Brief - Autumn 2014

Policing challenges Policing is always in the news and the last few weeks have been no different.

The summer period has involved many big events but recently it has been the protests over fracking and the Gaza situation which have created most challenges and raised strong emotions. The police are so often caught in the middle as we try and balance the rights of those involved while always respecting the right to protest.

At the same time there is a huge amount of change activity as we continue to manage the impact of staffing reductions.

I am really pleased that the work to

procure a new integrated IT system for the force is now well underway and we continue to develop greater use of mobile devices so that offices can access information out on the street.

The autumn brings new challenges with the Labour Party Conference, the return of the students and the new football season and the day to day activity of maintaining neighbourhood policing alongside the fight against crime and criminality.

Through all this our staff continue to show great dedication and commitment through change, disruption and the many traumatic and violent incidents we deal with and that continues to be the real strength of

GMP more important than the technology.

Sir Peter Fahy, Chief Constable

Building safer communities The devastating fire at Manchester Dogs’ Home in Harpurhey earlier this month prompted an unbelievable outpouring of help and support from the people of Greater Manchester, and beyond. It was a demonstration of the community spirit that’s engrained throughout Greater Manchester – local people, putting aside their differences, coming together to make a difference.

This community spirit is the embodiment of neighbourhood

policing. Local police can work with local councils and other partner agencies, but if local people aren’t on board this work is redundant.

That’s why the development of neighbourhood policing is at the core of Greater Manchester Police and there are many examples of communities working together with the police to make a better and safer place to live.

Last month in Farnworth, Bolton, residents unveiled a community garden – the culmination of months of hard work by the housing association, police and local people to transform what was known as a troubled estate.

Now residents have taken ownership of where they live, working together to make their community safer and better.

This is just one small but inspiring example of the work going on across Greater Manchester, and as Police and Crime Commissioner, I want to see this thrive.

Yes, there are challenges - not least the budget cuts and reducing numbers of officers on our streets – but I know you remain committed to making our neighbourhoods safer and I remain committed to making sure we all – including police, local authorities, housing associations and communities – work together to build safer communities.

Tony Lloyd, Police & Crime Commissioner

Be published in Brief Editorial team: Patricia Jones, Catherine Barlow, Melissa Mead, Kevin Hoy & Krystyna Rudzki 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: Brief@gmp.police.uk Brief online: www.gmp.police.uk/Brief

Articles and contributions for the next edition of Brief should be submitted by

Friday 28 November 2014

Editorial Welcome to the Autumn issue of Brief.

Working for GMP there is always plenty going on and in this issue are just some of the activities taking place around the Force.

After the recent fire at Manchester Dogs’ Home it is great to hear about the success of the north Manchester Division engagement event that took place at the end of last month.

More than 1,000 people came along to the division’s headquarters including Coronation Street star Ellie Leach and WBA Super Bantamweight champion boxer Scott Quigg (as featured on the front page of this issue).

With Christmas now not too far away, it is time for the Christmas card competition (page 5) and entrants must be aged 3-14 years. The closing date for entries is Friday 24 October.

In this issue you can read about how officers brought a birthday cheer to a 92-year-old burglary victim (page 4), how the Corporate Media and Imaging team put together a series of short crime reduction films (page 7), dealing with an emergency at Manchester Airport (page 11) fitness testing (page 13), record breaking Chris (page 19) plus much more.

And don’t forget to either get in touch if you have a story or you can contact your local GMP Communicator. Details of who they are can be found on the Internal Communications Intranet site.

News 4

Carribean Carnival

5

Spotlight on Schengen

8

Convict corner

10 Giving victims a say Features 12 Guarding against grooming 14 Nato conference 15 Safe drive, stay alive 16 Tackling human trafficking 17 A day in the life of…...

GMP Community 18 Salford officers cycle coast to coast 20 Letters of appreciation 21 Obituaries 22 Homecoming for Scott 23 Football tournament for Sgt Paul Fletcher 24 Advertisements 25 What’s on around Manchester

Editorial team (L‐R): Kevin Hoy , Melissa Mead, Catherine Barlow, Krystyna Rudzki and Patricia Jones

Guest contributors With thanks to the following people for their contribution to this issue: Geoff Linguard, Corporate, Media and Video Officer, Corporate Communications Branch Sgt Tariq Butt, Neighbourhoods, Confidence and Equality team, Professional Standards Branch Supt Bob Lomas, Specialist Operations, Specialist Protective Services Diane Ames, Witness Care Unit, Criminal Justice and Custody Branch Ben Ashworth, Press & Public Relations Officer, Corporate Communications Branch

OFFICERS and staff around the Force have raised more than £500 for the annual MacMillan coffee morning.

Many teams across GMP took part, baking cakes and hosting their own events. The 'World's Biggest Coffee Morning' is Macmillan's biggest fundraising event and in 2013, 154,000 people signed up, raising a record £20 million.

News

Colourful day at Caribbean Carnival GMP officers made sure that Manchester’s annual Caribbean Carnival was a huge success. Taking place in Platt Fields Park in Fallowfield the event is now in its 42nd year. This year the carnival celebrated the 40th anniversary of the independence for Caribbean Island Grenada and the life of Nelson Mandela.

Officers bring birthday cheer to burglary victim OFFICERS in Stockport put a smile back on the face of 92 year-old Mrs Ayling after she became a victim of burglary on her birthday.

at a near-by park so we were able to recover these and show them to Mrs Ayling. One of the medals belonged to her.

PC Simon Toft and PC Kate Davidson were able to return most of the stolen property to her. When they realised it was her birthday they decided to buy her something to mark the occasion.

“Mrs Ayling was very distressed about the fact that the offender had walked to her bed and had been through her handbag that was next to her whilst she was sleeping.

Unfortunately, the offender has not yet been caught.

Mrs Ayling lives alone and has no family apart from a nephew and his wife, as her husband passed away.

PC Simon Toft said: “Some of her late husband’s medals and some jewellery were stolen. A member of the public noticed some medals discarded 4 Brief Autumn 2014

“Due to the trauma she went through and given that it was her 92nd birthday, PC Davidson and I, with the agreement of the Superintendent, thought it would be nice to buy her a bunch of flowers, birthday cup cake and card.

“When we took them round and presented them to her we were overwhelmed by her response. She was so happy and thrilled. Mrs Ayling’s response was ‘I can’t believe how much you care and have helped me.’

“We are really glad that we were able to cheer her up a little on her special day despite what she’d been through.”

Pictured: PC Toft and PC Davidson present Mrs Ayling with some flowers for her birthday

News

Crayons at the ready for Christmas card competition CHRISTMAS may still be three months away, but we’re already starting to think about the festive season, with the launch of this year’s Christmas card competition.

Brief is asking officers and staff to encourage their children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews to get creative with a festive drawing that reflects this year’s theme – 40 years of Greater Manchester Police.

If selected as the winning design their artwork will appear as this year's official GMP Christmas card.

Now in its fifth year, the competition will see the winning design transformed into an electronic card

which will be sent to those partners, agencies and individuals who help GMP with its work.

Entrants must be aged 3-14 years and will be split into three categories: ages 3-7yrs, 8-10yrs and 11–14yrs.

The winner of each category will receive a prize, deadline for entries is Friday 24 October.

Entries should have the name, age, address and telephone number of the child along with their family member’s PIN number. Please send entries by post to GMP Christmas Card Competition, Corporate Communications c/o Openshaw Complex, Lawton St or they can be

Last year’s winner Alexandra Leigh Scott

hand-delivered to GMP Christmas Card Competition, Corporate Communications, Force HQ, Central Park, Newton Heath, Manchester M40 5BP.

Breaking down barriers A new IT system is coming to GMP to help trace and track criminals across the European Union.

The Schengen Information System will share real-time information to all police forces across the EU via a series of alerts, helping to keep people safe across Europe.

Implemented nationally later this year it will enable officers to locate and track vehicles and people who are wanted or are of interest to GMP. It will also have a huge impact on UK police forces and border control.

The new system will enable officers to detect and prevent crime perpetrated by foreign nationals attempting to evade detention in their home country.

Jeremy Forrest travelled abroad with one of his pupils. This would have been a very different story had the UK

been part of the Schengen community. Alerts would have been placed on Mr Forrest as a person wanted for child abduction, on his passport and on his vehicle as well as on his wife's passport (which his pupil used to travel) and on the pupil herself as a missing person.

Each of those alerts would have triggered as he attempted to leave the country via any port, euro tunnel or airport and he would have failed to leave the UK. Had they tried to cross borders anywhere within the EU, they would again have been detected as Schengen was already in place in those countries. However as we were not a member state, no alerts or information from the UK were available to any of the countries they could have travelled to, hence they were able to leave the UK undetected.

MINI POLICE: Rochdale Division have purchased a kit of 'mini' Police uniforms to be used by the Neighbourhood Policing Teams at community events, schools and other initiatives which involve school aged children. The officers will encourage the youngsters to wear the uniforms while passing on age appropriate personal safety advice. Supt Alistair Mallen said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to engage with the younger end of our community. Personal safety affects us all and we want to encourage young people to start thinking about how they can look after themselves and the different people who can help to keep them safe. Hopefully all of these children can grow up to be wonderful adults benefiting from these events."

Who needs to know?

All operational staff and much of the support staff need to know about Schengen and must complete the first NCALT information package. Anyone who has access to the PNC on a read only basis must also complete the second NCALT package. All staff who update the PNC must also complete the third NCALT package. These packages will tell you all you need to know about Schengen and the alerts available, and what to do with them.

Supporting officers and staff As well as the NCALT packages being available, up to date information will be available for officers and staff on the Force Intelligence Bureau Intranet site.

Superintendent Alistair Mallen with Lois (10 years), Joshua (six years) Jack (four years) Mollie (three years) and Josh (five years)

Brief Autumn 2014 5

News

Creating confidence A number of events will be taking place across GMP to mark National Customer Service Week (6-8 October).

The week of action aims to raise awareness of the importance of good customer service and promote the work of the GMP Customer Service Champions Network.

Claire Mayle, Customer Service and Victim Satisfaction Officer said: “The Champions network has been making steady progress in improving the service offered to victims. Thanks to those involved we are leading the

way in terms of peer influence and empowering people to bring about real change.

“We are specifically focusing on our internal audience for the week of action and looking at ways that we can raise awareness and peer influence amongst our colleagues.

“We hope the week will provide the opportunity to embed the five drivers of satisfaction, the nine policing principles and standards of professional behaviour, from the new Code of Ethics.”

To find out please contact your local champion: North Manchester: Lisa Ward, Amanda Staley & Kal Bhatti South Manchester: Danny O’Neil & Andy Bell Tameside: Jason Grisdale & Maria Nickisson Stockport: Ady Hazlehurst & Paul Lunt Bolton: Andrea Ennis Trafford: Dean Hough & Beverley Cowan

Bury: Carolyn Bentham & Andy Hall 13845 Oldham: Suzanne Hudson 20335, Louis Baistow-Davies & Jason Byrne Rochdale: Brendan Walsh Wigan: Mark Wilkinson & Joe Potts Airport: Fiona Jay Salford: Leanne Kennedy & Cheryl Critchley OCB: Cath Viller & Stephanie Buckland

Around the world

WEDGED IN: A train load of commuters helped free a man trapped between a carriage and the platform by shoving it off him. The passenger slipped and got wedged as he tried to board the train near Perth in Australia.

SLOW CHASE: Police in Sweden recently had to chase a suspect – who was completely naked and wearing handcuffs – in a rowing boat.

Officers were forced onto the water after a 26-year-old handcuffed man managed to escape, fled into the sea and started swimming away. A police officer jumped in the water with a buoy, and another unit jumped into a rowing boat. The chase came to a not so swift end after the man was apprehended and taken away.

SKATEBOARD COP: The world's first skateboard cop is now patrolling the streets of America on his longboard. Officer Joel Zwicky, 40, keeps tabs on his patch while riding around on a Green Bay police customised board. He patrols the parks and pavements on his skateboard while wearing his kevlar vest, sidearm, ammunition and radio as normal.

RADIO SUCCESS: Ch Insp Pat McKelvey (pictured left) and PC Mike McGuinness (pictured centre) turned to BBC Radio Manchester for help in getting crime information out to the public and ended up with a radio slot of their own.

The show with DJ Mike Sweeney embraces the popularity of social media and uses it as a tool to spread its messages further.

“It’s all about community engagement” said Mike. “We pitched the idea of the show because we needed to get more information out there to the public and radio has a lot bigger reach than the bobbies on the beat.”.”

6 Brief Autumn 2014

PATROL ON A TRACTOR: With flashing blue lights and police paintwork on the bonnet, Britain’s most rural police force yesterday unveiled their new patrol vehicle - a tractor with a top speed of just 20mph. Dyfed Powys Police hope the machine will improve their relationships with rural communities in Mid and West Wales.

News

Stop the clock

Whatʼs trending on social media  Over 2.4 million ice bucket-related videos have been posted on Facebook and 28 million people have uploaded, commented on or liked ice bucketrelated posts. The stunt is typically intended to raise money and awareness for the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association. The challenge has now gone viral and has spread across various social media channels such as Instagram, Vine and Twitter.

Corporate and media Video Officer Geoff Lingard films PC Chris Hayden

reduction advice, the team embarked on producing four pilot episodes.

The initial productions were instant IT doesn’t sound a long time, but hits on-line. Their short format and 60 seconds in video production terms ‘simple but effective’ messages can make a big difference.

Just over a year ago the Corporate provided the Force with a platform to promote crime prevention advice, not and Media Imaging (CMI) team from only to residents in Greater the Corporate Communications Manchester, but across the country as Branch were asked to make a series well. of short crime reduction films by the Various housing associations, local Tameside Partnership Team. authorities and residents groups are The idea was to draw the public’s now using the films and the NHS and attention to a range of initiatives and products, which could help keep them some national retail outlets have expressed an interest in using them in and their homes safe.

Due to the massive growth in web future.

Scripts are researched and based video and the media’s need for prepared in advance of their filming, ‘sound bites’, the average attention span of a viewer is now much shorter with care being taken to ensure that they meet the 60 second time frame. It than it was in days gone by. can then take up to half a day to The need to produce films that record each item, but this tends to could deliver key messages quickly depend upon factors such as the and in an engaging style was a weather, the chosen locations and priority, thus the concept of ‘60 whether Chris can remember his lines!

Second Security’ was born.

When the cameras stop rolling, a With Tameside Partnership Officer film can be ready for release in less PC Chris Hayden taking on the role of than 24 hours. presenter and Judith Hackney, CMI has now produced 15 videos Prevent and Secure Crime Reduction that have been viewed over 80,000 Specialist providing the crime times on GMP’s Flickr and YouTube channels.

In recent weeks, the films have been re authored with subtitles allowing people with hearing difficulties to access this vital information.

If you have any ideas or subjects you’d like us to cover, please contact the CMI team at Force Headquarters.

By Geoff Lingard

 Radamel Falcao’s loan to move to Manchester United was the major deadline day signing and a trending topic of discussion across Facebook and Twitter, as Premier League summer spending hit a record £835m.

Danny Welbeck’s singing to Arsenal for £16m was also a popular discussion on social media.

 Twitter’s latest experiment backfires: Social network turns ‘favourites’ into retweets - and it's annoying a lot of users. Swathes of Twitter users have expressed annoyance at the roll-out of an experimental new feature. Users of the social network have reported seeing tweets favourited by other people in their own timeline. In addition to this, some members have complained that their feed shows tweets alerting them that an account they follow has followed a new account.

Brief Autumn 2014 7

News A drug dealer who sent a text just 24 hours after the murders of two police officers calling Dale Cregan a 'hero' has been jailed for eight years.

Lee Willis from Stalybridge went on the run in June last year after admitting numerous drug offences. He was due to be sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court but did not turn up. After a multi-agency search he was eventually found on New Year's Day. When Willis was originally arrested back in November 2012 and eventually charged, he told Tameside Magistrates' Court he had no links whatsoever to Dale Cregan.

However, when his phone was forensically examined, he was pictured with Jailed: Lee Willis is now members of safely behind bars Cregan's

CONVICT CORNER family in a pub.

Officers also found a text that Willis sent to a friend, dated just one day after the murders of PC Fiona Bone and PC Nicola Hughes, which contained a picture of Dale Cregan and underneath the text 'HERO'.

Willis, 30, was originally arrested following a raid on a property in Stalybridge along with three other men. Bin liners of cannabis weighing 2.5kg were found with a street value of around £25,000. Plastic bags containing white powder, drugs paraphernalia including debtors lists, £5,000 in cash and mobile phones were also seized.

If he thought he could escape he was sadly mistaken

DI Rob Cousen, of the Serious and Organised Crime Group said: "Willis was the ring leader of this drug operation, and between himself and his acolytes organised the supply and distribution of cocaine and cannabis.

Rather than face up to his crimes, he chose to go on the run for six months. However, if he thought he could escape he was sadly mistaken.

"I have no doubt that with him behind bars, not only have we struck a major blow against this drugs network and disrupted the supply of drugs onto the streets of Greater Manchester, but also sent a powerful message to organised crime groups. Not only has Willis lost his freedom, he has also lost £40,000 in cash and a BMW undoubtedly bought through his criminal endeavours.”

Bond ball a big hit with cadets MORE than 150 of GMP’s Volunteer Police Cadets gathered together for a James Bond Themed ball at Hough End. Planning for the ball took several months, the main organisers being Emma and Chris Corbett from the Trafford Cadet Unit and Adam Cronshaw from the Salford Unit.

A black and white theme was chosen for the room with each of the nine tables given the name of a Bond

film and ambient lighting completing the effect.

During the event each unit took the opportunity to give a special achievement award to one of its members in recognition of outstanding performance. Each winner was awarded a certificate and a £20 Sports Direct voucher by Ch Supt Nick Adderley.

PC Andrew Marsden then awarded the cadet leaders from each unit with

a certificate as the cadet teams were recently awarded the title of winners of the outstanding team performance at the Chief Constables Excellence Awards.

The event was the first time that Greater Manchester’s cadets have had the opportunity to meet en mass and was considered to be a huge and its success. It is hoped that the ball will become an annual event.

A SAFE AIRPORT: Officers at the airport continue to build a stronger relationship with partners. Over the summer officers trained airline staff so that they can keep the airport and passengers safe. The inputs have been conducted to Jet2, Monarch, Thomson, EasyJet and Ryan Air. Paul Rafferty, Ground Staff Training Manager at Jet2.com said: "Tony has played a key role in educating our new ground staff on how to be vigilant around the airport and how important security is here.

“It has also helped to reduce disorder around our check in desks and on board our flights.”

Pictured left to right PC Graham Rothwell with Chloe Birdsall, Kerry Brookes and Rebecca Ryan from Jet2

8 Brief Autumn 2014

News

Professional protest policing

GMP showed its professionalism in dealing with large scale protests, as proPalestinian and Israeli demonstrators took to the streets of Manchester city centre.

The demonstrations have taken place in response to events taking place in Gaza and understandably, the situation in Gaza has provoked strong emotions among communities here in Greater Manchester. This has resulted in almost daily protests, with hundreds of people taking part in the demonstrations.

North Manchester Division’s Chief Superintendent Nick Adderley has been a regular face in the city centre during the protests. He said: “The protests have caused disruption to a number of shops and businesses along Market Street and King Street but finding the balance between facilitating lawful protest and the rights of business to trade, is never going to be easy. Through the hard work of officers, staff and our partners, we have managed to provide reassurance, as well as a firm commitment, that we will endeavour to strike the right balance, ensuring that the law and the human rights act are observed.

“The greatest challenge faced by officers, when dealing with such protests, is the expectations of the public placed upon them to ‘sort the problem’. This protest is no different and I have seen first-hand the

pressure placed upon officers to move to one side or the other.

“Another challenge officers have faced is the constant scrutiny they are placed under, as well as the ‘instant media broadcasting frenzy’ of their actions and conversations. Within seconds of any interaction with protestors, a video of what has occurred will appear on twitter, Facebook and YouTube. No matter how seasoned an officer is, this can be unnerving and in some cases intimidating.

“The professionalism I have personally observed from our staff is of the highest calibre and is the envy of the world. GMP can proudly boast of its successful record in dealing with protests yet I never see any hint of complacency.

“When required officers have been firm and direct, yet polite, courteous and extremely patient. They have engaged with protestors from both sides and helped them to understand the role of the police. I need to specifically mention the Police Liaison Officers who are right in the thick of the protestors, brokering deals and working with them to set clear expectations of the do’s and don’ts. It takes a certain kind of officer to be a Police Liaison Officer and I have observed the most incredible levels of tenacity, professionalism and integrity from each of them, each and every time I have been at the protest sites.

“As with most protests, the vast majority of people who we deal with are decent, hardworking and simply want to exercise their democratic right to protest, but as we can appreciate the current conflict in the Middle East is highly sensitive and emotive,

leading to the odd few stepping over the line and committing criminal offences and hate incidents. Our officers have dealt with these incidents proportionately and fairly, maintaining the legitimacy and integrity of the policing operation.

“What is always pleasing to see is the attempts our officers make to build an appropriate rapport and relationship with the protestors and to adopt an approach of co-operation rather than using ‘coercive power’. It is these observations that make me extremely proud to be GMP officer and to have the privilege of standing shoulder to shoulder with our officers, even in the pouring rain!”

Brief Autumn 2014 9

News

Giving victims a say

New powers to help tackle antisocial behaviour

By Sgt Tariq Butt OFFICERS will be given new tools and powers to deal with incidents of antisocial behaviour (ASB) later this month.

The new powers are designed to provide better protection for victims and communities. They will also ensure that professionals have effective powers to deal with ASB incidents that are quick, practical, easy to use and act as a real deterrent to perpetrators.

The changes come as a result of the reforms introduced under the AntiSocial Behaviour and Crime and Policing Act 2014. They will see 19 of the current complex powers replaced with six simpler, more flexible ones that give victims a say how agencies tackle ASB. They are: Civil Injunction Replaces the ASBO. Now based on the civil burden of proof (balance of probabilities), it can contain both prohibitions and positive requirements. The court can compel those subject to an injunction to do certain things, for example, attend parenting classes, dog training, and drug/alcohol treatment.

Criminal Behaviour Order This replaces the ASBO (CRASBO) on conviction, and is sought when an individual is convicted of a criminal offence. The ASB does not need to be 10 Brief Autumn 2014

linked to the offence for which they have been convicted and as with the injunction, both prohibitions and positive requirements can be applied for.

Community Protection Notice A totally new power that is aimed at stopping a person, business or organisation from committing ASB. Where there is unreasonable behaviour affecting a community’s quality of life, a warning can be given.

If there is no improvement then a notice can be issued which can instruct a requirement to: stop doing things, to do specific things, or to take reasonable steps to achieve specific results.

Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) Replaces the DPPO and will be led by the Local Authority. More than one restriction can be added to the same PSPO, meaning that a single PSPO can deal with a wider range of behaviours than the orders it replaces.

Such as no open alcohol containers, dog must be kept on a lead, no skateboarding etc.

Closure Powers Designed to allow the police or council to quickly close premises which are being used, or likely to be used, to commit nuisance or disorder. Closure of licensed, residential or business

premises can be authorised for up to 24 hours by and Inspector or for 48 hours by a superintendent. This can be extended to a further three months or a maximum of six months by applying to the courts.

Dispersal Powers Replaces the Section 30 Dispersal Order and Section 27 Direction to leave. It requires a person committing or likely to commit anti-social behaviour, crime or disorder to leave an area for up to 48 hours. Use of the dispersal power must be authorised by an officer of at least the rank of inspector before use. A police officer (or PCSO where designated) can give a direction to anyone who is, or appears to be, over the age of 10.

Agencies and officers working together on the front line will also be trained together. Each Integrated Neighbourhood Policing Team will nominate officers to be trained alongside partner agency staff from councils, Housing Associations, Environmental Health and NHS Protect. Those nominated will then be able to train their colleagues.

For further details contact Sgt Tariq Butt on extension 67338 or visit the ASB intranet pages.

News

Airport emergency sprang into action and Sky News were broadcasting images from inside the cabin of the aircraft showing a Typhoon fighter jet beside it.

GMP call handlers began to receive calls from worried residents across South Manchester and Stockport who were concerned at what they could see in the skies above them.

By Supt Bob Lomas, Manchester Airport

OFFICERS at Manchester Airport took immediate action last month following an emergency that was unfolding in the skies above Manchester.

Just before 1pm on Tuesday 5 August, the Operational Control Room at Claytonbrook received a phone call from Scotland Yard to say that National Air Traffic Services had been contacted by the pilot of Qatar flight 023 which was en route from Doha to Manchester. The pilot had told them that his crew had been passed a hand written letter stating that there was a bomb on the plane.

The aircraft was thirty minutes from Manchester Airport and would be escorted to the runway by the Royal Air Force.

After reading the FWIN, duty Insp, Steve Porter asked the nearest patrol to collect both him and Insp Damian O’Reilly and take them to the airside rendezvous point along with all armed police officers.

Almost immediately the media

Silver Control Silver Control was activated at the airport and I assumed the role of Silver Commander for the incident while Ch Insp Mike Miskell was designated as the Tactical Firearms Commander.

We had just five minutes to set up the silver control room and mobilise the entire airport’s emergency response before the plane landed. The communications room phone lines lit up with calls from a number of Government agencies including Scotland Yard, the Department for Transport and the Home Office. There was even a call from the Prime Minister’s office in Downing Street.

The Airport’s Crisis Management Team gathered. This was made up of the airport’s own Emergency Planning Coordinator, Airfield Duty Manager, Terminal Duty Manager and other senior operations staff. Due to the fast moving and ambiguous nature of the incident, joint decisions had to be agreed within minutes so instantaneous teamwork was essential.

At 1.05pm the aircraft landed and came to a halt at the bottom of the runway where it was held adjacent to the runway visitor’s park. More than 300 people watched the drama unfold. Thankfully, minutes later, the whole area was evacuated by other Manchester Airport section staff who had fortunately been training at the firearms range.

‘By now press interest was

overwhelming and the press office had received almost 50 calls in the space of two hours. GMP’s Twitter account was also bombarded. Working with the press office, a statement was issued on behalf of Ch Supt John O’Hare.

Pressure was building to take swift action but without a threat assessment this could prove disastrous if the assessment was wrong. CI Miskell issued spontaneous firearms authority to contain the aircraft with armed MAS officers, under the direction of Sgt Tony Belshaw. I worked with airport colleagues to quickly agree a threat assessment and approval was given to move the aircraft. The airfield was then handed back to the airport operator to resume full operational use.

Joint decisions had to be agreed within minutes so instantaneous teamwork was essential’ Overall disruption was minimal.

The airport was closed for just 29 minutes and only nine aircraft diverted.

At 1.45pm, as the aircraft parked at the remote stand, the suspect was arrested by armed officers and removed from the aircraft. The suspect freely admitted writing the note and was arrested on suspicion of making a hoax bomb threat.

By 3.30pm the incident was over having caused minimal disruption to the airport, the airline and travelling public. All this was thanks to a swift and professional response by the police officers and staff at Manchester Airport.

Brief Autumn 2014 11

Features

How fit are we?

How to protect your children Take an interest Often ‘playing dumb’ is the best way to find out what networks your child is using and who they are chatting to.

Know your networks Facebook, Twitter, Kik, Instagram… the ever-growing list of social networks can be overwhelming but it is up to you to do the research and make sure your child is using the correct privacy settings. Many of the networks have a ‘Report’ feature where you can flag suspicious activity

As changes to the fitness test are implemented, Brief caught up PC Simon Collins, one of the personal training instructors to find out about what the team has been doing to get GMP prepared.

ELEVEN months ago the Force set up fitness test ‘familiarisation’ sessions for police officers. More than 3,000 officers have already taken part from around the Force. All operational officers will now be required to pass the fitness test or they will receive a sanction for failing.

PC Simon Collins said: “For many officers the last time they took part in a fitness test was when they first joined and for some that was a long time ago. Many have been feeling very nervous expecting the test conditions to be exactly the same, but times have changed.

arrangements to have a one-to-one with them so that we can ultimately get them on the right track to get through the fitness test. This will often include what they’ve done to prepare for the test, lifestyle and advice on what they need to do to pass the test.

This is written up and then we arrange to re-test that officer within an agreed timescale.

“Sometimes nerves get the better of people and we have received mixed feedback. Some have tried to keep up with others who are also running to keep up to the same pace but of course you could be running next to

Encourage your child to think before they post A simple but effective way of getting your child to think before they post is the family test - if you wouldn’t want your grandma to see it, then don’t put it out there for thousands of people to view.

Use software with caution There are software packages available to restrict your child’s internet access and some phone companies also offer parents the option to limit internet availability.

However, be warned that the tech -savvy children of today will often find a way around any blocks you put up. Educating them and taking an interest is a far more effective way of keeping them safe.

Information and advice Further information is available on the CSE Intranet site. You can also get additional support from: www.itsnotokay.co.uk www.thinkuknow.co.uk/ www.internetmatters.org www.getsafeonline.org www.childline.org.uk www.nspcc.org.uk And finally, the Sexual Crime Unit (sexual.crimeunit@gmp.police.uk

Pictured left to right: PCs Geoff Smith, Simon Collins and Kat McGovern

“Our role is to explain the test properly and get officers to warm up properly, but we are also there to support officers. We have heard officers say that while they were feeling very nervous, the test itself wasn’t as bad as they thought.”

The majority of officers get through the test and wonder why they put themselves under all that pressure.

But for some who do not achieve the required fitness level this is when the support from the PTI’s becomes invaluable.

PC Collins added: “When this happens our role is to have a quick chat, mainly around welfare and to reassure them. We will then make

someone who is a lot taller than you, or a lot fitter. We have seen instances where individuals have tried to keep up with others and found they are running a fast pace too soon.

Everyone has a different level of fitness. My answer is don’t put yourself under any pressure to keep up, run at your own pace and listen to what we tell you.

“Some of the main issues we’ve seen since running the familiarisation sessions are around lifestyle such as being overweight, not exercising, smoking or drinking. But we can help and we have helped many get through the test.”

Brief Autumn 2014 13

Features

Uniting for NATO

GMP Commanders with their teams outside the Celtic Manor Resort in Cardiff

EARLIER this month officers from GMP took part in Operation Ismay, an operation to support the NATO Conference.

Held at the Celtic Manor Resort, near Cardiff, the 2014 North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Conference was attended by a significant number of heads of state including President Obama and David Cameron.

To ensure the event ran as smoothly as possible, around 9,000 police officers from across the country were temporarily attached to Operation Ismay. GMP sent specialist

Pictured right: Insp Cecelia Oakley, part of the Police Liaison Team

14 Brief Autumn 2014

trained officers including level two and three public order, search trained, roads policing, firearms, evidence gathers, criminal investigation, tactical dog\mounted officers as well as public order trainers, commanders and tactical advisors.

Chief Inspectors Rachel Buckle, Donna Allen and Chris Hill were public order commanders for Newport.

Ch Insp Chris Hill said: “This was a massive operation and I am extremely proud to have represented GMP and work alongside so many dedicated and experienced officers and personnel from other government agencies.

“As well as working together to ensure the safety of the conference we were also able to provide reassurance to the local community. This was a great experience for all involved and will be talked about for some time."

Sgt Gareth Firth from the Tactical Aid Unit (TAU) worked on the Remote Vehicle Search Site (RVSS) with ten other TAU officers. He said: "Due to our experience on Operation Protector we were invited to support

the RVSS operation. We searched more than 1,000 vehicles to ensure that delegates were kept safe and that their vehicles were able to enter the “island” as “clean vehicles”.

Features

Pictured left to right: Lesley Allen (GMFRS), Paul Fearnhead (GMFRS), Karen Higham‐Deakin (Salford Royal), Insp Matt Bailey‐Smith (Specialist Operations), Craig Spencer (HM Prison Service), Janet Magee (TPCSO), Cate Aspinall (TPCSO), Duncan Mayoh (NWAS), Phil Nelson (GMFRS) and Miranda Jones, Salford Royal

Safe drive, stay alive MORE than 7,000 young people will come face-to-face with the horrific consequences of a road traffic collision as part of a brand new theatre education initiative coming to Greater Manchester.

GMP has joined forces with Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service, DriveSafe, North West Ambulance Service, Salford Royal Trauma Assessment Unit and Probation to deliver a hard-hitting project called Safe Drive Stay Alive.

The project has been brought to Greater Manchester following success in several other regions, including Surrey, Thames Valley and Fyfe.

College students from across the region will attend performances at Middleton Arena in November where they will be greeted with a party

atmosphere before being hit with the devastating and harrowing realities of dangerous and careless driving.

A mixture of emergency service staff and family members that have lost loved ones will take to the stage to talk about their own personal experiences and the effect it has had had on their lives.

Inspector Matt Bailey-Smith from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: “Holding the hand of a young girl as she died on the roadside is my motivation for launching Safe Drive Stay Alive and sadly this is not an isolated incident.

has been overwhelmingly positive and we look forward to seeing it make a difference within our communities and ultimately reducing the number of young lives being lost or ruined on our roads.”

For more information on Safe Drive Stay Alive please contact Inspector Matt Bailey-Smith on extension 64744, TPCSO Janet Magee or TPCSO Catherine Aspinall on extension 64779.

“In the last 10 years 132 young people have lost their lives on our roads and many more have sustained life changing injuries. Obviously these are staggering statistics and we never lose sight of the fact that behind every number is a real person.

“Safe Drive Stay Alive is a wonderful initiative and it is the first time that all of the emergency services have joined forces to deliver a road safety initiative across the Force.

“The feedback we’ve had from colleges, families and young people Brief Autumn 2014 15

Features

DC Colin Ward, Sexual Crime Unit

HUMAN trafficking is high on the national agenda. Brief spoke to DC Colin Ward about this growing illegal industry.

In what ways are people being exploited?

The type that most people are familiar with is sexual exploitation, however there are many strands to the problem including forced labour, domestic servitude and organ harvesting.

In recent months national figures of people reporting to be trafficked have shown an increase in labour trafficking.

Tackling trafficking is not possible with the resource we have. We have the legislation in place and the Modern Slavery Bill going through Parliament . This will help us even further increasing sentencing and bringing in more support for victims.

How has human trafficking changed during your time in the team?

When I first joined the unit, human trafficking was not a major part of our work. At that time as a Force and as a country I don’t think it we realised the extent of trafficking. Most days now there are new pieces coming in daily and it has just got bigger and bigger.

How can officers and staff feed information to your team?

The Sexual Crime Unit has duty cover What are the key challenges affecting between 7am and 8pm Monday to the Greater Manchester area?

Friday. The duty mobile number is Trafficking victims will often not 07747648793. The email address for realise they are victims or are too afraid to say they are. Possible victims need a trafficking issues is traffickingandslavery@gmp.police.uk. lot of time and effort given to them to help them understand that we can be There is now a new closing code for trusted. Most don’t have any trust in incidents deemed to involve human police officers due to problems often trafficking / modern day slavery. The with corruption or beatings in their own code is 'G26' . We also ask that any countries. Trafficking has grown that intelligence being submitted has an much we could rescue at least one victim of sex trafficking or forced labour attachment to Op Cadoc. This is the every single day, which at the moment Force generic operation name for

human trafficking / modern day slavery.

How can we contact your team when you’re not on duty?

Unfortunately we do not have out of hours cover, however the duty PPD cover would be able to make contact with our office if need be. There is 24 hour advice available though from the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre on 08447782406.

What other support is available for the areas you cover?

You can find further guidance on our intranet page and there is also a useful NCALT package on trafficking.

Any other advice for officers?

The main piece of advice I can give is to just imagine that it is one of your own family who you have no idea where they are, what is happening to them, and thinking that that member of your family is so scared they have no one to go to.

Any slightest piece of intelligence picked up in the community from that nosey neighbour complaining about the new family moved in next door could result in a victim being rescued.

‘Specials’ night out GMP carried out a large crime reduction operation on one of Manchester’s busiest nights of the year.

The operation took place as thousands of students descended upon the city to celebrate ‘Fresher’s Week’.

The operation took place in Manchester City Centre last month. It saw more than 30 Special Constables work with antisocial behaviour, licensing, child sexual exploitation and ANPR interceptor teams in an effort to tackle crime in the city.

As well as reducing crime, it also gave the Special Constables the opportunity to work with officers to not only develop their skills but also to give them the chance to experience what other officers face on a daily basis.

16 Brief Autumn 2014

Ch Insp Pat Mckelvey from the north Manchester Division said: “The operation was a great success.

“The presence of so many officers on one of the busiest nights of the year made everybody in the city centre feel a lot safer and reassured. It also

allowed us to show our appreciation of the great voluntary work that the specials do by giving them new experiences which they may not normally encounter during their regular duties.”

Features

A day in the life of a Witness Care Officer

By Diane Ames I work for the Witness Care Unit, which is part of the Criminal Justice and Custody Branch and we support Diane Ames, victims of crime Witness Care Unit and witnesses who are required to attend court. There are 30 of us around the Force and it’s safe to say that every day is very different.

This morning I’ve received a call from a domestic violence victim who tells me that she is too ill to attend court today. So I suggest she takes some medication and to see how she feels in a while. After explaining that the case wouldn’t necessarily be adjourned she does want the defendant to be punished and didn’t want to lose the case as it was domestic violence. She wanted him to get help.

After some further questioning it turned out that she was scared because the defendant’s family had been pressurising her to drop the case. I arranged for someone from the witness service to meet her at the entrance of court and escort her in and I also advised her to take someone with her for support. In the end she just needed reassurance that

she would be safe at court.

I’ve also received an urgent email from the Crown Prosecution Service asking for a summons to be served on a victim that had retracted her statement. If the victim fails to attend on the summons, a warrant can be issued and they can be arrested and taken to court. Harsh as it sounds, the CPS have to decide whether it is in the public interest before a summons is issued.

After lunch, I’m back at the desk and have been allocated some new cases but need to check that the information on our system is correct.

I’ve also had to send a reminder letter to one of my victims to confirm their

attendance at court, as they have not been in touch. I have also asked the officer involved in the case to visit the victim to make sure everything is ok.

I have also organised for a victim’s child to be placed in a local nursery for the day whilst mum attends court. This is paid for by the CPS. It’s been a busy day and time to log off and head home. I love my job, it can be so varied and changes day to day.

For more information on the Witness Care Unit, please visit their intranet page here or contact Diane Ames, Witness Care Officer on extension 61479.

Safeguarding from extremism life and isolation from society helped create an environment for radicalisation.

His radicalisers who lived in Pakistan showed an interest in Nicky and convinced him he was special, he became so radicalised he attempted to blow up a restaurant.

The GMP Channel team are based in the NWCTU at Force HQ. DC Darren Howarth, a Channel Officer said: “Our is to work with people in the pre‘Radicalisation can lead to aim criminal space and to stop them some people adopting and offending in the first place. This was acting on violent extremist difficult at first, as police officers are used to dealing with people via the views’ criminal justice system.

“The process of radicalisation can It was a particular incident that lead to some people adopting and acting alerted the Government to the problem on violent extremist views, breaking the of vulnerable people being radicalised. A law and, in some cases, it can lead to white British teenager, named Nicky acts of terrorism. ‘Channel’ can help Reilly was radicalised online over a stop this progression through education, period of seven years. A difficult home GMP has a key role in safeguarding individuals and that includes safeguarding them against violent extremism.

‘Channel’ is a Home Office initiative, delivered by the National Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) Network. It supports people who are at risk of radicalisation from all forms of extremism.

training and mentoring, as well as having open and honest conversations about issues that are of concern and supporting family members and loved ones.”

Now in its fifth year, the Channel team receives more than 200 referrals a year. The current situation in Iraq and Syria is highlighting how Channel can assist in preventing some British nationals becoming radicalised and travelling abroad.

To support ‘Channel’, police officers and staff should continue to share their concerns about vulnerable people they come into contact with.

To make a referral to the Channel team, simply complete a FIS entry containing the word ‘Sentinel’ and this will then be picked up by the CTU SPOE and sent to the Channel team.

Brief Autumn 2014 17

GMP Community

Coast to coast for Salford officers OFFICERS from the Salford Division have cycled from Morecombe to Bridlington for charity.

The group, which included Supt Mark Kenny covered 170 miles from the Morecambe coast to the coast at Bridlington. This route is known as the Roses Route.

The ride took place at the end of August over three days to help raise funds for Salford Deaf Children's Society, the division's nominated charity for this year.

The Salford Deaf Children’s

Society was nominated by PC Cathy Blain after her son, Alfie lost his hearing following a tragic accident.

Following support by a local group linked to the charity, Alfie’s life has greatly improved. He has been able to meet other deaf children and their families as well as getting support from specialist teachers.

The bike ride is just one of the activities that the Salford Division has organised to help raise money for the charity. Staff have already held a sponsored keep fit session, and a

family picnic event and a charity evening event planned for this October. Supt Kenny said: “It felt like a real achievement and well worth the effort. I would welcome any donation to the charity, however small, as the money is going to a great cause."

If you'd like to donate, money can be accepted via Paypal by logging onto www.paypal.com, clicking on 'send' and searching for account name GMP_Supts_Charity@yahoo.co.uk.

Spotlight on Police Mutual POLICE Mutual has been providing financial help to officers, staff and their families for many years.

With no shareholders and profits reinvested, Police Mutual is run for the benefits of its members and those working in the police service.

The key to their success is their network of more than 900 Authorised Officers (AOs) across the UK. Insp Matt Oxley, a Force Duty Officer is GMP’s Police Mutual Force AO. “I joined GMP in 1996 and first saw the benefits of Police Mutual 17 years ago, when I took out my first savings plan. Throughout my service, I’ve continued to benefit from the financial security that comes from their saving and investment plans.

“As Force AO, I oversee a team of

18 Brief Autumn 2014

AOs who maintain the leaflet boards and provide general information for the benefit of their colleagues about Police Mutual’s products and services.

“In GMP, this includes around £167 million in home insurance cover and around £12 million of savings and investments, as well as an awardwinning mortgage service for their members.

“In the past two and a half years the Police Mutual team have delivered financial education inputs to more than 2,000 police officers, police staff and Specials.

These have been provided completely free of charge.”

Police Mutual also provides welfare support and work in

partnership with forces to provide free health screenings, funding for police welfare projects and a respite service, offering employees and their families support when they need it most. All AOs can make a referral to the respite service on an individual’s behalf.

For more information on Police Mutual visit policemutual.co.uk

GMP Community

A long way to go (pictured left) with Sgt Chris Corbett

Record breaking Chris AN officer from Trafford has completed a marathon on a cross trainer, after taking up the challenge for charity.

Sgt Chris Corbett from Trafford Division completed the 26.2 miles in three hours six minutes, to raise money for the Trafford Divisional charity Chromosome 18.

The charity work to raise awareness of rare chromosome abnormalities which affect many people’s lives on a daily basis.

Chromosome 18 is a rare condition that affects growth and development and effects only five or six people in the UK – one of which is 5yr old George Dolan from Trafford.

Chris said: “I was inspired to take on the challenge by colleagues who have been running distance races to raise money for the charity.

Unfortunately, I suffered spinal trauma in an accident many years ago so running wasn’t an option. I decided to try my luck at the Cross-Trainer as there is none of the impact involved with running.

“I trained hard for seven weeks or so before taking on the challenge in the divisional gym. A number of colleagues supported me by keeping track of time and distance, some even got on the neighbouring cross trainer machine for an hour or so to keep me company and spur me on.

“The support of friends and colleagues kept me going throughout the challenge and encouraged me to finish the full distance in record time.”

Being a little competitive Chris researched the previous fastest finish on Google and found that even though it isn’t strictly recognised by the Guinness Book of Records (different cross trainer machines making it impossible to set a standard) the world fastest (rather than record) was held by a man from Leicestershire who completed the distance in 3hours 29mins – 23 minutes slower than Chris.

Almost there! Supt Jim Liggitt (pictured left) with Sgt Chris Corbett Brief Autumn 2014 19

GMP Community

Letters of Appreciation Remembered PC Daniel Barker, PC Andrew Read. You may not remember me but I remember you. You have no idea as to the impact you have had on my life.

Approximately three weeks ago you attended my house when my partner was trashing my home and being violent towards me. I didn’t want to give a statement due to the repercussions but you arrested him anyway.

Although he was released later, (as I didn’t give a statement) you obtained an emergency injunction and arranged for a further 28 day injunction to follow.

Since then he has not been in my house and for the first time in over a year I have been able to enjoy my life. I have been able to see my friends when I want to, work late in the evening without him accusing me of cheating on him and basically be happy again. I don’t know if it was evident how miserable I really was with him, I have wanted him out of my life for a very long time and finally it has happened.

He used to convince the police I was having a hypo (as I’m diabetic), or that I was having a wobble, you were the first officers who took him away and let me feel free again to live my life. One time the officers removed him and allowed him to go and stay with the next door neighbour. That evening he yelled through my letterbox for hours and then finally broke in through the window and that was it, I was trapped again as he wouldn’t leave.

He used to trash my home, bully me, threaten me, attack me, spit on me, humiliate me, spend my money faster than I could earn it, I felt completely worthless, trapped and humiliated.

You never think that it will happen to you and that if someone was ever abusive that you would simply leave. However, when you are in that type of relationship they make it impossible for you to leave, and attempt to manipulate you in every

way possible. If I was not the owner of the house, I would have left a very long time ago. I begged him to leave Exempla ry police work on many occasions and

even offered him money, he On Frida y would not leave. client o 15 August PC T f rigg dea mine w I just wanted to thank lt with domestic ho was a arreste as you both for everything d for a police in sault on her hus

b ter and. Thr that you put in place for ough the client w view it became

as in fa apparen me that morning. I truly t that m ct violence y . During the victim of appreciate all the support the wh domestic Trigg de o le

alt with investig you arranged and for this m ation PC professio a t

te na r with p removing him from my a did not t lism and impart iality. Alt tience, ake sides house. hough h he was s my clien e ympathe t’s I would not have had tic towar could to situation and d s

get her did wha the courage or tever he out of p soon as

olice de knowledge to get him possible tention . My cli arrested as ent had out of my house before a

n e n ver been d v t ery diffi his whole without the both of

cult to experien conducte say the ce was you. least. d the wh PC Trig diligently g I want you both to and exp ole police inve e stigation d m it y client iously en know that it was not

and I w suring th ere kept times. in vain and thank up to d at both ate at a you once again for ll Platt Halp e rn Solicit your service, ors professionalism and the compassion you both demonstrated to me on that morning.

As I said at the beginning of my actions of PC Lee letter, I will always remember Wells. everything you both did for me.

I am currently employed as a Loss Prevention Assistant, at Debenhams Anon Bury and at the end of August I detained a shop-lifter who became violent. As I struggled with him we A positive outcome Thank you to PC Darren Clarke for entered the outer area of the store and went to the floor. A crowd gathered his assistance when he attended a but no one helped. two vehicle ‘fail to stop’ road traffic collision. The driver who did stop to Much to my relief Lee came to my report the matter was in shock and PC aid and assisted in the arrest. I Clarke dealt appropriately with the suffered minor injuries which would matter, reassuring the driver. It is clear have been worse but for his that the driver only received his intervention. insurance payment because PC Lee was off duty shopping with his Clarke became involved and assured family and could have easily ignored the insurers that the driver was not the situation. But he willingly put culpable. himself in the line of fire. I would like to thank him for his professional actions.

Anon Anon Off duty help I wish to bring to your attention the

Send copies of letters or emails of thanks and appreciation to Brief, Corporate Communications, Force Headquarters, M40 5BP, making sure that the recipient’s full name, not just number, is included. Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

20 Brief Autumn 2014

GMP Community Patience is a virtue PC Branney investigated a case of financial abuse where a 61-year-old victim suffered from severe mental health problems and mobility problems due to suffering a number of strokes.

The victim was taken into hospital in March 2012 and he remained there for a number of months. When he was due to be discharged the community mental health team discovered that there had been a number of substantial cash withdrawals from his account.

It was discovered that the victim had given his half-brother his bank card as he trusted him and felt he would be better able to manage his finances.

However, he used it to make numerous withdrawals over the period of time the victim was in hospital.

This was a very difficult case to investigate as the victim's health fluctuated and so did his capacity to understand or provide any details. PC Branney eventually managed to video interview the victim at the care home and arranged for a video link via a laptop to be set up at the home to enable the victim to give his evidence.

Earlier this month his half-brother was found guilty at court on a charge of theft and is soon to be sentenced.

PC Branney has also ensured an or-

der had been submitted to recover the stolen money.

Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Trust

Well done on the case and your patience throughout.

Public Protection Division Diligent officer I would be grateful if you could pass my thanks and appreciation to PC John Caulfield for the support and professional way he helped the Trust by investigating and managing a theft by employee. This theft went to court and the ex-employee pleaded guilty. They have also been dismissed from his NHS post for gross misconduct.

PC Caulfield was diligent, helpful and responsive to our needs. Quite often those in public service do not get the credit they deserve, and I thought it was important and correct to recognise his significant role in supporting the Trust through a regrettable situation to a right and proper conclusion.

This is a great example of one public service provider supporting another.

I would be grateful if you could pass on my thanks and the appreciation of the Trust to PC Caulfield.

Thanks for being awesome My wife and I would like to bring to your attention the excellent service we experienced from the Police at Chorlton. Our house was burgled and my wife heard the intruder and called the police to report our stolen laptops, camera, passports and other personal items. Within 15 tense minutes your team had recovered and returned all items of high value to us.

We would like to thank you and your team for displaying exceptional promptness without which the offender wouldn't have been caught on CCTV so quickly. The officers are PC Andrew Rowland, Sgt Carl Morris, PC Andrew Wild, Robert Ashworth and Paul Jackson.

Because of your wonderful team, what could have been a rather expensive and disturbing experience is now a source of reassurance of our safety and security. We shall double and triple check our windows at night.

Dr Singh

Obituaries JUNE Peter Manifould, 80, died 5 June Ronald Peel, 79, died 6 June Thomas Neilson, 83, died 10 June Richard Edwin Smith, 86, died 10 June George Wilfred Hale, 74, died 13 June William Clarke, 63, died 16 June Philip John Bennett, 78, died 16 June Michael Davies, 64, died 16 June Jeff Ashton, 67, died 21 June Vincent Keighley, 74, died 24 June Brian Allen Jeffries, 80, died 24 June John Warburton, 70, died 25 June Derek Davidson, 78, died 26 June JULY George Waddell, 89, died 5 July John Mellor, 93, died 6 July George Taylor, 88, died 6 July Peter O’Brian, 79, died 6 July

Charles Martin Whiteley, 77, died 12 July Cyril Chadwick, 83, died 17 July Peter Herbert Gleaves, 60, died 20 July Stephen Trinder, 63, died 25 July Raymond Cayley, 87, died 29 July Philip Woodier, 62, died 29 July James Spencer Ramsden, 78, died 30 July George Steele, 81, died 30 July AUGUST John Arthur Webster, 74, died 2 August Arnold James Gilliland, 81, died 2 August George Trevor Jones, 80, died 6 August John Danial Kinney, 80, died 10 August John Flanagan, 83, died 10 August

James Norton Winward, 62, died 15 August Richard Oliver Simpson, 86, died 17 August James William Broughton Heyes, 81, died 18 August Norman Herbert Lees, 84, died 18 August Eric Dickinson, 80, died 20 August John Clifford Smith, 90, died 24 August Stephen John Lewis, 54, died 28 August Edward Johnson, 77, died 30 August Richard Collins, 68, died 31 August SEPTEMBER Marjorie Kenny, 57, died 1 September Roger Burton, 63, died 5 September John Claude McCutcheon, 68, died 18 September

Brief Autumn 2014 21

GMP Community

Happy homecoming

By Ben Ashworth, Press & PR Officer IT was a happy return to Manchester for former Special Constable and current West Australian Police Officer Scott Starkie as he married his university sweetheart.

Scott, originally from Preston and Jocelyn Smail, from Didsbury, met while studying at the University of Central Lancashire. Jocelyn’s dad Chris works in the Economic Crime Unit for GMP. They decided to make the move to Australia in 2011 after visiting some of Scott’s family and discovering that the West Australian (WA) Police were recruiting internationally. “I’ve always

wanted to be a Police Officer,” he said: “I joined the Lancashire Specials when I was at university and stayed with them for five years.

As Scott’s mum already had a permanent visa, Scott was able to automatically apply to the WA Police Force. After six months of applications and travelling to Australia to take part in the selection process Scott was

22 Brief Autumn 2014

offered a place at the Force’s training academy. Now two years on, Scott has been accepted onto the Force’s detective training course, starting in September.

Despite setting up a new life and getting engaged down under, the couple always planned to marry in the UK since most of their family live here.

Scott added: “It can be quite tricky planning a wedding from the other side of the world but fortunately there’s Skype and email and Jocelyn’s parents have made the whole process a lot easier and have been a massive help.”

While preparations for the wedding were well under-way Scott took the opportunity to visit GMP’s Serious Crime Division ready for when he returns to Australia. “A lot of the procedures we follow in Australia are similar to GMP as there are a lot of former UK police officers working in WA. We also see a lot of similarities in the crimes that are committed so it

makes sense to use successful techniques to combat them.

“Of course there are some differences in the crime patterns.

Officers and staff who work in the Serious Crime Unit are getting some great results though.”

Congratulations and good luck to a happy future down under.

HR get cooking

The HR Branch held a World Food Day last month to raise funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association charity.

Staff working in the HR Branch used their inspiration and cooking talents to bring in food from around the world. From lasagne, vegetable biryani and pulled pork to Jamaican ginger cake, New York cheesecake and cup cakes, members of the branch came together to eat and sample something they may never have tried before whilst raising money for a great cause.

All the money raised has been donated to the continuing research of Motor Neurone Disease, which affects around two in every 100,000 people each year in the UK. The disease occurs when specialist nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord called ‘motor neurones’ stop working properly and there are about 5,000 people living with the condition in the UK. Overall the event was a great success and £195 was raised for the charity.

GMP Community

Lets hear it for the girls officers and staff in a round robin style session. This event offered a unique insight into the lives of our senior women, as attendees were invited to ask questions on a variety of topics including career development and work / life balance.

It’s not just about the events Established in January 2013, the AWP’s aims and objectives is to support however; the AWP has launched some key initiatives to support staff. Again in women to represent their views and collaboration with SWIP to launch a concerns at a forcewide level. mentoring scheme. The scheme has The AWP hosts a variety of events throughout the year, a recent one being been immensely popular, with a number of officers and police staff already paired their ‘Inspirational Women’ day which attracted 100 attendees. Throughout the with a mentor and many more in the day delegates listened to personal, and waiting list.

The AWP was also quick to respond at time moving, accounts from the personal lives and careers of influential to the concerns raised by its members to the upcoming mandatory fitness tests. women such as Baroness Newlove, Sgt Cecilia Oakley, a committee ACC Dawn Copley, Rachel Griffiths (Reputation Consultancy), Claire Light, member for the AWP, took the lead in arranging numerous practice bleep test and Susan Richie (Mutual Gain).

AWP teamed up with GMP’s Senior sessions for women across GMP, where she was on hand to support and Women in Policing (SWIP) for their encourage those taking part and give latest event, ‘Making the Connection’, which gave attendees the opportunity to valuable advice on how to improve fitness. Following on from the success meet with 13 senior female police THE Association for Women in Policing (AWP) is a staff support network set up to represent women in policing. DC Jennifer Reeve spoke to Brief about the Association and the work they are doing across GMP.

of these sessions Cecilia organised a number of health and well-being Days, which saw students from Oldham College come in to deliver various massage treatments for a small donation, raising £470 for charity! Due to popular demand more of these days are being planned for later in the year.

To find out more about AWP please visit us on Facebook – AWP GMP, follow us on Twitter - @GMPAWP, or check out our intranet page, which can be found under the services tab then staff support associations.

You can also email us with any questions awp@gmp.pnn.police.uk.

DC Jennifer Reeve

Remembering Sgt Paul Fletcher The tournament was the idea of PC Karla Fox who is now based at Nexus House. Karla along with PC Bill Baines organised the event which was a tremendous success.

Captains and players were asked to come up with team names for the tournament. Twinkles FC / Real Ale Madrid / Kings of Beswick / Great Escapers to name but a few.

Over 120 players took part during the afternoon STOCKPORT division held the as the tournament progressed to a inaugural ‘Paul Fletcher Trophy’ 5 a side thrilling climax into the final itself. football tournament last month.

Four referees (all former Police The trophy being played for, was in Officers) were on hand to make sure the honour and in the name of Sgt Paul laws of the beautiful game were upheld.

Fletcher, who lost his fight with cancer An invited team representing TAU earlier this year. Paul was a much loved (T1 Disruption team) named ‘Savage and respected colleague and had been FC’ conquered all leading up to the last a custody Sgt on the division for many game. In the final they came up against years. Most of those who participated in an ‘experienced’ team of footballers the event worked with Paul and knew representing the Stockport Specialist him well. His widow Caron along with Support Unit, ‘Real Ale Madrid’. Despite Paul’s parents came along to watch. a spirited performance by the ageing

Stockport team and two goals from the iconic 6ft 9 talisman Gavin Frith, levelling the game at 2-2, ‘Savage FC’ ran out eventual and deserving winners 4-2.

Chief Constable, Sir Peter Fahy, along with Stockport Divisional Superintendent John Berry, rounded off the day with the presentation to the winning captain. Mr Fahy also presented Paul Fletchers certificate of service to Caron Fletcher.

Brief Autumn 2014 23

GMP Community

Advertisements HOLIDAYS—ABROAD CYPRUS - Unique luxury private villa max 12 adults, wheelchair friendly in 2 1/2 acres gated grounds, 6 double beds (2 ensuite), 2 lounges, UK TV channels, sports and movies, large swimming pool and child safety fencing.

Central location between Limassol and Larnaca. Discounts for GMP personnel. Please visit http://www.exclusivevillacyprus.com. Tel Christine or David Williams on 0161 491 5910 LUXURY FLORIDA VILLA - 10 mins to Disney, 5 beds, 3 baths, games room, south facing pool and hot tub. Special GMP rate, exclusive location. Visit www.greenviewsvilla.com or call 0161 973 1833.

beach, parking, no pets. Ring Heather 0161 427 2026 or email bateson@hunterspark.co.uk .

FOR SALE

PAVING AND FENCING WELLWORTH Paving. Block paving concreting, decking, flagging, fencing, turfing.

Garage bases/footings. Walling and house drainage. 25 yrs experience - free quotes. Tel: 07974 349271guaranteed.

HOLIDAYS—BRITAIN RHOSNEIGR, ANGELSEY. Middle of village, sleeps 8, all mod cons, sea view, 3 mins to

HOW TO ADVERTISE IN BRIEF Please fill in the Electronic version of the Advertisement Coupon here: www.gmp.police.uk/briefads

PLASTERING Brian Hunt plastering: All types of plastering undertaken. Free quote given. Call Brian on 07854 933273.

All adverts must be accompanied by a copy of the advertiser’s warrant/ID card or pension number

ACCOUNTANCY SERVICES SPAIN - Detached villa for rent sleeps up to 10.

Located in Jalon, Spain. Dates available for rest of 2014 up to late summer 2015. Two floors, electric gates, open plan kitchen with appliances and living room. Situated on modern development, close to amenities including supermarket, restaurant and bars. Car essential . Not suitable for those with restricted mobility. Contact Hanna Syddall 07921 909064 or email hanna.syddall@gmp.police.uk

2008 Bessacarr motorhome. Two birth, excellent condition. Long MOT, serviced and maintained regularly. Diesel Fiat Ducato 2.2 100 mutlijet, five speed gearbox. 17,550 miles £25,995. Buyer collect—Blackpool. Contact William Bond 07804 563084

GREG McGahan Accountants. Everything from accounts to VAT, tax returns and advice. We put the customer first offering a friendly service at competitive rates. Contact us for a free consultation to discuss your needs. Tel: 0161 303 3183. Mobile: 07968 354737. Email greg@gregmcgahanaccountants.co.uk. Web: www.gregmcgahanaccountants.co.uk.

FOSTER CARER Interested in being a Foster Carer? Swiis support and train foster carers to help thousands of children in care achieve their potential. For advice Tel Jane 0777 997 9192

Cheques should be made payable to “Greater Manchester Police” and sent to: Brief Advertising, Corporate Communications, Force HQ, Northampton Road, Manchester M40 5BP. Although all reasonable steps have been taken to check the authenticity of advertisers, it must be stressed that acceptance for publication does not imply the acceptance of any responsibility or liability to GMP in respect of any advertisement. Publication does not imply any endorsement of the companies, individuals or products.

How to Advertise in Brief Please fill in the Electronic version of the Advertisement Coupon here: www.gmp.police.uk/briefads All adverts must be accompanied by a copy of the advertiser’s warrant/ID card or pension number Cheques should be made payable to “Greater Manchester Police” and sent to:

Although all reasonable steps have been taken to check the authenticity of advertisers, it must be stressed that acceptance for publication does not imply the acceptance of any responsibility or liability to GMP in respect of any advertisement. Publication does not imply any endorsement of the companies, individuals or products.

Deadline for adverts to be submitted for the next edition is: Friday 28 November 2014

Brief Advertising, Corporate Communications, Force HQ,

24 Brief Autumn 2014

GMP Community

Tackling Tryfan together

OFFICERS from GMP and Scotland joined together to tackle one of the highest peaks in Snowdonia for charity.

Detective Sergeant Abid Sardar and Deputy Chief Constable Ian Hopkins climbed Mount Tryfan in Wales earlier this month to help raise funds for Children of Jannah (‘Jannah’ is the Arabic word for heaven). The charity, which is closely affiliated with GMP is aiming to raise £7,500 through its fundraising activities.

The charity provides support for families after the death of a child and

s GMP event

works alongside Child Bereavement UK. It tailors the support they give around family’s religious principles which gives people support best suited to them personally, however the charity will never turn anyone away based on their beliefs or background.

The charity’s aim is to support children who have lost a sibling as a child’s grieving process is very different to that of an adult's. They also provide support for the child's parents.

Hafizah Ismail, founder of Children

3‐6 October

of Jannah said: “The money raised will make a huge difference to our new ‘Children in Grief’ project and will enable us to reach many more bereaved families, guiding them through the difficult journey of grief as they start to rebuild their lives after the devastation of bereavement.”

If you would like to donate to this worthy cause, please visit the JustGiving page that has been set up here: https://www.justgiving.com/ PoliceMountainChallenge/ .

Nov—Dec 2 November

Eid Ul Adha

Manchester City v Manchester Uni ted

October

2 November ct 17‐18 O & 2 ‐1 1 1 , 3‐4 ct se Proje u o h e r Wa

tober 9‐12 Oc raft rthern C o N t a Gre fields pinning S t a ir a F

21 October erforms at Lady Gaga p U Arena the Phones 4

11 October

5 October

Rugby Super League Grand Final, T rafford

Manchester United play Everton

18October Manchester City play Tottenham

Clocks go back— stay safe!

9 November

14 November

ce Sunday Remembran arade city centre p

Christmas markets open in Manchester city centre

23 Oct—2 N ov Manchester Science Festival

Mid Nove

mber

lights Christmas

switch on

Brief Autumn 2014 25