Brief February 2018

Happy Chinese New Year 2018: The Year of the Dog

Messages Spotlight

Continued support It is a shocking fact that as we are trying to protect and help people we can come under attack. There have been a number of incidents recently that have seen officer's and staff injured or put at risk as they were doing their job. It is not acceptable for people to face this threat and I am looking at how we can provide impact statements to be used in cases where there have been assaults on police officers or staff.

The vast majority of the people across Greater

Manchester that we serve are appalled by this sort of behaviour. We have a huge amount of support from people which is seen every day in comments on social media, in the media and sent to me via email.

People recognise the work that officers and staff do and how they head into danger as others run away. This was really brought home with the response to the terror attack last year. Many are still affected by what happened on 22 May not just from the public but from those who were involved in the response. I recently met some of the officers that were affected and assured them they will have GMP’s continued support.

Policing requires people to put themselves into dangerous, difficult and challenging situations and we need to ensure everyone from GMP to the public

Note from the Editor WELCOME to the February edition of Brief and the first edition of 2018.

In this edition you will hear first hand what it is like being a Victim Liaison Officer (VLO) for the Modern Slavery team and the challenges they face.

Features also include an update on the changes happening in OCB and insights into operations around the force including Op Ergo, a new shift pattern trial and Op Guard, GMPs tactics on high street burglary.

Across the city people have been out on the streets celebrating Chinese new year. The Chief, along with Beverly Hughes, attended a Chinese New Year Celebration at FHQ. The evening consisted of a

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Lion dance, drumming, Chinese music, traditional dancing and a blessing.

And finally, in the previous edition we asked you to “Look for the Crook” as part of our Christmas safety campaign. The eagle eyed amongst you would have spotted that there were eight elves hiding. Well done to Carol Mckinnon from the Finance Branch who was selected from those who emailed us with the correct answer. She was presented with voucher for a meal for two at a Manchester restaurant. Well done Carol!

Fiona Carroll, Lead Editor

supports those officers and staff. Our welfare provision continues to be available and there is a significant commitment to addressing wellbeing issues.

At the heart of everything we do are people.

Helping those in our communities when they are in need but also ensuring we have developed a police force that supports those delivering the service.

Keeping people at the centre of our thought processes, decision making and problem solving is essential to the future of policing.

This being said please take the time to complete this year’s Staff Engagement Survey which will be open until 18 March. Details can be found here.

Ian Hopkins, Chief Constable

4 Banking Protocol, Around the world

GMP Life

With thanks to the following people for their contribution to this issue:

14 Letters of Appreciation 15 Obituaries, adverts and

5 News In Brief Caption Competition 6-7 Divisional Roundup 16 What’s on, Bolton Mountain Rescue 8 What’s Trending celebrates 50 years & Wellbeing Team 9 Staff Engagement Survey & Operation 17 Climbing Kilimanjaro Ergo 18 Cancer Awareness event, Manchester

Contents

News

Damieon Hartley-Pickles on Mount Kilimanjaro

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Kieanna Jackson

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Nicola Deegan & Joanne Walton

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Claire Mayle

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Damieon Hartley-Pickles

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Matt Evans

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Mike Davies

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Michael Eddleston

Outlaws Softball team & Lifesaving CPR

19 Yang Sing recognition events

Be published in Brief Editorial team: Melissa Pye, Fiona Carroll, 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

Spotlight 11 Victim Liaison Officers 12 Operation Guard 13 Transforming the OCB

Contact numbers: 0161 85 65939 / 5938 Email: Brief@gmp.police.uk Brief online: www.gmp.police.uk/Brief

Articles and contributions for the next edition of Brief should be submitted by High Sheriff Gerry Yeung with CC Hopkins at the recognition events

Friday 4 May 2018 3

News

Around the world England UMAR Mirza, age 26 from Birmingham, decided to rob a bookies after failing to get a job there earlier in the week.

Officers were able to track down the crook because he had previously left his CV, containing all of his personal details with the shop manager.

Mirza who left with £17,000 removed his disguise as he was leaving the store, meaning management were easily able to identify him on CCTV and passed his information to officers.

Police later recovered a betting slip at his home, on which the gambling addict had written: 'I have got a gun, open the door or I will shoot you.'

America YOU better watch out! Sometimes Santa Claus isn’t the only one trying to climb down the chimney during Christmas. In California, a burglary suspect got stuck in a chimney of the bar he was allegedly trying to rob and was forced to called 911 to beg for help.

Units from the Police Department and Fire Department responded to the scene, and were able to rescue him using special equipment. He was uninjured, but may have been a little embarrassed, and was definitely in trouble.

Australia THREE inmates successfully escaped from the minimum-security prison but were spotted two days later trying to hitch a lift by the side of the road – still dressed in their green prison garb.

Unfortunately for them, the men flagged a lift from a passing undercover officer, who was more than happy to give them a lift back to the police station.

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Banking Protocol A fraud prevention scheme aimed at identifying and protecting potential victims when they visit a bank or building society has prevented 102 people falling victim and over £383,263 worth of fraud being passed to criminals since April 2017 in Greater Manchester.

The Banking Protocol, developed as a partnership between the finance industry, Trading Standards and the police, enables bank staff to contact the police if they suspect a customer is in the process of being scammed, with a rapid response to the branch.

The Banking Protocol helps bank staff spot the signs and take action if they notice a customer withdrawing cash or making transfers in a way that is out of character. As part of the new Protocol, staff are expected to ask the customer more questions about their transaction and the reason for it.

If the member of staff thinks that the customer is vulnerable and may have been a victim of fraud, then they must notify their supervisor to find out more information.

At this point, if the bank feels that this person is a victim, they will notify the police.

One incident at a bank on Bramhall Lane South, Bramhall, reported suspicious activity. Officers attended the bank and discovered a man who had been asked to withdraw a large amount of cash by cold-callers to pay for work on his roof. Five men were arrested in connection with fraud offences and have been released under investigation.

Detective Superintendent Nicky Porter from Greater Manchester Police’s Serious Crime Division said: “Fraudsters prey on some of the most vulnerable people in society with the average age of victims in Greater Manchester being 70.

“We remain absolutely committed to tackling fraud and welcome any tool which assists us in our fight against it. We will continue to work alongside the finance industry and Trading Standards to make Greater Manchester a no-go area for fraudsters.”

Find out more about the protocol here.

special commemorative pin badge for those who worked during that time. The badge consists of the GMP crest and the Manchester Bee which was seen as a symbol of strength and unity for the city throughout that hard time.

News

who responded.

“GMP received a huge amount of support and an incredible number of positive messages in the days, weeks and months OCB to address challenges including that followed the attack. The events offers of reciprocal visits, which OCB were a way to recognise the actions are pursuing. One attendees and use the time to reflect on all those commented: “ It was really interesting to affected. see how practices employed in other organisations could be transferred into a GMP friendly format, It was a really good day, I enjoyed hearing from everyone, the challenges you have  WEDNESDAY 14 February saw the reassuring that they are familiar.”

Neighbourhoods Confidence and For more information please contact Equality team (NCE) and OCB come Claire.mayle@gmp.police.uk.

High Sheriff Gerry Yeung & wife Joanne together to host a Business networking with CC Hopkins event in partnership with the Institute of  THE High Sheriff Gerry Yeung Customer Service. recently hosted four recognition events “I remain convinced that we did our A handful of Institute members from a at his Yang Sing restaurant to honour best for the victims, the injured and the call centre setting such as Bupa, officers and staff who worked as part of people of Manchester on that terrible Centrica, Co-op Bank and United the Manchester Arena Bombing. night and the days that followed.

Utilities were invited to share ideas and Guests were treated to a complimentary “I want to thank the High Sheriff, the good practice with OCB staff. Opened meal, traditional Chinese dancing and Chinese community and the sponsors

by Jane Taylor, the Institutes Client dignitary speeches from leaders such that supported the events.”

Relationship Manager for GMP, there as CC Ian Hopkins, Mayor Andy All four nights were a success and were many speakers including Ch Supt Burnham and the Lord and Deputy Lord whilst officers and staff enjoyed Emily Higham on the experiences and Mayor. themselves all were conscious of the challenges of operating the OCB .

Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said: real reason they were all gathered there There was also discussion co-ordinated “So many people were affected by the in the same room; remembering the

by CI Mike Booth on key topics such as attack and our thoughts are with the 22 events of 22 May and methods of recruitment, retaining, staff victims and their families and the honouring all those that motivation , wellbeing, capacity for staff hundreds of people suffering physical or lost their lives. training and CPD and psychological trauma. I know people The Chief also managing customer expectations. appreciate the trauma that attack had announced that the Force A number of the companies expressed on the emergency services and those would be creating a an interest in building relations with

 The introduction of the IOPS is a major undertaking for GMP. The rigorous testing and feedback from training has shown some issues and we have made the difficult but essential decision to delay the implementation of IOPS. We will only introduce the system when we are confident that it is operationally ready so that you can serve the people of Manchester.

Training will continue while we work with suppliers to resolve the issues and ensure that the system is operationally fit for purpose. Please be assured that we are continuing to work hard to ensure that the system is right and can meet the operational demands.

We are planning how we take this forward and we are in discussions with suppliers about the future developments. We will make appropriate refresher training and materials available to maintain the required knowledge of IOPS. This is a significant programme and a substantial amount has already been delivered and other elements of the project are progressing well and in line with plans.

We will provide further updates as they become available.

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Divisional News

Divisional Roundup CoM COLLEAGUES dressed up in orange and ate orange themed goodies in support of Musuclar Dystrophy’s #goorangeday.

Needless to say the chocolate didn't last long but there was a few carrots left!

Tameside TAMESIDE north volunteer police cadets have moved to Rayner Stephens high school in Dukinfield. They will be based there every week after Astley Sports village provided the room and equipment. The scheme is run by officers and staff in their own time for young people aged 13-18. They meet on a Thursday to learn about the police, how they operate and law related issues.

Cadets get involved in community events assisting the neighbourhood teams and also take part in the Duke of Edinburgh award and other sporting events throughout the year.

Oldham GMP Officers were joined by Leeds Rhinos legends Barrie McDermott and Kevin Sinfield to take part in a touch rugby match as part of Hate Crime Awareness week. Oldham community Leisure Centre hosted the event and even Superintendent Danny Inglis got involved.

Bolton OFFICERS visited Prestolee Primary last week to talk about Internet Safety Day. Officers delivered presentations to 5-9 year olds to educate them about being secure when they are online. They warned them about potential pop ups on their games or TV programmes and when to tell their parents.

Stockport THE Cadet team at Stockport have received letters of praise for all of the good work they do in encouraging and supporting the young people who attend. One parent commented that after joining the cadets her daughter has become much more confident.

Keep up the good work.

Bury

Ian Smith Officer of the year

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LAST month saw officers and staff from Bury recognised as they hosted their annual awards ceremony at Bury College. Supt Rick Jackson was joined by the Mayor of Bury and handed out awards including: Volunteer of the Year , Staff Member of the Year, Leadership, Police Officer of the year, Best Team, Customer Service, PCSO of the year, Best Team of the Year, Problem Solving, Special Constable and Brave Officer of the year.

Supt Jackson commented: “ We really wanted to recognise the fantastic and brave work carried out over the last year. This year we plan to place greater focus on the contribution people make especially in times of recent budgets. Well done team”.

Bury’s best performing team

TWO staff from the Operational Communications Branch have been successfully shortlisted as finalists in this year’s APD Control Room Awards 2018.

Lisa Canovan and Sanchez Singh, who are both call handlers based at Trafford OCR, have been successfully shortlisted in this year’s APD Control Room Awards in the categories of ‘Call Handler of The year’, and ‘Services to the Public’ despite stiff competition from all emergency services throughout the UK. Lisa has been nominated for her exceptional ability and communication skills, as well as her focused approach to her work, not only in helping the public of Greater Manchester, but supporting her colleagues.

Sanchez has been nominated for services to the public after turning out on his day off to assist a response officer as an interpreter when dealing with sudden death.

Not only did Sanchez assist the officer, but supported the family throughout the day and assisted them with all matters relating to the death. The final is held on the 8 March and we wish them good luck.

Rochdale OFFICERS from the Milkstone & Deeplish neighbourhood team organised a youth event at the Link for Life Leisure centre to celebrate the sixth anniversary for Hate Crime Awareness Week. The event was held with the support of Rochdale youth services, Empowering Minds and Subsist Youth Group. It gave youths the opportunity to engage with GMP officers giving them a fun and active platform to express their feelings and ask any questions.

In total 70 young people aged 12-16yrs attended to event and took part in a range of activities including a football tournament.

Divisional News

Trafford

Wigan HINDLEY police cadets were put through their paces as they welcomed the School of Military.

The soldiers made the cadets and local PCSO’s work hard including a whole community litter picking session.

Rochdale Two PCSO’s getting involved in the assault course

Salford OFFICERS and staff from INPT 2 are planning a 100km If you would like to sponsor the team or make a donation cycle ride along the Leeds/Liverpool canal to raise funds visit their Just Giving page here. and awareness for the charity DKMS. The charity’s motto is “We delete blood cancer” and searches for blood donors world wide. The bike ride came about after colleague Chris Crook was diagnosed with Blood Cancer last year. Thankfully he was able to receive treatment that’s to a donor match and is on the slow road to recovery.

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What’s Trending?

Right to vote #100 This year marked the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote. We took the opportunity to celebrate the women in policing throughout the ages. Policing wasn’t the only one to celebrate, with women all over the world making statements, posting pictures and holding roses in solidarity.

‘Insp S’ strikes back Inspector Phil Spurgeon posted an epic response after officers had been criticised on social media for taking a coffee break. Phil aka ‘Insp S’ as he is known on Facebook is popular with followers for his frequent posts and interactions. After a sneaky picture of two officers taking a well deserved break in Café Nero went viral he decided to hit back at the haters. The majority of the comments were supportive and understood that even heroes need breaks.

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Fingerlickin Good Angry chicken fans in Britain have been reporting KFC to the police because hundreds of their stores ran out of chicken.

As many as 450 KFC branches across the UK were shut for four consecutive days after a change of distributors led to a nationwide chicken shortage for the company.

People even began auctioning off bargain buckets on ebay.

New Recruits A new litter of pups have been undergoing training ready to join the Force.

The pups, who were born on Armistice Day, are now 15 weeks old and are already on their way to being big protectors, some of them already three feet tall when they stand.

Remember to give them a belly rub if you see them.

News

Operation Ergo Teams, Place, Leadership and Shifts

AS an organisation, we are committed to understanding the issues and concerns affecting our officers and staff. We want to know how you find working in GMP. Share your views and together we’ll make GMP a better place to work.

Our staff and officers are at the heart of GMP and it’s through working as one team that we’ll deliver GMP’s future policing model, our Target Operating Model (TOM). There are many challenges but it is also an exciting time when we are transforming the way we work now and how we will work in the coming years to provide the best possible service to the people of Greater Manchester.

To achieve our TOM, we have to continue to work differently, more closely with partners and make a real difference to our local communities. The results from the survey will help us to ensure we have the right people strategy in place to do this.

The survey is anonymous and it has been designed by Durham University specially for policing.

You can complete it on a desktop, laptop, mobile or tablet. Results will be available at branch / district level which will allow comparisons to be made across different areas within GMP and also help shape future forcewide and local improvement work.

Please take the opportunity to get involved and tell us how you find working in GMP. Check out the staff engagement survey pages on the intranet here for links to the survey and videos showcasing some of the many initiatives that have been implemented across GMP since the first staff engagement survey, local SLT SPOCs and lots more.

THE test of a new 222 shift pattern for Neighbourhood Police Officers (NPOs) begins on 1 March in Oldham and Tameside.

Operation Ergo will realign NPOs with their Sergeants and Inspectors, so that there is more face-to-face contact and will create larger, consistent teams. Whilst shift patterns are important, Ergo is about wellbeing, resilience and embedding place based working. Ergo aims at improving in all these areas, giving officers the right platform and the best opportunity to deliver improved outcomes for our communities.

There have been a number of pre-test officer engagement sessions and there’s lots of optimism surrounding the test, whilst still acknowledging the challenges faced by frontline officers.

Regular updates about the test will be shared.

The survey is in two parts - you must complete both parts.: Part 1 - open 21 February - 18 March 2018 (takes approx 25 mins) Part 2 - open 26 March - 15 April 2018 (takes approx 5 mins)

The 2018 GMP staff engagement survey is live - click here 9

News

NMPR—building up the data THE National Mobile Property Register is (NMPR) is the national database which can contain the life history of a device.

rolled out onto each division over the coming months.

Inspector Mark Kenny who is leading the scheme commented: “This is a great GMP has become the latest Force to initiative for the communities of Greater support The Herbert Protocol; a national Manchester and I’m so happy that GMP is scheme aimed at protecting those with leading it.

Dementia.

“The scheme has been highly The scheme came about after George successful in other police forces reducing Herbert, who was a war veteran living demand and shortening the times that with dementia, went missing and was missing’s are away from home. found in Normandy. It was introduced locally by Greater Manchester Police and Essentially it is such a small act that can other local agencies. It encourages carers make a huge difference to our vulnerable and family members to compile useful key communities.

“With the support of our local partner information onto a form which could be agencies and a dedicated SPOC on each used in the event of a person with division, I believe we can make a real Dementia going missing. difference and make Greater Manchester Should such an incident occur, a dementia friendly community.” information is easily on hand about routines, medical requirements and favourite places to visit and can be handed over to GMP, alleviating the worry of collecting it together during a stressful time.

Individual carers and care homes can download the form from the GMP website and sign up as a partner to the scheme receiving a certificate of notice.

Tameside was the first division to launch the initiative even hosting an event Insp Mark Kenny with Supt Jane Higham and last month with local care homes, council representatives and members of the local carers in Tameside signing the initiative. media. The scheme will continue to be

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Key *#06# into the mobile for the IMEI number – this can then be checked against the NMPR database to see if it is stolen or linked to a previous crime or person. The item may be clean but the fact that you have checked the phone links it to that person or a future event.

Over 50 law enforcement agencies feed data into the system and the more devices you search, the more data is put in the system and the more intelligence opportunities comes out of it.

A device can be linked to an offender and their associates

Although this may be an extra step in the process this extra piece of information could be the link needed to solve a crime.

Wednesday 17 January 2018 two offenders on a motorbike were driving round Salford snatching mobile phones from people’s hands.

In the space of 30 minutes the pair had attempted to snatch five mobile phones. The offenders were later spotted in a shop before fleeing the scene. The shopkeeper was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods and all mobile phones, computers and tablets were seized along with over £5000 in cash.

NMPR was used on the 168 mobiles, tablets and computers. 42 of these have been reported lost or stolen, two of the tablets and one laptop have been positively identified as stolen from a burglary.

To find out more about the NMPR and to watch a video click here.

The more searches you make, the more intelligence gathered

What is the role of a VLO? Every VLO deployment is completely different. However, for all jobs, once a potential victim of Modern Slavery has been identified, the main aim is the welfare of that victim.

Whether that be medical assistance, place of safety or just somewhere they can eat or sleep. The next step is to build a rapport. This is vital to the investigation. This can take time and plenty of patience before the victim may feel they can trust us. It is my role then to take an initial account to identify if the victim has been exploited or abused. I have had cases where the victim didn’t realise they were a victim or they were unwilling to engage due to fear of retributions. A lot of victims have come from foreign countries and the police and authorities are not trusted in their home country. Adding language barriers into the equation can be another challenging aspect when trying to build up that trust.

Another vital aspect of my role is explaining to the victim what is happening. The victim is usually feeling confused and upset at this point and it is important they understand what is going on so they can make their own

Every victim of Modern Slavery differs from one to the next, some don’t even recognising that they are a victim. It is the role of the Victim Liaison Officers (VLO) to get that victim to safety, build up a strong rapport and ultimately create a comfortable environment for the victim to open up. Internal Communications Officer Fiona Carroll chats with VLO Nicola Deegan to find out more about the role.

decisions about being interviewed and potentially going to court. A lot of the worry and stress can be relieved by telling them about the National Referral Mechanism which can help enormously with accommodation, provide advice and on-going support.

How is it different to similar roles in the Force?

I am not a Police Officer so I have not had the experience of similar roles like FLO’s and STO’s. Prior to joining SOCG, I’d had no experience in dealing with victims of crime so it’s been a challenging role and a definite learning curve for me. However, I’ve not seen this as a disadvantage as by undertaking the VLO role, you are taking your police “hat” off and become the person they need to turn to for advice and support at this crucial time.

Telling the victim I’m not a police officer can have its benefits, especially if they have had bad past experiences with the police.

Why did you volunteer?

At the time I joined SOCG, we were currently investigating an OCG involved in sexual exploitation. My sergeant thought it would be beneficial if the Investigative Assistants became VLO’s as it was always possible we would come across potential victims throughout the course of the operation.

If we were involved in warrants, we were there ready to deal with any victims.

How does it work alongside your existing role?

I have found VLO jobs can take up a lot of my time as I have to be there for the victim full time in the initial stages.

This can sometimes be days so I have to be taken away from my day to day role so I can dedicate the time the victim needs. This is the only way to ensure I successfully build up the rapport with the victim. This obviously has an impact on your home life as well as you can be working long hours.

Tell me about a case you have worked on?

I have been deployed as a VLO on many occasions, which has included conducting harm reduction visits at brothels, speaking to sex workers on

Spotlight

Building Trust

the street, helping a young India girl, who was being used as a slave by a family of doctors and interviewing 36 Taiwanese nationals who at first appeared to have been trafficked to work in a call centre in Hale.

DC Joanne Walton on the use of VLO’s.

“I found Nicola and her role as VLO an invaluable asset to the investigation.

The rapport Nicola built with the victim in the early stages kept him on board throughout the investigation and up to trial.

“The victim lived with a family of travellers for six years, he claimed they took his benefits and made him work for £10. He lived in an outhouse with basic facilities with no running water or toilet. The victim eventually ran away due to the beatings and fearing for his life.

“The defendant entered an acceptable plea and received a custodial sentence. Nicola helped explain this excellent result to the victim and the terms of the indefinite Restraining Order. Her involvement certainly helped relieve some pressure.”

Contact DC Chris Nield from the Modern Slavery team for further information about becoming a VLO

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Spotlight

Operation Guard OPERATION Guard is a crime prevention initiative aimed at reducing the number of victims of commercial burglary and robbery in the identified hotspots within the GM area. Op Guard delivers the key objectives of tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, investing and delivering high quality policing services and building and strengthening partnerships. It intends to ultimately improve the outcomes for local communities and build effective collaboration with GMP.

What are GMP doing Op guard has been designed using an evidence based policing methodology. We are aiming to target hot spot areas employing different tactics for each area so we can make direct comparisons and review the efficiency and impact of each tactic.

1: Offender Targeting.

2: Installation of forensic marker intruding system with traceable liquids.

GAME and the Post Office.

Pandora store Manager Amy Holden commented: “I’m really pleased to be part of the pilot, staff will feel much safer knowing this product has been installed.

The store generates a yearly turnover of £500,000 so its essential we stay protected.”

All of the 11 wards involved have provided feedback; this will be used to provide not only economic costs analysis, but an opportunity cost analysis. GMP will continue to roll out this product where we can. It is already giving areas huge reassurance with some communities building up business watch schemes.

Operational update Twenty installations have been made so far including retailers such as Pandora,

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The team with Amy from Pandora

GMP’s Target Operating Model (TOM), defines how we are starting to work now and in the coming years. At its heart is our purpose: to protect society and keep people safe. As the first point of contact for most citizens in Greater Manchester when they need the police, this is particularly relevant for the Operational Communications Branch (OCB).

The ‘Transforming Public Contact’ programme aims to drive change and transformation across all aspects of the OCB, and the wider ‘front door’ to GMP services. This programme comprises three main projects: Understanding Incoming Demand; Transforming OCB; and Enabling Channel Shift.

With policing facing increasing demand and the nature of crime constantly evolving, the case for transforming GMP’s public contact services is clear.

On a daily basis the OCB receives approximately 3,500 – 5,000 calls, with each requiring an effective threat, harm and risk assessment and appropriate response.

Chief Supt. Emily Higham, Operational Contact and Demand Business Lead

Supt. Leon Jacobs, Business and Change Lead, OCB Transformation

“Transformation of our public contact services across GMP is necessary in order to effectively manage demand and public expectations. We are working alongside partners across the Force and in the community to make sure our services are fit for the future.”

“It’s a really exciting time in the OCB as we work towards addressing the difficult challenges we face. We want to offer the best service right at the first point of contact and support the people of Greater Manchester when they need us most.”

“We have successfully started the journey towards OCB Transformation by kicking off a number of initiatives over the past year. The changes that we are introducing today will be key in helping us to achieve long-term transformation within the OCB, improving the service we deliver to our customers.”

The initiatives currently being undertaken as part of the Transforming Public Contact programme have yielded positive initial results: for example, since October 2017, the OCB has seen an increase of almost 750 calls each week being identified as nonpolice matters and re-directed to the appropriate agency, as well as an increase in self-resolution leading to over 120 more incidents without deployment each week. The initiatives across OCB include:  Vulnerability Hub  Live Chat  Problem Solving  Demand Reduction Team  Engagement Hubs  Crime Recording at the First Point of

Contact  Command & Control Progressive Test  Estates Strategy

Spotlight

Transforming the OCB

ACC Vanessa Jardine, Head of OCB, Public Contact Programme Sponsor

These initiatives form just the start of the journey towards transformation in the OCB, which will of course be further enhanced by wider change activity taking place across the Force. Other wider initiatives will help to fundamentally change the way in which we engage with the public and deal with demand as a Force. These include the recent re-launch of Contact Cards and the launch of iOPS. For more information or questions related to OCB Transformation, please visit our ‘Transforming OCB’ intranet page or email us at OCBTransformation@gmp.police.uk.

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Letters 14

Letters of Appreciation Calming reassurance

Extremely Grateful

PC 15839 Mike Hallworth – Stockport

PC Paul Hulme & PC Peter Goulding– Trafford

“I just wanted to express my absolute gratitude to an officer who took my statement today at Cheadle Heath Police station who embodied everything that a police officer should. He was very approachable, respectful and considerate, especially when I felt so nervous giving a statement about sexual assault. I didn’t think I’d be able to discuss the incident so openly but it wasn’t an issue. His professionalism and character are impeccable. I’ve encountered this officer before when I was suffering from mental health issues (related to this sexual assault) and he and his colleague were stellar then. The fact that this was a year ago and he still remembered the events clearly as we spoke really helped to build the rapport in giving this statement. Full credit to him, he is an absolute asset to GMP.“ Anonymous

“I wanted to write to try to express our gratitude for the help we received on Thursday 11 January. My husband and I had a man armed with a knife force his way into our home and over the next 45 minutes search our home, repeatedly threatening us both and making us leave our three small children to go with him to cash points and then a shop. We were absolutely terrified and beside ourselves when we finally managed to run from him that he might come back to our house and our children. The help we had from the police was amazing.

From the initial call handler who tried to calm me down, onwards we are so grateful and words will not express our gratitude.

Officers Hulme and Goulding were first to attend and were fantastic. They were calm and supportive, we had the crime scene people there within hours, they arranged for someone to break down doors so we could get

into our house to check the children immediately. They explained the whole process and updated us as things unfolded. An officer even popped by after checking we were ok.

Thanks to the fabulous efforts of the police team he was arrested later that night, and whilst at the moment we both feel quite traumatised this has given us huge comfort I know all the police team work so hard to keep us safe, at considerable risk and cost to themselves - from the antisocial shifts that keep people away from their own families, to the risks of assault and worse. As I said I can't praise the two officers and the rest of the team highly enough and wanted to shout from the rooftops our thanks and praise for everyone involved that night and after....and for all the other nights when its been someone else whose needed you...

Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Caitriona Kilburn and family

Mutual Respect PC Thomson (4390), PC Trudgett (8872), PC Quinn (8808), PC Connelly (11916) Please pass on our sincere thanks to the above officers who were all involved in the organisation of Op Araldite17. The Op targeted vehicles attending sites where rebated fuel is sold. These sites are known as Registered Dealers of Controlled Oils. This is the second occasion this op has been rolled out over a two day period 6 -7 January in Farnworth and Crown oils between 10 - 12 January 2018. As a result of your officers support HMRC detected a total of nine vehicles running on illegal fuel and evading road duty. Six vehicles were seized on the day for total payment of £3,281. The value of the nine detections combined for Future Revenue Benefit totalled £53,702. these results are truly an excellent example of a multi-agency approach and the enforcement of road traffic offences.

As always your support is greatly appreciated without this and all officers involved these results would not be achievable.

We look forward to working with you and your colleagues in the near future.

J Stuart– HMRC

Obituaries

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Send all entries to: brief@gmp.police.uk

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DIGS FOR DOGS,- offer a professional caring service LUXURY FLORIDA VILLA, 10 mins to Disney, 5 where pets are accommodated beds, 3 baths, games room, south facing pool and in a loving home with selected  Con William Geoffrey Mason, Con John Doyle, died hot tub. Special GMP rate, exclusive location. Visit families whilst their owners are died 07/12/2017, age 72 19/01/2018, age 91 www.green viewsvilla.com or call 0161 973 1822. away. Pets are a suitably matched to families who  Con Irene Grimsditch, died Con Charles Flatley, died 07/12/2017, age 96 30/12/2017, age 91 GREECE, Beautiful exclusive self-catering boutique will continue with the owners existing daily  Con Maureen Moorhouse, died Con John Brown, died apartments with superb beachfront location close routine. Contact on Wendy 07821 154 487 or 05/12/2017, age 86 09/12/2017, age 73 wendycurnock@digsfordogs.uk.com  Con Ruth Elizabeth Walker, died to village of Vagia on wonderful Aegina island Con Roy Gray, died Greece. Visit www.thebeach housegreece.com or 04/01/2018, age 91 23/01/2018, age 70 email info@thebeachhousegreece.com. Mention R.H. MORRIS & SONS DECORATORS Con Cathlene Lilian McCall,  Con June Lingard, died 13/01/2018, age 84 died 05/12/2017, age 70 'Brief' for discounted rates. For Painters and decorators please contact G R Morris on 0161 962 7458 or  Con Elsie Haslam, died Con Roger David Coles, further information, please 05/01/2018, age 84 died 01/01/2018, age 71 contact Andy Connell PIN 66598. rhm.and.sons@googlemail.com  Con Diana Monica Shackleton, Con David Arthur Bussy, Tel: 07867 468499.

LAKESIDE CHALET RENTALS, Two privately owned died 04/12/2017, age 83 died 11/12/2017, age 68 holiday homes available for rent, situated on the LUXURY CORNWALL BARN, Moo Con Helen Dommes-Booth,  Con Irene Ritchie, died popular Glan Gwna holiday park, Caernarfon, 09/01/2018, age 79 died 06/01/2018, age 61 Barn is a luxury self-catering Snowdonia. Both chalets are fully equipped with Con Colin Graham Hill, died  Con Daphne Elsie Pedder, died cottage, located on the Roseland Peninsula, everything you would need for a comfortable 23/12/2017, age 92 30/11/2017, age 84 holiday. The chalets share a communal lawn with Cornwall. Moo Barn sleeps eight people and all Con Brian William Johnston,  Supt Anthony Vincent Brookes, their own stunning rooms are en-suite. It has been a happy holiday died 04/12/2017, age 87 died 03/01/2018, age 82 destination for many people since 2004. Contact: waterfall and river Con John Thomas McGarry,  Supt Douglas John Cook, died outlook. Situated 11/12/2017, age 67 Jeremy and Jenny Hedley 01872 530 224 or died 02/12/2017, age 80 close to Caernarvon  Supt John Damian Berry, died www.mooboarn cornwall.co.uk for more details.

Con Jeffrey Keith Juhos, Castle (only £5 taxi 23/12/2017, age 57 died 23/12/2017, age 77 fare) and the foothills of Please note this list is accurate as of 14/02/2018 Snowdonia. The chalets are a perfect base to explore North Wales. For all enquiries contact Chris on Tel: 07769 737 790

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What’s On?

Reaching their peak Sound of Music Palace Theatre 13-17 March

Hairspray Opera House March-May

Peppa Pig Opera House 3-4 March

Kylie Minogue

Alexander O’Neal 7 April Lowry

GORILLA Club

Dancing on Ice

14 March

Manchester Arena 4 April

Wellbeing team now in place As you may know, GMP has invested £1m to improve wellbeing Forcewide but what does that mean?

Most of the money will be used to fund a dedicated team who, over the next three years, will encourage us all to take responsibility for our own wellbeing and that of our colleagues.

The Wellbeing Lead is Ch Supt Nawaz and a Wellbeing Board chaired

by ACO Potts will provide strategic direction to ensure that force priorities are recognised. The team will provide support and advice about individual and team wellbeing at a local level and from a Forcewide perspective.

That is why seven Wellbeing Liaison Officers are now based throughout GMP to collaborate with SLTs in enhancing wellbeing and making sure it’s embedded into our culture.

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BOLTON Mountain Rescue (MRT) has been operating since 1968 and this year celebrates it’s 50th anniversary.

MRTs are classed as charities and come under the umbrella of the Mountain Rescue of England & Wales (MREW).

Bolton Mountain Rescue Team is a voluntary organisation, providing a 24 hour, year round, first class search and rescue service in the local community. They currently have 45 voluntary operational members and six support team members .

One of the team members is GMP’s Chief Inspector Michael Eddleston.

He commented: “I had worked as a Force Duty Officer for a number of years and although it is an important, critical role for the force, I missed being outside and helping people. I regularly liaised with the Mountain Rescue Teams and thought that I could combine my love of hiking with helping people, so I joined my local MRT in Bolton. I have been an operational member since 2012.

“There are various occupations represented in the team, including firefighters, teachers as well as two retired GMP officers, Insp Ken Oakes and DC John Ryan.

“We attend a variety of incidents including North West Ambulance Service support, flooding incidents, fallen or trapped climbers, missing persons and body recovery.“ In 2017, the team was called upon 98 times and volunteers clocked up 14,198 hours spent on team activities. The team rely on public support to maintain equipment, vehicles and to cover running costs. If you would like to donate or find out more then visit their page here.

Ch Insp Eddleston and Garry Rhodes from BMRT

it's always in sight due to all the flatlands surrounding it and with the summit constantly in the clouds, it's surreal. What followed was five days of slow trekking through jungles and wastelands to the base.

We'd seen it all so far, toilets worse than you could ever imagine, team members with sudden Having already done Everest base camp in 2011 I dodgy tummies and the whole team sleeping in one dorm bunk beds. jumped at the idea and thought not only is this another tick off the bucket list, it’s also an opportunity With cameras constantly clicking and summit for me to fundraise for Dr Kershaws Hospice night approaching fast, we were all tired wanting a Oldham. Two months later and I'd scrambled a team good night's kip. together to represent GMP. 11:30pm on Saturday 10 February we were all The size of Kilimanjaro on arrival was unreal, as packed and ready to go and yes it was literally soon as you hit the road to the hotel from the airport straight up the steep mountain side 1200m and five hours trekking in the pitch black using only the head torches to guide us.

A total of seven hours and we arrived. There was a hive of activity; people jostling to get the picture post card pose, most struggling to catch a breath but most of all a big sense of overwhelming emotion for all on completion.

What everyone thought was going to be a walk in the park how wrong we were.

Nearly 6000m at altitude and Kilimanjaro was not going to let you Damieon and the team at their base camp; midway to the top off lightly; with pictures taken we of Mount Kilimanjaro began the four hour descent back

GMP Life

Hitting the Summit Eighteen months ago super-cop PC Damieon Hartley Pickles known for his fundraising antics got a message from an Avon & Somerset officer asking if he would like to join a group and take on Mount Kilimanjaro, here Damieon tells us all about that mighty trek.

Sensational views on the way up down the mountain only to be followed by a further three hour trek back to our basecamp.

With a day’s rest we then trekked back to the gate of Kilimanjaro National Park before a three hour bus ride to our hotel.

On the whole it was an amazing experience had by all up above the clouds; certainly not to be taken lightly but memories to last a lifetime.

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GMP Life

Know more, act more

WEDNESDAY 7 February saw GMP host its very first cancer awareness event for more than 80 attendees to launch the start of their cancer awareness campaign.

With guest speakers from Macmillan and Cancer Research the audience were presented with information and guidance around spotting signs, prevention tips and support post diagnosis. Add in the addition of some very heartfelt stories it was bound to be an emotional yet educational day. The audience was made up of both men and women from across the Force who have been touched by cancer at some point in their lives.

This event is just the start of a yearlong approach in raising more awareness about the subject. GMP is determined to normalise the conversation around the word “Cancer” and ensure we have a workplace environment where people feel comfortable enough to discuss personal issues.

The following year will see more events and fundraising activities both centrally and locally on divisions and the introduction of the new Wellbeing Liaison Officers allows us to ensure those messages are getting to the frontline.

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Fancy taking a swing? and grow their talent. Everyone is invited to come along and whilst men and women with good sporting ability are sought after by all teams, those with no sporting background who are willing to “have a go” are very welcome and will receive coaching and friendly GMP’s softball club, The support always.

Manchester Outlaws, is looking There are teams in Divisions for players (men and women) to 1, 3 and 4 differing in ability so join for the new season. you will only ever train with Running from April to August people of the same ability to you. the team based at The Hough Training sessions for End Centre are looking to expand beginners will take place in March

at The Hough End Centre.

Equipment will be provided and discounted membership is available to members of GMP Sports and Social Club. Although we always try our best to win, the emphasis is on having fun in a friendly atmosphere.

Anyone interested can contact Mike Davies on ext: 61415 or Chee Ho Chan PIN 16604.

General information about softball can be gained from the Manchester Softball League here.

Always on the job STUDENT Officer, PC Ben Pickup, joined GMP in March 2017 based on the City of Manchester Division.

While off duty on a city break to Dublin he came across a man who had fallen to the ground and was in severe distress. The man had difficulty breathing, when his pulse and breathing became shallow he began to drift into unconsciousness.

The man suddenly suffered from a cardiac arrest and Ben began CPR until he begin to breath again. The gentleman then suffered a further cardiac arrest and again Ben continued CPR and stayed with the man for some time until the arrival of a passing fire brigade emergency vehicle .

The paramedics arrived soon after and took the man to hospital. A number of weeks passed and Ben was contacted by the casualties partner who informed him that his swift actions had saved her partners life, and for this the family were eternally grateful. Proof that heroes don’t always need a uniform.

Yang Sing Recognition Events 2018 With thanks to the High Sheriff Gerry Yeung