Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition

Regulars

True professionals AS a Force we are rarely out of the spotlight. Much of this is because of the number of high profile events that take place in Greater Manchester every week, but also because of the large number of serious incidents that we are faced with.

The Olympic torch relay showed GMP officers at their best helping people to enjoy the event in a friendly atmosphere. And at the same time the hard work of officers and staff led to convictions for nine men in Operation Span, the Rochdale child sexual exploitation case. It attracted huge amounts of media coverage and a focus on the work of GMP and on Rochdale itself.

All this makes it essential that we present the highest professional standards at all times. There are numerous examples of where we have got things right including a

YouTube video of an officer dealing with a protestor that has attracted around a quarter of a million hits. But it is the occasions when we don’t that people remember and that hits the media headlines.

We are all ambassadors for both GMP and policing so whatever we do both at work and in our private lives reflects on the organisation.

The growth of social media has blurred the lines between public and private lives and that is why we are providing additional guidance on the risks and how you can put safeguards in place.

The media spotlight is not going to leave us with the arrival of a Police and Crime Commissioner in November this year. If anything, with the increased political environment we are going to face even greater scrutiny and so the way we conduct ourselves will be even more critical.

As with the Olympics and Operation Span I am confident that we will rise to the challenges that we face and demonstrate our professional standards.

I want to thank people for the kind words and messages of support after my knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. As I have said I see it as a huge recognition of the hard work and achievements of all GMPs officers and staff.

Sir Peter Fahy, Chief Constable

Facing the challenges if not more so, than the previous

to cut crime and take criminals off

years I have served on the Police

our streets, is testament to the

Authority.

dedication and commitment of each

Not only do we have to ensure a smooth and successful transition to

and every one of you.

As I said in my last update, we

the Office of the Police and Crime

have again set very ambitious

Commissioner, we also need to

targets for the next 12 months, and

hand over a fitting legacy while

with every good news story I hear, I

Meeting, myself and Christine

ensuring our communities get the

become even more and more

McGawley JP, were reappointed

best from their police service.

confident that, despite the budget

AT the recent Annual General

Chair and Vice Chair of the Police Authority.

We will now steer GMPA through

At the meeting, we also heard from the Chief Constable. the Force has faced, including

ready to handover to the Police and

complex court cases such the child

Crime Commissioner in November.

sex exploitation trial in Rochdale,

continue with transition planning.

unannounced protests and a number of major incidents.

What I do know is that the next five

The fact that GMP can face

months or so will be as challenging,

these challenges head on, continue

2 Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition

more than up to the job.

He talked about the challenges

the final few months, as we get

There are lots of unknown as we

cuts and reducing resources, GMP is

Paul Murphy, GMPA Chair

Regulars Letter from the editor FIRSTLY, I’d like to thank everyone who is reading Brief as more and more of you are browsing the new style staff magazine.

There is a lot to celebrate and get excited about at the moment. In particular one sporting event stands out – the Olympics. In fact by the time you read Brief the opening ceremony will have taken place, the GB team will have two gold medals and many of the events will be well underway. Here in Manchester, well Old Trafford to be precise, nine football matches take place and GMP will be policing these events as part of the Olympic security operation until Tuesday 7 August.

As GMP plays its part in policing these events, the Olympics provides a significant challenge for us but at the same time a great opportunity to showcase British policing at its best. For more information visit the Olympics Intranet site.

Around the Force there have been some great results from a number of forcewide operations including a regional day of action to tackle metal thefts as well as Operation Galileo that targeted criminals using our road and motorway networks.

In this issue you can find out about how GMP officers got on in Donetsk during Euro 2012 (page 27), PC Tom Jewes who died in the River Irwell in 1933 (page 24-25) and we take a look back at the Commonwealth Games held in Manchester 10 years ago (page 24). Finally we catch up with the Press Office who report on two cases the grooming gang in Rochdale and the with one of the Major Incident Teams (page 4).

Patricia Jones, Editor

Guest contributors Supt John Graves John joined GMP in 1983 and has worked in many areas including the Manchester Divisions. He told Brief that working as an Inspector and Chief Inspector at Greenheys were most rewarding - dealing with all the social and economical challenges and tackling the gang related violence.

Det Insp Debbie Dooley Debbie has worked for GMP for nearly 18 years. She began her career at Rochdale Division and has also worked in CID at Salford Division and the Serious Crime Division (Major Incident Team, Cold Case Review Unit). She then moved to Longsight to work in the Public Protection Investigation Unit, now the Serious Sexual Offence Unit.

If you’ve got a great idea for a future issue, please get in touch by emailing the Brief team – brief@gmp.police.uk

Regulars 2 Chief Constableʼs Column 2 GMPA Chairʼs Column 18-19 Divisional Roundup

Features 4-5 6-7 8-9 10 11 12-13 14 15 18-19 20 21 22-23 24-25 26-27

Grooming gang jailed / NCRS Protecting our Force reputation Ten years on from the Commonwealth Games Justice for Anuj Bidve Watching the detectives New South Manchester division Harry takes torch to school Special Nominations & Bravery Awards Stay safe on Social Media Car ring smashed Preparing for the PCC Website Facelift & Big Chip Constable Tom Jewes Pride & Euro 2012

GMP Community 28-29 30-21 32-33 34

Letters of Appreciation Charities Advertisements Diary & obituaries

Sports & Social 35

Olympic hopes lifted

Be published in Brief 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 31 August 2012

Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition 3

Features

Grooming gang jailed

Detective work saluted for helping bring GMPʼS largest grooming investigation to a ground-breaking conclusion. By Adrian Worsley.

THE officer at the heart of GMP’s largest ever grooming investigation has hailed the detective work that helped bring the case to its groundbreaking conclusion.

Detective Inspector Mike Sanderson revealed that the outcome of the case rested on the bravery and resilience of a few vulnerable victims and that without them the case would have been almost impossible to pursue.

But the pioneering work of detectives charged with getting the damaged young victims to court ensured this most complex of cases had a positive end.

In May, nine men were sentenced to a total of 77 years behind bars.

The inquiry was led by the Public Protection Division, assisted by the Major Incident Team and Rochdale Division.

It focused on allegations that five teenage girls in Rochdale were sexually exploited over a period of time by a group of 11 men.

Played out in the full glare of national publicity, DI Sanderson was well aware of what was at stake.

He said: “As a result of the frailty, vulnerability and chaotic lifestyles of the young victims and witnesses, many people were surprised we were even able to secure evidence and get the case to trial.

“The pressure on the young victims on the lead up to the trial was immense and I can only admire their bravery and fortitude.”

He described how, in the early days of the inquiry, many of the victims wouldn’t give officers the

4 Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition

time of day.

“Many of the victims didn’t initially understand how they had been exploited and genuinely thought they had been the ones taking advantage of the offenders.

“Also, many of the victims were uncooperative and had a very negative perception of the police due to past negative experiences.

“When you factor in their often chaotic lifestyles and a distrust of the police then you can see why we had to use a very particular type of officer to get through to them. Officers like DC Victoria Waddington, DC Declan O’Reilly and DC Laura Neil.”

“Like anyone, victims can pick up very quickly whether they like and trust somebody or not. Thankfully, we have well-trained officers like Victoria, Declan and Laura who have great interpersonal skills who can empathise with people who have been through some very bad experiences.

“The Force is great at investigating most crime, but when it comes to vulnerable victims we have some way to go. We need to be better at dealing with vulnerable victims which require specialist skills and compassionate officers to ensure a positive victim outcome. There is much more to this than securing a successful prosecution.”

There are two moments for DI Sanderson that stand out as an indication of how far his officers came in getting the victims to court.

“I remember at the start of the investigation, two victims would avoid contact with officers and refuse to answer the door to us.

“When we arranged to pick them up or meet them they just wouldn’t be ready. However, by the time of the trial they would be there waiting.

That didn’t happen by accident that was down to my officers’ hard work.

“We knew we had made a real difference when one of the victims said to us tearfully, ‘it was nice for the jury to actually believe what we were saying’.

“That, to me, was what it was all about.”

Features

Football teaches life lessons FOOTBALL is helping to spread important lessons about antisocial behaviour to young people in Tameside.

Premier League Referee Anthony Taylor and local officers visited schools across the borough using the Premier League’s ‘Get On With the Game’ programme. They taught youngsters about decision-making, dealing with conflict and other valuable life experiences.

Anthony, who trained as a prison officer has been explaining why rules and goals are important in life, how people can learn from mistakes and how it is normal to experience obstacles on the way.

He has used stories from the pitch as a referee and how he had to make split second decisions in highly pressurised conditions, just like many young people have to do with

Pictured (l to r): Sgt Stephanie Owen and Supt Steve McFarlane with Referee Anthony Taylor

peer pressure.

Chief Inspector Steve McFarlane who has helped roll out the scheme said: “Anthony helps to speak to the pupils in a way that other people can’t due to experience of dealing with top Premier League footballers.

“Football is like real life. There are goals, challenges and people will make mistakes. But it is only by learning by these and everyone playing their part that young people

will achieve their full potential.”

The ‘Get On With The Game’ initiative can be used by officers to roll-out in their local schools. For further information visit http:// kids.getonwiththegame.com. The website explores why people such as referees, teachers and adults need to impose rules, examines why fair play is important and also why the structure of a family is like a team.

NCRS̶Getting it right STOCKPORT, Oldham and Wigan divisions are leading the way in crime recording.

The most dramatic turnaround was Oldham Division, which is now at the top of the compliance league table after being the lowest performing division.

DCI Phil Reade, who led the changes in Oldham, said: “We went back to basics and read the Home Office Counting Rules in detail.

“We then examined how that differed from what officers were recording on FWINs and once we identified the glaring differences we delivered bespoke training tailored to the needs of each audience. This included PCSOs, Customer Service Desks, Operational Supervisors and

the Operational Communications Branch”.

HMIC recently visited the Force to review our compliance to the National Crime Recording Standard and they found that in more than 90 per cent of FWINs examined, the officer had correctly recorded the incident. This meant that a decision could be made whether or not a

crime had taken place.

Anything above 90 per cent is considered good performance.

DCI Andy Baddeley, Force Crime Registrar said: “The remarkable improvements we made last year proved to be sustainable and we have actually moved forward from that position.

“When you consider the falls in crime this year, it shows that our crime recording has integrity and lays to bed any claims that we are ‘fluffing’ crime figures.

“Even though there has been substantial progress, it’s important that officers ensure they write up the investigation so that it is NCRS compliant.”

The Force Audit Team

Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition 5

Features

Protecting our Force reputation Brief explores the units that form part of Professional Standards Branch...

Ch Supt Paul Rumney Head of Professional Standards Branch Our aim is to protect the Force and its staff by Last book you read? identifying and addressing Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, corruption and Spy. I loved the misconduct as well as movie and it mitigating the subsequent prompted me to read threat, risk and harm the book again posed to GMP to safeguard its reputation.

Although largely perceived as the “enforcement agency” of the service, we are focussed on prevention. With the support of the Federation and other staff networks we want to ensure that officers and staff portray a professional image both on and off duty.

We are committed to reducing the harm arising from misconduct. Some of this preventative work includes using restorative justice methods in low level complaints, work around financial vulnerability and reducing the length of time it takes to undertake an investigation.

6 Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition

Supt Peter Turner Investigations We are responsible for dealing with public complaints as well as internally generated investigations into allegations of misconduct/ gross misconduct that are not covert in nature.

These investigations include police officers and police staff.

The biggest contributor Lunch with a to complaints are famous person? assault (23 per cent), Robert Fitzroy, a followed by incivility.

Royal Navy Breaches of data Commander & protection and Scientist irresponsible use of social media also make up a large amount of our work.

John Dineen Force Vetting Unit The Force Vetting Unit is responsible for all vetting functions across the Force.

The unit provides a robust, efficient and confidential vetting process in line with the ACPO Vetting Policy 2010 and HMG Security Policy Framework.

Types of vetting include:



Recruitment vetting for officers and staff



Designated post vetting for those moving into sensitive areas within the Force, this includes annual aftercare



Non-police personnel vetting of those people who require access to GMP systems, information and premises



Transferees & external vetting requests from other forces



National security vetting.

Most treasured possession?

My children (24 & 21) as they have cost so much and continue to do so!

Features Sandra Pope Legal Services Legal Services is spit into four teams: Employment provide in-house advice in relation to all What is your employment related most prized matters. They seek to reduce possession? grievances and/or references to My family an Employment Tribunal. They also handle Employment Tribunal claims when lodged and provide advice, support and representation at misconduct hearings.

Operation - provide legal advice both strategic and operational, draft/check documentation and provide representation for all civil preventative orders, licensing, POCA's and DVPOs including cover for weekend courts.

Civil Litigation - handle the bulk of the Employer Liability, Public Liability and Motor claims and manage in-house litigated Public and Employer Liability claims. They also deal with the recovery of loss following PVA's and provide legal support for interpleader/police property act matters.

Insurance - deal with the acquisition of insurance, maintenance of the insurance portfolio, the management of the Force selfinsurance fund, the handling of insurance advice and of insurance claims.

Legal Services also deal with disclosure issues, commence proceedings as required e.g. for an injunction, represent the Force in claims by way of Judicial Review and provide advice and representation for judicial inquiries and coroner's inquests.

Supt Paul Saville Counter Corruption Unit The unit is mainly responsible for the security and integrity of GMP in terms of operational activity and intelligence.

The intelligence unit receive information from a range of sources around vulnerability and corrupt practice.

In common with our colleagues around the country, the primary threat areas are undeclared criminal association and disclosure of information.

The intelligence team Famous prioritise and develop person you’d the intelligence to a like to have point where it is dinner with? negated or a formal investigation is required.

Sir Francis Drake

PC Lance Thomas, GMP Federation “The Federation is driven by the same desire as the PSB around prevention and education.

“We would like to see the number of officers under investigation fall while at the same time help to educate officers so that they understand what they can and cannot do.

At the end of the day this not only protects the reputation of the Force but also reduces the

Stephanie Bell, Unison Branch Secretary Unison is here to support all members of police staff. If anyone is informed that they are under investigation they should contact us at the earliest opportunity so that we can arrange representation during any subsequent discipline interviews.

You can also be assured that all our services are in strictest confidence. For further information contact the Unison office on extension 62349.

stress that is involved when someone has to go through an investigation and improves the working environment for everyone.

When you represent an officer at any misconduct you get to see the negative impact it can have on the individual as well as their family.

“As a critical friend, the Federation is 100 per cent behind what PSB is doing and we hope that we can make a big difference.”

Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition 7

Features

Justice for Anuj Bidve worked tirelessly over the past eight months to secure the justice Anuj’s family deserved. They are a credit to the Force and have done an outstanding job.

“It was an extremely challenging time for all the officers and staff who worked on both the investigation and on reassuring the Ordsall community. Everyone who has worked on this investigation is a credit to the Force and has done an outstanding job. This was a case that personally touched everyone who worked on it.

“This was a case that personally touched everyone who worked on it.

Anuj's family have had to endure not only the loss of their son in such painful circumstances but also sit through five weeks of harrowing evidence. At all times, they showed great dignity. They deserved justice and thanks to all the officers and staff who worked on this case we have achieved that.

Anuj Bidve IN a case that caused shock across the world, Kiaran Stapleton was recently found guilty of the murder of Anuj Bidve and jailed for life.

Anuj was an Indian student who was staying in Manchester during the Christmas period last year. In the early hours of Boxing Day 2011, he and his friends left their hotel in Salford and were walking along Ordsall Lane, heading into the city centre to queue up for the Boxing Day sales, when they were confronted by Stapleton. Without any warning or provocation, Stapleton shot Anuj in the head at point blank range, killing him.

10 Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition

Kiaran Stapleton must now serve a minimum of 30 years before he is even eligible for parole.

“We know we are living in difficult and uncertain financial times, but today proves that this Force remains as committed as ever to protecting our communities and sending violent and dangerous criminals to prison.”

Praise for all involved Mr Justice Timothy King also highly commended the entire investigation team for the skills and expertise shown. In his words, was of the highest order and without their hard work and dedication, justice would not have been done.

ACC Copley said: “There was tremendous pressure on the Force to successfully bring Anuj’s killer to justice. I would like to praise all those officers and staff who have

Kiaran Stapleton

Features

Watching the detectives

By Emily Pugh WITH an increase in the number of murders this year, Emily Pugh from the Press Office visits the Major Incident Team (MIT) at Pendleton Police Station to talk to Det Insp Aaron Duggan.

Detective Inspector Duggan has responsibility for the Major Incident Room and is the deputy senior investigating officer. He told me that his team are extremely capable and never fail to impress him. The range of jobs that the syndicate deal with is vast. As you would imagine they investigate murder, manslaughter, corporate manslaughter and nonfatal firearm discharges.

Major incident investigations are a huge team effort. When a murder breaks, the Division initially picks it up and their response officers are first on the scene closely followed by the CID. The neighbourhood policing team assess the community impact and are there throughout to support the investigation. MIT staff also work closely with divisional colleagues, the crime scene investigators, the pathologist and the coroner.

On average there are about 20 people working on a murder investigation. Aaron said: “I am very fortunate to lead a team who have a vast amount of experience. They are creative and passionate about their role and you do have to have a sense of humour as this makes the stress of the job seem easier to deal with.”

There has been a 47.6 per cent increase in murders over a twelve month period and nine murders since the start of the financial year, when compared to the previous year

Project Pegasus takes off As part of our continued work to ensure the Force is operating efficiently, a project is underway to review the Serious Crime Division, Investigative Support Division, Specialist Operations Branch and the Public Protection Branch.

Project Pegasus is being led by ACC Steve Heywood and the team is headed by Supt Martin Greenhalgh.

The project aims to review, research and design new models of working that meets the needs of the Force so that it is in the better position to deal with risk, harm and threat. Supt Greenhalgh said: “There will be a single team ethos

with a more joined up approach across these business areas aimed at delivering specialist services.

“It will develop in three phases.

The first phase includes a review of the current structures and this is already under way. The second phase will see the development of a Force hub. It will support day-to-day management, tasking, coordination of Force resources, intelligence gathering, analysis and deployment as well as dealing with critical incidents. It will not only take the principals from the divisional hubs by providing support around the clock but will adopt a multi-agency approach so that all agencies can

this equates to 100% increase.

Aaron added: “Each murder is different and there is no common motive.

“Sometimes it is alcohol led, love, jealously or just where someone’s emotions get out of control. For example, a fight in a city centre can escalate and end with the most tragic result.

“These figures do highlight the increased workload on our team but I am confident that we can rise to the challenge.”

share data in one place.

“The hub will also undertake thematic reviews of key business areas, including how we investigate death as well as online investigations (cyber crime).

“The Force hub will go live soon after the Olympic Games.”

The final phase will consider how the divisions and branches under this review will operate as one team to meet the Force priorities and deal with risk, harm and threat. They will consider realignment of resources, workplace locations and will be looking at shared resourcing opportunities with considerations around command and control and supervision.

Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition 11

Features

New South Manchester Division

Ch Supt Rob Potts, who heads up the new South Manchester Division, is pictured with one of the new Neighbourhood contact cards

THE Metropolitan Division merged with the South Manchester Division to create the E division in June. Gorton moved to the North Manchester Division in the move.

As well as bringing operational and financial benefits, the restructure means that the Manchester Divisions now mirror the same boundaries as Manchester City Council. This will not only enable GMP to work better with partners but also means that local people will be able to access local authority services more efficiently.

The new South Manchester Division has been split into four areas, each of which has a Superintendent, Chief Inspector, Inspector and a combination of neighbourhood and investigation officers.

Chief Superintendent Rob Potts, Divisional Commander of the South Manchester Division said: “The new

Fourteen people have been arrested and five cannabis farms have been discovered during raids in Wythenshawe.

12 Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition

South Manchester Division, or E Division as it is known internally, will serve a diverse population of just under 300,000 people.

“As well as the restructure, the South Manchester Division is also piloting the next phase of PMIT. This involves the creation of Integrated Neighbourhood Policing Teams, which will cover a larger geographical area than is covered by the current NPTs. “The new Integrated Neighbourhood Policing Teams will work closely with partners to make a real difference in their local communities and reduce crime and antisocial behaviour.

“These are challenging times but by working together in our new teams and by facing the Divisional problems head on, we will continue to reduce crime and make the South Manchester a safer place for everyone.”

OFFICERS carried out warrants at nine addresses and seized approximately 125 plants and 18 large bags of cannabis. Cocaine was also recovered at two of the addresses and £1500 was seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

MANCHESTER’S Student Safe tea Manchester’s three universities to u which have been created with the s Road corridor means students feeli displaying stickers that show they a wait around for the problem to pass from the business or the police.

Features

launches

am joined with the City Council and unveil safe zones for students. The zones support of businesses around the Oxford ng unsafe will be able to visit those premises are part of the scheme. Students can then s, call a taxi to take them home, or get help

Specialist Operations Branch Open Day FAMILIES and friends of officers and staff were able to find out more about the work carried out by the Specialist Operations branch at a recent open day held at the Hough End centre. As the pictures show there was a lot going on and a fun day was had by all……. pter ‘India 99’ The Force helico r a visit fo in dropped

There was the opp ortunity to try on so me of the public order e quipment

nted unit put on a Some of the mou n tio ra st on fantastic dem

P motorb s out a GM ie tr r o it is A young v

ike

The GMP Museum wa

The Dog Unit s howed off thei r s

s also there

kills

ub greeted Constable C ers youngst

Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition 13

Features

Harry takes torch back to school

PUPILS at a primary school in Failsworth had the chance to hold the Olympic Torch when PC Harry Akram paid them a visit.

Harry wears his torch bearer kit during his visit to St John’s C of E Infant School

Your torch pictures

PC Akram from the Failsworth and Hollinwood Neighbourhood Policing Team, carried the torch through Skipton on Sunday 24 June.

Harry shared his experience of being a torch bearer with the pupils from St John’s Church of England School.

He also talked about his youth, his dream to become a police officer and how he had considered carrying the Torch to celebrate his achievements. He told the pupils that they too should have a dream and work hard to achieve their ambitions.

He was nominated to be a torchbearer in September last year.

This followed his work with youth groups in the Westwood and Coldhurst areas and his role as a schools officer in the Royton and Shaw area where he was responsible for three high schools and 17 primary schools.

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PC Shaun Vernon (pictured above left), Community Beat Manager for Morris Green in Bolton stops for a photo with local resident Eddie Birchall who carried the Olympic Torch through Horwich.

Eddie, a voluntary youth worker and boxing coach was nominated to carry the torch because of his charity work. Eddie works full time but gives up most of his leisure time to run the youth and boxing club.

Also, some of the officers and staff working in the silver control room during the Olympic Torch’s visit to Greater Manchester were able to have their photo taken with a replica of the torch. Pictured above centre Tracie Best, above right PC Kath Dickman and right PC Russell Campbell.

Features

Special nominations NOMINATIONS are now being sought for the GMP Special Constabulary Gala Awards 2012.

Nominations are welcome from anyone in GMP and the Special Constabulary. The categories are:

Special Constabulary Officer of the Year 1992 marked the millennium celebration of the Office of High Sheriff. To mark this memorable milestone, the High Sheriff for that year, Mr Sam Arditti, instigated this award to be given annually to the Special Constabulary Officer identified as giving the most outstanding service.

Special Constabulary Chief Officer Award for Citizen Focus This recognises the person or team who has displayed outstanding

GMP Special Sgt Tracey Edwards who won last year’s Special Constabulary Award for Citizen Focus

commitment in putting people first.

Constabulary Officer of the Year.

Divisional Special Constabulary Officer of the Year

Bill Turner Trophy (SC Student Officer of the Year)

This award recognises outstanding officers from each Division and the Specialist Operations Branch. All of those submitted will be also considered for the Special

Special Constabulary Award for Outstanding Team Performance

ACPO bravery awards GOLD and silver medals were presented to many brave members of the public from around the country at the Radisson Edwardian, Manchester in May. Greater Manchester nominated seven individuals, all of whom received recognition for their individual brave acts.

Gold medals were awarded to two gentlemen who intervened after an armed robbery in Stockport. They followed, confronted and detained the offender who had threatened both of them with a loaded gun.

A silver medal was presented to Melissa Faulkner from Oldham. 14 year old Melissa was the only person on a bus who stood up to a group of men who decided to punch a man for no reason. She put herself in between the offenders and the victim

and rang police, even though they threatened to hit her as well.

Mr Alfred Thompson was also presented with a silver medal for tackling a robber who was armed with a knife. The offender was brandishing the knife at a shop assistant demanding that she open the till.

Mr Thompson tried to diffuse the situation but the offender then pointed the knife at him.

After a violent struggle, Mr Thompson was able to wrestle the offender to the floor and held onto him until police arrived.

A further silver medal was awarded to a gentleman who confronted a crowd of violent young men who had started to fight with one of their own. Broken bottles

were used as weapons and the victim was injured in the melee before the member of the public stood up to them all and managed to get the victim to safety.

Three Certificates of Commendation were awarded to other members of the public who were protecting their property and these will be presented later in the year.

If you know any members of the public who have put themselves at great risk to help prevent crime, please consider putting them forward for both force and national recognition.

Please contact the Awards Team for further information.

Email: awards.team@gmp.police.uk

Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition 15

e TamesidRegulars ad OFFICERS went head-to-he ll with ASDA in a charity footba s wa match. More than £700 who raised for the Hope Charity ies ivit act offer help, support and for children with epilepsy in e7 Tameside. ASDA won the gam -3.

TAMESIDE’S Home Watch media scheme is now using social h to exchange information wit are communities. The pages nnels designed to complement cha to that police already use and communicate with the public m. will not replace the

Bury n A Bury drug dealer has bee rs. jailed for more than five yea 1979) Leon Beckford (born 22/04/ er of Booth Road, Little Lev nts of pleaded guilty to seven cou On gs. supplying class A dru Bolton Thursday 28 June 2012, at ced Crown Court, he was senten in s to five years and 10 month prison.

EARLY on Wednesday 13 June 2012, police carried out the drugs raids at 15 homes in ple east area of Bury. Eleven peo gs dru and were arrested in total Three and cash were also seized. . other people were sentenced

Bolton st POLICE, The Message Tru g and local churches are workin together to provide an extra ths in dimension to the lives of you l Horwich and reduce antisocia behaviour.

The Eden Bus visits Albert ay Street in Horwich every Frid between 7.30pm and 9pm to ng provide a safe place for you their people to chill out, chat with friends, meet new people and learn new skills. ht The bus is wrapped with brig the graphics, and features top of e range sound systems and gam to ctly consoles that appeal dire young people.

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Oldham A cannabis farm has been found in an empty house in Oldham. At 9am on Thursday 19 June 2012, warrant was executed at Chapel Road in Hollinwood under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Officers found a cannabis farm in the two bedrooms of the house with the street value of about £40,000.

North Manchester A man who violently assaulted three women he tried to rape in Manchester city centre has been jailed indefinitely. Abdoulaye Diallo 10/03/1984, of Upperbrook Street, Manchester, admitted three counts of attempted rape at Manchester Crown Court Crown Square.

He was given an indeterminate sentence for public protection (IPP) and was ordered to serve a minimum of four years in prison.

Stockport MORE than 250 Delegates attending the tenth annual Safer Stockport Partnership (SSP) conference heard how crime has continued to fall thanks to successful partnership working. In the past eight years here has been more than 900 fewer victims of crime. Chief Superintendent Chris Sykes presented an award to resident Brenda Bates for her work through Poet’s Corner Action Group in North Reddish which meets on a monthly basis to provide a forum where residents resolve neighbourhood issues together.

The SSP has helped deliver sustained crime reduction in Stockport over the last eight years with over 900 less victims of crime.

Last year anti-social behaviour was reduced by 21% which equates to 3,196 fewer incidents over the year.

Rochdale A small number of arr ests were made after two simult aneous protests held by far-rig ht groups in Heywood and Rochda le. An operation was put in pla ce by Greater Manchester Po lice, Rochdale Council and the community in the lead up to the flash demonstrations.

A group of around 10 members of the British Nationa l Party held a demonstration in Heyw ood town centre. This was peac eful and passed off without inc ident.

Wigan PAINSTAKING work

by Wigan Division's Offender Ma nagement Unit has led to a prolific burglar being sentenced to mo re than four years in prison. On 25 April 2012, officers from the unit investigated some suspicious circu mstances that were reported on a route that the offender often too k to get to his drug appointments .

As a result of extensiv e enquiries, they discove red a previously unreported burglary at the home of an elderl y victim and recovered CCTV evide nce of the offender as well as sto len items.

The man was subseq uently arrested for this and oth er offences and sentenc ed on 21 June.

Trafford THE Borough’s most persistent and problematic offen ders will be targeted through a £6 5,000 Trafford Council funde d initiative, Operation Griffin.

The scheme, which is the first of its kind in Greater Ma nchester, has been set up to tac kle their criminal and antisocial exploits as these cause the greate st nuisance and harm in their local communities.

These include investig ating targets for fraud, motor ing offences, music and film piracy, electricity abstraction and nonpayment of fines amon g other offences.

Divisional Roundup

Regulars

Spotlight on Salford SCOTT may be a good 30 years younger than the average Home Watch member but that hasn’t stopped him getting involved and keeping his community safe. Nineteen-year-old Scott Buckley from Rose Avenue in Irlam joined his local Home Watch Scheme two years ago and hasn’t looked back since. He’s got involved in a range of different tasks from leaflet dropping to helping out at crime prevention stalls.

Junior PCSOs help make Irlam safer Pupils from Irlam Primary School have been recruited by police in Salford to help in the fight against crime.

Four pupils are the first in the city to become Junior Police Community Support Officers.

As part of their role they will join PCSO Mark Fitzgerald on patrol around the school at dropping off and picking up time to warn parents about parking in dangerous places.

PCSO Mark Fitzgerald said: “The pupils will really help to drive home the message that dangerous parking and inappropriate parking is putting children’s lives at risk. By adopting this new approach we hope to raise even more awareness and change parking habits.

“As the scheme develops and the pupils become more confident I plan to start taking them to crime prevention days and Home Watch events. They will learn some of the safety advice that we give out which they can then pass on to teachers and fellow pupils to help them stay safe.”

FOUR drivers caught speeding outside a school had to face a panel of Junior PCSOs at the school who told them not to ‘Dice with Death’.

The community event at Aspinall Primary School in Gorton was designed by PCSO Paul Boardman to tackle the problem of speeding drivers outside the school.

Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition 17

Features

Stay safe on Social Media

By Det Ch Supt Paul Rumney SOCIAL media has helped the Force find missing people, identify wanted criminals and interact with the public more effectively than ever before. But when work drifts over into your privately held social media accounts, trouble can brew. The same standards of behaviour and conduct at work apply outside of work for officers and staff.

Surprisingly, it can be easy to breach the standards of professional behaviour or even commit a criminal offence. Your integrity in court can also be questioned because of pictures, comments and tweets posted online. You can help to keep safe by thinking about the following: Material which identifies you as a police officer/staff Don’t identify yourself or colleagues on Facebook and social media if you want a career in covert policing in the future. In fact, given the facial recognition software available, consider if you want photographs on Facebook or similar sites.

Breach of trust or confidence You have a legal duty not to disclose sensitive information. Consider whether that old school friend is getting in touch with you for old time’s sake or because they know you can access information and they are now a journalist.

Bringing discredit on the police service The smallest piece of information can be expanded upon and misinterpreted via social media. Your behaviour online is judged both on and off duty. It’s not just a matter of discrediting yourself.

You can be discrediting the police service as a whole. If you’re unhappy with something at work, raise it with your manager rather than debate it on Facebook. You have the right to freedom of expression but the expression of views which support discrimination will not be tolerated.

Revealing operational material or tactics Disclosing operational and tactical information can have serious consequences for public safety and undermines the hard work of your colleagues. It may also amount to a criminal offence. You should not use private social media accounts during work time.

18 Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition

Unauthorised disclosure of personal data The Data Protection Act protects an individual’s personal information including race or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious, beliefs, mental health, sexual life or any offences suspected or committed by them. If you disclose any of this information without authority on social media, you are likely to have committed a criminal offence.

Revealing personal information Internet search engines keep a lot of information online. Unless you keep your Facebook security settings high, a simple Google search can reveal lots of personal information that criminals, defence solicitors and the media could exploit it. Don’t post personal information online

Think it can’t happen to you?

A Freedom of Information request by the Press Association in December 2011 found that in the UK, two police officers had been sacked, seven resigned and 150 faced disciplinary action after posting inappropriate photos or comments on Facebook in the past four years.

You can find more cautionary tales and information about how to use social media in your private life on the Personal Use of Social Media guidance on the Intranet.

Features

Drink drivers in focus

MORE than 7,000 people were breath tested last month as the Force continues to focus on keeping the roads of Greater Manchester safer.

The number of people breathalysed increased by a third more than those tested last year as part of its summer drink drive campaign and one of the Force’s key priorities this year.

Under Operation Cambio officers from across the Force breath tested 7,236 drivers over the month. The number of positive tests dropped to

five per cent, almost one per cent down on last year despite concerns that the Jubilee weekend and Euro 2012 would lead to more drink driving.

Inspector John Armfield who led Operation Cambio said: “The shocking road death statistic for last year should make everyone in GMP determined to reduce road deaths this year by robustly challenging all forms of dangerous driving.

“I would urge all officers to keep a sharp eye out for drink drivers and others endangering their own and other road user’s lives.

“By doing this we can hopefully curtail the devastation, suffering and pain caused by road deaths and serious injuries and free fellow officers from the nightmare of knocking on someone’s door to tell them a loved one will not be coming home.”

New domestic abuse powers NEW police powers to protect victims of domestic abuse are being rolled out across the Force.

For the last 12 months, the North and South Manchester, Oldham, Salford and Bolton divisions have piloted the Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPO).

These orders give the police the power to remove violent offenders from the family home and bridge a gap by providing immediate emergency protection for victim of domestic abuse.

The pilot has now been extended for another twelve months to include the rest of the Force.

Double trouble for metal theft Criminals across the Force have been hit with a ‘double whammy’ this month by two major operations targeting metal theft and criminals using the roads network.

The latest clampdown on metal theft saw the Force lead a regional day of action that included officers from the five forces in the North West and British Transport Police. More than £22k of stolen metal was recovered in raids across 179 scrap metal yards and 36 people were arrested.

In addition, an Operation Alloy metal theft day of action was run in tandem with Operation Galileo, a forcewide ANPR led initiative that resulted in 23 arrests, 49 car seizures and 290 fixed penalty notices being issued.

Superintendent Craig Thompson who was Silver Commander for both operations said: “Funding for the two operations was drawn down from the National Metal Theft Taskforce.

“By running them concurrently we were able to use the same silver command support and share resources.

“Metal theft has been cut in half in Greater Manchester in the last year thanks to hard-hitting enforcements such as these and partnership working with utility companies and scrap metal dealers.

“This double operation shows that through working smarter as well as harder we can maximise our resources and continue to put criminals out of business.”

Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition 19

Features

Car ring smashed A GMP operation that smashed an organised crime group has been praised by the car security industry.

Last month, 19 people were sentenced for a million pound conspiracy that involved stolen cars sold on to suspecting buyers.

A team of officers headed by Det Insp Ann Buckley found that they

By Asmar Chaudhry

Guilty: Timothy Ellor (above) and Ashley Halstead (below)

News in Brief OFFICERS have been sharing a range of good working practices and innovative tactics with colleagues from around the Force.

The ‘tactics and innovation’ day set up at Sedgley Park featured five sessions. This included:



Reducing burglaries in student

20 Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition

were dealing with a group of people whose offending was meticulous and sophisticated.

After stealing a car, they found legitimate registration numbers that belonged to other cars in the same model. The stolen car was then "cloned" to take on the identity of the legitimate car. This included changing number plates, using stolen V5 vehicle registration documents, stolen road tax discs, personal details of innocent people and other documentation to demonstrate the legitimate history of a car.

As the investigation unfolded, the team established that the criminal network operated in three tiers and that there were two men, Ashley Halstead and Timothy Ellor, who managed the list of cars. They also arranged for individuals to pose as sellers and for the cars to be sold at addresses in Rochdale and Tameside.

In May last year, 25 addresses in Tameside and Rochdale were targeted as part of the operation and the defendants were arrested. A valuation of all cars involved came to £650,000. Combined with the total financial impact on the victims of the burglaries, the overall value of the conspiracy amounted to more than £1 million.

Det Insp Buckley said: “While this was a million pound conspiracy, one of the things that we were struck by was the human cost. For every

By Asmar Chaudhry vehicle involved, there were many victims.

“The systematic scale of the deception meant that we not only had to carry out a thorough, detailed inquiry, but we also worked in partnership with a number of key agencies, all of which played a vital role.”

Mark Angus, Senior Crown Prosecutor described the case as complex and stated that the strength of the evidence prompted the defendants to plead guilty in the end.

Kristian Welch, Consumer Director for HPI, an organisation that undertakes vehicle history checks said: “The success of this operation demonstrated that by working together we can take positive steps to tackle the problem.”

Auto Trader was also pleased to have been able to assist GMP and they look forward to continuing the partnership in the future.

His Honour Judge Bernard Lever also singled out the hard work of DC Pete Slater, PC John Parker and Gaynor Price.

Det Insp Buckley added: “This has also been an excellent learning experience for us and we will always be on hand to assist other divisions and forces who want to tap into the knowledge that we have built up.

“This investigation also showed how committed we are to reducing crime and countering the threat of organised crime.”

hot spot areas



Building confidence in neighbourhoods and communities through social media, KINs and cold calling



How the Force investigates fraud



How partner agencies are taking responsibility for ‘Missing from Home’ and how

the police are helping agencies become more proactive



The legislation that facilitates the use of airways to record stop search.

Many of those who attended found the experience very useful and have been able to take some of these ideas back to their own divisions to implement or develop.

Features

Preparing for the Police and Crime Commissioner PLANNING and preparations are well underway for one of the most significant changes to policing in many years – the election of the first Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester.

On 15 November for the first time ever, the public across England and Wales will elect a Police and Crime Commissioner. They will be accountable for how crime is tackled in their Force area.

It is a role designed to hold police to account for their performance and service and to give the public a greater say over policing and crime reduction services.

The commissioner will replace the 10 councillors and nine independent members of the GMPA who currently hold the Force to account.

Planning is underway for a smooth transition when the GMPA is replaced in November A working group led by DCC Ian Hopkins and ACO Lynne Potts is developing plans to ensure a smooth transition to the new arrangements.

The group meets regularly to ensure that national guidelines for the transition are being followed and that relevant policies, procedures and protocols are in place ahead of the election to ensure the new arrangements work smoothly.

The group also links to a number of joint working groups with GMPA and the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA).

Further updates on the role of the PCC will be provided in the coming months and will include guidance on the elections.

The Chief Constable will remain responsible for operational policing

Many things will remain the same with the appointment of the PCC but there will be some changes. Some key points are:



The Chief Constable remains responsible for operational policing and police officers remain under the Chief Constable’s direct control



Police staff will automatically become employees of the PCC when they come into office but there will be no change in working arrangements. Terms and conditions remain the same and service is continuous. All staff will receive confirmation of the transfer to PCC and further details before 22 November



Under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, the Chief Constable will be able to directly employ staff. At some point following the election and before April 2014 the Chief Constable and PCC will consider which business functions and police staff will pass to the Chief Constable’s employment. It is hoped this will be achieved swiftly and that it should not impact on the majority of police staff



The PCC will set the budget, develop a Police and Crime Plan and hold the Chief Constable to account replacing the Greater Manchester Police Authority (GMPA)



The PCC will work with criminal justice agencies, local authorities, Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) and other crime reduction services. They will hold a number of government grants that are currently managed by CSPs or the Force



A Police and Crime Panel will be appointed by the local authorities to scrutinise the work of the elected PCC



Elections for the post of PCC will be held every four years. Anyone who is registered to vote in ordinary elections in Greater Manchester is eligible to vote in a PCC election.

Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition 21

Features

Force website gets a facelift

GMP’s website is to get a brand new look bringing it up to date with new features and functionality.

The new look site has been designed to better integrate the Force’s award-winning social media accounts, making it easier for the public to access content on Twitter,

Facebook, Flickr and YouTube even if they don’t have accounts.

In response to feedback from the public, the website has also been restructured and the navigation overhauled to make it easier to use.

Kevin Hoy, Web Manager in Corporate Communications, said: “The new look for the website is the first step in enhancing GMP’s online service.

“We have responded directly to what the public of Greater Manchester have told us that they want, and the improved site will deliver easier and more direct access to our online network.”

The new website will be launched in August 2012.

If you would like anything to feature on the external website, please email #WebTeam with your request and timescales.

Duty Management System rollout GMP is to implement a new duty management system that will change the way police officers and police staff work.

The Force will launch the system on the Oldham and Salford Divisions in September this year and it will then be rolled out across the remainder of the Force over the next 18 months.

Supt Graeme Openshaw who is leading the project said: “In the current financial climate it is really important that we use all our resources effectively.

“As individuals we need to take responsibility for ensuring that we make the best use of our time. We can only do that if the Force has access to accurate information about when we are all available for duty and what skill sets we have.

“DMS will help us do that and is a great step forward.”

Everybody will need to book on to and off the system and it means that old fashioned and time consuming 22 Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition

tasks such as the submission of annual leave forms and overtime returns will disappear.

These will replaced with modern automated processes which will make it easier for staff and reduce the amount of time we all spend

“For the first time ever, we will be able to see all our entitlements in one place” filling out and inputting forms.

All forward planning will be undertaken in DMS so there will be no requirement for supervisors to input duties into GMPICs or any other local system.

DMS will also record overtime and this will be linked directly to the payroll system.

Supt Openshaw added: “The events in Salford and Manchester last August showed us how important it is for the Force to be able to identify and mobilise

appropriately trained officers and staff immediately. DMS will enable us to do that.

“It also means that we will all know in advance when we are working and when we are able to book time off, which enables each of us to manage our work time much better.

“For the first time ever we will be able to see all our annual leave, rest days and other time owing entitlements in one place.”

The system will cost £836K but will pay for itself within the first 12 months.

Lynne Potts, Assistant Chief Officer said: “DMS is not about saving money. It is about making us better at using the people we’ve got so that we can get on with what we are all here for and want to do, serve the public.

“We have talked about the need for DMS for a long time and it is great to know that it is nearly here.”

Features

Providing victim care By Detective Inspector Debbie Dooley

Rape can have a devastating effect on individuals but it is extremely satisfying when you’re part of a dedicated team providing the highest standard of care.

The establishment of a new Serious Sexual Offence Unit (SSOU) provides that dedicated care.

All the staff who form part of the unit recently spent some time together as part of an induction week. They heard how offenders target and isolate their victims and the devastating effects these crimes can have on individuals. Speakers

included the Forensic Submissions Unit, Crown Prosecution Service, St. Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre and psychotherapist Zoe Lodrick.

We also heard from a young woman who herself had been the subject of such an offence. She shared her experiences of how she had been treated by the police and other agencies. At one point she was so low that she contemplated committing suicide. She provided staff with a real insight into the consequences of our actions.

The SSOU is based in the Rochdale and North Manchester hubs. The specialist staff will provide the highest standard of care to victims and work in partnership with St Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre and other agencies.

Primarily victim focused, we will also be working to ensure that when

officers deal with this type of crime, that they carry out their investigation to the highest standard. The quality of their investigation will ensure that future witnesses are more confident to report such offences of rape and sexual assault, leading to increased public satisfaction and confidence in what we are trying to do across the Force.

The unit has already forged good relations with partner agencies and in doing so has experienced the generosity of the Stockport Soroptimists, who have agreed for the furniture they had previously donated to the Stockport Division, to be moved to the Rochdale Hub. While it is early days and I know that many challenges lie ahead, I have been thoroughly impressed by the can-do attitude and enthusiasm of the staff. They are as keen as I am to make this venture successful.

Achieving justice for those victims I deal with makes the job worthwhile.

GMP wins Big Chip award The Force has been honoured at the 2012 Big Chip Awards, where it scooped the prize for Best Use of Social Media for the second consecutive year.

Awarded for GMP’s use of Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube during last year’s disorder in Manchester and Salford, the judges felt that the Force demonstrated what social media is really about.

GMP used social media to warn and inform residents and businesses about events as they unfolded. The public of Greater Manchester then turned to social media to provide intelligence about those people involved in criminal activity. GMP’s social media accounts continue to grow and provide an essential service to the public.

Staff from Corporate Communications Branch with the Big Chip Award for Best Use of Social Media.

Find out more about the award here: http://www.bigchipawards.com

Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition 23

Features

Parading with Pride GMP is to lead the Manchester Pride parade on Saturday 25 August as it marks its 10th anniversary.

Sgt Jane Morgan-Hawcroft and Data Manager Darelle Lynch are the only two members of GMP staff who have marched under the GMP banner right from the outset.

Jane said: “We want police officers, police staff, families, friends and colleagues to feel welcome and hope they will register to join us in the parade. Manchester Pride is not just a Manchester based event, it is attended by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender

SUSTAINABILITY Officer Julian Dearlove is encouraging more people to travel to work by bicycle with the GMP Bike User Group (BUG).

To get more cycling facts and tips, last month Julian went along to the launch of the Greater Manchester Cycling Manifesto – Getting Moving— produced by Friends of the Earth’s ‘Love Your Bike Campaign’. The manifesto is about enjoying cycling and how to get more people cycling, more of the time.

Julian said: “One way in which GMP can support those commuting to work by bicycle and to encourage anyone thinking about giving it a go, is to facilitate a Bike User Group, commonly referred to as a BUG. I’m hoping that more GMP officers and staff ‘get the BUG’”.

Julian added “The Cycling Manifesto compliments much of GMP’s Force Travel Plan in promoting the health and social 26 Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition

communities from around the world and the parade is watched by approximately 200,000 people.”

Darelle said: “At last year's event we had over 180 people proudly walking with the police contingent through the streets of Manchester.

I’m so proud of GMP’s support of this event - we’ve come such a long way from just a handful of people marching 10 years ago.”

Police with Pride was formed by the North West regional police forces of Greater Manchester Police, Lancashire Constabulary, Cheshire Constabulary, Cumbria Constabulary, Merseyside Police and North Wales Police.

Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy said: “This year’s parade is dedicated to World War Two codebreaking mathematician and computer scientist Alan Turing, whose sexuality resulted in a

criminal prosecution in 1952.

Manchester Pride is a very important event for GMP and I am proud that GMP officers and staff, myself included, will be leading the parade this year.”

Registration to participate must be received no later than Wednesday 8 August. Email policewith.pride@gmp.police.uk with Force, name, and whether you will be wearing uniform or a polo shirt (include your size for the polo shirt).

Places are limited so early registration is recommended.

Get the bicycling bug benefits of cycling to work and it contains many ideas of how to use cycling as part of your weekly commute.

Right now there is a growing momentum of local cycling initiatives, making this an exciting time for bicycle users in Greater Manchester and an ideal opportunity for the Sustainability Team to support and encourage anyone working at GMP to explore and enjoy the possibilities of cycling to work”.

If you are interested in joining the GMP BUG, even if you don’t currently cycle, or simply wish to find out more about cycling to work please contact Julian via the Sustainability email (#FacilitiesSustainability) or on extension 64632.

For more information visit Force Travel Plan for the Greater Manchester Cycling Manifesto, www.tfgm.com/cycling,

www.cyclemanchester.org.uk/main and http:// manchester.taketothestreets.org/

Julian Dearlove at the launch of Greater Manchester Cycling Manifesto Coordinator

Features

Bobbies on the beat at Euro 2012 Bobbies on the beat at Euro 2012

Itʼs not very often you get the chance to make a piece of history.

By Superintendent John Graves It happened to PC Steve Chisnall and myself (pictured below) when we became the first police officers from the United Kingdom to walk the beat in the Ukrainian cities of Kiev and Donetsk in Eastern Europe.

We were part of a delegation of officers deployed to the Ukraine to participate in the international police collaboration for the UEFA Euro 2012 football tournament.

Becoming a familiar feature of the Ukrainian police operation was part of our role – and as the Silver Commander, building up trust and confidence so we could work together effectively and make a positive contribution was my challenge. Walking the beat in the host cities was key to this – speaking with fans, giving them advice and guidance, even stopping for the odd photograph.

The reception from all fans and the people of Kiev and Donetsk was brilliant - everyone knows and recognises the traditional British uniform and the ‘Big Hats’. I lost count of the number of times I was told how fantastic and how reassuring it was to see British bobbies on patrol in uniform in the Ukraine. Many fans had been

nervous about travelling because of how the country had been portrayed in the media – but time and time again, fans told us how great the experience had been.

Police officers from 11 UK police forces, along with experts from the UK Football Policing Unit were deployed during the tournament.

This included Chief Supt Mark Roberts and Sgt Steve Lewis who were deployed in Poland, showing once again just how highly regarded GMP is for our ability to manage major events.

After spending almost a month in Ukraine, and, now that the dust has settled, I’ve had time to reflect on our achievement. When you consider all the pre-tournament fears over violence and intimidation, all the sensational television documentaries and news articles, not a single England supporter was arrested. We had a great working relationship with the Kiev and Donetsk City Police and Interpol and I am immensely proud of the part GMP played in making the tournament safe for England fans. It was an honour and privilege for us to fly the flag for GMP in Eastern Europe.

Key facts The team was made up of officers from 11 forces, the UK Football Policing Unit and ACPO press office.

The officers were from Greater Manchester Police, Hampshire, Humberside, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, Metropolitan, Norfolk, South Yorkshire, Thames Valley and West Midlands.

Officers deployed abroad cannot go without the Home Secretary signing a bilateral Memorandum Of Understanding with the host country. There were two MOUs one for the deployment in the Ukraine and the other for Poland.

The MOUs involve an agreement to prevent risk supporters and those with banning orders from entering Poland or the Ukraine and sharing intelligence to ensure it is a successful event.

The officers have no powers of arrest when deployed abroad, however if fans misbehave UK officers can gather intelligence to present to a UK court to apply for a football banning order.

Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition 27

GMP Community

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

Exceeding expectations The RSPCA enjoys a fruitful relationship with GMP, however in this instance the support was over and above what we could reasonably expect. A recent investigation was a most distressing case involving two dogs which were allowed to become emaciated and then dumped on public ground. One died from exposure but the other was found in time and has made a full recovery after extensive treatment.

Our Inspector was able to conduct an effective and prompt investigation which would not have been possible had it not been for the assistance of PC Douglas Craigen, Sgt Darren Agnew, PC Brandon Sidebottom and PC Barrie Willans after which I can reasonably expect a conviction of the three individuals responsible for this cruel treatment.

J. F., Senior Prosecution Case Manager, RSPCA

Same day service My car was broken into in the early hours recently. The control room dealt with me quickly and efficiently, then a police officer came to my place of work within an hour to take a statement. A CSI came to dust for fingerprints.

The police officers involved were PC Matthew Powell and PC Pete Renshaw. I was kept informed of the progress by telephone throughout the day, hearing that a suspect had been taken into custody. I then had my property returned that day and was informed that the suspect had been charged.

People are very quick to report a negative experience but I was very impressed by the prompt service I received.

Miss A.L., Denton

28 Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition

Fantastic response saved our evening In March my partner and I visited Manchester for an evening with friends. My partner had her handbag stolen and we met PC Darren Bromley who was passing in his patrol vehicle.

PC Bromley was fantastic and helped us in any way he could. He took it upon himself to trace Laura’s iPhone and got his colleagues to help. Not only was he very friendly and put us both at ease, he successfully retrieved Laura’s iPhone.

After completing our statements he did everything to ensure we had a fantastic night in Manchester after all that had happened.

He and his colleagues are a massive credit to GMP.

Changed

our lives in one vis it My husban d and I are te nants of W Council an ig d we have been havin problems g with an ab usive and neighbour harass since Janu ary.

We have n ever had d ealings wit police befo h the re, we both have disab and were ilities afraid and distressed become in , h aving sular and fearful. Ou was in tatt r dignity ers and ou r trust of Governme nt departm ents was n existent. onPC Andre w Cook c hanged ou one small r lives in visit. His m anner was and profes relaxed sional. He knew exac the law wo tly how rked and h e gave us helping ha th e nd we nee ded to cop the proble e with ms we are having.

Conseque ntly our liv es are now more posit in a ive state.

A.R., Leig h

S.H., Lincoln

Restored our faith Burglars tried to break into our property whilst we were at home one night. We both feel that PC Dave Wright went above and beyond the call of duty.

He put us at ease straight away, was sympathetic to our situation and returned the following day to make sure we had been okay overnight and that the offenders had not returned.

The police were on the scene within minutes and searched the area thoroughly. We were greatly impressed with this handling of the situation and it has restored our faith in GMP. Miss S.G., Audenshaw

Sensitivity and support I would like to praise DC Gareth

Croll who was involved in the investigation after my daughter was raped. We received the verdict which was five years’ imprisonment.

DC Croll was highly efficient and very much aware of the sensitivity needed in such a case. He kept the family informed of everything as he work proceeded. During the trial, he was most supportive and he is a superb representative of GMP. K.S., Merseyside

Took me seriously I phoned the police recently to complain about a problem I was having in my area since I moved in to my address two years ago.

PC Paul Corser followed the case efficiently and amicably and settled it. He is exemplary and I appreciate his efforts very much.

gan

ing

s

GMP Community It was my first time calling the police and friends told me that the police would not take it seriously if I told them about the problem. They were wrong and I feel comforted to know that GMP can provide such a good service.

K.T., New Moston

A shining example On May Bank Holiday criminals tried to steal and/or vandalise my car which was parked in Bredbury.

Fortunately, they were interrupted by two duty officers from Tameside Division who just happen to live in the area. PC William Fairchild and PC Stuart Robson displayed the utmost dedication and professionalism. As it was a Bank Holiday these officers spent taking statements which also took up their time on their day off. These officers are a testament to GMP and a shining example to us all.

K.B., Stockport Traditionally professional On behalf of Hollingwood

Methodist Church, please convey my thanks PC Sue Moss and her colleagues for helping us with our Annual Walk of Witness.

Without the help of the police, this longstanding tradition in our village could not take place. Thank you for the professional and efficient assistance of GMP officers.

Andrew Bennett for their help in finding my son. Yesterday I brought him home from Stepping Hill Hospital after three weeks due to self harming.

It’s going to be a long slog to get him well but there are a lot of dedicated people out there. Your officers are of the same calibre. Thank you and God Bless.

A.S., Hollingworth Methodist Church

B.G., Stockport

Dignity and pride Thank you to your ceremonial mounted officers and trumpeters along with all the other officers involved in the ceremony for the High Sheriff’s Day Portrait Hanging.

Once again your officers undertook their role with dignity and pride. Please convey my grateful thanks to them all for their valuable contribution to a most successful occasion.

Top of the tree Thanks a million to the two young officers who came to assist me after a serious confrontation with a stranger had taken place at my front door.

Demanding money, the man stated that I had arranged with him to remove a tree on the front garden which was untrue. I do my own gardening and would get help from the Council if needed.

George Almond, High Sheriff of Greater Manchester

Your dedication will get us there I’d like to thank Sgts Christopher McAulay, Suart McConnell, David Fulton and PC

PC Stephen Etchells and PC David Fenton were a credit to the Force and the public they serve. Their attitude was of a standard for all officers to aim for in such cases.

Thanks to you all.

A.T.,Crumpsall

@TweetsbyAlex

Sarah Fyfe

My #ff this week has to be@gmpolice for excellent response times, support & feedback to victims. Thank you very much, you do great things.

A massive thank you to the policeman that calmed me down on the Bury tram yesterday after having a massive panic attack .

@matthewhorwood

Milena Kotwa

Despite the last 24 hours being a complete nightmare/hellish, my respect for the @GMPolice has soared and soared over the last few years.

I just want to say big thanks to police officers who recovered my stolen phone last week. You guys are the best!

@jcharnock

Jessica Lewis

Our city centre office was robbed last night. We’re 7 laptops lighter but thanks to @GMPCityCentre for speedy response @gmpolice

Was in a&e this morning (at Oldham Hospital) and came out at 5am with my 5 year old daughter who was poorly.

There were no buses and just me and my daughter and just a dodgy looking man hanging around. One of your police officers asked if I was OK and I told him I couldn’t get in touch with my lift to pick us up.

He then offered us a lift and took us straight to our street and even watched us through our front door to make sure we were safe. What a lovely man and fantastic asset to your police force. Thank you for keeping us safe x

@AloudNProud Very impressed with @gmpolice today.

Taken statement, fingerprinted my car and arrested someone within 3 hours of me reporting crime!

Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition 29

GMP Community

Charities

Riding for Willow PC Mark Ollerenshaw and a group of officers from the Tactical Aid Unit raised money for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign by taking part in this year’s Manchester to Blackpool bike ride.

The team which consisted of Sgt Andy Dalby, PC Neil Wood, PC Tony Sivori, PC Gareth Powell, PC Adam Baker and PC Sam Barlow (pictured bottom right) decided to support the charity as Mark’s 18-month-old daughter Willow suffers from a rare form of Congenital Muscular Dystrophy.

Willow (pictured top right) was diagnosed with Merosin Deficient, a condition which affects less than 1000 people worldwide in January 2012. She is unable to walk, crawl, or rollover on her own and isn’t able to sit without the aid of a specially designed seat or support. Willow also struggles to eat so therefore takes 90 per cent of her food through a tube.

“Despite this Willow can laugh and shout and she is a huge inspiration to my family,” said Mark.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to all my colleagues that either took

part in the bike ride or helped us along the way - it was a great team effort from every one of the lads.

“Also a big thanks goes to PC Hassan Ben-Halim’s father who provided our accommodation and PC Chris Marriott who drove the mini bus.

Mark will also be embarking on a number of other challenges in aid of the charity later this year including the King of Pennines – a 101km ride through the Yorkshire Dales and Manchester 100km through Cheshire. Those people wishing to donate to the charity and support

A team of officers and PCSOs from the North Manchester Division cycled more than 700 kilometres without moving an inch when they took part in a 24-hour charity Spinathon in the heart of Higher Blackley PCSO Angela Boughey who is based at Higher Blackley Neighbourhood Policing Team came up with the idea of the spinathon as a community engagement event.

After getting hold of a couple of exercise bikes, they were set up in the local Tesco supermarket.

More than 700 kilometres later the team has not only got

All in a spin

30 Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition

themselves known in the local community but raised £510 for Retrak, a charity which improves the lives of people in East Africa, at the same time.

Insp Ruth Bradley-Holt said: “The team were brilliant. Angela put the wheels in motion to make it happen and PCSO Gary Lill dressed up as Perry the Panda.

“PC Kevin Handley thought he was joining for a leisurely bike ride but ended up winning for the most distance travelled in one hour. It

Mark can do so by visiting his just giving page www.justgiving.com/ mark-ollerenshaw

wasn’t a competition but he still managed to cycle 39.85 kilometres in one hour!

“We also used the opportunity to promote twitter and the neighbourhood police team generally as the public had chance to meet us throughout the 24 hours.”

Charities Mattʼs next mission FORCE Duty Officer Matt Oxley will cycle more than 550km across Vietnam and Cambodia to raise money for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital later this year.

Matt’s latest challenge comes 18 months after he completed a six day trek across the Sahara Desert which raised more than £5000 for the hospital.

The cause is extremely close to Matt’s heart as in 2010 the Matt during last year’s Sahara trek which involved living in basic conditions, spending time with hospital helped his six-year-old nomads and a number of days trekking across the son Daniel recover from toxic Chigaga dune zone shock syndrome.

“The skills, expertise and dedication of the staff certainly helped Daniel to survive,” said Matt.

“Without the action of everyone at the hospital I hate to think what could have been. I’d like to show my gratitude by raising as much money for them as I can through challenges like the Sahara Trek and my forthcoming cycle across During the trek Matt was able to witness some Vietnam and Cambodia.” amazing sun rises and sun sets Matt will embark on his latest challenge in November.

To sponsor Matt for his next cycling challenge, visit his Just Giving page: www.justgiving.com/Matt-Oxley0

GMP Community

Fun run raises thousands for charity OFFICERS and staff from Bury DHQ have raised more than £4000 for the Christie charity by taking part in the 'Bury Plod,' a four and a half mile walk from Ramsbottom to Bury's Divisional Headquarters.

The 'Plod' was organised by Alison Ashton and Jayne Fletcher from Bury after a friend’s son and colleague's daughter were diagnosed with Leukaemia within a week of each other.

More than 93 people took part in the charity walk, including ACC Garry Shewan and Ch Supt Jon Rush. They were also joined by a number of Bury's young Cadets.

Lots of other fundraising activities on the Bury Division to help raise money for Christies, including the 'Bury Scoff' where bacon butties and Krispy Kreme doughnuts were on sale.

Woopie for charity dress down day PC Tracey Martin from the Volume Crime Team on the North Manchester Division recently got into the spirit of a dress down day to raise money for the Retrak charity.

Tracey sported two fancy dress outfits during the day. Outfit number one was a woopie cushion (pictured left) and for the second, Tracey transformed herself into a TV Programme character, Vicky Pollard from Little Britain.

Above and below: officers and staff join in the fun during the Bury Plod

Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition 31

GMP Community

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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 All adverts must be accompanied by a copy of the of any responsibility or liability to GMP in respect of any advertiser’s warrant/ID card or pension number advertisement. Publication does not imply any endorsement Cheques should be made payable to “Greater Manchester of the companies, individuals or products.

Police” and sent to: Deadline for adverts to be submitted for the next Brief Advertising, Corporate Communications, Force HQ, edition is: Northampton Road, Manchester M40 5BP. 31 August 2012 32 Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition

GMP Community

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Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition 33

GMP Community

Diary of events August

25‐26 Aug ust:

Manches ter Mega

Mela

: 17‐24 August Pride Manchester

er: 2 Septemb f Last day o ealth Commonw at exhibition f Science Museum o

19‐20 August

Eid Ul Fitr

24‐27 A u

2 September: Manchester 100

Charity Cycle ride

gust:

Bolton Food &

Drink F estival

11‐12 August: nival Caribbean Car

of Manchester

October

r Septembe

1‐2 Sep tembe r Festwic h Mu Festiva sic l

21 October:

012: ember 2 t p e S 4 1

eas day Good id eminar Crime S s s e in s Bu Q Force H 9.30am

Charity CAB Oldham alf‐ Challenge (h marathon)

ber: 10 Septem 10‐14 Sep tember:

e h t g in c li o P f o y Week of a Last da ction— at the n ig e r ’s n e Que stealing & violent Museum crime

26 October

Eid Ul Adha

Obituaries 

David Edward Sheffield, 72, died 19 May



Alan Jones, 96, died 21 May



Desmond McKenna, 76, died 21 May

John Vincent McAleavey, 87, died 8 May



Christopher Hudson, 69, died 19 June



Andrew Ronald Hamilton, 69, died 15 May





Gillian Gehrke, 68, died 3 May

It is with sadness that Brief announces the death of the following officers: 







Derek Tattersall, 73, died 30 June



Patricia Byrne, 46, died 28 June



Anthony Cecil Ratledge, 83, died 2 July



Bryan Walker, 80, died 5 July



Roy Santus, 90, died 10 July

Frank Garner, 93, died 23 June



Patrick Murray, 94, died 30 June



Martin Kirrane, 60, died 24 June



James Paterson, 74, died 18 July.



Wilfred Holroyd, 87, died 25 June

Neville Tatlock, 77, died 11 May Joan Mook, 86, died 14 May

34 Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition

Sports & Social

Dan dares and wins gold FORENSIC Computer Investigator Dan Hopwood won a gold medal in the World Paracanoe Championships in Poland.

His success means that he has a chance of securing funding to compete in the 2016 Paralympics in Brazil.

Dan won the 200 metre sprint race by a clear five seconds in Poznan with a finishing time of one minute 13 seconds. This was a slow time compared to Dan’s normal speeds during training caused by the wind and rough water during the race.

Dan said: “The race took place on a lake in rough water and windy conditions, and what it came down to was dealing with those conditions better than my competitors.

“About three quarters through the race I knew I could win, and I had to concentrate on staying upright and staying in my lane”.

Dan, who is based at Bradford Park, trained intensively for the event. Great Britain came out top of the medal table with five gold medals and one bronze medal.

Judo greats support GMP

Sgt Mark Montrose has raised £1,200 for two charities. The money will be donated to Retrak and Faye’s Wish.

Sgt Montrose said: “I was delighted by how much we raised on the day.

“As well as friends and family, the event at Hough End was supported by a number of senior Judokas and police athletes from all over the country.”

Dan Hopwood on the way to winning gold

Olympic hopes lifted A proud dad who trained his son to be a weightlifting champion has told his son to ‘lift up his Olympic hopes’ after the 19-year-old narrowly missed out on competing in London 2012.

British Championship Weighlifting champion Christos Michaelas, whose father is Forensic Reporting Officer Andrew Michealas from the Investigative Support Division, has broke four junior records at this year’s British Weightlifting Championships.

A former GMP police staff member, the 19-year-old Christos reached the final qualifier for the Olympics. But despite lifting four times his own body weight, he was just outside the qualifying standard for the Olympics.

Andrew said: “Christos has shown what he is capable of. He knows that being only 19, what he has achieved so far means he has the potential to reach Olympic standard.”

Christos Michaelas in action

Brief Late Summer 2012 Edition 35