Back to work

Well after 3 weeks off work again!!!!! I started back on monday.
I was in crown court for a case i mentioned in an earlier blog where 2 drug dealers were stopped and tried to run me over when i went to arrest them.
Well the long and short of it after a lot of deliberation one of the suspects plead guilty to 2 counts of drugs supplying and the other plead guilty to dangerous driving and to being concerned in the supply of drugs. Result!!!
On tuesday i got into work early to catch up with my big stack of paperwork and emails awaiting my return.
I had a file i had to complete which was due to be in court for thursday so a bit of a priority!!
After completing that i went out on uniformed patrol but didnt really turn too much up.
We tried hunting down a couple of wanted people but without any real joy. We did have two vehicles make off from us and give us the slip, but we didnt really have much of a chance as they were much more high powered than our vehicle and we had to turn around to start following them.
One of the vehicles was stopped by another unit a little later on and i believe an amount of drugs was found in the vehicle.
I was next in work on Thursday at court for someone driving without insurance. I'm currently waiting to give evidence for that so thats me up to date!!!

Back on

Lack off internet added with having had 8 weeks off since my last post are part of the reasons i havent updated this for a while.
That being said there's still been a lot going on while i have been at work and plenty of fun stories i should really have put up on here.
I cant remember most of them now but i'll a quick one on.
Plain clothes going to an address to arrest someone for a straightforward Fail To Appear warrant went a bit wrong.
On getting to the address with my crewmate we were met not only by the guy we came for but also 2 others both PPO's who were wanted for a robbery the previous night as well as a house full of undesirables.
Things escalated almost as soon as i had walked through the door and before i really knew what was goin on 3 people had jumped out the back window and me and my crewmate were left fighting 1 on 1 with the two wanted for robbery.
The two were both quite a handful and i watched my crewmate fall through a door into the lounge of the house on top of his guy whilst my fight spilled out into the front garden.
I really struggled to control him as i was trying to use my radio to call for backup but was having problems getting through.
At one point i remember having him pinned down on the floor and turning to watch the other guy running out of the house followed by my crewmate.
I kept trying to get in on the radio but each time i went to use it i was pushed over as i couldnt keep control of my guy.
Long story short we kept wrestling and fighting round to the back garden where i managed to get him into a (non home office approved) choke hold but realising i wouldnt be able to keep him like that for too long i thoght what the hell and used my captor spray for the first time.
It had more than the desired effect not only did it strongly take him out it also did the same to me as we were in such a close vacinity to each other.
I gave one last attempt at the radio before my eyes started burning and watering then my nose started streaming and i started to choke and felt my throat burning.
All i could do was literally grab hold of him by his body as tightly as i could to stop him from getting away and hope that the first person that turned up was my backup and not one of his friends.
I was told it was actually 4 and a half minutes but it seemed like a lifetime, from when i got through just as i sprayed him til when the first units arrived on scene.
I had never been so grateful for officers to turn up.
I literally collapsed on the floor whilst they got my guy under control and i just lay there with someone pouring water in my face for about half an hour before i felt anywhere near able to move!!!
Well after i had been rescued i started listening in to hear what was going on with my crewmate.
Apparantly he had also sprayed his guy in the hoe but he had still managed to run. He chased him through several houses and gardens before catching hold of some of his clothing over a fence, but unfortunetely he still managed to get out of the clothing and run.
The helicopter and dog units were out pretty soon but had no joy.
I didnt stay on scene to help with the search as i didnt really feel i would be much help if anything happened as i still felt a bit sick and drained so i started heading back to the nick.
About a mile from where the incident took place who should i see walking along without a care in the world.....? the guy we actually went to nick in the first place for the warrant, who had legged it out the back window!!!
Well easy enough arrest, i stopped him with my captor pointed at his face as i wasnt up for another fight and he came quietly.
I felt ill for about another hour after i got back to custody before embarking on the ever present ridiculously long paperwork!
I felt very satisfied at the result even though the other guy got away as the guy i got in had managed to ger away from me in a foot pursuit a couple days earlier for a different offence.
Finally, to put your minds at rest the one who got away was picked up the next day.
EasY

Another dealer but not much else.

Well whats happened since i last updated nearly a month ago. Not too much. Only one real incident of note.
Two guys on my team spotted a drugs user who they believed was about to score so they watched him. Sure as fire soon a known dealer turns up deal take place. They took the user once the dealer was gone and we were just arriving as the dealers were reaching the end of the road. In plain clothes we blocked the road with our car and i got out pulled out my badge as i approached them. What happened next i wasnt expecting.
I looked into the drivers eyes as i walked towards him with my badge and straight away i realised that he was going to try and drive away from me.
I ran up to his door and tried to open it. Just as i got the door open he got the car in gear and began driving off.
As i was holding onto the door i was dragged about 5 metres along the road to the point where he rammed into the vehicle i had just got out off and my crewmate was in.
I was left about 4 inches from being squashed between the two cars.
Well i had no time to think about that as he was desperately trying to get the car into reverse. I quickly ran round the car and got in on the passenger side, diving across the passenger and grabbing the keys from the ignition.
I had to hold back from hitting the driver with full force for trying to run me over and instead grabbed the passenger, adrenaline still running i picked him off his seat out of the car and threw him on the ground.
He was under arrest as was the driver.
Between them they had nearly £500 on them and about 10 wraps of class A drugs. Nice!!!
That aside it's been quite normal everyday policing. Lots of arrests, lots of meetings but not too much action.
The only other thing of note was arresting another dealer, although he only had one wrap on him, but during the house search we recovered a pistol. Scary!!

OVERTIME

Well, monday and tuesday didnt really go to plan.
Monday got in at 1000 hours and went out on push bike patrol, there weren't too many people about but we did arrest a Priority Offender for burglary.
Just as it was getting to the end of the shift we took the van to go to another nick to pick up a bike.
Whilst on route i saw a vehicle go past three up which just wasnt right.
After pulling it over and a few checks were run we decided to search the car, and beginning in the glove box i straight away found the grams of cocaine.
Well long story short three people arrested. 4 section 18's one forced entry with a hooli bar, demoloshing half the house and paperwork took until 0000 hours. Pretty long day!
Tuesday started much the same except we had the van and the others were on bikes.
We stopped quite a few people and got some decent intel but nothing much really and just about to go home when we receive a call from the operations inspector, ordering us to stay on duty until further notice due to a fire incident.
Turns out there had been a fire and a gas canister with some highly explosive chemicals had heated up to a dangerous threat level so we had to help evacuate abou 20 houses then stand on a cordon. This went on until 2200 hours when we finally got off, 5 hours late!!!
Well lets see what 2moro brings.

Busy

Well saturday night always has the potential to be busy and tonight was no exception.
Started off out on patol on our mountain bikes.
After stopping a couple people in the bus and train station we got 2 street cautions for cannabis from a couple guys smoking weed in their car.
Next we ventured through the parks and caught a Polish graffiti artist in the act. As it was saturday night and i didnt really want to waste my time in custody with a *nothing job* i gave him a warning and sent him on his way.
Well onto the leisure centre car park and another street caution for cannabis.
After here we made to a criminal damage in progress and long and short of it is some fella pissed up decided he fancied staying in a half way house. They had other ideas and he kicked off literally!! Kicked off the door from its hinges.
Well we soon caught up with him and my crewmate got a smack in the nose for his efforts!
After being called every type of cunt imaginable (fucking cunt, pig cunt, useless cunt, black cunt(sorry for the extremeties but this is real policing. It's not pink and fluffy in the real world, there are nasty people out there!!!!)) he was finally back in custody were predictably, the custody SGT quickly lost his temper with his foul mouth and we had to take him straight to his cell to be searched and perform a cell exit.
Well with all the above exctiment that took us from 1800 hours when we started through til just before midnight.
The rest of the shift was just paperwork!
Til monday, adios. I'm retiring to my room with a beer.

Friday night

Well the day started with much promise for action.
A call from our area commander asking the team to come in 2 hours early as they needed a strike team.
I was the first in and got a briefing from priority crime team and the area intelligence team.
They were after two burglars who we knew all to well.
There was information that they could be attending an address at some point during the day and basically they wanted us in plain clothes to sit up not too far from the address until they arrived, then take them out!
Well it sounded like it would be plain sailing and a lot of fun, but you always have to take caution with these things and as half expected, our team was sat up in a vehicle for three hours with no activity and the strike was called off!
Well back into the nick and we were off on mountain bikes. The other two in uniform me and my crewmate in plain clothes.
The first bit off fun in the night was when i spotted the two in uniform on the bikes. As they didnt know what plain clothes we were wearing we cycled off from them as quickly as we could in the park. They soon gave chase and were just calling up on the radio when we stopped, laughing at them!!
Following that they decided to get their own back by telling us that we had been asked to check the address we were watching earlier, which was about 3 miles away from our usual patrol and all uphill. When we got there we called them to tell them there was nothing at the address to which we heard laughter down the other end of the phone.
Well the rest of the night entailed a caution to some chap for smoking weed and a few stop checks but nothing exciting.
back to work on sat at 1800-0200.

The thick of the storm

Ok, i like many im sure got caught up in the storms on my way to work. I had to turn around several times due to fallen trees, and help dimwitted MOP's who couldnt seem to figure out what to do.
Well after spending an hour and a half to drive a 40 minute journey i got to work.
First up as a team we went to arrest the most prolific burglar on our area. He was at home and good as gold. I dont think he quite understood how much we had on him!!
After hours in custody waiting to book in , taking hair combings and dna samples and seizing clothes we finally got back out and about.
Went to the bus station where a lot of our usuals were hanging about. I was just talking to a few of them when i heard a commotion from the subway so i ran across to find a scuffle between a few little scroats and the security guards from the shopping centre.
Well it all got a bit heated as the scroats were friends with the other group in the bus station which meant not only did we have to try and keep the security guards and the first group apart but also try and keep back the 20 odd in the bus station.
Long story short, i baton charged the big group from the bus station, they soon got the message that i wasnt messing about and dispersed!!
Well not much more happened to be honest. The same group from the bus station kept causing problems all night having minor scuffles but that was about it.
Hope for more fun 2moro.

Another one in

Ok, abit of a better day than the last. Started off finally getting to have the cameras trialed. I let the other guys on the team take it out as i was plain clothes with my partner!!
Not long after settling into some boring paperwork, had a call from CCTV about a drug dealer in the town.
Well we rushed out and watched him for a while but it looked like we had come a little to late as nobody else seemed to be scoring from him.
After a while of watching it became clear we were going to have no action so we stopped him.
Turned out he was wanted for 2 warrants, and for failing to comply with a drugs treatment order.
On searching him we couldnt find any gear either but when told he was gonna be strip searched when we got to the nick, he came up with 2 wraps of heroin from his underwear.
Not a huge stash but made all the effort worthwhile.
By the time we finished dealing with him it was hometime.
Had some great footage on the cameras from the other two, came out really well. Just have to convince the Super that its worth it!
No work tomorrow so back on thursday!

Not much

Bit of a nothing day today. Got the camera's i'd been waiting on, but couldnt use them as batteries needed charging.
Got on with paperwork, went on patrol for an hour or two but wasnt too much about.
Will be showing the cameras to my Area Commander in the morning then taking them out and about for the first time.

New Year

Well, a new year has come and i'm still in the thick of it.
I've managed to get my area commander to fork out for headcams for my team which will be arriving shortly.
As well as being a cool toy will give us so much more evidence for every job we goto as it's no longer our word against theirs, and as nearly every incident my team attend is either something we've come across or crime in progress this will help no end.
I have too many intersting stories to post on here since i last posted so i'll go with the most recent.
Out on patrol plain clothes, decided to act on some intel and go to where a dealer is supposed to be selling from.
I get there see him sat in his car with a punter, so i block his car in then walk towards his car showin my badge.
He tried to play it cool until i notice a large bulge in his mouth. He then tries to swallow the bulge in his mouth.
Out comes the choke hold to ensure he cant swallow my evidence but whilst doin this he manages to spit them out and throw them. Well made things easier, had a little scrap with him, he lost!!!!
I recovered 2 large wraps i believed to be Heroin and Crack Cocaine, which turmed out to be nearly 10 grams of Class A and nicked him, seized his car for no insurance, seized near a grand of him in cash.
After hours of hard work into the job (nicked him 1930 hours after house searches and booking in property went home at 0300 hours, back in at 0800 to interview and do paperwork)
In interview he admitted possession with intent to supply charged and remanded. (stayed on doing paperwork til 2200) Result!!
May have been 21 1/2 hours work but its another big time dealer of the street.
I start work on my teams new operation tomorrow which is all about reducing street robberies in our area. I wrote the op (my first) i've got new equipment, the support of my area commander and resouces to assist as and when needed.
I'll update more regularly and keep you in the loop.