Brief Summer Edition 2014

Summer 2014 Edition

GMP takes to the airwaves Becoming dementia friendly The bomb that rocked the city

Cover feature: Filling the empty bowls

Making an impact GMP staff spend a great deal of time trying to help and protect people with mental health issues and increasingly elderly people who have dementia and are confused. It is forecast that one in three of us will suffer from dementia in the future and this will put great strain on all the agencies. We will need to get more local people looking out for those suffering from this condition in their community.

Protecting the most vulnerable in their hour of need has always been a core police duty. People turn to us when they are at their lowest point and often have nowhere else to go.

This is why the Force took part in dementia week and responding to the Prime Minister's challenge for more public services to be dementia friendly, understanding the needs of people who often feel very confused and very frightened.

Dementia is only one issue in the

spectrum of vulnerability we deal with.

There has been considerable publicity about the way the police handle domestic abuse incidents and we have to be honest in accepting that we can always do better. Whatever our frustrations about the wider system our duty is to bring to justice offenders and safeguard victims. We know that sadly many women die at the hands of partners and former partners so this is an area where the risks need to be identified and documented and the action we take accounted for. In high risk areas the discretion of individual officers has to be limited for the benefit of all concerned.

When we get it right it often goes unnoticed but if we get it wrong then we are rightly held to account by the public, the media and other agencies.

We are also recognising the good work in this edition of Brief as we celebrate the Chief Constable’s Excellence Awards in June and the

tremendous nominations I received.

There are a wide range of stories of how individuals and teams have gone the extra mile. I know there are many more examples of where we have given a great service and that we are doing this on a daily basis. These may go unrecognised by many but to the people’s lives we affect it has a huge impact.

Sir Peter Fahy, Chief Constable

Taking feedback on board

There’s a general consensus that the complaints process for policing isn’t really fit for purpose, something which was laid bare in the recent IPCC report into the handling of discrimination complaints.

GMP has taken significant action over the past few years to make how complaints are dealt with better. The new system of making a complaint

means it’s easier for people to raise concerns. The biggest complaint is always about rudeness from officers and staff, so the communications training for frontline officers and staff is an important way of addressing that.

But there’s much more to be done.

The IPCC report did criticise GMP and it did identify significant failings in how discrimination complaints are handled.

But this isn’t something the service should shy away from confronting head on. And criticism isn’t something to fear when it’s constructive.

The IPCC has recognised that by being willing to participate in the study and being frank in its responses, GMP is willing to address this issue.

And more action is being taken.

Along with the Chief Constable, I am appointing a new Independent Complaints Ombudsman who will provide effective oversight of the complaint process in Greater Manchester, and steer GMP through a

fundamental period of change in the way the service deals with such complaints. We’ve also set up an Ethics Committee that will be able to provide sound and experienced advice on issues of ethics and standards that police wrestle with regularly.

These are innovative and new developments. We are finding our feet on what the implications are, but it’s only right that Greater Manchester should have both the confidence and leadership to be unafraid to lead the way.

Ultimately an effective complaints service is in everyone’s interests. Not only is it better for the complainant themselves and the wider community, it’s good for the men and women of GMP as it builds confidence not just in the system and the service, but those officers and staff who are on the streets every day protecting and serving our communities.

Tony Lloyd, PCC

Editorial WELCOME to the Summer’ edition of Brief.

It’s been a busy few months across GMP. On the cover of this edition we have a lovely dog called Rio (rather fitting for the World Cup this year!). He is just one of the many dogs that GMP helped through its incredible appeal for the Manchester & Cheshire Dogs Home – find out more on page 4.

Events will dominate the city this summer with a number of large­scale music events and the World Cup taking place. We take an in­depth look at this year’s Parklife event and the challenges that come with policing one of the biggest events in the North West. Of course, this year’s event will be remembered for the tragic death of Robert Hart. Read pages 6­7 for more.

Many of you will have attended one of the Chief Constable’s Roadshows which have been running over the last year. During these events were innovation sessions where your feedback was encouraged. The Change and Transformation branch have taken many ideas on board and are currently working to implement these – take a look at page 12 to see what they’ve been up to.

Lastly, as part of a series of retrospective articles marking 40 years of GMP, we have a look back at a day that changed Manchester forever – 15 June 1996, the day of the IRA bomb deployed outside M&S on Market Street. Turn to page 17 to read this special feature where we interviewed someone who played a role at the heart of the day, Stuart Pizzey.

We hope you enjoy this edition of Brief and have a great summer!

News 4

Going to the dogs

5

Top of the Cops

6

Preparing for Parklife

8

Becoming ‘Dementia’ friendly

10 Baking up a storm for charity 11 Chair of College of Policing visits GMP 12 Your ideas really do count 13 Green light for traffic prosecutions 14 Driving safe this summer 15 A ‘special’ contribution

Features 16 Engaging with the community 17 The blast that rocked the city 18 A helping hand for victims of domestic abuse 19 Technology through the years by Andy Connell 21 Photo­fit technology 22 One year on after hate crime launched 23 Force welcomes volunteer police cadets

GMP Community 24 Making a difference through music

Editorial team Catherine Barlow Patricia Jones and Melissa Mead

Guest contributors Andy Connell Andy is a Project Assistant in the External Relations and Performance Branch. In 2006, having completed 30 years police service Andy retired as a Detective Sergeant and returned to GMP in 2007.

Rebecca Sutcliffe Rebecca is the Communications Coordinator in the North West Counter Terrorism Unit. She joined GMP in 2014 having previously worked for Local Government and the Third Sector.

Insp Matt Bailey­Smith Matt is a temporary Inspector on the ANPR Intercept Unit. His 15 years with GMP includes working on response in Wigan and Salford, the Traffic Network Section on the Road Policing Unit and Serious Collision Investigation Unit.

26 Kids get in the nick 30 Rob’s eye view: City’s parade

Be published in Brief Editorial team: Catherine Barlow, Melissa Mead and Patricia Jones Photographers: Chris Oldham and Bill Morris 0161 856 2777 | Picture Desk: Lisa Marks 0161 856 2279 Designed and produced by: Corporate Communications, Force Headquarters, Central Park, M40 5BP Contact numbers: 0161 856 856 5939 / 2238 / 5938 Email: Brief@gmp.police.uk Brief online: www.gmp.police.uk/Brief

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

Friday 29 August

News

Going to the Dogs

Demonstrating excellence CONGRATULATIONS to this year’s Excellence Awards winners, announced at the Midland Hotel on Friday 27 June.

Partnership Working: Programme Challenger Finalists: Garrie Stockley, Salford East Team Outstanding Team Performance: The Volunteer Cadets Team Leaders Finalists: Police Coroner’s Office Corporate Communications Police Staff Employee of the Year: Geoff Lingard Finalists: Michelle Higgins, Emma Orr

PC Phil Monaghan poses with the donations which included eighteen pallets of dry dog food

OFFICERS and staff responded with generous donations to a food appeal by Manchester and Cheshire Dogs Home.

Following an appeal by Manchester and Cheshire Dogs Home, the Corporate Communications Branch launched an appeal a few weeks ago across its Intranet site and staff donated a range of dog food at a number of drop­off points around the Force.

All the food was collected earlier this month and transported to the Dogs Home at Harphurhey, which is just a few miles from Force Headquarters.

Corinna Clayton, Fundraiser at the Dogs Home said: “We rely on

donations from the public as we do not have any government funding. With approximately 350 mouths to feed a couple of times a day this is no easy task. It is amazing what you are doing and I am overwhelmed by GMPs generosity.”

In addition Royal Canin who supply dog food to GMP’s Dog Training Unit agreed to donate 18 pallets of food after they were contacted by the Corporate Communications Branch. Martin Almond from the Dog Training Unit at Hough End said that he couldn’t believe when the pallets turned up and had to be transported to the Dogs Home in three vans. “It was really generous of them.”

One of dogs looking for a new home

PCSO of the Year: Donna Ainsworth Finalists: Darren Lindley, Peter Townsend Outstanding Leadership: Lisa Ogden Finalists: Adam Wignall, Jamie Daniels Brave Officer of the Year: Adnan Ali and Peter Goulding Finalists: Graeme Black and Paul Hamer. Michael Powell and Rebecca Rowland Police Officer of the Year: Adam Wignall Finalists: Nancy Karvela, Nick Price Volunteer of the Year: Linden Riley Finalists: Natasha Evans, Len Howarth Lifetime Achievement: Andrew Tattersall Finalists: James Jones OBE, Nadeem Mir

Puppy Power CHANGES to the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 gives GMP greater powers to tackle irresponsible dog owners.

The changes not only mean that GMP has greater powers but the maximum sentence for the owner of a dog who kills somebody has been raised from two years to 14 years. If a person is injured from a dog attack the owner also faces up to five years imprisonment.

4 Brief Edition Year

Supt Mark Kenny said: “Sadly we have all seen the devastation caused by a dog attack and welcome the changes in legislation that will help police, local authorities and partner agencies improve public safety and responsible dog ownership."

Mike Worrall from the Tactical Dog Unit added: "The changes have cleared up the confusion previously caused by the public/private issue. It is now an

offence for a dog to cause injury to a person or assistance dog in any place and for a dog to put a person in fear for their own safety or the safety of an assistance dog.”

Officers and staff should also be aware that there is a defence for dog owners when the police force entry into an address.

News

Top of the Cops GMP officers from the Bolton Division swapped the beat for the airways to get crime prevention messages across.

PCSOs Bhavinee Jhala and Paul Dootson and PC John Gregory reached out to the community by presenting two shows on radio station Johnson Fold FM. The show, named Top of The Cops, had a lunchtime slot and featured safety messages, the world’s ‘dumbest crimes’, current affairs and getting to know the Bolton North Neighbourhood Policing Team’s officers who were included in the two

News in Brief The College of Policing has developed a new Code of Ethics for policing in England and Wales. It sets and defines the exemplary standards of behaviour for everyone who works in policing. For more informa

on visit

the Intranet home page.

Three projects successfully bid for funding from a Home Office precursor From left to right: PCSOs Paul Dootson and Bhavinee Jhala and PC John Gregory

fund and received funding in the region of £1.5m. The three projects were Project Challenger - a mul

one­hour shows.

PCSO Jhala said: “I have been involved in Johnson Fold FM before and I really enjoy it.

People get to see us as real people. This is the fourth year I have been on the radio. Every year more and more people are taking part. It’s really good. We like doing community events.

“We got good feedback and someone sent a message in saying they really enjoyed the show.”

The world’s dumbest crimes section included a story about a man who tried to buy electrical goods with a fake million dollar bill.

-

agency programme tackling Organised Crime Gangs; Trafford Integrated Management - a collabora

on

between Trafford Division and Trafford Council on reducing an

social

behaviour; and Salford Gang Injunc

ons.

The Greater Manchester Proba Trust is to be replaced by the Na Proba

on

onal

on Service (NPS) and the

Community Rehabilita

on Companies

(CRCs). The NPS will be responsible for managing all high risk offenders, including all MAPPA offenders (at any level of management) while the CRCs (private companies) will manage all

Taking over the airwaves THE Force is tackling crime with the help of BBC Radio Manchester listeners as a new radio programme launched this month.

Chief Inspector Patrick McKelvey and PC Mike McGuinness from the north Manchester Division are the stars of a new monthly 'Crime Report' on

BBC Radio Manchester which began on Thursday 5 June as part of the Mike Sweeney programme.

Between 9 and 10am listeners were asked to take part in a roundup of significant crime issues, appeals and trends.

Patrick and Mike reported on missing people, current fugitives and gave crime

prevention advice.

Listeners were also asked via social media to check out further information and view images and footage that may help to solve a crime.

Back at GMP HQ, officers were available to answer calls from any information given out on the show.

lower risk offenders.

The GMP Museum has received a 2014 Cer

ficate of Excellence from Trip

Advisor. This pres

gious award

recognises businesses that consistently earn top ra

ngs from TripAdvisor

travellers.

Last month, PC Michael Baylay, Sgt Gary Dwyer and deten

on officer

Pauline MacInnes from Longsight police sta boy a

on helped to deliver a baby

er his mum was found giving

birth on the kitchen floor. The baby boy, named Jake, struggled to breathe ini

From left to right: PCSOs Curtis Parris, Stephanie Payne and

CRIMEWATCH COMES TO GMP: THE Crimewatch Roadshow filmed in GMP for three days in mid­June.

The team were based in several different locations around the Force, running live appeals and features on key issues such as bike theft, drink driving and fraud, They also included a feature on our very own mounted unit live from Hough End.

ally but ambulance service staff

explained what to do over the phone to help him breathe freely un

l the

ambulance crew arrived.

On the south Manchester Division PC Zoe Woolf-Atkinson stepped in to help deliver a baby in a car at a bus stop a

er spo

ng the car go through

red lights. Hearing shou

ng from the

car, the heavily pregnant woman was in the front passenger seat. Zoe ran out of her police van to help deliver the baby girl.

Gareth Walker, Insp Paul Rowe, Crimewatch presenter Sian Lloyd, Graham Cooper and Insp Patrick McKelvey

Brief Edition Year 5

News MORE than 140,000 music fans flocked to Heaton Park earlier this month for ‘Parklife’ ­ one of the UK’s biggest music festivals. PC Dave Ponton from the Force Events Unit spoke to Brief about preparing for what is fast becoming one of the most popular events in the country.

Preparing for Par

Now in its fifth year, Parklife has come a long way since its humble beginnings as an end of year student party in South Manchester.

Before moving to Heaton Park two years ago the event was originally based in Platt fields and attracted 20,000 people. In 2013 the event moved across the city to its current home in Heaton Park and attracted 50,000 music fans per day. This year more than 70,000 attended the festival each day to enjoy sets from some of the biggest music artists in the world including Snoop Dog, Bastille, Rudimental and the Foals.

Twelve stages were set up in the park which included three open air stages and four marquees. Fairground rides and more than fifty concessions stalls were also set up for the weekend along with The event supports five charities – facilities including ambulances, and Made in Malawi, the Loop, We Love Mcr, welfare facilities.

Jigsawbury and the Joshua Wilson Brain Tumour Charity (Super Josh).

The planning process for Parklife begins six months before the event when Gold and Silver Commanders are identified. A Bronze Command team are then put together to take on the various areas of responsibility such as inside the venue, entrance gate areas, perimeter, community, traffic etc.

There are so many different aspects for the team to consider when planning the event such as community engagement by both GMP and the local councils, issues surrounding transporting 70,0000 people per day to and from the event, welfare issues for both those attending and working at the event.

6 Brief Edition Year

As with any major event where high levels of people gather there are risks, for example ticket fraud and mobile phone theft can be a problem. However, measures were in place to reduce this to the lowest level possible to make it a safe and memorable event.

Whilst mobile phone theft could be a problem at Parklife, it is often organised crime groups (OCGs) who specifically target these events. In an attempt to reduce this crime the same tactics used successfully at the Warehouse Project in Trafford to reduce mobile thefts were implemented during this year’s festival.

This is a method developed by the Trafford Division and the Operation Network team which has received national and international recognition for crime reduction.

Ch Insp Gary Simpson was Silver Commander. He said: “Parklife is a really interesting event to command. Our goal was to make it a safe and enjoyable event for all those young and in some cases not so young music fans.

News

rklife

Hart appeal reaches millions Social media proved to be a powerful tool for the police after the tragic death of 26­year­old Robert Hart at Parklife.

Robert was attacked by an unknown man on the Saturday night of the festival whilst he and his girlfriend were in front of the main stage.

He was punched to the ground unconscious and given CPR at the scene by two off­duty medical personnel. He sadly died in hospital.

GMP issued a series of three tweets appealing for information about

the assault, which between them have reached 4,158,265 accounts. The best friend and girlfriend of Robert also bravely made a video appeal to help track down the person responsible.

As a result of the tweets a number of people who were at the festival got in contact with information about the appeal, including photographs from the event.

Social media has made it easier than ever for police to reach a wide audience and become part of a large network which can support and assist with investigations.

Ready for the Cup

“As Silver Commander the starting point for planning is understanding that it is a private event and the primary responsibility for managing the event and the safety of those attending rests with the organisers.

“It is sometimes tempting to jump and take command of areas which are not really our responsibility. We have learnt a lot over recent years about policing larger events like this, particularly with the Hillsborough enquiry going on in the background. I am always conscious of what responsibilities I am taking on and therefore make sure that we work in partnership from the beginning ensuring policing responsibilities dove tail with the organiser’s security and crowd management plans.

WAVING THE FLAG: PCC Tony Lloyd, Ch Insp Gareth Parkin and PCSO Gillian Parrish

GMP officially launched Operation Overwatch to plan the knock on effects of the FIFA World Cup games.

Manchester is host to one of the only two large screens in the country showing matches at the old ITV Granada Studios.

GMP has been working in conjunction with the national policing operation 'Operation Cureen' which has been in the pipeline for two to three years. The majority of known troublemakers were stopped from leaving the country, with 93% of those subject to Football Banning Orders surrendered their passports.

Gold commander Ch Insp Chris Hill

said: “Operation Overwatch has been put in place as a forcewide response to any issues and threats raised as a result of the World Cup in Greater Manchester. The Force silver commander CI Gareth Parkin has worked with all divisions, specialist branches and the national footballing policing unit to ensure a multi­agency joined up operation. The operation looks to educate football fans about their behaviour generally around alcohol consumption with a view to ultimately reduce violence against the persons, domestic abuse and antisocial behaviour throughout the World Cup but essentially when England played.”

Brief Edition Year 7

News

GMP becomes ‘Dementia Friendly’

Presenter Fiona Philips and the Chief both shared their personal experiences of dealing with dementia

AS PART of Dementia Awareness Week, GMP took a step closer to becoming a ‘Dementia Friendly’ organisation by pledging to do more to support those people with dementia living in our communities.

During an event at headquarters, the Force signed up to the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Action Alliance ­ a commitment which sets out ten steps GMP will take to help support the quality of life of people with Dementia.

The event was attended by former GMTV presenter Fiona Philips who gave her experiences of caring for both her parents who suffered with dementia. There were also speakers from the Alzheimer’s Society and experts in Dementia from Salford and Manchester Universities.

Officers and staff are encouraged to pledge to support people with the condition by signing up as 'Dementia Friends'. For more information contact Grace Dyke from the Alzheimer's Society by email grace.dyke@alzheimers.org.uk

Mental health event ‘wheel’ success GMP, the Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust, Sanctuary and The Big Life Group went head to head as they took part in a BMX time trial at the Manchester Velodrome.

The race was organised by the Force as part of Mental Health Awareness Week, with participants taking to the racetrack to compete in a time trial.

The theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week was ‘anxiety’. A series of activities ran throughout the week in collaboration with a number of mental health experts, to help raise awareness of mental health issues.

Ch. Insp Patrick McKelvey from North Manchester organised the event. He said: “The event was a great success and a lot of fun for all involved. Mental health is an area we are always seeking to learn more 8 Brief Edition Year

about and better our response, and working in partnership is a great way to do just that.

“The event not only raised awareness of the need to speak openly about mental health, but allowed for staff from a number of organisations to get together and

discuss best practice, new methods and how to improve their services in collaboration with each other.”

News

A platform for positive change EARLIER this year, nine GMP officers and staff were accepted to take part in a six­month research fellowship with Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU).

Supported by the College of Policing, the collaboration not only allows staff to develop their skills but also allows the Force and MMU to establish a mutually beneficial relationship.

PC Adele Owen is one of those selected to take part. She said: “I am really excited to have been selected for the research fellowship. Since writing the Force Mental Health Policy, I’m now particularly interested in researching how GMP can best support staff internally with their mental wellbeing in order that colleagues can remain well, develop resilience and avoid absenteeism.

“I will be doing some further research around this issue and I would be very grateful if colleagues could support me as this is an issue relevant to many staff. It is great that MMU are valuing the professional expertise of police officers and staff, and from a personal perspective I feel this is an excellent development opportunity.”

Other areas of research put forward include cyberspace, custody, public confidence, e­learning and domestic abuse/homicide within the minority ethnic community.

Each participant is partnered with a tutor from MMU depending on their area of interest and will present their findings at the International Evidence Based Policing Conference in February 2015.

PREPARING FOR QATAR: Student officers from Qatar Police recently visit­ ed GMP to find out more about crime investigation and stadium policing. The awareness course is part of a longer term project to deliver a practical policing experience in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University and the Na­ tional College of Policing.

New talent in GMP MORE than 20 apprentices have now joined GMP in permanent roles.

The Apprentice Operational Support Officers (OSO) joined the flagship scheme in March last year.

From this initial group, 16 are now in substantive OSO roles, three have progressed to a PCSO role and two are continuing with their apprenticeship.

Apprenticeship coordinator Billa Duggal said: “The scheme has been, and continues to be, a remarkable success and I am hugely proud of the achievement of all our apprentices.

“It has helped to attract a diverse range of candidates from across Greater Manchester, bringing in new young talent and fresh ideas into the organisation. Our first group of apprentices will act as role models for the next generation. I have no doubt in their potential for long lasting careers in GMP.” DCC Ian Hopkins said: “As a Force we are passionate in supporting young people in Greater Manchester and our apprenticeship scheme has been a fantastic springboard for our recruits.”

DCC Ian Hopkins with the new recruits

Brief Edition Year 9

News

Lights, camera, action!

GMP has partnered up with Salford University to create a series of videos.

Staff from the Learning Services team have been working with the Film and Media Department at Salford University to create a series of high quality videos that are now available on Videobox.

John Thompson from the Learning Services team, part of the Organisational Learning and Workforce Development Branch said: “Working with young professional film­ makers has enabled us to get a different perspective on policing

issues. The students also benefited from working with a real live client, gaining experience from producing to deadlines and working within a remit, whilst still being able to show creativity.”

The next stage is to work more closely with the University. John added: “Salford University is right on our doorstop and it is great that we can work together. It means we get to produce some excellent videos and the students benefit from our experience and knowledge by providing an input into course topics.”

For more information visit Videobox on the Intranet home page.

Immerse yourself in Hydra HYDRA is helping officers explore their skills and decision making in com­ plex and challenging situations.

The Hydra system simulates live incidents that provide a training experi­ ence as close to real life as possible.

The system can recreate public order events at silver and bronze levels, Mul­ ti Agency Child Protection situations as well as the investigation of serious crimes such as murder and rape.

So how does Hydra work? The sim­ ulated exercises use video, audio, doc­ ument feeds and face to face interac­ tion between the other delegates and

agencies taking part. Delegates are split into syndicate groups to immerse themselves into a dynamically evolving scenario independent of other groups in the room. Throughout the day the groups are brought back together to discuss their decision making in more depth.

Craig Wallwork Immersive Learning Officer said: “Training officers to devel­ op leadership skills requires a safe learning environment where the com­ plexity, chaos and challenge of a real incident are recreated.

“This is where simulation is so ef­

fective as a training tool. Good commu­ nication, effective use of resources and information, and a clear understanding of policy are essential if the many diffi­ culties arising from such incidents are to be identified, prioritised and re­ solved. Immersive Learning delivers these challenging issues for all ranks and levels within the police service and partner agencies.”

To use Hydra contact a member of the team or for general enquiries email : immersivelearn­ ing@gmp.police.uk

Baking up a storm MORE than £1,700 has been raised across the Force for local charity ‘Cash for Kids’.

Back in April, officers and staff held cake bake sales to celebrate 40 years of GMP. The fantastic amount of money raised will directly benefit disadvan­ taged children across Greater Man­ chester.

Pictured left: DCC Ian Hopkins presents the cheque to Key 103 DJ Darren Proctor who accepted the donation on behalf of Cash for Kids

10 Brief Edition Year

News

Dame Shirley visits GMP

Dame Shirley met with frontline officers at the North Manchester division

COLLEGE of Policing Chair Dame Shirley Pearce recently paid a visit to GMP to find out first­hand about policing in Greater Manchester.

During her visit Dame Pearce spoke with employees across the Force about a range of different issues including links with universities, Code of Ethics, learning and development.

Officers and staff also got an opportunity to give feedback during discussion forums in the Professional Standards Branch and in the north Manchester Division.

Dame Pearce has a wealth of experience in education, including seven years as Vice Chancellor at Loughborough University. She was also appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to higher education in 2014.

The College of Policing is the professional body for policing. For more information please visit www.college.police.uk

GMP museum needs you THE GMP Museum and Archive is seeking outgoing volunteers to become tour guides at one of the best small museums around. Volunteers are needed for just one day a week 10am ­ 3.30 pm.

Whether you’ve been a police officer, special consta­ ble, traffic warden or PCSO the museum would welcome your help. All the information and training needed is pro­ vided and it is far easier than you think to talk to the pub­ lic about GMP’s history. The museum team will show you how it’s done.

To volunteer or find out more contact Duncan Broady or Katie Brown on 0161 856 3287/4500 or email police.museum@gmp.police.uk. Alternatively just turn up on a Tuesday or Thursday and introduce yourself and we will be happy to show you around.

Help to achieve their potential TEENAGERS and young adults were invited to achieve their goals at an event organised by the Integrated Gang Management Unit (IGMU).

The event at the Etihad Stadium attracted more than 150 people aged 15 to 25. The young people were able to visit stalls of 15 employers to gain a range of information aimed at getting them involved in education, training and employment. Employers, including the fire brigade, Manchester College and construction firms, showed what they have to offer.

DCI Debbie Dooley, from GMP’s IGMU, which works alongside the Xcalibre Task Force said: “As well as safeguarding our communities, we have a responsibility to ensure young people can access the various employment and training opportunities available.

“The employers provided help and support for young people from particularly under privileged backgrounds to give them the opportunity to achieve their potential.”

Brief Edition Year 11

News

Your ideas really do count!

Suggestions from staff put forward during Chief’s road shows are helping the Force become ‘fit for the future’ WORK is underway to look at how the Force can implement a number of ideas put forward by staff at the latest Chief Constable road shows.

Staff were given the opportunity to put forward their ideas on how the Force can improve during innovation sessions which formed part of the events.

Those attending put forward suggestions on themes ranging from how we can reduce duplication and bureaucracy, improving IT systems, improvements to response policing etc.

More than 4,200 suggestions were received by the Business Improvement Team who facilitated the innovation sessions. The team have now worked through all the suggestions and filtered them into 21 themes which include custody, training, equipment and partnership.

Progress so far….

All ideas and suggestions will be considered as part of the new ‘Fit for the Future’ programme Local issues raised by staff which are specific to Divisions and branches have been fed back to Senior

Leadership teams to make improvements where appropriate Vehicles was a major theme which came up with many staff putting forward ideas on how the use of the Force’s fleet can be improved. A meeting between Fleet services and representatives from all Divisions has taken place to discuss issues relating to vehicle allocation, availability and usage. A number of ideas and improvements have been identified.

The Improvement team will now be working closely with Fleet Services and Divisional reps to move this work forward.

IT related issues were by far the most frequently raised by staff therefore, the Information services team have now taken ownership of these as part of the IS transformation programme.

The Business Improvement Team will continue to work locally with Divisional staff to move their issues and ideas for improvement forward.

They will also continue to promote best practice and information sharing across the Force.

The team have now worked through all the suggestions and filtered them into 21 themes which

include: ·

Custody

·

CPS/ Courts

·

Training and development

·

Uniform

·

Staff welfare

·

Local issues

·

Role of the PCSO

·

Demand

·

INPT

·

DMS

·

Role of the Operational Support officer

·

Equipment

·

Vehicles

·

Response

·

HR Issues

Keys to resilience GMP has been working with Community Resilience to secure a back up building for FHQ in the event of an emergency forcing employees out of Central Park.

Keys to the building, which is based in Salford Quays, were officially handed over to ACC Terry Sweeney in June by Director of Community Resilience UK Moya Wood­Heath.

The handover was followed by a training exercise with representatives from each branch to identify and address any challenges that may be faced in the event of having to move out of FHQ. 12 Brief Edition Year

BACKING UP THE BUILDING: ACC Terry Sweeney accepts the keys on behalf of GMP to the back up building from Director of Community Resilience Moya Wood-Heath.

News

C

Recovering CCTV across the Force

PREPARATIONS are underway for the launch of a new CCTV retrieval service across the Force.

The new service will begin in July

Improving customer

and will enable CCTV footage to be recovered from crime scenes much more quickly allowing vital evidence to be passed onto investigation teams.

Last year the Pegasus Project team reviewed the CCTV retrieval process and found that a large number of small to medium businesses, such as fast food outlets and off licences installed CCTV systems that staff could not operate and were not able to provide the CCTV evidence to officers.

In addition there was a lack of specialist support available to help front line officers when it has been

h a

co n rn ge e r

difficult to recover the CCTV and there was an insufficient level of expertise across different departments.

The retrieval service has already been tested in five divisions and has proved to be a great success. Officers and staff saw the end­to­end time reduce from seven to 1.7 days, 85 per cent of CCTV is being recovered (compared to 54 per cent previously) and 64 per cent of CCTV recovered is now used to assist an investigation.

Green light for traffic prosecutions

service OFFICERS and staff from Bury and Tameside divisions have been working with one of the Change and Transformation project teams to improve the service to our customers.

The key aims of the projects in these two divisions are to improve the victim experience through speedier resolution and local investigation and freeing up time for INPT staff through less appointments.

As a result of redesigning the work of the Customer Service and Crime Desks a Local Resolution Officer (LRO) role was introduced in these two divisions for a trial period at the beginning of February. The LRO is now helping to resolve non­emergency calls, book scheduled appointments if required and submit crimes where necessary.

So far this new way of working has meant that victims are now getting a crime number much quicker (from almost four days down to just under 24 hours) and there are fewer diary appointments – allowing INPT officers to concentrate on problem solving.

Bury and Tameside Divisions will continue to test and learn from the new models of working. Look out for more news about this work in the next edition of Brief.

GMP has been given responsibility to prosecute low level road traffic crimes.

Changes in legislation and recent changes and reductions within the CPS have resulted in an agreement between GMP and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for the police to present low level traffic crime cases at court.

Offences such as speeding, having no insurance and driving through a red light were initially handled by the police but then passed to the CPS to progress. Due to a change in legislation these cases will now be handled by GMP and not the CPS. This will also allow all ‘proof in absence’ and ‘guilty’ cases to remain in police hands. If a ‘not guilty’ plea is entered the CPS must however take back responsibility for the prosecution.

Presenting the facts for the case in court will be the responsibility of the new Court Presentation Officer role.

These posts are self­funded as the costs from ‘guilty’ and ‘proof in absence’ cases collected by the courts will now be awarded to GMP rather than the CPS. The new service will form part of the Central Summons Unit who already process all traffic and crime

summonses. Costs from these prosecutions will be used to cover the presentation work and to support the preparation and finalisation of cases by the Central Summons Unit.

What does this mean for GMP and the people of Greater Manchester? ·

Offenders who plead guilty in the first instance do not need to attend court in person

·

Where defendants do attend court the Court Presentation Officer will be at court to deal with any enquiries and avoid unnecessary waste of court time

·

Problematic cases can be identified early, therefore reducing the number of ineffective trials and associated file build and administration

·

CPS can prioritise their own work and provide a better quality of service to the people of Greater Manchester

·

Frees up officers time for frontline policing

Brief Edition Year 13

News

Driving safe this summer

Op Adopt tackles summer ASB

Insp Matt Bailey-Smith outside Albert Square during the media launch of the summer drink drive campaign.

By Insp Matt Bailey­Smith THIS month saw the launch of GMP’s annual summer drink and drug drive operation.

The summer brings with it a wealth of temptation to drive under the influence and there are extra risks this year because of the World Cup. The operation focuses on young drivers and the morning after drinking, particularly as some of the kick offs are late at night. It also coincides with ACPO’s drink drive campaign.

There is an extra emphasis on drug driving, and the Force is piloting new drug testing machines which can indicate whether a driver is under the influence of cannabis. In some cases this will save officers time, as they will not need to wait for a doctor in the first instance.

Every police officer, TPCSO and PCSO on patrol across the Force has a duty to contribute to making the road network a safer place. Each drink drive offence prevented or detected could save a life and help keep our communities safe.

Officers and staff involved in this operation are reminded to: • Locate a calibrated breath 14 Brief Edition Year

kit, tubes and carry on patrol (checks will be made across the Force) • Ensure returns are completed accurately • Complete breath tests at all collisions, including non­reportable collisions • If you suspect drug use contact the Traffic Network Section and request the support of a roads policing officer trained to administer a field impairment test.

ALONG with (hopefully) some warmer weather, summer presents GMP with its own challenges. The combination of a long school break and lighter evenings traditionally leads to a rise in anti­social behaviour incidents, particularly around youths causing annoyance.

Insp Lee Parker at the Bury Division told Brief how they have taken steps to address this recurring theme through Operation Adopt which will run through the summer months. He said: "We are working on a range of measures to tackle the problems.

"The Bury INPT are also looking to provide engagement with the youths as well reassurance to the local community. This in turn is expected to reduce the demand on the police with respect to calls regarding youths causing a disturbance and to also improve upon the relationship with the youth and the police."

Measures taken over the summer months will include increased INPT officers on patrol in known ASB hot spot areas, visits to local schools and parent/child surgeries where officers can speak to parents about the behaviour of their children.

Partnership working will also be key during Operation Adopt.

Officers will be working with the Trading Standards Institute to identify licensed premises that supply under 18s with alcohol, as well as a close liaison with Youth Services to assist and compliment their services provided to local youths. This includes ad hoc days in the park engaging youngsters in football.

Lastly the division will be working with local authority ASB teams such as Early Break to run events about restorative justice, as an educational method of reducing ASB. Do you have any examples of good work being undertaken in your branch/division to combat common issues? Contact Brief on brief@gmp.police.uk

News

A ‘special’ contribution a day’s paid annual leave and were giv­ en the opportunity to see first­ hand what they do for GMP. ACC Garry Shewan said: “Last year our special constables gave up 7,516 hours of their own time to support GMP. “There are a whole host of organisa­ tions from a variety of backgrounds that help the Force by allowing their employ­ ees the time to perform hours of duty as a Special Constable with regular Police Constables. In return the employers gain from this experience and the skills they develop.

“The special constabulary plays a vital role in the police family, they help prevent crime and bring with them a va­ riety of skill and experience that sup­ PC Erik Johnson and Ch Insp Robert Frankl are both part of the Special ports officers on the frontline.

SPC Erik Johnson and Sp Ch Insp Robert Frankl were two of the volunteers Constabulary which consists of more than 650 volunteers “Our special constables help LAST month more than 60 Special Special Constables carried out a range strengthen the links between police and Constables from GMP showed their of activities including warrants, offender the community and make a difference to support for Give and Gain Day, a nation­ visits and Automatic Number Plate people’s lives.” al day of employee volunteering.

Recognition operations. The 14 compa­ Supported by their employers the nies that employ the Specials gave staff

Officer uses Whatsapp to find missing girl AS the realm of social media continues to evolve, the choice of social messaging services is getting wider and wider.

Whatsapp last year overtook Facebook as the leading social messaging service in the UK. PC Charlotte West used her knowledge of social messaging to help locate and encourage a vulnerable young girl to report herself to local police in London after going missing days before.

When the girl went missing she had links to both Manchester and London. The officer contacted the girl using Whatsapp and encouraged her to report to her nearest police station in order for her parents to know that she was safe.

Insp Mark Kenny said: “This was an outstanding piece of work both on and off duty as this was an extremely

difficult situation spanning two Force areas.

“Charlotte’s actions demonstrated compassion and innovation to go above and beyond in the interest of safeguarding the young woman. I am so proud to have Charlotte as a member of my team.”

The cross platform instant messaging service which allows users to send texts, pictures, videos and audio messages using the internet hit the half­a­billion user mark in April this year.

Whatsapp is connected to your phone number whereas messaging services like Kik and Snapchat are connected to a username. By using this service Charlotte was able to connect to the young girl on a level which was comfortable for her.

e not ase Ple

Officers are advised to familiarise themselves with GMP’s social media and data protection policies before using ‘Whatsapp’ or any other types of social media platforms. Further advice can be gained from the Web Team in the Corporate Communica­ tions Branch.

Brief Edition Year 15

Features

Engaging with the community

Openshaw Family Fun Day on the North Manchester Division

OFFICERS and staff have been helping to celebrate 40 years of GMP. Civic Centre Celebrations A community fun day was held at Heywood Civic Centre, which was an occasion for all of the family with free activities including a DJ and entertainers, stalls, games for children of all ages and a photo booth and photographer on hand to take quirky vintage pictures.

Officers from the Rochdale Division also advertised the new Youth Provision Scheme, helping youth services set up activities for young PCSO

M ich

The Wigan division also used funding towards a residential stay for 20 young people at Ulverston Water Park.

Wigan Youth Zone Wigan officers organised a fun day which was hosted

by Wigan Youth Zone. The day was filled with performances from the Old DW Pemberton Brass Band and the WYZ Rock school, along with a swag bag treasure, themed sports activities and a barbeque.

PC Myles Edwards said: “Our local teams work very closely with Wigan Youth Zone and so it made perfect sense to hold an anniversary party at this well­known town centre venue.”

Openshaw Family Fun Day Arranged by the north Manchester Division, the event was an opportunity for local residents to socialise and meet representatives from local agencies in the area including Manchester City Council, Eastlands Homes and Mosscare Housing.

Activities included a DJ, stalls, bouncy castle and inflatable challenges, donkey sanctuary, police dog displays, face painting and a climbing wall.

Inspector John­Paul Ruffle said: “GMP has worked hard to keep the people of our borough safe and we will continue to deliver a first class service over the coming years.”

e t at th shurs elle A

Wigan

16 Brief Edition Year

people in some of the antisocial behaviour hotspots in Heywood town centre and the Darnhill estate.

ay Fun D

Features

The blast that rocked the city 15 June, 1996 is a date that has a lingering resonance with the people of Greater Manchester.

On this day, the largest bomb in peace-time Britain was deployed from an unassuming van outside Marks and Spencer on Cross Street.

Melissa Mead spoke to Stuart Pizzey who worked for GMP on the day of the bomb.

When did you first get to know that there was a bomb in Manchester?

I remember I was in early that day. I checked the log as usual to see what incidents had come in. The week before I’d actually been on a Home Office course and recognised that the IRA code used was genuine and so brought the FWIN to the attention of the Chief Superintendent at the time Pete Harris.

At this point the bomb had not gone off but we knew we had precious time to evacuate Manchester City centre.

Having a Euro 96 England match on that day meant there were extra resources available to use and so officers worked with firefighters, security guards and ambulance personnel to evacuate around 80,000 people and cordon off the bomb before it went off.

We had an issue with one company but for the most part people were very co­operative and worked with us to leave the city centre.

Can you describe the immediate aftermath after the explosion?

by flying glass raining through the air. A tram was commandeered to get injured people to hospital as soon as possible.

Afterwards I remember the sound of Home Office alarms installed around the city that had been set off which were incessantly chirping out everywhere.

This was punctuated by the occasional burst of shattering glass as cracked shop windows collapsed.

This, combined with the empty streets and settling dust and smoke was incredibly eerie.

Despite this, two weddings were planned over the weekend and were granted exceptions to the city­wide evacuation so that they could take place. One of these were in The Midland. The dome glass roof had actually collapsed from the shock of the bomb but the wedding still went ahead.

What challenges did you encounter in the clear up?

We managed to get people out of the We had some issues with looters immediate vicinity of the blast but there taking advantage of shops which had were a huge amount of injuries caused been left open or with smashed

windows. Also some hotels had no idea how to lock their main doors as they were normally open 24/7.

Local businesses and retailers were of course concerned about the progress of the clean up as they were losing money. There were public meetings where retailers could raise concerns and make special requests for access to the cordoned off area. For example, Marks and Spencer had a considerable sum of money in their safe so were allowed to gain access to their premises as an exception.

How did the public react to GMP’s efforts during the event?

At first, we could not give out much information and so there was some criticism in the media. However, shortly afterwards details of the evacuation plan and aid memoirs were shared. The public attitude shifted when it was shown that GMP was prepared and actually executed the evacuation very professionally and quickly.

I would say that public support for GMP increased – as is often the case in the aftermath of adversity, people were reminded of the exceptional and dangerous work that emergency services employees have to undertake.

Brief Edition Year 17

Features

A helping hand for victims of domestic abuse DOMESTIC abuse is a serious problem the Force is determined to tackle.

More than 60,000 victims contact GMP every year and safeguarding victims and their families should be a priority for all staff when attending domestic incidents. Brief spoke to Farheen Anwar from the Women’s Domestic Abuse Helpline and Philippa Robson from Manchester Women’s Aid. Domestic Abuse Helpline The Domestic Abuse Helpline is a confidential helpline that offers support to women, friends, family and agencies. We go through options such as civil, criminal, housing, legal, refuge and intense safety planning.

What is your role?

We offer emotional support over the phone ­ every woman is believed and her safety is our priority. Our role is to empower women and show them what options are available to them.

How you can you assist police officers in helping victims?

We often get phone calls from police officers who are trying to get someone into a refuge or believe they need additional support. Last year we also trained the PPIU on a number of issues including forced marriage and honour based violence.

Tell me something that officers may not know?

We provide a Community Helpline Language Service (CHLS) in Urdu/ Punjabi on the same mainstream number 0161 636 752.

We are also the administrators for the “End the Fear” website and are known as Independent Choices.

We are known for our excellent training packages and for our knowledge base and expertise especially around Sharia divorce 18 Brief Edition Year

proceedings, female mutilation, honour based violence and women who have no recourse to public funds.

We are the first port of call for Domestic Violence Disclosure and we also sit on the forum for Claire’s Law. How can our officers contact you if they need advice or support in dealing with victims?

As well as getting advice (see contact details below) there is also a non­urgent three­day email address: helpline@independentchoices.org.uk Manchester Women’s Aid Manchester Women’s Aid is a local voluntary organisation supporting individuals aged 15 and older who are or who have experienced domestic and sexual abuse. Primarily, we work with women and their children but do offer limited services for men.

Where do you operate?

We cover the south and north Manchester Divisions but there are other Women’s Aid affiliated services in Greater Manchester such as Stockport without Abuse, Trafford Domestic Abuse Services , Salford Independent Domestic Abuse Support Service, Fort Alice Women’s Aid (Bolton) and Saheli.

What is your role in helping victims?

We have a number of different services supporting women and men who have experienced domestic and sexual abuse.

We meet individuals on a one to one basis at community venues to identify their risks in relation to DA and put together a support plan to

help them deal with the issues they are experiencing.

We provide safe temporary refuge accommodation for women and their children who are at high risk due to domestic and sexual abuse.

A team of IDVAs (Independent Domestic Violence Advisors) work with high risk clients. A group work programme helps women to deal with the long term impact of domestic and sexual abuse on themselves and their family.

The Safe Choices project works with young women aged 15­25 and the IRIS project works specifically with GP practices in Manchester to train staff how to improve identification of domestic abuse.

How you can assist police officers in helping victims?

We not only accept referrals for domestic and sexual abuse support but we also work with partner agencies to train employees and offer awareness sessions on domestic and sexual abuse.

Manchester Women's Aid—0161 660 7999 (lines open Monday to Friday, 9:30am­4:30pm) or email referrals@manchesterwomensaid.org Telephone advice is also available from the Greater Manchester Women’s Domestic Abuse Helpline—0161 636 7525 or the free phone 24hr Domestic Violence Helpline 0808 2000 247.

Features

Sir….can we take a selfie?

Force welcomes more volunteer police cadets

YOUNG people from South Manchester, Stockport, Bolton YOUNG people from South Manchester, Stockport, Bolton and Rochdale divisions have now passed out as police cadets. and Rochdale divisions have now passed out as police cadets.

The scheme started in November last year and is open to young The scheme started in November last year and is open to young people between the ages of 13 years and 18 years. Team leader people between the ages of 13 years and 18 years. Team leader Ruth Wild from the South Manchester Division said: “I am very Ruth Wild from the South Manchester Division said: “I am very proud of what our cadets have achieved so far and look forward proud of what our cadets have achieved so far and look forward to them developing even further.” to them developing even further.”

Not an emergency? Dial 101

Not an emergency?

Officers and staff are being reminded about the non­emergency number, 101.

Dial 101 It comes after figures show that only 41 per cent of calls made to police are made using the national single non­ emergency number.

Since January 2012 (101 was launched in November 2011) 1.8 million calls are still made to police on 0161 872 5050.

Operational Communications Branch Commander, Chief Superintendent Stuart Ellison, said: “It is important that all officers and staff are aware of the single non­emergency number and how it can be used.

“Officers and staff, when speaking to the community should make them aware that this is the main number to dial when reporting a non­urgent crime.

“I would also advise everyone to update their friends and families with this information as they too are a part of our community.”

The number should be used by everyone wanting to report a crime when an immediate police response is not needed. It can be dialled wherever you are in England and Wales and will take you to the local police force of that area.

Chief Superintendent Ellison added:

“When we rolled this out, it was the biggest change to the way members of the public contacted police since the introduction of 999 in the 1940s.

“The number makes it easier to contact local police, get advice or raise any concerns about your locality. ‘999’ should still be used in an emergency, where there is a threat to life or a crime in progress.”

Calls to 101 are responded to and managed by local officers and staff.

There is a single flat rate charge of 15 pence to dial the number no matter how long the call from a landline or mobile phone.

Brief Edition Year 19

Features

Dangers of travelling to Syria

By Rebecca Sutcliffe A media campaign launched last month by the North West Counter Terrorism Unit and GMP highlighted what is being done to prevent and protect young people who are considering travelling to Syria.

Front line officers and staff have also been helping to spread the message, appealing to mothers, wives, sisters and girlfriends for their support to help deter their loved ones from travelling to the war torn country.

The Force is also encouraging anyone who would like to help to donate to a registered charity. Further information about legitimate charities can be found by visiting the Charity Commission’s website: http:// www.charitycommission.gov.uk/our­ regulatory­work/how­we­regulate­ charities/alerts­and­warnings/syria­ crisis.

The number of people travelling to Syria from the UK is judged to be in the

low hundreds and those who travel there face a real risk of coming into contact with terrorist groups and may get drawn into their activities. If a UK citizen becomes involved in fighting, they could be prosecuted under UK law upon their return. That is of course, if they return at all.

David Wells, Regional Prevent Coordinator for the NWCTU said: “Prevent is key in the messaging and this campaign builds on the work that Prevent teams across the North West have been carrying out over the last 18 months to give advice to people thinking about travelling to Syria. The campaign launch received good media coverage in the North West and we will continue to offer support and advice by working with partners and utilising social media, to encourage others to engage in the conversation and help prevent further people from travelling to the conflict.”

World Cup call up for Ashley

Above: Ashley gets his England call up.

Below right: Ashley and other members of the English Police Delegation meet Prince Harry during their time in Brazil

20 Brief Edition Year

What is it really like in Syria?

• 6.5m Syrians internally displaced • Syrian revolution is a rejection of the Assad regime, Syrian people want a democratic and peaceful future, British Government supports this • The situation on the ground is very fluid and individual fighters and groups may change allegiances. Al Qaeda affiliated terrorist groups are fighting Assad and ordinary Syrians do not want to replace Assad with Al Qaeda • A small number of people are travelling from the North West of England with the intention of getting involved in the fighting and they may be at risk of radicalization in Syria • Syrians are clear that foreigners are not welcome. They want aid and diplomatic efforts to end the conflict – visitors only add to the burden on limited resources.

PC Ashley Keyte may not have been picked as part of England’s 23 man squad but he has played a very important role during the World Cup. A Football Liaison officer in the Force Event Unit, Ashley was selected as one of a team of five officers from the English Police Delegation who travel to Brazil.

Before he left for the tournament Ashley said: “Our role will be to work with the Brazilian Police to identify any English ‘risk supporters’ but more importantly we’ll provide a familiar face for fans travelling to the World Cup and we’ll offer any reassurance we can.

“I’ll travel out on 6 June for pre­ tournament meetings and we’ll remain in Brazil until England are eliminated from the competition and the majority of England supporters have made their way home.

“I’m really looking forward to the experience of being a part of a major tournament in what is deemed the home of football. Experiencing the different cultures will also be exciting.

On top of that… Eva Mendes is an avid football fan and will apparently be attending some of the games!"

Features Taking photo-fit technology to another level

Phone scam campaign success

Evo-fit technology is the new generation of photofit technology that is helping police to catch criminals by using amazingly accurate pictures. Brief spoke to Michelle Harrison, Forensic Imaging Specialist to find out more.

Evo­fit technology is the new generation of photo­fit technology that is helping police to catch criminals by using amazingly accurate pictures.

Brief talked to Michelle Harrison, Forensic Imaging Specialist to find out more about this exciting new tool.

Created at Bradford Park by GMP’s Forensic Imaging Unit, evo­fits have evolved from the old Identi­KIT system, where a witness could choose from different features, including eyes, ears and moustaches, which would all be laid on top of one another to get a full picture of a face.

Evo­fit software is developed at the University of Central Lancashire and is used alongside E­Fit V, marketed by Vision Metric. It works on recognition; using a witness’s gut instinct at recognising faces to create the final face and allowing specialist officers to draw on a library of face shapes until one is chosen that fits the witness’s description.

Firstly, the witness is brought in to

the Forensic Imagery department and asked to talk through the incident to build up a picture of how the witness saw the offender and is asked to describe their sex, age and ethnicity.

They are then asked to choose the most similar face shapes of a suspect from a set of dozens of images on the computer. More faces are then created using the chosen faces and the witness selects the most similar ones. This continues until the picture of the suspect evolves.

The system has a large range of hairstyles, caps and hoods and using the ‘holistic tools’ you can change the weight, health and other features of the suspect.

Images created by different witnesses can also be morphed where it is believed the same offender committed a number of separate crimes. Research suggests that this is the most successful way to use the images, rather than publishing separate images.

Michelle said: “People remember things they didn’t even know they saw; a distinctive feature can make a huge difference in catching the offender.”

“It’s amazing how the brain retains memories that victims didn’t even know they had; trauma really imprints the face in the victim’s mind.”

For further information contact the Forensic Imaging Unit on 0161 856 6662.

A high profile media campaign has helped prevent a pensioner from becoming a victim of a phone scam.

John Pickford from Heaton Chapel, watched a warning on television about phone scams when a week later he was contacted by conmen who tried to get him to disclose his bank details.

Unlike previous victims, John refused to disclose any information, and immediately reported the matter to police. He said: “If I hadn’t seen the advice on TV that night, I could easily have fallen prey to this scam. These criminals are very convincing, but the fact they’re prepared to swindle innocent people out of their savings is despicable.”

Over the last 12 months, the Force has been investigating a series of phone scams which have so far claimed almost 300 victims across Greater Manchester. The scammers have tricked individuals into disclosing bank details and handing over cards to couriers. This has resulted in approximately £75,000 being stolen from their accounts.

Det Ch Insp Gareth Davies from the Economic Crime Unit is leading the investigation into the phone scam.

He said: “It’s immensely gratifying when someone is able to avoid becoming a victim of crime, and I’m pleased to report there have since been more instances of people refusing to disclose bank details when asked.

“I would urge officers and staff to remind elderly or vulnerable relatives never to reveal their bank details. over the phone.”

John Pickford wasn’t fooled by the phone scam

Brief Edition Year 21

Features

GMP marks one year of recognising hate crime

Sophie Lancaster’s mother Sylvia Lancaster and ACC Garry Shewan

GMP officially recognised alternative sub­culture hate crime on 1 April 2013, and since then three other police forces have followed suit ­ Durham, Warwickshire and West Mercia.

12 months on, Brief looks at how the change in policy has triggered a change in attitude, empowering victims and protecting others from suffering because of their taste in music or clothing.

In the first year of this new policy, 15 of these new hate crimes were recorded across the region, with some victims being assaulted or even wounded. Three offences have resulted in charges ­ one in a youth caution, and three were dealt with by restorative justice. There have also been nine hate incidents reported, in which people believed that abusive comments were directed at them.

PC Tony Smithers (left) and PCSO Mike Fisher from Stockport East INPT have been improving links between the police and the Jewish community by visiting Jewish faith schools in the area

22 Brief Edition Year

Sophie Lancaster died in 2007 at the age of 20 after she and her boyfriend were brutally attacked as they walked home. Her killers were sentenced in 2008 and the judge recognised her death as a hate crime because they were targeted for being Goths.

The Sophie Lancaster Foundation was set up by Sophie’s mother, Sylvia Lancaster, to create respect and understanding of sub­cultures. The charity works with police forces and politicians to ensure individuals who are part of sub­cultures are protected by the law. The foundation works closely with GMP by training officers so they are better able to support victims of this type of hate crime.

Sylvia said: “I’d like to thank GMP and the other forces who are now taking the same firm approach to this type of offending. No one should have

to tolerate abuse simply because they like certain clothing, make up or music, and I would urge young people to have the confidence to be themselves and be proud of who they are.

“Hate crime often starts with insults but can easily escalate, and GMP has equipped people who suffer from abuse with a way out – offering support to victims and taking their complaints seriously by actively pursuing the offending party.”

The Sophie Lancaster Foundation are currently providing a series of training workshops to staff to help them recognise the signs of hate crime and better deal with complaints.

To find out more about this training please email education@sophielancasterfoundation .com

Features

Technology through the years

By Andy Connell AFTER reading the last edition of Brief, I couldn’t help but reflect on how much things have moved on in the many years I’ve been with GMP. The picture of PC McDonald sitting in front of a typewriter certainly reminded me of how everything was either hand written or ‘typed up’. We used carbon paper to make copies.

Many was the time when a frustrated groan was heard from officers as they removed their case summary only to discover they had inserted the carbon paper the wrong way round.

In the days before ‘Intelligence’ the Collators Office did just that ­ collate information. Often staffed by police officers approaching retirement and who had either grown up and lived on the division, or who had spent their entire service working in that office.

These guys had certainly developed an in depth knowledge about the area, the villains ­ and their families.

Back then, when an individual came to the notice of the police for the first time a ‘nominal’ record was created (typed of course) containing their name and address. The more times an individual was arrested, they were transferred to a ‘mains’ card, which also recorded details of every arrest and conviction. Consequently, the thicker the mains the less likely that individual would be to pose a threat to the community.

Before texts and email instant messaging, messages were passed between divisions and the Force by the use of the Telex system. The Telex machine resembled a large typewriter with a circular telephone dial attached to one side. You would type out a message using this

Andy Connell takes Brief back through the technologies that have shaped GMP

machine which would then be copied onto paper and a ribbon of paper with small holes punched into it at the same time. You would then dial the number of the Telex machine at the location where you would like to send the message and insert the tape into the machine. The tape would then start to feed through the machine and be typed out at the other end.

The Telex machines were superseded by the Message Switch System aka MSS. This was a ‘green screen’ computer which used dot matrix printers. One of the beauties of the MSS was that you could start to type a message and ‘save’ it. Plus the fact you could send one message to multiple recipients. Of course the MSS computer was assigned to a police station as opposed to an individual, so messages still had to be printed off and either glued into books or held on clipboards.

In the 1970’s the Manchester Criminal Records Office (MANCRO) was based at Longsight Police Station.

When someone was arrested or charged with an offence, the Charge Office staff would type out self

carbonating, multi coloured charge and bail sheets. Every morning, an officer collected the charge, bail sheets and fingerprint sheets and any other relevant paper work for the case which was then taken to the records office at Longsight. Here the records would be sorted and fingerprints checked to confirm the individual.

The documentation would then also be sent to the Criminal Records Office at Scotland Yard for collation and storage. The theory being you could ‘rebuild’ an individual’s past criminal record from scratch if it was destroyed.

Nowadays of course, typing an individual’s name into a computer allows multiple cross referenced checks to be made in a fraction of a second. Similarly, the use of Livescan now allows a suspect’s fingerprints to be digitally captured and sent to the other side of the world in the time it would have taken to send a radio message to an officer to ‘come in for the record run.’

Nowadays, with the use of technology times have certainly changed.

Website gets a full service THE GMP website is to get a full refurbishment.

Design work is underway after the public were offered the chance to have their say on what they would like to see

on the site. Senior Digital Officer Rob Birkett said: “Web technologies are ever changing and fashions in web design change as fast as they do on the high street . The time has come to not only

refresh the design of the site to bring it up to date, but to streamline the way it is coded to offer a unique experience to our visitors.”

Brief Edition Year 23

GMP Community

The beat goes on for GMP band

THE GMP Band is helping to make a huge difference to our communities through music.

The GMP Band is well known for playing at ceremonial events such as the Force Excellence Awards and the Christmas Carol Concert but the Band is supporting many local events that help raise money for many different charities.

Last year they attended more than 70 events and so far this year there are already 60 events booked. Band Manager Barry Frost said: “Not many people know that we attend these local events but I see this as a really important part of our work. The

visibility of a police band whether it is the Symphonic Band, Big Band and vocalists or one of our smaller groups can often raise the profile of the event and help to raise even more money for that charity.

“The Dixie Band recently played at the Bury Transport Museum to help raise funds for Bury Hospice. The actual event raised more than £1,000.

There are so many wonderful causes out there and we are so grateful that we can do something small that makes a big difference.

“Many officers and staff in GMP are involved in charities and often hold events to raise money but I expect

Get your kit on!

ON Friday 13 June employees across GMP celebrated 'Show your Colours' day in aid of Cash for Kids.

The event marked the start of the World Cup as staff were able to swap their usual work attire for their favourite football or sports shirt for a donation of £2 for the charity.

More than £500 was raised across GMP. The money raised will go specifically to organisations who help victims of domestic abuse in line with the ‘End the Fear’ campaign.

DCC Ian Hopkins donned his shirt along with members of the Corporate Communications team

24 Brief Edition Year

that the majority of them don’t know about us. We would be happy to support any of these events subject of course to the availability of our band volunteers.”

We do look for a contribution towards our expenses. In some cases these can be met in full for example for the corporate / private work we do, or through individual event sponsors.

The income attracted here helps us support the community / charity work as we are then able to offset some of the costs ourselves.

You can now follow the GMP Band on Twitter (@gmpband) and Facebook (Greater Manchester Police Band).

If you would like to find out more about how you can book the GMP Band or one of the smaller groups please contact Barry Frost on 07500 033247 or Band Conductor Jonathan Taylor on 07775 025278.

The band is open to anyone (subject to available vacancies) providing they are of grade eight standard and pass a GMP audition and Force vetting.

The GMP Band is currently looking to recruit musicians who play either trombone or clarinet.

Chasing Rainbows A running event has been organised by the Chasing Rainbows team on Saturday 13 September. Set up in memory of PC Nicola Hughes, the Chasing Rainbows team is made up of Nicola’s family, friends and colleagues. There will be three events – a half marathon for the more experienced runners, a 10k run and a leisurely four­mile walk. To register please email chasing­ rainbows@talktalk.net Entrants must be registered by Thursday 31 July.

GMP Community

Big Tea Break In

DS Patrick Goodrich as the Children's Hospital

DS PATRICK Goodrich from the Trafford division recently took part in a 'Big Tea Break' event to help his wife raise money for the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. DS Goodrich dressed up as a green bear (the hospital’s mascot) to entertain the kids.

The event raised £400 but shockingly the organisers were victim to a sneak in burglary as they had a break, where £350 of the money raised was stolen.

Patrick and his wife were naturally extremely upset and incredulous about the burglary. A friend of the couple decided to set up a JustGiving site to share the story and encourage donations.

News spread quickly and it was clear that people were moved by the story as donations flooded in. So far over £2,100 has now been raised for the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. Patrick said: "The Children's Hospital do an amazing job and without them our son would probably not be here now. When he was a year old he got a rare condition called sceptic arthritis, which affected his right knee.

"Without the quality and speed of surgery that the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital were able to give him, he would have almost certainly lost his right leg or possible died from blood poisoning.”

If you would like to support this cause the link for the just giving page is below. http://www.justgiving.com/give­ and­bake­charity­baking.

mascot poses with his children.

Fun day for baby Fenton Sunday 20th July 2014 12pm – 5pm (Free Entry*) A family fun day is being held at Hough End in aid of Wil­ liam Fenton, a brave baby boy who suffers with a very rare form of Hirschsprungs Disease. William was born in Octo­ ber 2013 to two GMP colleagues and since his arrival he has spent all but one night in hospital. Monies raised will be split between two charities; those are Ronald McDonald House at Alder Hey and ‘Making It Better’ set up in respect of The Daniel Courtney Trust. *Entry is free, however, a suggested donation of £2 per person would be greatly appreciated, collection boxes will be located at various points.

Pictured: William Fenton who suffers from Hirsch-sprungs Disease

Brief Edition Year 25

GMP Community

Kids get in the nick School children visit ESR custody suite OFFICERS from the neighbourhood team at Longsight have got together with local primary schools to organise visits to the custody block at Elizabeth Slinger Road police station.

After noticing how fascinated the children were with the police 'locking up criminals' officers decided to clean up the custody block after it had remained un­used for several years.

Now that it has been cleaned up pupils learn about ‘breaking the rules’ in their classroom followed by a series of organised visits to the police station.

In one recent visit, around 30 pupils from St Luke’s Primary School in Longsight toured the custody area. The group took part in role plays where a teacher was booked into custody and given their rights.

Later they were interviewed on tape for a shoplifting offence with the children present. Finally they went and

viewed the cells and saw the facilities available to prisoners. To finish off each child had a fingerprint taken which was placed in a GMP key ring for the child to keep.

PCSO Karen MacDonald said: “The custody visits have been a massive hit with the children. You could see how enthralled they were seeing first­ hand what happens to a person who is arrested. Days later many of the children are still clutching their GMP fingerprint keying and talking about the visit.”

Liz Eccles Head teacher from St Joseph’s Primary School in Longsight has also visited with a group of children. She said: “The visit was very

successful. It had quite an impact on our children especially the visit to the cell. I overheard one child saying ‘I never want to be arrested’. I am so pleased we were able to take part in this visit as I now feel we may be able to make a difference to our children's behaviour on the street.”

Insp Dave Nutsey Neighbourhood Inspector at Longsight said: “Working with local primary schools and building links with year six children can have real benefits. The young people gain an insight into the work of the police and hopefully come away with something that will influence their view and relationship with local officers in years to come. “

PCSO Karen Macdonald measures up one of the students

Show your support for our servicemen

By Roger Mason This year is the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI and to commemorate this the British Legion is trying to raise £1 million for the Poppy Appeal. To do this, members are making an extra effort to raise funds by selling wrist bands and poppy seeds that be be spread wherever people can.

I have been a member of the Royal British Legion Riders Branch for a number of years, helping to raise money for the Poppy appeal throughout the year by attending 26 Brief Edition Year

various events. Every penny of the money raised goes to help service personnel in lots of ways, from health and welfare issues to housing and rehabilitation centres.

My family have recently received assistance from the Legion as my son who is a serving soldier has recently been diagnosed with combat stress and depression due to his tours. He was so bad he had to be hospitalised over Christmas and New Year. The only service bed available was at a hospital in the North East miles away from his family. I put a message about this on the Legion's online

forum and within minutes I received messages from Legion members in that part of the country wanting to know where he was and how they could be of assistance.

They visited him to keep him going as he was the only service personnel in that wing so was on his own. This was a great comfort to his family and is just one example of the kind of support that the Legion show to every veteran and serving member of the armed forces.

If you would like to help this cause email roger.mason@gmp.police.uk.

GMP Community Friends of No. 1 Copperpot Lottery winners - May 2014

£2,000 Kathryn Norgate, Retired

Joanne Howorth, UK Border Agency

£1,000 Dawn Wade, Retired

£100 Graham Irish, Retired Mavis Marsh, Leicestershire Andrew Kielty, Relative Member Vicky Hadfield, Greater Manchester

£500 Fay Townsend, Cambridgeshire £250 Judith Stadames, Leaver Sean Lynch, Leicestershire

£50 Georgina Massey, Gtr Manchester Neil Jones, North Wales Michael Fletcher, Leicestershire Alan Sheppard, Retired Steven Parmeshwar, Gtr Manchester Jonathan Connah, Gtr Manchester Paul Akers, Retired Paul Thomas, Gtr Manchester David Wilson, Gtr Manchester Neil Aitken, North Yorkshire Emma Walker, Gtr Manchester Jeff Wells, Northamptonshire Paul Booth, Retired Barry Hibbert, Retired Judith Homes, Gtr Manchester

£100 Helen Hallworth, Greater Manchester Derek Hornby, Retired Robert Gurr, Leaver Paul Batterton, Leicestershire Lee Kent, Leaver David Hartwell, Retired

£150 Paul McBreeze, Relative Member Lynda Grundy, Retired Mohammed Shafiq, Retired Barbara Topping, Retired

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Brief Edition Year 27

GMP Community

Letters of Appreciation Huge thank you I've been meaning to send this email for a while and I'm just getting around to it!

Just wanted to say a HUGE THANK YOU to PC Alan Crabtree for all of your help and support with our nuisance neighbour.

The problems we were having were really getting us down, it caused large amounts of stress and anxiety, and to be honest made us feel like prisoners in our own house. The tact you have taken and your pro­active approach seem to have really done the job and you dealt with it efficiently and firmly ­ we are massively appreciative.

Many thanks once again Crime Scene Investigator, Leigh Hub

Words are not enough Saying thank you does not seem to be the appropriate words to show my appreciation for all that you have done, for me and my family. The care, understanding and ongoing support that we have been shown, has been excellent.

My thoughts in particularly at times to the uniformed officers who found Chris, I know it is part of the job, but that must have been a terrible shock to them, and perhaps a long time to forget or erase from their minds. Special thanks must to the PCSO 67701 Alison Ward, without her help, care, understanding and professional approach we couldn’t have got through this terrible ordeal and has been outstanding. I hope that receiving this card may make it a bit easier Mrs Wilson & Family

Making our area safe and caring about us I would just like to take the time to praise PC 8365 Andy Finch, PCSO 65488 James Booth and PCSO 66096 Lindsey Sutch for the level of time and effort they have put into every single shoplifting and any concerns we have had, they have

been dealt with above and beyond the level of policing I have encountered anywhere in the past. Time and time again they show this level of care; you know if they are on the job they will know or find out who the shoplifters are even if someone else has taken the job they will pop in to see if they know the offender. I honestly would like to thank them for making our area safe and caring about us and helping us feel safe in our work place and our community.

From a very grateful sales assistant, Wigan

Courteous, professional and helpful

Help ed m y

dad to li ve in dep

end entl y I wo uld like to pro than fess k you iona for l wa the y in kind P em whic and berto h th e W n Ne igan ighb me our hoo took d Te afte am r my has dad help Alzh , , w ed eim ho s er’s uffe . It is rs fr very om grate diffi ful I c u lt to am a nd sum how up h help m uc ow ed. h th In fa eir a ct, a ctio ll o hav ns h f th e de e offi ave alt w cers ith m at W y da igan eve d ha n pic who ve b king een him fanta up a whe s tic nd ta n th king ey h av e him b hom e e mov n off e ing d uty. to a My mor dad e ap wil l is no pro no lo w pria nge te c are r be facil resid ho w ity a ing grate nd in W ful h igan e ha ; bu the s be t I k poli n ow en fo ce h r th ave e m help an y k ep ed h time t him im to s s afe get ena hom blin inde e an g him d p en den to li tly a ve a s po s p os ss ib s ib le le fo . I h r as op e long you as than w il l b ks to e ab eve le to ryon pass e co on m n c erne M C y orn d. ish, Wig an

I am the team manager of a social work team based at Central park, Wigan. I would like to take this opportunity to thank PC 14693 Simon Gardener, PC 12629 Steven Tuddenham and DC 12103 Jonathan Quigley for all the help and assistance they gave social care yesterday when they attended the office. Nothing was too much trouble for them, despite the call out being a lengthy one. Not only did they deal with the matter in hand but they assisted in caring for the children involved.

Several of my team were assisting with this incident and all have commented on how helpful the officers were. I would be grateful if you could pass my thanks and those of the social care staff involved on to the police officers and the relevant line managers.

D Ashton, Team manager, Children's, Adults and Families

Provided me with a lifeline I am a lecturer at Trafford College and I am writing because I felt the compelling need to express my exceptional gratitude towards PC Gareth Richards, and to inform you of his degree of professionalism

in handling my case. I cannot stress how much of an impact he made in terms of the ongoing support and exceptional efficiency ­ even if it was just a swift reply to an email. At a time when I was in fear of my life, feeling very isolated victimised and depressed, knowing there was a point of contact within the force was of huge significance. It also gave me the courage to be strong and continue in the prosecution process. In short, Gareth Richards provided me a lifeline at a time when it was desperately needed.

L Trotte, Trafford

Special recognition I have been made aware of your Special Police Constable Thomas Stuart good work the other night, when you and colleagues turned up for us at short notice. In arresting the female wanted for assault and the burglar, you made a great contribution to the team effort and impressed your regular

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

28 Brief Edition Year

GMP Community colleagues also. Thanks both for your commitment to making South Manchester safer.

Chief Superintendent Hankinson

Significant contribution to keeping communities safe I just wanted to pass on Divisional thanks (and my personal thanks) for the impact that our Specials colleagues had on Saturday 5 April 2014. Great turn out, great visibility and lots of reassurance and prevention work. Of note, no robberies during the operation, and just 1 burglary.

As always, a significant contribution to keeping our communities safe.

Dave Gilbride, Chief Inspector

Much needed reassurance Just a note of appreciation for your staff at the BV Unit at Astley Bridge Police Station in Bolton. At the beginning of May this year I had some serious threats made

to myself off my then boyfriend. From the minute I reported the incident I received fantastic treatment. All the staff were amazing, in particular the response officer PC 19340 Tony Quinn. This officer went the extra mile in his duty, explaining the law to me when I made a statement, keeping me informed and giving me much needed reassurance. I have never had dealing with the pol ice before and I am so impressed with how this issue was dealt with. Please pass my thanks on to PC Quinn.

Thank you again Nicola Taylor, Bolton

Stolen bikes I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude on how much of a fantastic job Sgt Russ Owen has done on handling the investigation over my stolen bikes. It would have been 12 months in July since my bikes were stolen, I never thought for 1 minute that I would ever see them again. When my bikes went missing, it really helps having someone who knows a bit about bikes is investigating the case.

Mr Owen showed that he is a cycling enthusiast and his attention to detail when taking my statement I believe led him to finding one of my bikes. I believe that Mr Owen and his team have worked really hard and never gave up. I would like to thank them again and I have every confidence that he will find my other bike.

Stephen Davies, Salford

Dog attack I wanted to tell you about the excellent service provided by 68132 Mike Worrall.

It is refreshing and rare in our work to find people who are actually interested in what they are doing ­ Mike obviously is. After being contacted for advice regarding this matter he looked into it and found a possible owner. In this instance the report was a dog on dog attack that took place in a children’s playground. I found his advice and input brilliant and this will help the officer investigate this matter further.

Radio Operator, Claytonbrook

Name Wade Betts @wadebetts@gmpolice

Name Child Victims of Crime

Tweet Just wanted to say thank you! You all don’t get enough credit for constantly putting your lives on the line.

Post It was great to meet so many officers at the ACPO SOIT Conference at GMP today! Thank you for Embracing child victims of crime! :)

Name Vivian Parry @viviloupy@gmpolice @GMPAtherton

Name Awaaz Cheetham , Awaaz Women’s group

Tweet just spoke to the loveliest person on 101.

Made me feel at ease and was very helpful.

Post Thank you for visiting the ladies and chatting about community policing. It was really informative and helped break down the barriers between the community and the police; Thank you, GMP :­)

Name Fiona Phillips @realmissfiona

Name Dip Saurav Dey Dhar

Tweet Thank you @gmpolice for making me so welcome and for becoming#DementiaFrinds

Post I would like to say thank you to the illustrious GMP for returning my stolen mobile phone, keep up the good work!

Name Miss Dior @luciedee21

Name Ljam Dunn

Tweet Thank you to the @gmpolice who came to me within minutes when I found a little girl on her own today in Manchester city centre

Post Thank you to your colleagues at Salford on their quick response particularly the lady on the desk. So glad things turned out a happy ending and a big thank u to everyone involved

Brief Edition Year 29

GMP Community

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Obituaries Eric William Poole, 93, died 8 March 2014

Raymond George Buck, 80, died 10 April 2014

David Perryman, 80, died 9 March 2014

Colin Wilson, 76, died 10 April 2014

Noel Mark Walker, 91, died 30 April 2014

Jonathan Causey, 58, died 11 April 2014

Vincent Chadwick, 60, died 30 April 2014

Thomas Giblin, 73, died 13 April 2014

Douglas Street, 85, died 1 May 2014

Ernest Geoffrey, 93, died 2 April 2014

Raymond Harry Jackson, 82, died 15 April 2014

John Thomas Sinclair, 59, died 4 May 2014

Stuart Richie, 80, died 3 April 2014

Edward Stark, 76, died 15 April 2014

Joseph Ashton, 86, died 4 April 2014

Joseph Todd Langlands, 72, died 17 April 2014

Brian Norman Dearnaley, 73, died 18 May 2014

Ann Molloy, 59, died 11 March 2014 Ronald Walter Webster, 83, died 24 March 2014

George Thomas Barrett, 80, died 8 April 2014 Paul Fletcher, 48, died 8 April 2014 30 Brief Edition Year

John Barry Shaw, 68, died 19 April 2014

Derek Smith, 84, died 19 April 2014

Brian Wise, 65, died 24 May 2014 Keith Harper, 66, died 24 May 2014

GMP Community

City parade:

Shooting for

Rob’s eye view

the stars

Senior Digital Officer Rob Birkett got the chance of a lifetime when he joined Man City’s trophy Parade. He talked to Brief about his experience…

IMAGINE this ­ you’re sat at work and you receive a call, during the call you are offered the opportunity to do something thousands of people dream of doing that most, including me I thought, would never get the chance.

I had the pleasure of being able to mix my passion for work, with my passion for football. For three glorious hours I joined the backroom staff on one of two parade buses as they wound their way around Manchester City Centre on 12 May. I was primarily there to do a job, but despite taking nearly 400 photos to help out the Corporate Media Imaging Unit I had the opportunity to mix with some of the top names in football as we passed what seemed like millions of likeminded fans.

It was a wonderful experience, and after 22 years being a season ticket holder, it was about time I got something to pay me back for those snowy nights in Yeovil.

Rob Birkett atop the tour bus

GMP men's Basketball section has had another fantastic season!

The team currently plays in the MABL league (Manchester Area Basketball League) and Police Sport UK (PSUK) competition, and have enjoyed a very good and winning history in both.

The 2013/14 season saw no changes, with the team holding their position within Division 1 of the MABL league.

When the team entered the PSUK competition in Leicester they performed even better. The team made the semi finals of the competition following a

hard weekend of basketball, and then narrowly lost to the eventual runners­ up. From the overall performance throughout the weekend Detention Officer Chris Bennett from the Wigan division was named as one of the all star five players of the tournament and PC Stuart Jackson from T.A.U has been asked to attend trials for the Great Britain police team. This is a fantastic result for both players.

The team is still looking for players to join for the forthcoming 2014/15 season so if you would like further information please contact Tony Smithers (15484) via email or ring him on 07747648730.

Training sessions are held every Tuesday night from 7pm ­ 9pm at Hough End.

Hatton fights his corner for victims ON 10 May, a team of former Manchester City players tackled a combined police and partner agency team to raise awareness of domestic abuse and funds for victims on behalf of Victim Support in Greater Manchester.

Held at Hyde FC’s home ground, the match was played in honour of Linzi Ashton – the mother of two tragically murdered by her partner in 2013.

ACC Garry Shewan’s team was captained by Ricky Hatton and was made up of partners including the fire service, probation and New Charter. They were pitted against the likes of Peter Barnes, Paul Dickov, Shaun Goater, Ian Brightwell and Asa Hartford.

Both teams were competing for.

The final score was 10­8 to the Manchester City side. The winners were presented the Linzi Ashton Memorial Cup by Linzi’s mum Philomena in honour of her late daughter.

Brief Edition Year 31

THIS year’s Police Sports UK Marathon Championship was held as part of the Milton Keynes Marathon at the beginning of May. Sgt Richard Lloyd, the only runner from GMP who took part. He not only won the Police Championship but was also first in the Milton Keynes Marathon itself. Crossing the line in two hours 43 minutes, the winning margin was just over

three minutes.

As a result of this amazing result Rick has gained automatic selection to represent the United Kingdom Police team in the Police Marathon Championships in Austria later this year. Brief will be watching out to see how he does!