of other patients/ guinea pigs, I was enrolled on the “Pain Course”. This was the start of my NEW ROAD as I like to call it. Over a period of 2 years, from 2015, I attended a whole series of weekly/monthly workshops.

Most of the time I just wanted to hide and cut myself off from any interaction with people, I often felt anxious and occasionally aggressive towards complete strangers. Anyone who remembers me will know this was completely out of my normal laid-back character. All very likely a result of the long-term use of strong pain killers.

Over the years the single most helpful resource available to me was the Police Treatment Centres (PTC). Fortunately, I kept up my subscriptions after retirement, and was able to benefit from the intense physiotherapy and structured exercise classes available. I’ve lost count of the number of times I have used the PTC’s. It’s probably ten or more over a 15-year period. But they have always been there for me. Without their interventions every 18 months or so I would have been in an even worse state, especially when physiotherapy just isn’t available to the same high standard on the NHS, due to financial limitations. As I make progress with my condition, I know I will continue to need the PTC’s services.

Basically, pain is caused by the brain reacting to a signal from injured parts of the body via the nervous system. It’s all part of the survival flight /fight system. The nerves detect that something is wrong in the body and send a signal to the brain alerting it to a potential threat to your survival. The brain processes the signal and if necessary, sends back a pain signal to the injured area to try to stop you moving that area. If you ignore the signal the brain sends stronger pain signals, even sending signals into the surrounding tissue including muscles.

Initially we were asked to do very simple things such as changing which seat you sit on to eat your meals and watch TV, at least every 11-12 weeks, just to get the brain used to breaking habits. Then in my case I had to go out of the house and walk up to my distance limit before the pain really kicked in, which at the time was a mere 3 steps, for a week. Then increase this by one step for the next week. Over the following weeks, months and even years I had to increase the distance by a maximum of one step per week. After about 4 years I had eventually increased the distance, I could walk to 2 miles, and had completely stopped using any pain killers. After a year of walking along the streets around my home I had become somewhat bored with the scenery and felt the need to get out into the countryside, but I still felt uneasy about being in the great outdoors and getting back under my own steam. So, I bought myself a Recumbent Trike as riding a 2-wheel bike was still too uncomfortable and tricky due to balance issues with my spinal curvature.

This is how intense muscle spasms are usually caused. However, with many patients the brain and nervous system just don’t switch off and keep sending pain signals which if they last for more than 12-14 weeks, which because the brain loves to form habits, become permanent, That’s Chronic Pain in a nutshell. The really good news, is that the brain and nervous system can be re-programmed, by anyone at any age, to reduce, kind of turn down the volume, or stop the pain signals. It requires an acceptance that improvement won’t happen overnight and a commitment to stick with the behavioral therapies even through the inevitable setbacks.

The whole principal, based on recent scientific research into the cause of Chronic Pain, was to educate patients in detail as why and how pain is caused, and through behavioral therapies give patients the tools to reduce or even stop their pain.

FMKEY:

1. You can’t fall off, so no problem with balance issues.

My New Road continues and I have dreams in the near future of climbing another Scottish Munro and maybe doing a couple of longdistance cycle rides such as the C2C and Caledonian Way. I will be eternally grateful to three sets of people, my Wife Carol who for the last 16 years has literally been doing all the heavy lifting, the Staff at the Police Treatment Centers and James Cook University Hospital for their invaluable help. I really hope my little story has given hope to anyone who is suffering with Chronic Pain. - Full

Ivan McMain 21

My progress continues, in recent months I have managed to walk up several Lake District fells all be it small ones of less the 2000ft, as well as weekly country walks of up to 7 miles on top of fitting in about 5 miles total walking around the house and local streets on most days, as well as getting back onto a 2-wheel mountain bike.

For back pain sufferers there are a number of benefits with using a Recumbent Trike:

3. The riding position means that the two most important muscle groups for supporting the spine, the hamstrings and core muscles are the ones doing all the work

Member AM - Associate Member WM - Widow Member COLLEAGUES LOST SINCE THE PUBLICATION OF THE DURHAM BRANCH NEWSLETTER WINTER 2021 NM - Non-Member FMW - Full Member’s Wife PS - Police Staff NMW - Non-Member’s Wife 19

2. The low profile reduces wind resistance and greatly reduces the effects of strong winds

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Pension

The information supplied by you, when applying to join NARPO is, unfortunately, very often extremely scant in detail, with only the member’s title, initials, surname, address and possibly a contact number. It is sad to realise that after some 30 years of excellent service, those details of you may have been lost over time. This form has been created with the intention of ensuring that your local NARPO branch will have a concise history of you. The information you provided will not be shared with others without your express permission but will be used to better inform all future Branch Committee Officials in relation to you, your family and your service record, should the need arise.I invite you to spend a few moments to complete the boxes below where applicable Personal Information: (this replicates your joining form, if you completed that ‘on-line’)

The information supplied by you, when applying to join NARPO is, unfortunately, very often extremely scant in detail, with only the member’s title, initials, surname, address and possibly a contact number. It is sad to realise that after some 30 years of excellent service, those details of you may have been lost over time. This form has been created with the intention of ensuring that your local NARPO branch will have a concise history of you. The information you provided will not be shared with others without your express permission but will be used to better inform all future Branch Committee Officials in relation to you, your family and your service record, should the need arise. invite you to spend a few moments to complete the boxes below where applicable

Nat Ins

2 Member’s Service History (This information has not been previously provided) Force Where Service Started: Date of Joining: Force Where Service Ended: Date of Leaving the Service: Service History: (Stations / Departments / Secondments / Promotions etc.) Please use a separate sheet if Policenecessary(Collar) No. & Rank on NoteworthyRetirement:Comments: (Awards / Commendations / Achievements etc.) Please use a separate sheet if Photographnecessary Attached: YES / NO I consent to Durham NARPO retaining the details provided by me Signature: Please return this form by (a) email (preferably), or (b) post to the NARPO (Durham Branch) Secretary as detailed at the foot of this page. Thank you for your valued assistance in helping us to keep your records accurate and Itupdated.wouldbe useful if you would keep a copy of this form and notify the Branch Secretary of any future changes. For Branch Use Only: Data Uploaded to Supersleuth (boxes 1 4) Yes: Date: Stuart Ingram, 2 Whitworth Close, Spennymoor DL16 7LH Title: Date of Birth: First MembershipAddress:Surname:Names: Status: (delete applicablewhere) Full Member / Member / Widow(er) Email Address: Home Tel No: Mobile Tel No: Nat Ins No: Police Pension No: Name of Spouse or SpousePartner:or Partner’s Address: (If different) Spouse or Partner’s Date of Birth: Spouse Partner’sorTel No: Name of Next of Kin: Address of Next of Kin: Relationship of Next of DoKin:you wish to receive email notifications of branch events and the deaths of previous police colleagues and friends, where possible? Yes / No Stuart Ingram, 2 Whitworth Close, Spennymoor DL16 7LH Tel: 01388 814768 / Mobile: 07989 333025 Email: Durham@narpo.orgFeb2022

29/10/2021 JOHN GALLEY (NM) 79 MURTON 03/11/2021 MRS JULIA ANNE MORDUE (FMW) 75 SHILDON 05/11/2021 MRS MARY ISABELLA FORRESTER (WM) 87 BEARPARK 09/11/2021 D/INSP JOHN MICHAEL BURDESS (FM) 73 AUCKLANDBISHOP 13/11/2021 MRS AUDREY WOOD (WM) 87 CARRVILLE 20/11/2021 MRS MARJORIE JOHNSON (WM) 97 DURHAM 21/11/2021 MRS ELSIE OWENS (W-NM) 27/11/2021 MRS ANN WATSON (FMW) 83 PETERLEE 29/11/2021 MRS EILEEN JENNINGS (W-NM) 19/12/2021 MRS ALICE WILLIS (W-NM) 23/12/2021 MRS IMOGEN KATE FORTUNE (W-NM) 24/12/2021 DC IAN WHITE (FM) 80 DARLINGTON 26/12/2021 MRS DOROTHY COWEY (WM) 79 HORDEN 01/01/2022 MRS CAROLE ILES (WM) 73 SPENNYMOOR 04/01/2022 MRS SANDRA MARY SMITH (WM) 77 DARLINGTON 05/01/2022 SGT COLIN DIXON (FM) 84 PELTON 12/01/2022 MRS MARJORIE BURROWS (W-NM) 20/01/2022 MRS EDITH HART (W-NM) 25/01/2022 PC ERNEST FAIRLAMB (NM) 80 22/01/2022 SGT TERENCE JOSEPH CORRIGAN (FM) 70 AYCLIFFENEWTON 23/01/2022 INSP WILFRED LAVERY (NM) 75 MEADOWFIELD 30/01/2022 MRS ROSEMARY EDMONDSON 18/02/2022 SGT CHRISTOPHER AARON FIELD (FM) 59 CONSETT 02/03/2022 MRS JOAN MURRAY 03/03/2022 DAVID SUMMERS 07/03/2022 SGT GEORGE ANNISON CHRYSTAL (FM) 73 BARNARD CASTLE SGT GARRY HEWITT (NM) DARLINGTON 01/07/2021 MRS NORA SURTEES BAGNALL (NM) 10/03/2022 MRS MARY ELIZABETH REEVELEY (WM) SCARBOROUGH 19/03/2022 MRS FREDA BROWN (WM) 103 DURHAM 24/03/2022 MS MARGARET JANE PEARSON (NM) 83 BIRTLEY 08/04/2022 PC NEIL REWCASTLE (FM) 78 AUCKLANDBISHOP 24/04/2022 MS JUNE FRANKS (PS) 01/05/2022 D/ SUPT ARTHUR MEEK (NM) 85 TUDHOE 04/05/2022 D/ SUPT JOHN SUTTON GRAHAM (NM) 76 PETERLEE 06/05/2022 CC GEORGE ERNEST HEDGES (AM) 80 KIDLINGTON MRS ALICE M HART (WM) WASHINGTON 19/05/2022 MRS MAY BETTY CURRIE (NM) 88 AUCKLANDBISHOP 21 FMKEY: - Full Member AM - Associate Member WM - Widow Member COLLEAGUES LOST SINCE THE PUBLICATION OF THE DURHAM BRANCH NEWSLETTER WINTER 2021 NM - Non-Member FMW - Full Member’s Wife PS - Police Staff NMW - Non-Member’s Wife Key: FM - Full Member AM - Associate Member WM - Widow Member NM - Non-Member FMW - Full Member’s Wife PS - Police Staff NMW - Non-Member’s Wife

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