Brief - Spring 2015

Spotlight

Response Policing When is it OK to say no?

Threat levels: Tips on how to keep safe in times of heightened security Century milestone: Landmark anniversary for women in policing

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Mounted Unit: Raising the profile to help increase public confidence

Columns

Adapting to the current climate THERE is no doubt that we are now in a preelection period and all staff will have concerns about what this means for our future funding levels.

We must stay out of the political debate, but the force has been active in raising public awareness about the consequences of further cuts. Whatever the outcome, the general state of the economy means that there is little prospect of any great change in our financial prospects. You have done a great

job in coping with all the changes that we have had to make.

We have a lot more change to get through over the coming years and that is why we will be putting a lot of effort into communication with a new series of staff workshops.

An additional challenge is the current security situation and the increased threat level to staff. It is important that we continue to follow the security advice which has been circulated and take common sense precautions. Information is the greatest strength in combatting violent extremism and serious

crime. We get this from strong communities.

There is a serious risk that in reducing the size of the force we put all those advances at risk. We cannot let that happen. This will mean an even more radical overhaul of how we organise ourselves, how we work with partner agencies across the public service and crucially how we make best use of the talent of every one of our staff if our proactive, problem -solving style of policing is to be preserved.

Sir Peter Fahy, Chief Constable

Calling for more support to policing EARLIER this month I set out how the policing budget will be spent over the next 12 months. The unrelenting cuts imposed by Government means we have to find £41m of savings this year – squeezing police numbers and undermining the service you provide .

There is excellent police work going on across Greater Manchester. The transformation in how we deliver policing has

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resulted in innovation and better partnership working – changing how we deal with mental health for example. It has meant a lot of change, but the public is grateful for your perseverance and how you have adapted in the face of the cuts.

Policing isn't alone in this. As the current Government continues to axe public spending, other statutory organisations and the voluntary sector are suffering.

Increased efficiency across our public services, new ways of

working, driving out unnecessary cost all have their part to play in bridging the financial chasm we face. But in the end policing Greater Manchester requires a great number of real people committed to serving our communities. Police officers, PCSOs and staff joined our force to do just that.

I shall be asking those standing for Parliament in May to recognise that enough is enough and commit to proper funding for GMP. Tony Lloyd, PCC

Welcome to the February edition of Brief WELCOME to the re-launched version of Brief.

Last summer, the editorial team decided to launch a new-look Brief that better reflects what our officers and staff want out of a Forcewide publication.

We've been hard at work gathering feedback from a range of employees and taking their ideas into account.

You said you wanted a magazine led by the people in our organisation and their stories. We have introduced the GMP Life section to give you more human-interest and community stories.

You wanted stories to be more current, so we've made Brief shorter and more frequent with editions coming out every other month.

In this edition, find out more about some of the work taking place to help reduce demand on our officers (P11) and we also mark 100 years of women in policing with detailed look into the journey of female officers and staff since 1915 (p13).

Back by popular demand is our 'Divisional round-up' feature where you can see at a glance the work that has been going on across all the divisions (p6-7).

We welcome any feedback on the new look, if you have any suggestions please email brief@gmp.police.uk

News

Spotlight

04 Horsing around

11 Managing demand

GMP’s Mounted Unit’s future plans. Also Op Fezzan & a memorial for PC Ian Rodgers.

A look at the work of the Response Review team based in Salford.

Be published in Brief Editorial team: Catherine Barlow, Melissa Mead, Patricia Jones and Krystyna Rudzki

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05 New York trial for Naseer

12 Safety first

Greater Manchester link to USA terror trial involving Abid Naseer. Also News in Brief.

06-07 Divisional Round-up

Tips on keeping safe during the heightened threat level.

18 Letters of appreciation

13 100 not out

A look around what’s happening around the GMP Force area.

A look back at 100 years of women in policing.

Members of the public thank officers and staff for their work.

GMP Life 16 What’s on?

08 08 Moving forward on mental health

Dates for your diary and the caption competition. A Valentine’s special.

17 New home for Torah books Property staff go the extra mile to save two religious books from destruction.

19 You say, we pay A round of the participatory budgeting events. Also, the Obituaries.

20 The mysterious fatalities A delve into Phil Amatt’s family history has uncovered an unusual story

21 Sports roundup

Photographers: Chris Oldham and Bill Morris 0161 856 2777 | Picture Desk: Lisa Marks 0161 856 2279

Contents

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

Deadline: Monday 6 April Published: Tuesday 28 April

SCD running club, fatherly inspiration and a Battle of the Badges event.

GMP’s approach to mental health issues is changing. Also, Around the World.

09 Tackling human trafficking GMP leads the way in the fight against modern slavery.

10 A Special occasion A new wave of special constables receive their warrant cards

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

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News

C

y r o st r e ov

Horsing around

The Mounted Unit met some new friends when out and about in Tameside

THIS year GMP’s Mounted Unit will be working even more closely with communities to help increase public confidence in policing.

The first quarter of the year will see the Mounted Unit heighten their visibility in Wigan, Tameside and North Manchester.

There will be increased patrols in these areas, as well as more school and community centre visits.

They will be looking to address key issues in each nominated area, such as crime hot-spots.

In memory of Ian IN 1974, Ian Rodgers was on duty and responded to a call of children on the railway line. Sadly, Ian was hit by a train and died. He was the first officer to be killed on duty following the formation of GMP in 1974.

A tree has now been planted at Sedgley Park in memory of Ian, along with a plaque dedicated to him.

A memorial ceremony was attended

by DCC Ian Hopkins and chair of the GMP Police Federation Ian Hanson, along with family and friends.

Specials join forces for traffic operation SPECIAL constables from GMP and Cheshire Constabulary joined forces to carry out a successful cross border traffic operation.

Operation Fezzan aimed to disrupt criminal activity by denying them the use of the road networks between the forces.

Fifty-six vehicles were stopped during the operation and summons and fixed penalty notices were issued for a variety of offences.

The operation also meant that communities in Greater Manchester

reassurance that we are there, we and Cheshire saw hi-visibility police are listening and we are working presence - proving that both Forces together to keep them safe.” are working together to combat crime and bring those responsible to justice.

Special Sgt Jon Hughes said “This operation was a success. It was not about how many tickets we could issue or how many arrests we could make, it was about giving the community of Poynton, Woodford and Hazel Grove the visible Specials from GMP and Cheshire Constabulary stopped 56 vehicles during the operation

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The memorial service for PC Rodgers and his memorial plaque

Holocaust memorial day AN event was held at Sedgley Park on Tuesday 27 January to mark Holocaust Memorial Day 2015. This year marks two significant anniversaries – 70 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, and 20 years since the genocide at Srebrenica, Bosnia.

As well as guest speakers, the GMP event was attended by police officers and members of independent advisory groups who serve as a critical friend to the police on a range of community issues. The event formed part of Hate Crime Awareness week 2015.

Andrew McGarry jailed A man who tried to encourage fellow inmates to set fire to his exwife’s home after botching an earlier attempt himself has been jailed. In 2013, Andrew McGarry attempted to coerce inmates into breaking into his ex-wife's house and then setting it on fire in exchange for large sums of money. Once the prisoners realised his intentions were genuine they reported him. In February he was given a discretionary life sentence

and ordered to serve a minimum of six years.

Op Olympus A month-long crackdown on GMP’s most wanted offenders began on Tuesday 3 February across all divisions. Operation Olympus saw more than 250 officers work with specialist units (traffic, tactical aid and the ANPR intercept teams) to target offenders for a range of offences including domestic abuse, sexual offences and general criminality.

Bin the blade GMP launched a month-long knife surrender at the beginning of February. The ‘Bin the Blade’ campaign was launched in support of the British Ironwork Centre’s ‘Save a Life, Surrender Your Knife’ initiative.

To support the campaign, GMP provided 11 knife bins across the region.

ACC Wiggett, reformed offender Darryl Laycock and Dep PCC Jim Battle at the ‘Bin the Blade’ launch

New York trial for Naseer A counter terrorism trial that has a Greater Manchester footprint has begun in New York, USA. At the centre of the trial is Abid Naseer (pictured), a foreign national who is alleged to have been part of an international terrorist group who planned attacks within Greater Manchester in 2009.

Naseer is standing trial for providing and conspiring to provide material support to al-Qaeda and conspiracy to use a destructive device in relation to the UK element of the plot.

Naseer, who originally came to the UK on a student visa, was one of 11 men arrested in 2009 in Manchester and Liverpool accused of plotting to attack targets in Manchester. However, Naseer and associates were released without charge.

This was not case closed. In July 2010, the US wanted to charge Naseer and two of his other associates alleging they were operating under the direction of alQaeda and were part of a broader al-

News

News in Brief

Qaeda conspiracy to plant bombs in Manchester, New York and Norway.

Naseer was extradited to the US in 2013, where he pleaded not guilty and denied he was part of this broader al-Qaeda conspiracy.

Prosecutors claim that email evidence shows Naseer and his associates were under the direction of the same al-Qaeda handler.

Documents taken from Osama bin Laden’s Pakistani compound will be used in the trial to confirm the terror network's leadership was behind the plan.

Officers from the North West Counter Terrorism Unit will be giving evidence throughout the three week trial. It is likely several locations across Greater Manchester will be mentioned.

Det Spt Mark Smith, who was the Senior Investigating Officer in 2009 will be giving evidence.

He said: “I am confident Naseer will be brought to justice. This investigation demonstrates the importance of working in partnership with international agencies for the benefit of counter terrorism policing, in order to prevent future terrorist attacks from occurring both nationally and internationally.”

The trial is ongoing.

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Divisional News

Divisional Roundup

Stockport OFFENDERS went to extraordinary lengths to rob a supermarket when they used a stolen JCB to rip two cash machines out of the wall.

On Monday 12 January the two offenders stole a white Ford Transit van, drove to a Morrisons in Bredbury and broke into a nearby JCB, driving it towards the cash machines built into the wall. They used the digger to rip one cash machine out completely and the other one partially out. However, they left the scene empty-handed.

Tameside ON Thursday 8 January, officers carried out a series of warrants in the Ashton-underLyne area.

As a result, £3,000 worth of Class A and B drugs were seized, along with several thousand pounds in cash.

Three offenders were charged and appeared before Tameside Magistrates Court on Friday 9 January. DI Andy Sandiford said: "The recovery of this amount of drugs is a significant result both for the police and for the community."

S Manchester

Oldham SEVEN people have been jailed for their part in a smuggling ring responsible for importing £860,000 worth of heroin into Greater Manchester.

The offenders all pleaded guilty to a mixture of importation, supply and possession with intent to supply of Class A drugs. On Friday 16 January, they were jailed for a total of 41 years.

The successful convictions are a result of Operation Alamos, which was set up by Oldham officers as a response to community concerns that drug dealing was a problem in the area.

AN event was held at Longsight library as part of Hate Crime Awareness Week. The manager of the Manchester Deaf Centre used the opportunity to raise awareness of hate directed toward the deaf community.

Salford A memorial service is being held by officers as a mark of respect to those Salford officers who lost their lives in WW1. This will be taking place on Friday 27 February at the Civic Centre in Swinton.

Bury THE annual Divisional Excellence Awards were held on Thursday 29 January at the Bury Fusiliers Museum.

Ch Spt Chris Sykes opened the event and closing speeches were given by Madam Mayor Michelle Wiseman and ACC

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Sheard.

The winners of the night included PC Carolyn Morley, who took home Police Officer of the year and PCSO Suzan Eckersley, who was awarded Police Staff Member of the year.

The special constable of the

year award was given to Moshe Rothstein, GMP’s first Orthodox Jew. A special Bravery award was given to Katie Dunne, 12, who contacted the police when her father had a heart attack.

Katie Dunn and Sp Constable Moshe Rothstein with Sp Insp Andy Steel

TWENTY-FOUR people were arrested in Rochdale as part of a Forcewide crackdown on the supply of drugs.

Operation Trafalgar was launched across Greater Manchester to tackle drug dealing and on Wednesday 25 January 2015, 14 people were charged with drugs offences, with others bailed pending further investigations.

The arrests in Rochdale stem from a covert operation which ran for six months in the Milkstone and Deeplish areas.

Twenty-five warrants were executed on the day, which related to dealing crack cocaine and heroin.

Following the searches officers seized a quantity of heroin, several thousand pounds in cash and five cars including a Range Rover, Mercedes, Audi, Mini and BMW. Ch Spt Chris Sykes from Rochdale division, said: “The operation was well planned and sends out a strong message to the people of Rochdale that we are listening to their concerns.”

Trafford TRAFFORD officers helped to give a fitting send-off to a former battle of Britain fighter and long term volunteer for GMP, who died with no family around him.

Joseph William Machin, known to his friends as 'Bill' died on January 12, just a week after celebrating his 94th birthday.

Officers gave a guard of honour as the Second World War veteran’s casket was taken into the crematorium - as a tribute to a man who volunteered at Altrincham police station for many years.

After one of Bill's neighbours was burgled in 1990, he turned up at Altrincham police to find out what he could do to help. This led to the formation of the Crime Prevention

Panel, of which Bill was a founding member.

Over the next 20 years Bill volunteered his time to helping the public and was a well-known sight at his crime prevention stall on Altrincham market. He was also a stalwart of the local Home Watch scheme in Trafford.

A well-being week was held in January to highlight support available for officers and staff to help improve their physical and mental health, which included a number of drop-in workshops from a range of services.

Wigan

Ch Insp Bhole and Sgt Webb with Bill in 2006

Airport

‘Bob’ the dog

N Manchester

Divisional News

Rochdale

PCSO Mathew Walters helped to locate a missing dog at the airport. Bob, a female Beagle Cross, had been living in a storm drain in Cyprus and was found by Sirius Dog Sanctuary. An appeal was launched when the dog managed to run away from the charity workers. Mathew and two others eventually found Bob and handed her back to the charity, where she is safe and well.

PIONEERING work has been taking place with Leigh College, where disclaimed vehicles from the division are being donated to the college to allow young apprentices to work on different types of vehicles.

Bolton A Hungarian family who trafficked vulnerable girls into Manchester and sold them as sex slaves has been exposed by Bolton officers. Gang leader, Alex Brier was jailed for five years, ten months on Monday 16 February.

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News 8

Around the world Around the world SCOTLAND: POLICE pulled over a man who was bouncing down a dual carriageway on a spacehopper in the early hours of New Year’s Day. A witness said the man ‘looked very drunk’ and would have been travelling towards oncoming traffic on the underpass in Dundee.

Police Scotland confirmed that the man had been spoken to, but no formal action was taken.

AMERICA: POLICE launched a recruitment video using one of the theme songs from ‘Frozen’ and clocked up over 15,000 views on YouTube.

Their video features an officer from Norman Police Department in

Oklahoma making use of the tune of ‘For The First Time In Forever’ from the successful Disney cartoon.

The starring officer said: "We deal with some heavy stuff sometimes in our job. But it's important that you have a chance to smile, have a chance to laugh, maybe not to the level that the video shows. This is a very positive place."

CHINA: A bizarre subway commuter caused a social media storm in capital Beijing after he was spotted by fellow passengers wearing a huge watermelon covering his head.

Other than the watermelon with stars cut out for eyes, he was dressed normally with a scarf, backpack and a leather jacket.

Concerned train users contacted the police and the man – dubbed ‘Watermelon brother’ on the Chinese version of Facebook Weibo was taken aside for questioning.

Moving forward on mental health

By Catherine Barlow OFFICERS and staff shared ways they are improving the service they provide to those suffering from mental health issues at a recent best practice event.

The day was organised by the Business Improvement Team, following feedback they received during the Chief Constable’s road shows last year.

Officers and staff said that mental health was placing a huge demand on Force resources and a lot of time was still spent responding to people suffering with mental health issues at hospitals and in the community.

The event provided an opportunity for staff to find out about successful initiatives and partnership working taking place across Greater Manchester. It also gave officers and staff a forum to discuss how further improvements could be made.

Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy said: “This event gave us a platform

Pictured: ACC Wiggett, Paul Mitchell from GMWMH Trust , Cath Timmons, Insp Michael Brown and PC Adele Owen

to discuss how we are going to give a better service to vulnerable people suffering from mental health issues.

“If we give a poor service, we are more likely to create demand somewhere else, as we are more than likely going to come into contact with them again at some stage.

“I’m very proud of the progress we’ve made already – we’re one of the leading forces in how we deal with sect 136 Mental Health Act (MHA) patients - the new 136 suites introduced at Bolton and Salford hospitals have led to a 90 per cent reduction in the number of sect 136 MHA patients we take into custody.

“This event has given officers the chance to hear about how colleagues are working more innovatively to improve the service they provide in this area.”

Tackling trafficking together

By Christopher Terris Taylor, Corporate Communications

AS the Modern Slavery Bill creeps closer to its February completion date, GMP is proud to be one of the forces leading the fight against modern slavery in the UK. Forced labour, early and forced marriage and trafficking for sexual exploitation or immigration reasons are still rife in certain communities, and policing these issues is becoming increasingly difficult as austerity stretches our resources to breaking point.

Rochdale’s Operation Retriever was set up to tackle these very problems and has been at the forefront, at least publically, of GMP’s fight against modern slavery in all its guises.

Phase one targeted the trafficking of women into the UK

for use in sham marriages - the provision of EU residents to nonEU immigrants for the purpose of securing permanent residence.

One case captured the interest of the nation’s media, which was the story of a pregnant Slovakian woman tricked into visiting the UK and her subsequent enslavement and ‘sale’ to a man hoping to secure his status as a UK citizen.

It was only when her captors attempted to make her abort the baby against her will that the story began to emerge to partner agencies and GMP were able to start their investigation.

Phase two tackled forced labour and financial enslavement, with raids taking place at a factory in Rochdale where up to 20 Eastern Europeans were

subjected to 80-hour weeks, terrible pay and horrific living conditions by the factory’s owners.

Thankfully, in both phases the victims were taken to safety and the people responsible were brought to justice, but we are only scratching the surface of the impact modern slavery is having in Greater Manchester.

Officers working on Operation Retriever are doing some sterling work in protecting Rochdale’s most vulnerable residents, but every time they step out the station’s doors they are identifying more offenders and many more victims who need help.

GMP may be leading the way, but what we have learned is that the fight against modern slavery has only just begun.

MEMBERS of the public who have information about criminal activity are being urged to contact police following the launch of a new crime and intelligence reporting campaign.

With the number of police officers falling over the last few years, intelligence from the public is becoming more and more vital to everyday policing.

The ‘Their crime, your call’ campaign was launched in January this year and aims to increase the amount of information that comes in from the public by encouraging them to report suspicious behaviour, activity and all things criminal to the police.

The campaign has a number of key messages that seeks to reassure people who may want to come forward about the benefits of assisting the police and what support is available to them.

As part of the launch, GMP has released four audio files.

Three of them feature officers discussing recent investigations that have started or been successfully concluded thanks to assistance from the public.

News

Headline here

Their crime, Your call

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News

Special occasion AFTER 14 weeks of training, 34 special constabulary officers attended an attestation ceremony earlier this month. During the ceremony they took their Police Oath and received their warrant cards.

Special officers are volunteers and have to complete at least four hours of duty each week, although many do considerably more.

In attendance were Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan, Special Constabulary Chief Officer Mike Walmsley, magistrate Michael Phillips, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Jim Battle and the officers’ family and friends.

An excellent experience at the GMP Museum

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HIDDEN GEM: This month the GMP Museum has been awarded the 'Hidden Gem' accolade from VisitEngland.

Katie Brown, Museum Officer said: “While we knew our accreditation had been renewed, I didn't realise we were in line for something else.

“I am very proud and pleased that the museum has been recognised in this way. It goes to show that the hard work and dedication of the staff and volunteers pays dividends.

“We always thought of ourselves as a hidden gem, but it is great that other people think that too. This does not mean we are stopping here though, we will continue to strive to be one of the best small museums in Manchester and

if our Trip Advisor rating is anything to go by, (#3 in Manchester) I think we are headed in the right direction. Onwards and upwards!

“A big thank you to all our enthusiastic and amazing volunteers.”

You can visit the Force Museum website here: http://www.gmpmuseum.co.uk/

By Alison Etherden Corporate Communications Salford is reviewing our approach to response policing, Insp Steve Dean (pictured right) from the Response Review team writes about managing demand.

WITH 1,600 fewer officers as a result of budget reductions and the fact that the numbers continue to fall, we have to reassess how we deal with demand and recognise what the police are here for.

We reviewed all grade two and three jobs coming on to division and found that we accept far too much inappropriate demand at face value, and over a period of time we have

The Response Review team

generally lost the skills to challenge and say ‘no’ to these types of jobs.

The Force Twitter day in October last year supported our findings and highlighted the number of inappropriate calls.

In some cases, they were redirected but in most cases officers were deployed to a job, for example, dealing with an abandoned vehicle or taking a truanting child to school.

Following the review, the team ran an experiment to look at how many jobs could be challenged.

Response sergeants and inspectors reviewed grade two and three jobs on live demand over a 10day period covering a variety of shifts.

Where it was not appropriate to deploy officers, they explained the rationale for not doing so, or they redirected them to the most appropriate agency.

Out of 267 grade two and three calls, 79 deployments were prevented.

Convert that into hours and you are looking at a saving of 8,000 officer hours per annum in the Salford Division alone.

The amount of time we

spend dealing with these types of jobs are here for. means that we are not able to deal So what’s with genuine police matters next? effectively.

Demand workshop sessions are We know that in all cases it may currently being run for other divisional not be possible to just say ‘no’. sergeants.

There is some education work In the long term, it is anticipated needed here, not only with the public that the workshop will form part of and our partners, but with our own core leadership training. staff too. It’s about trusting and For further information contact the supporting each other to challenge. project team at Salford on x65233 or We are already beginning to see a localpolicingreview@gmp.police.uk difference in Salford, where we have been working with response Top results of Salford Experiment sergeants, inspectors and Total Deployments radio operators.

Type of incident We worked with deployments stopped (%) them to first consider why jobs Abandoned vehicle 11 out of 12 92% aren’t being challenged and then looked at when and how we Missing person 8 out of 10 80% could change that.

If we get this right, it will allow us to focus on those Concern for safety (adult) 18 out of 26 69% who need our help most and get on with doing what Lost found property / 5 out of 8 63% we, as the police,

Spotlight

Managing demand: can we say no?

person

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Spotlight

Safety is everyone’s responsibility

By Rebecca Sutcliffe Counter Terrorism Unit RECENT international events and the implications on UK police forces acts as a reminder to each of us that safety is paramount.

With a heightened threat level for the police, everyone should read the safety guidance available and remember that personal safety and protective security is the responsibility of everyone.

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The practical safety advice will make life more difficult for someone to target the police and adhering to the guidance should be everyday working practice.

You can find the latest safety measures on the intranet and ask yourself, are you and your colleagues doing all of these things. Simple steps can go a long way to reduce the risk of an attack.

One area of concern is sharing of information on social media. The wealth of potential personal information available on unsecured social media makes this a particularly valuable targeting asset. You should only share what you feel comfortable with and should think about updating your personal privacy settings so you are only sharing with people you know.

This way you can still include your occupation and other personal details, rather than freely sharing your occupation, location or photos with everyone.

There are a number of ways to ensure your personal safety is looked after, such as always be aware of your surroundings and look out for any suspicious or unusual behaviour.

It might be obvious, but don’t become complacent about wearing personal protective equipment— it should always be worn in line with

service instructions. You should always let people know your location and ensure you book on and off each day.

In police buildings, everyone has a right to question someone who isn’t visibly displaying ID. You should always be vigilant as you enter or leave and ensure doors and gates are not left unsecured and challenge anyone attempting to tailgate. Any suspicious activity should be reported as a security incident.

We often ask the public to not assume someone else is reporting suspicious activity and we should take notice of our own advice. We have a

responsibility not only to the public, but to keep each other safe too.

A number of awareness briefings to officers and staff across GMP are being planned. Further information about these events will be communicated on the Intranet very soon.

The briefings will be delivered in partnership with Counter Terrorism Security Officers, Force Specialist Operations and NW CTU Protective Security team.

Praying for Paris: Officers and staff at FHQ pay their respects to the victims who died in the terror attacks in Paris

In 1921, there were four ‘unsworn’ policewomen employed by Manchester POLICE forces across the world will celebrate 100 years of Police and Clara Walkden of Oldham women in policing this year.

Borough Police became the first known Brief takes a look at the key female to be sworn in as a Police moments.

Woman Constable.

With the outbreak of World War II in THE first British woman to make her 1939, the Home Office approved the mark was Edith Smith, who was sworn creation of the Women’s Auxiliary Police in as an officer in Grantham, Corps (WAPC). This organisation Lincolnshire in 1915 to deal with comprised of unsworn women in prostitution while 14,000 soldiers were uniform to assist the regular police housed in the area. force.

It took a long time until the rest of the In 1940, following a recommendation country followed suit. At the end of the

by Chief Constable John Maxwell, six war in 1918, the Metropolitan Police policewomen were given full police recruited policewomen directly for the powers. first time. These female patrols were However, there was still prejudice uniformed but still unsworn and began about the value of women to the police to work the streets in February 1919. service, even at the highest level.

In 1941, the then Home Secretary, while encouraging greater numbers of women to serve in the police, remarked: "It is true that police duty is, for the most part, a man's job, but such work This picture taken in the 1960s of a female officer with a colleague as driving cars, illustrates how times have changed for uniforms and our vehicle fleet

typewriting and attending the telephone can be done by carefully selected women.

“There is no reason Clara Walkden, the first why canteen known sworn female officer in Manchester duties should not be taken over entirely by women.”

At the end of the war the WAPC was abolished and many joined the service as female constables. By 1951, Manchester Police had 34 female officers.

The next major change was the 1975 Sex Discrimination Act, which abolished the separate policewomen's departments, harmonised pay scales and opened up all aspects of police work to women.

By 1975, pioneer female officers worked in several specialist units including the Mounted and the Dog Sections. Edwina Sykes became the first female police motorcyclist in GMP and Sandy McGurk qualified as the UK’s first female police HGV driver.

The British Association for Women in

Policing was founded in 1987 and sought to raise awareness of a number of issues affecting women in the service, including the presence of women in senior and command ranks.

That same year Ch Supt Margaret Gornall became the Force’s first female divisional commander, taking charge of the South Manchester Division.

It took until 1995 for women to be present in all ranks of the police service, when Pauline Clare QPM became Britain’s first female Chief Constable at Lancashire Constabulary and Justine Curran became GMP’S first female Assistant Chief Constable in 2007.

Spotlight

A century of women in policing

Upcoming dates International Women’s Day 6 March North West forces conference 14 May Picnic in the Park – June Senior Women in Policing dinner – November Pretty Muddy 5k events – running through the year To find out more: awp@gmp.pnn.police.uk

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What’s Trending?

Safer Internet Day OFFICERS and staff were invited to an 'Ask the expert' drop-in workshop at FHQ on February 10 to learn about how to better protect themselves online.

The event formed part of Safer Internet Day 2015, where GMP joined hundreds of organisations to help promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology.

PC Robert DiNicola from the Open Source Investigation Unit gave a detailed presentation highlighting the potential risks of where we share our information online, how to find out where our details can be found across the web and limit what is available for others to view.

Further information and tips for online safety can be found here or at www.saferinternetday.org.uk

Social Media Praise

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Top Tweet— 600+ retweets

@PoliceServiceNI to visit someone I was distressed about. Good job.

@jasonlowther Very impressed by Becky in Bury Division of @gmpolice this pm— dealt with a tricky adult safeguarding issue sensitively and efficiently.

@sheefrahy Just like to praise the police for resolving an enquiry quickly. You don’t get enough praise #greatwork #effective #thankyou

@hulmstere @gmpolice u attended an incident of burglary @my son’s student home 2day & were nothing short of amazing, super quick response, thanku!

@HannahGoldstone Thank you to @GMPWhitefield for making us feel safe at this difficult time for the Jewish community and our neighbours. @gmpolice

@RyanInglis180 A massive thank you to Manchester Royal Infirmary and @gmpolice for helping me in the early hours this morning #mentalhealthawareness

@ElisabethNeveux The lovely officers in Levy always pop by to make sure everything is alright! Thank you for that! It makes such a big difference.

@Kiyan_dog @gmpolice thanks to the call handler I spoke to and organised

@lewisnilesdaddy job well done #OpTrafalgar #cleaningupourstreets

Discussion Point—Hate Crime Hate Crime Awareness Week was held 26 January—1 February and GMP held a twitter chat about the subject. Here’s a public snapshot of what they thought.

@ERN_Malleyscrub @gmpolice Thanks for helping spread awareness and better ideas here on twitter. Hate crime is ignorant and pathetic. Keep up the good work.

@melly0802 @gmpolice I don’t accept the concept of HC: There’s hate and there’s crime. But conflating the two is Nu-Liebor nonsense.

@Sophie_charity @ashtonsixthform @gmpolice @ACCGarryShewan leading the way taking alternative hate crime so seriously. We are proud to work with you all.

@s928ster @gmpolice If hate crime results in actual physical injury, damage to property then yes a real crime. But offending someone, is this a crime?

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15

What’s On?

Love is in the air

What’s On?

AS many couples will have celebrated Valentine’s Day this month, Brief caught up with two couples who now work for GMP. Who says romance is dead!

Saturday 28 February

Stuart and Julie Ellison met as probationers while at Bruche in 1994.

Julie is now a Chief Inspector on the Salford Division and Stuart is Chief Superintendent for OCB.

Saturday 28 February Vampires Rock, Palace Theatre

Sunday 15 March

Send your caption suggestions to Brief@gmp.police.uk by Monday 6 April. The winner and the caption will be printed in the next edition.

Mother’s Day

Sunday 15 March Irish Festival Parade

Sarah and Adam Bradbury met after moving from the Salford Division to the Finance Branch 15 years ago. They have been married for almost 10 years and both still work in the Finance Branch.

Caption competition

Manchester United play Sunderland

Friday 6 ‐ Saturday 7 March

Monday 16—Saturday 21 March Blood Brothers at The Palace Theatre

The Script play Manchester Arena

Sunday 29 March Clocks go forward

Thursday 2 ‐ Saturday 28 March Prestwich Beer Festival

Friday 3 April Good Friday

Monday 6 April Easter Monday

Thursday 23 April Saint George’s Day

16

Community

New home for lost Torahs

By Dave Kynaston Information Services Branch

general manner and I was really glad we made this decision. When I spoke THE property store has its fair share to the Rabbi I discovered that a burial of unusual items. None more when four is needed for books if they are not Torah ‘holy’ books, from the Jewish suitable for use in the community.” community were brought into the Following a visit to Swinton, Rabbi Swinton property store as found Rubin studied them but could not find a property. trace of their owner. So the books were In Hebrew the word ‘Torah’ donated to a Jewish school within the means ‘to guide/teach’ and usually community. Not only do they have a there are five books to make up a religious significance but they also complete set. have a cost attached to them.

Items not claimed within 28 days Rabbi Rubin said: “I want to thank are usually disposed of, but Madeleine the property stores team at Swinton for Horsfall and Suzanne Risley, from taking such care of our Holy books. property stores decided to seek advice “So often, such items are just from the Force Chaplin who represents tossed aside, without a thought of their the Jewish community for GMP. importance or value. You cared, and in Suzanne explained: “It just didn’t these difficult times, such feel right to dispose of them in a thoughtfulness means a lot.

“I have given them over into the care of an open library for young scholars who will use them in the fashion they are meant to be.

“These particular volumes are specialist texts that deal with the Jewish religious laws as to pertaining to ritual law.

“I am certain these young students will gain a lot from having them available. Thank you again for your caring and Madeleine Horsfall (left) and Suzanne Risley understanding.” with the Torahs

Sean Kennedy (centre) with the cast of Stage Squad’s latest production ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’

A decade of treading the boards

By Melissa Mead, Corporate Communications A community theatre group is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this year.

Stage Squad was set up in 2005 by Sean Kennedy, who worked for GMP at the time.

Sean said: “Our first rehearsal was in February 2005. Theatre can be incredibly important in building people and presentation skills plus confidence, not to mention practical skills such as set building, painting and publicity.

“Of course – anyone is welcome to take part and there are also nonGMP members if you wanted to bring a friend. I write the performances with

individuals in mind so there's usually room for everyone! The Squad don't take themselves too seriously but we do have high standards and aim to produce as professional a show as possible.

“If you would like to join they please try to see one of our shows first, as Stage Squad is very different to the 'Am-dram' arena most would expect.

“If anyone is still interested, or if there isn’t a show coming up then they can contact me by email at stagesquad@hotmail.co.uk, via www.stagesquad.co.uk or the Stage Squad Facebook page.”

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Letters

Letters of Appreciation

Incredibly comforting In September 2013 my son was attacked in front of myself and my husband, at the front of our home.

DC Rachael Forsythe was involved in the investigation and subsequent arrest of the perpetrator of this crime and he was sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison with an extended sentence of 4 years.

We are sure that this level of justice would not have been served to him if it were not for the professionalism, diligence and commitment of your officer.

She is a true credit to Wigan police.

Anon

Professionalism and restraint Just a quick note to say how impressed I was with the officers (Mark Farrell, Steven Keppel, Andrew Wild, Martin Joy, Matt Browning, Aidan Thompson, Robyn Cater, Adrian Franks) who attended an incident at the Flying Horse Pub at midnight on New Year's Eve. Their professionalism and restraint whilst dealing with a

18

bunch of drunks was to be commended.

Alan Smith

Saved precious memories I would like to express how grateful we are to PC Scott Taylor and his colleagues (PC Ben Coombs and PC Gavin Johnson) regarding an incident on 24 January 2015.

The incident in question was in relation to a man who had stolen eight mobile phones from several victims inside a nightclub in Manchester.

One of those victims was my daughter. She made the mistake of leaving her mobile phone on the bar for a matter of seconds and in that time the phone was gone.

The phone was very valuable but more importantly to her, contained sentimental photos of her friends and family, some of which were of her brother’s recent visit from Australia.

It is to the credit of PC Taylor and his colleagues that they identified a possible suspect at the scene, carried out a search and recovered not only my daughter’s phone, but seven other

stolen phones.

The officers are a credit to the A Division and the Force in general.

Colleague in Wigan

Car accident I would like to say how helpful and supportive PC Hanson was after my car accident on 23 December.

PC Hanson kept me informed by regularly phoning and keeping me up to date with her investigations, which meant a lot to me at the time.

G. Pimlott

A cracking job PCSOs James Kendall and Kasif Saeed came to assist when a concerned neighbour reported that our back door had blown open.

They couldn’t have been more polite, or more helpful. It’s very easy to only remember bad experiences, so this is just a short note to say a heartfelt thanks to your colleagues, and everyone at GMP, who do a cracking job dayin, day-out, keeping us safe.

Dave O’Carroll

Reassuring response I had the need to phone 101 in the early hours of 15 December as I was not getting a response from my elderly father on the telephone.

I wish to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to Laura Moffatt, the call handler who dealt with my call. She listened to my concerns and assured me that it was an appropriate call to make.

Her calming and professional attitude on the phone was so reassuring, and she was very clear and articulate as to what actions were to be taken.

A little while later I phoned my father's house. PC Rob Shakespeare answered the phone. He remained very reassuring and calm in speaking to me. Whilst my father was clearly not well I felt reassured he was being appropriately managed, any questions I had were answered.

I would be very grateful if you would kindly pass on mine and my father's sincere thanks and appreciation to Laura and PC Rob Shakespeare for their kindness and empathy; professionalism; actions taken and support shown to both of us that night.

Amanda Jones

LOCAL community groups had the chance to bid for funding in a series of events across the Force last month.

A number of divisions held local participatory budgeting events with communities and partners around Greater Manchester. These were a chance for people to have a say on where government funding gets allocated in their own neighbourhoods.

Each event saw community members stand up to pitch their idea ‘Dragon’s Den’ style to receive some of the funding. The audience, made up of members of the public, then voted on which

ones they would like to see win.

The winners were then announced and presented with a cheque towards their local project which benefits the area.

In Tameside, over 100 people attended their event held in Droylsden called ‘Decision Day’.

Winners included the local food bank and the pub watch scheme.

Insp Terry Finn compered the event. He said: “It was a great day all-round. One of the best things about the day was the opportunity people had to network, not only for the police to expand their contacts in the locality but for local community groups to find out about

each other and share resources. A real sense of communal goodwill came out of it and moving forward we hope to make this an annual event.”

Meanwhile in Wigan an event was held for the Higher Folds community which was opened by Supt Jacqui Pendlebury and compered by Trevor Barton OBE. Trafford’s event was held in Partington and attracted over 150 attendees. Their pitches varied from football skills and martial arts performances to presentations.

Other events that took place around GMP included Bolton, South Manchester and Oldham.

INSPIRING A YOUNGER GENERATION: PC Chet Agraval said: “My lad goes to Lyndhurst Primary School in Oldham and one of his teachers asked me if I could give a talk to children about policing as part of their Careers and Aspirations Week.

With the help of PC Akram and PSCO Riley we were able to arrange a day with the children where I came in with my full PSU kit and a fully liveried carrier.”

Obituaries 

John Smith, 83, died 5 November



Michael Herriot, 73, died 9 November



M Thomas, 60, died 12 November



Trevor Dytor, 72, died 18 November



Robert Dunkerley, 83, died 19 November



Ernest Heaton, 84, died 20 November



Richard Rothwell, 85, died 25 November



David Towell, 72, died 29 November



George Jackson, 85, died 30 November



James Kerr, 85, died 10 December



Eric Clift, 78, died 17 December



Frederick Lewellin, 93, died 17 December



George Norrie, 73, died 17 December



Eric Abbott, 59, died 19 December



Peter Egan, 67, died 23 December



David Faulkner, 87, died 28 December



David Murphy, 55, died 1 January



Ernest Lomas, 87, died 3 January



Alan Ridings, 77, died 15 January

Community

You say, we pay

PC Agraval is pictured left with one of the pupils

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Community 20

The curious incident of the strange fatalities RADIO operator Phil Amatt has uncovered a fascinating story from 160 years ago of two police officers who died suddenly in unexplained circumstances.

Phil had been researching his family history when he came across the story. One of the deaths was witnessed by Richard Udale Amatt, one of Phil’s ancestral cousins.

The newspaper clipping dated 24 February 1855 describes the incidents as an ‘extraordinary fatality’ and goes on to explain a surprisingly detailed account of how Insp John Neaves and PC John Porter came to their fate on that day: “Mr Neaves, who appeared to have been in his usual state of health, had been in attendance at the city sessions the whole of the day, up to about five o’clock when he went into the police office and complained for being slightly unwell.

He then left to process to his residence in Great Jackson-street, Hulme, but on reaching

Gaythorn Bridge, Medlock Street, he fell down and immediately expired.

“About half-past six o’clock Porter went to with another officer, named Richard Amatt, into a beer store opposite the Court House, in Brown-street, and asked the latter if he believed the report of Neaver’s death.

“He then called for a cigar, and sat down beside Amatt, when, after smoking for two or three seconds he fell with his head against his companion, and at once expired.”

The Force Museum found

records of John Porter’s death and discovered that a gratuity payment of £30 had been made to John's widow — roughly six month’s salary at that time.

So was this just an unhappy coincidence or was something more sinister afoot? The mystery remains unsolved…

If you have any interesting stories from the archives, please don’t hesitate to contact Brief.

The GMP Museum is also happy to assist if you are trying to find more information about your own ancestors within the Force.

Back in the day: Manchester Peelers in the 1850s

Power to volunteers THE Force currently has more than 600 Special Constables, but did you know that of these, 72 are GMP employees?

The Force’s Employee Supported Policing policy (ESP) allows staff becoming Special constables to use eight hours of work time per month to police their communities.

GMP is one of more than 30 local businesses and organisations who have adopted the ESP policy to encourage their own staff to become a special constable.

ACC Garry Shewan said: “There are a whole host of organisations from a variety of backgrounds that help the Force by allowing their employees the time to perform hours of duty as special constables.

“The special constabulary plays a vital role in the police family. They help prevent crime and bring with them a variety of skill and experience that supports frontline officers. Our special constables help strengthen the links between police and the community and make a difference to people’s lives.”

For more information please email tina.shelton@gmp.police.uk.

Inspired to run are (L‐R): PC James Forshaw, PC Michelle Higgins and PC Jamie Croft

Battle of the Badges GMP officers will be taking on paramedics in a charity boxing match on Friday 29 March to help raise money for the Nicola Hughes Memorial Fund and MedEquip4Kids.

Representing GMP’s corner will be: Joe Burrows, Gemma Hines, Karl Darlington, Charlotte Tomkinson, Neil Ingham, Paul Evans, Adam Jackson, Daniel Le Cheminant, Ryan Kelly and Ashley Keyte.

For tickets please contact Ashley Keyte on mobile number 07788 565445.

Facebook : 999 Battle Of The Badges Twitter: @999Battle

THREE officers have taken on the challenge of a 10k run to help raise money for one PC's father, Steve Higgins.

PC Michelle Higgins was inspired to fundraise for the British Heart Foundation when her father was recently diagnosed with heart failure.

Sadly her grandma passed away as a

result of the same condition, which has further spurred her on to raise as much as possible for this worthy cause.

Michelle and two of her colleagues, PC James Forshaw and PC Jamie Croft, undertook the race on Sunday 1 February and have so far raised more than £500 for the charity.

If you would like to sponsor the officers, please visit https:// www.justgiving.com/Michelle-Higgins4

Sport

Fatherly inspiration

OUT FOR A SERIOUS RUN: THE Serious Crime Division has formed a running club following discussions around WellBeing and staff welfare.

Brooke Webster from the Economic Crime Unit has taken the lead and mapped out a number of routes around the Nexus House site capturing the needs of those who have signed up to the club.

Sessions include routes and exercise programmes that will suit beginners through to the more experienced runners.

The weekly sessions started this month and last for approximately 30 to 40 minutes.

If you would like to find out more about the days and times of the running club, please contact Brooke Webster in the Economic Crime Unit on extension 66565.

21

Snowed Under, Thursday 29 January When heavy snowfall fell across Greater Manchester, it may have only lasted a few days, but it caused significant disruption. Manchester Airport temporarily closed leaving passengers stranded, schools were shut and the slippery roads caused numerous accidents.

Still, it was business as usual for GMP’s many officers and staff. Picture by Chris Oldham.