Brief Christmas 2012 Edition

Christmas 2012 Edition

The The voice voice of of Greater Greater Manchester Manchester Police Police

In In this this issue... issue...

Review of the year GMP on iPhone New appraisal process

Cover feature: Santa lends a helping hand page 8

Regulars

Looking back at 2012 If the end of the year is a time for looking back over the past twelve months, then 2012 has been a very challenging time for the Force. The tragic loss of Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes still dominates our thoughts and we reflect on what their families will be going through as they contemplate their first Christmas without them. Sadly other colleagues lost their lives during the year and we also remember those who are battling against serious illness and the loved ones caring for them.

The past year has also seen constant change and upheaval, policing as usual in the media spotlight and a very high number of serious investigations and big events.

Every day as Chief Constable of GMP I am humbled by the professionalism and dedication of our staff, the way, despite the

dangers and frustrations of police work, they turn up every day to do their best to serve the public. There have been great examples of bravery, persistence and compassion, locking up serious dangerous offenders, gaining justice for victims and being alongside people at the worst moments of their lives.

I am conscious of the impact on staff of the pressures of work, shift systems, sudden changes to duty and working long hours and can only thank your families and loved ones for the support and forbearance they show as my own family shows.

We can draw strength from the support we have received from local people over the year and the way public confidence in GMP is growing.

I would like to thank all our staff for their great service during the year

and wish you a Happy Christmas whether you are working over the festive period or not. While there will be lots of people out there enjoying themselves, remember your colleagues will be out there protecting them.

There will be more challenges in 2013, more change, more difficult decisions but also many opportunities to serve the public, protect the vulnerable and disrupt criminality. I am confident that GMP is up to the task.

Sir Peter Fahy, Chief Constable

A message from the PCC

It is just over a month since I was elected as your Police and Crime Commissioner and I have spent time listening to the public and the police about their concerns for the safety of the communities they live and work in. I am beginning to define how my role can help tackle complex issues such as child sex exploitation and drug and alcohol problems.

I know serving police officers can’t fight crime alone which is why we need to develop strong partnerships with local community organisations, Councils, the NHS, voluntary organisations and the

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wider criminal justice sector, so we can drive down crime and build stronger, safer communities. But this is made more difficult against the backdrop of 20% cuts to the policing budget combined with local council cuts.

I’ve met with Police Federation and Unison representatives and I share concerns about the strain on Force resources as people expect to see more delivered for less.

The prospect of further disproportionate cuts to Greater Manchester is worrying and puts the safety of our communities at risk. I promised to speak up for the 2.5 million people across Greater Manchester and will continue to press the Home Secretary to deliver more in government.

Trust and confidence in the police is something I want to build on. I

witnessed the rollout of the new stop and search recording procedure which can contribute to this. I know all too well of individual experiences of stop and search and how its use has had a damaging impact in the past. We need to make sure that it’s being used in the right times and in the right way, to target criminals and keep our communities safe.

Along with the Chief Constable I want to see how we can improve the public service the police give to the community. I know there are many examples of the hard work and dedication of GMP officers and staff and this is something I want to make sure is replicated across the Force so we can all be confident our communities are getting the police service they deserve.

Tony Lloyd, Police & Crime Commissioner

Features

Design by Carys Rae Evans age 7

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Design by Benjamin Ross age 3

Features

Grace’s greeting gets top prize SEVEN year old Grace Wightman­Love is the winner of this year’s Force Christmas card competition.

Grace, the daughter of PC Steve Wightman­Love, from Bury Division was the overall winner of the competition with her great design representing this year’s theme ‘How the police use technology.’

The card will be made into an e­card and sent out as the Force’s official Christmas card.

Winners of the other age categories in the competition were Pheobe Ross aged 10 who won the 8­10 category and Emily Ross aged 13 who won the 11­14 category.

Here are some of the other fabulous entries we received…

Runners up in the design-a-Christmas card competition were Pheobe Ross aged 10 who won the 8-10 category (pictured top) and Emily Ross age 13 who won the 11—14 category (pictured left)

Design by Harry Jackson age 6

Design by Ria Howard age 5

Design by Ethan James Evans age 9

Brief Christmas 2012 Edition

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Features

A very busy year in GMP December ‘11

June ‘12

April‘12

SHAW EXPLOSION A suspected gas explosion destroyed homes in Shaw killing two year-old Jamie Heaton.

MANCHESTER DERBY: The eyes of the world were on Manchester as Manchester MURDER OF ANUJ BIDVE: Indian student

City and Manchester United fought for the

Anuj Bidve was murdered on Ordsall Lane

Premier League title in the biggest

in Salford in the early hours of boxing day

football derby ever . A TV audience of 650

morning. Anuj had been visiting the city

million watched the game worldwide. The

with a group of friends when he was shot.

match involved a meticulously planned

Kiaran Stapleton was convicted of his

policing operation.

murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in July 2012.

May ’12 March ’12

OPERATION SPAN: Nine men were convicted as part GMPs largest ever investigation into child sexual VISIT FROM HRH THE QUEEN: The Queen

exploitation.

and Prince Philip visited Manchester as part of her Jubilee tour.

The inquiry led by GMP's Public Protection Division, assisted by the Major Incident Team and Rochdale division, focused on allegations that five teenage girls in Rochdale were sexually exploited over a period of time by a group of 11 men.

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Features

July ‘12

LONDON 2012: GMP officers and staff played a massive part in London 2012, an event which involved the biggest policing operation in British history. Prior to the games officers were involved in making sure the Olympic flame passed safely through the region.

Nine football matches were played at Old Trafford including the women’s semi-final, and a number of GMP officers were deployed to London to help with the policing of the games in the capital.

CHRISTOPHER BRAHNEY: Twenty-two year old Christopher Brahney went missing following a Stone Roses concert in Heaton Park. His body was discovered a week later in the river Irwell at Salford Quays following a huge police search.

September ‘12 October ‘12

OPERATION PROTECTOR: The Labour party visited Manchester this year for their annual party conference.

DEATHS OF NICOLA AND FIONA: Greater Manchester Police mourned the loss of colleagues Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone who were murdered as they attended a routine call in Hattersley.

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Features

Father Christmas lends a helping hand

FATHER Christmas and friends joined forces to help make sure the people of Manchester have a safe and enjoyable Christmas this year.

The goose that lay the golden egg, a pantomime dame, a burglar, a

Peeler and even Pippa the Panda have all joined Father Christmas to take part in an online advent calendar.

Behind each door of the calendar is a specially­filmed video clip featuring a range of advice about personal safety, metal theft and home security.

Deputy Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said: “Christmas is a busy time for all of us. But it’s also a very busy time for our criminals, who are out shopping for Christmas too.

“We hope that people will log on to and join in with the spirit of the

festive season as well as taking away some practical crime prevention advice by being extra vigilant and not allowing others to spoil it for them.”

The online calendar is part of Operation Advent, which is GMP’s response to tackling the potential spikes in crime in the run up to Christmas.

Special thanks for the calendar: Chris Burton (ERP), PCSO Tony Seal, Special Inspector Claire Williams, Inspector John Armfield and PCs Geoff Taylor and Craig Dickinson who all donated their time and acting skills. Thanks also go to Housing Units of Hollinwood and John Lewis Cheadle.

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Features

Stop and search changes A new stop and search recording procedure has been rolled out across Greater Manchester.

The new process is designed to reduce bureaucracy, improve officer safety and improve accountability to local communities in the use of stop and search.

Officers no longer need to fill out a long form and instead record a stop and search encounter via their radio.

Officers are required to use the new Airwave stop and search recording system instead of using paper­based stop and search form 805.

Deputy Chief Constable, Ian Hopkins said: “Stop and search is a powerful tool in the fight against crime and it is important that we make sure we use this power proportionately to make sure we give people the reassurance that it is not being abused.

“The system has been piloted in

Bolton, Wigan and Trafford before rolling it out across the Force. It has proved to be much quicker and less intrusive for members of the public.

“The fact that the radio automatically records time, date, location and other information means less bureaucracy and allows

our officers more time to be out and about keeping our communities safe.

“The technology also allows us to closely monitor and ensure that officers are using the power to stop and search to combat crime effectively by being in the right place, at the right time.”

To find out more about the new procedure visit the Stop and Search pages on the Intranet.

Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd pictured with Simon Collister of Trafford Division at the launch of the new stop and search procedure

Professional policing POLICE forces have a new national organisation that is committed to strengthening professionalism in policing.

The new ‘College of Policing’ will ensure that all police officers and staff across England and Wales have the right knowledge and skills to fight crime and protect the public.

Committed to delivering more efficient operations and services, the College will also be an authoritative voice for policing in the national landscape, continually reviewing how it supports police forces to fight crime.

The College of Policing will: Protect the public interest: by promoting the values of effective policing, learning from and supporting improvement in policing as well as maintaining ethics and values.

Set and enhance first­class national standards of professionalism to ensure excellence in operational policing: by developing a set of nationally agreed standards for officers and staff to attain, providing frameworks for standards to be tested and achievement rewarded and by supporting national business areas.

Support the education and professional development of police officers and staff: by developing and maintaining the national police curriculum, assessment and accreditation frameworks, delivery of leadership and specialist training, accrediting and quality assuring training providers, developing future leaders and expertise through effective talent management.

Identify evidence of what works in policing and share best practice: by providing access to a body of knowledge that is informed by evidence­based research and best practice, continuing to develop an understanding of the evolving threats to public safety and enable the service to retain the capabilities needed.

Enable and motivate staff and partners to work together to achieve a shared purpose: by working with partners to make the best use of specialist knowledge, supporting desired behaviours and actions that embody the service’s values and by ensuring interoperability with partners and other sectors. You can learn more about the College of Policing by visiting its website at www.college.police.uk Brief Christmas 2012 Edition

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Features

Watching the

Seeking Excellence THE Chief Constable’s Excellence Awards is moving from a cold winter’s night in February to a warm summer’s evening in June. The fully sponsored ceremony will be held at Manchester Town Hall and three finalist for each category will be invited.

The categories have been reviewed and nominations are now open.

Closing date is Monday 28 January 2013.Anyone within GMP can submit a nomination.

The full criteria and forms can be located on the Rewards and Recognition page on the intranet or please contact the Awards Team at awards.­ team@gmp.police.uk New

Returning

Police Officer of the Year

Police Staff Employee of the Year

Open to all police officers, regardless of role or rank

Outstanding Team Performance

Volunteer of the Year Open to all Special Constabulary officers and police support volunteers

Outstanding Leadership Partnership Working Bravery Award

Lifetime Achievement Open to all officers, staff and volunteers in GMP Police Public Bravery Awards 2012

THE Chief Constable recognises members of the public for bravery both at local ceremonies and nationally. The Police Public Bravery Awards are now open for nominations. Forms are on the intranet or contact Sarah Wilcox­ Standring for further information. Deadline: Monday 14 January 2013.

Detectives DETECTIVES from the North West Counter Terrorist Unit won the prestigious Detective Investigation of the Year award at the Police Federation National Detective Forum in October.

The outstanding team, led by DCI Julian Richardson, were recognised for their success on Operation Munda.

Covert officers infiltrated a gang of extremists who were recruiting vulnerable people in Manchester.

Their dedication was rewarded when jail sentences were passed down to three men, including four life sentences for the ringleader.

The team have also received global recognition from the FBI and the SAS, who thanked them for saving the lives of British troops fighting overseas.

Also recognised was Detective Constable Marie Palak, who won the Student Detective Award after scoring an incredible 97% in her exams.

Commendation Corner · A team who investigated a vicious assault in South Manchester also received a Commendation for their work. Ins Terry Crompton, Sgt Ian Shore and Constables Gary McCarthy, Andrew Middleton, Michael O’Connor with other officers showed great investigative skill in bringing three individuals to justice and reassuring the community surrounding the university. · Just before flying out to reprise his

role in the forces, Con Jaymes Smirthwaite (below left) was awarded a High Commendation for bravery when saving a woman from jumping from a tower block in Rochdale. · Ch Ins Chris Allsop and Ins Clare Devlin have been awarded a Commendation for their resilience and professionalism in attending four serious incidents over one night in their role as force negotiators. · The Mayor of Oldham, Councillor Owen Chadderton, was particularly moved when officers involved with the Shaw explosion were recognised for their efforts. · Ins James Troisi was presented with a Commendation for his outstanding leadership in directing the immediate response after the explosion.

Constable Jaymes Smirthwaite

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Constable James Coupland

· At Manchester Town Hall PC James Coupland (above) received a Commendation and PC Richard Hayes was presented with a First Aid Award. · Five officers were then presented with High Commendations for their bravery in evacuating the collapsing buildings. Sgt Michael Schofield and Constables Nicolas Coan, Paul Darlington, Damieon Pickles and Dorne Smith were all the first on the scene and put their own lives at risk while they searched for survivors in the most dangerous of situations.

Features

Special Recognition nominations for his Citizen Focus of the Year award and this year, the award went to Constable Marcus Haigh from Plant Hill.

The community know they can rely on him to proactively seek solutions to the problems they discuss with him. His ability to integrate into any environment has earned him great respect from residents, victims, offenders, partners and colleagues.

The Bill Turner Trophy is awarded to the most promising student officer of the year and this year’s winner has accomplished outstanding results.

Constable Rachael McNally has a full time career with the NHS, is a single mum of two young girls and still manages to parade on at least twice a week. Her boundless energy has seen her eradicating antisocial behaviour on trams and scouring CCTV for metal thieves. With only one year in service she has already encouraged Specials recruitment with her full time employer and will

Temporary Sergeant Melanie Bowling, Winner of the Special

Constabulary Officer of the Year and Bury Officer of the Year

THE outstanding commitment of our Special Constabulary officers was recognised at their Gala Awards ceremony at Sedgley Park on Sunday 25 November.

One hundred percent commitment and passion were the right ingredients to secure the much coveted Special Constabulary Officer of the Year trophy. Temporary Sergeant Melanie Bowling, also the winner of the Bury Divisional Officer of the Year, has dedicated over 800 hours in the past year to disrupting the criminal element in Bury and her results have surpassed all expectations. Her leadership skills were quickly recognised and it is little wonder that she was accepted into the recent recruitment drive for regulars.

Chief Officer Paul Whittam was impressed with the quality of the

certainly be one to watch.

Safe travel on public transport is a right all citizens of Greater Manchester should expect. The winners of the Major Ormiston Trophy for Outstanding Team Performance are making sure that this expectation is met. Working in pairs, they follow the busiest routes through some of the region’s most deprived areas to make improvements to the safety of public transport. The team consist of: · Sergeant Steven Delaney · Temporary Sergeant Lee Tatton · Constable Adam Chatterton · Constable Paul Edwards · Constable Jan Guzej · Constable Graeme McKie · Constable Douglas Mulliner · Constable Jonathan Poyntz · Constable Daniel Waller Highly Commended for Outstanding Team Performance were Chief Inspector Lorraine Billingham, Inspector Claire Williams and Constable Amy Barrett, for organising Special Constabulary support for the Olympic policing operation.

Divisional Winners · North Manchester Division, Sergeant Leon Boland · South Manchester Division, Constable Edward Frazer · Salford Division, Sergeant Craig Winstanley · Tameside Division, Constable Amanda Burrows · Stockport Division, Sergeant Rashid Zafer · Trafford Division, Chief Inspector Lorraine Billingham · Bury Division, Temporary Sergeant Melanie Bowling · Rochdale Division, Sergeant Jennie Smith and Constable Anthony Conroy · Oldham Division, Temporary Inspector Jared Simpson · Specialist Operations Branch, Inspector David Hough

Constable Rachael McNally, Student Officer of the Year with her nominator Sergeant Craig Roberts from the Salford Division

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Features

World success from Trafford

THE success of 'Predictive Mapping' techniques in Trafford earned them second place at the international Herman Goldstein awards for problem orientated

policing.

Held on Long Island, New York, Ch Supt Mark Roberts, Insp Vinnie Jones and Intelligence Analyst Matt Fielding presented their submission to a panel of judges after being shortlisted to the final six.

Their incredible reductions in burglary and car crime won praise from problem solving ‘experts’ as

well as sparking great interest from police forces in this country and from around the world.

With a 1.5 per cent chance of being a repeat victim in Trafford compared to 15 per cent in the rest of the country, Ch Supt Mark Roberts said: "It was a great honour to be recognised and receive such an internationally renowned award and it was a fantastic opportunity to be able to discuss our work with Professor Goldstein.

“While we would have loved to win, we are very proud to have made such massive reductions in crime in Trafford.

“The Australian team won in the end but we are glad to have lost to the Aussies as they needed a win for a change."

Checking foreign criminal records POLICE officers are being urged to check the criminal records of the tens of thousands of foreign criminals who commit crimes in the UK every year.

In 2011 more than 6700 foreign nationals were arrested in GMP but only around 220 requests for foreign conviction information were submitted to the ACPO Criminal Records Office (ACRO).

Figures show that while it costs forces nothing to make a request many officers are still not asking for foreign conviction information as part of their routine investigations.

Det Sgt Paul Walsh from the ISD International Liaison Desk said: "It is clear that officers should be making such checks routinely when they are investigating crime involving foreign nationals. Even minor offences in the UK might lead to the disclosure of much more serious offences elsewhere.”

Once an officer has captured this

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data, a request should be submitted to ACRO via a standard form. This form can be downloaded via Force Forms on the Intranet and is called the International Criminal Exchange form.

Det Sgt Walsh added: "There are numerous examples here in GMP where officers have requested foreign national convictions from overseas and found that the person they are dealing with as a defendant, suspect, victim or witness has quite a chequered past.

“If people can move freely between countries then why can't their criminal history move with them?

“In one case a Polish National was arrested for a minor domestic assault. Checks for his previous convictions were undertaken by the staff and they were contacted almost immediately by ACRO to inform them that the male was wanted on a Polish European Arrest Warrant for

an offence for murder. After the suspect was told that he was wanted on this warrant he made significant statements.”

The ability to obtain foreign conviction information ensures that criminals who travel from country to country committing crimes cannot do so without their previous convictions coming to light.

If foreign conviction checks reveal that a subject is wanted in another country, they may be liable for extradition.

By removing dangerous offenders from the country, police and the UK Border Agency officers are able to reduce the risk they pose to the UK public by preventing further offending.

Further guidance on this process can be found on chief Constable's orders 2011/13 or by contacting the Investigative Support Division's International Liaison Desk on extension 66440, 66729 or 60113.

Features

PMIT 2 goes live in North Manchester

THE second phase of Policing Model has now launched on the North Manchester Division.

Neighbourhood and investigation teams are working together as integrated neighbourhood teams (INPTs) to solve long term problems in communities, tackle those offenders that cause the most harm and protect those that are most vulnerable.

Previously in North Manchester there were seven neighbourhood areas which made up the division, these have now merged to form three INPTs ­ North, City Centre and East. The changes have brought police boundaries in line with those used by Manchester City Council.

Since its launch in November the second phase of the policing model has already had a positive impact on the division. Neighbourhood and investigation teams are now working jointly sharing knowledge, expertise and experience to reduce crime, demand and reoffending. They also work more closely with local partners.

Detectives who used to work in

separate CID units before the restructure now work within neighbourhood teams, meaning more specialist officers are available to investigate local crime. The role of PCSOs has also been expanded to include some investigation work.

Each INPT consists of a Superintendent, a Chief Inspector, Inspectors, Sergeants, Constables, PCSOs and Detectives.

Ch Supt Russ Jackson said: 'We launched on 12 November and I guess it’s fair to say the first few weeks were a bit hard.

“This was especially the case for first and second line supervision and the detective teams. Crucial to the INPT's have been the development teams and again the pressure especially in the first weeks was on them.

“Some weeks on the teething issues are getting ironed out and I am incredibly proud of the can do attitude of my colleagues.

“We now need to continue to review this and tweak things, it’s about listening to each other and constantly refining things.“

A caring three­year­old boy who sent a get well card when PC Nicola Hughes and PC Fiona Bone were murdered has been treated by officers from Sussex Police.

Dylan Austin from Tarring, Sussex sent a card to the officers after his mother heard the terrible news on the television. He received a thank you letter from Sir Peter Fahy and was also treated to a ride in a police car as a reward for his kindness.

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Regulars

Divisional Roundup North Manchester

South Manchester

The Division has launched its new divisional restructure. The six neighbourhood areas that used to make up the division were merged into three areas: North, City Centre and East.

This brings the police boundaries in line with those used by Manchester City Council. The achievements of officers and staff (pictured below) were recognised in an awards ceremony at Manchester Town Hall. Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy presented officers and staff with 17 medals and certificates for long service and outstanding work.

· The Division held its second Eid­ul­ Adha policing operation as thousands of visitors celebrated the Muslim religious holiday. The Division worked with the support of the Rusholme Traders Association, the Council of Mosques and Manchester City Council to ensure safe and trouble­free celebrations.

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Pippa the Panda and volunteers from the

· As part of a campaign to highlight the importance of home security, the Student Safe team (pictured above) recreated a mock living room. Furnished to reflect modern­ day untidy living, it was displayed at the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University, home to nearly 100,000 students.

Spotlight on

Rochdale’s Blue Box at the Wheatsheaf Shopping will be a base for officers over the busy Christmas they can keep themselves and their property safe.

Trafford

Oldham Drugs valued at nearly £1.5million we recovered by officers from Oldham and Cleveland Police following raids to seize class A substances destined for the streets of Teeside.

The raids included searches in properties in Failsworth. Two people were arrested and 11.5 kilos of drugs believed to be heroin, along with a quantity of cocaine recovered.

Darren McCann, aged 39 from Rockcliffe Villa was given a two­year conditional discharge and a two­year Criminal Anti­Social Behaviour (CRASBO) order after pleading guilty to begging and theft by finding before Oldham Magistrates Court.

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Wigan Police in Wigan embraced the Harvest season and teamed up with Asda and Premier Foods (Hovis) to support those in need.

Together they secured free food for ‘Community In Action’ who operate food banks across the borough.

A total 21 drivers were stopped by pupils at St Hughes RC School as part of an operation to stop speeding motorists.

The initiative was organised by PCSO Barbara Smith from the Altrincham Neighbourhood Policing Team.

All of the drivers stopped elected to be spoken to by the pupils from the school apart from one person who was issued with a summons for speeding.

Regulars

Tameside · More than 2,500 children from 71 schools in Tameside took part in the safety workshop, Crucial Crew 2012. The multi­agency safety event aimed at 10 to 11­year­olds was designed to provide children with vital life skills and safety advice. GMP’s workshop featured an elderly and disabled person who had been the victim of antisocial behaviour.

e GMP museum open Rochdale’s Blue Box

n Rochdale

Centre has opened. The town centre ‘cop shop’ period, providing shoppers with advice on how

Bolton The Division’s hardworking officers and staff were awarded for going above and beyond the call of duty during an awards ceremony last month. Community members in Bolton and Salford were invited to a presentation on organised crime in their area.

The event at Farnworth and Kearsley Labour Club was an opportunity for local teams to speak to the community on recent police activity in their area, including a recent organised crime initiative Operation Skyhawk.

· Residents involved in Home Watch schemes across Tameside were awarded for their commitment and dedication to the community at an awards ceremony organised by the Division and Tameside Home Watch Association.

Bury Pupils at Whitefield Primary School have planted trees to make their very own forest thanks to funding from the police High Sheriff Trust.

The 61 trees were planted with the help of 23 pupils from year five and six at the school supported by PCSO Steve McNee and PC Christopher Linton from the Prestwich and Whitefield Neighbourhood Policing Team.

Salford · The Salford East Neighbourhood Policing Team Police seized over 300 cannabis plants with a street value of approximately £100,000.

· Pupils from Irlam Primary School joined the South Neighbourhood Policing Team to tackle vehicle crime. The group of Junior PCSOs (pictured above) issued out crime prevention leaflets to vehicle windscreens to alert motorists on the importance of securing their vehicles and removing valuables from their cars.

Stockport The Stockport Central Neighbourhood Policing Team has moved to Fred Perry House in Stockport. Officers can now work more closely with Stockport Council on issues such as crime and antisocial behaviour. The Neighbourhood Policing Team will continue to patrol the area, engage with residents and be a part of the community they serve.

Officers found two cannabis farms in the space of two days. The first was found at a home on Warwick Court in Heaton Moor following a police warrant.

Three tents of cannabis were found worth about £20,000 along with a small quantity of suspected cocaine.

Two people were arrested. The second warrant was carried out at Meadow Mill, Water Street where £6,500 worth of cannabis was found.

A 51­year­old man was arrested.

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Features

GMP is continuing to embrace new technology with the launch of two apps.

The GMP Museum app offers museum­goers an audio guide to accompany them on their visit to the museum. It is fronted by the actor Chris Bisson who plays Jai Sharma in Emmerdale.

Chris is a keen ambassador for the museum and has offered his time and voice for free. Visitors to the museum can now download the app for free and explore the history of policing through facts, figures and quirky anecdotes in their own time. There is also a historic mugshot camera that allows users to take vintage looking photos of their friends.

The museum app has been produced for free by Sam Shupac, a freelance web and mobile designer based in Manchester.

Chris Bisson said: “The GMP Museum is one of Manchester’s hidden gems and I’m delighted to support their latest venture.

“Voicing the app was great fun to

Great app-ortunities for GMP Student Safety Zone.

Kevin Hoy, GMP’s Web Unit Manager said: “The GM Police app is the first of its kind and uses the latest mapping technology to enable people to find out about policing where they are.

“Whether they want to find out when their nearest police station is open, see when the next neighbourhood policing is or view GMP’s most wanted, they can do it all in one handy app.”

To download GMP’s apps, visit the app store and search for ‘GMP Museum’ and ‘GM Police’. The apps are only available on Apple devices at the moment but Android versions will be available soon.

Developer Sam Shupac (left), Museum Curator Duncan Broady (centre) and actor Chris Bisson (right) show off the app.

do and I hope visitors to the museum will find it as informative as I did when putting it together.”

Meanwhile, the GM Police app offers the public of Manchester another way of accessing police services.

Using location services, it directs users to their nearest police station and neighbourhood policing team.

Residents can also find out what meetings are taking place and see what priorities police are tackling.

The app also enables users to view missing people, wanted appeals and find their nearest

Step back in time FORMER Chief Constable Sir James Anderton (pictured right) paid a special visit to the GMP museum as part of the ‘Heritage Week’ programme of events.

Sir James who turned 80 in May, used to work in the charge office at Newton Street when the building was a working police station.

He said: “I’ve had a marvellous day out with my wife who has never seen the museum.

“I used to work here as a sergeant and recall sitting behind the desk of the Charge Office.

“The museum is the jewel in the

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crown for GMP as it allows people to learn not just about the history of policing in Manchester but policing in general.

“The volunteers are excellent.

They did have to remind me of a few things that I had forgotten about since I served as Chief Constable 21 years ago”.

Sir James also had a special message for all GMP’s officers and staff.

“I wish you all well, you belong to one of the finest police forces in the UK.”

Great news! The museum has scored 100% in the latest round of mystery shoppers, formed as part of the Fabric of Manchester collaborative partnership, comments included 'small and user -friendly' and 'staff/volunteers friendly but not intrusive'

Features

Justice for Nellie The murder of Nellie Geraghty shocked Manchester. Her killer has finally been jailed.

By Asmar Chaudhry MANCHESTER’S most senior judge praised the detectives whose investigation into an attack on an elderly widow led to a murder conviction.

79­year­old Nellie Geraghty had been badly assaulted, robbed of her handbag and left lying face down in an alleyway in Shaw in November last year.

Nellie had walked less than 100 yards from her front door when she was attacked. Her handbag had been wrenched from her but she fought hard to hold onto it because it contained the ashes of her late husband. A short time after the attack Nellie was found by passersby, she was deeply unconscious, with a number of head injuries, still clutching the broken strap of her handbag.

After the jury had found Mark Royle guilty of murder and robbery, His Honour Judge Andrew Gilbart QC singled out the efforts of ‘Syndicate Four’ from the Major Incident Team, stating that the case had been investigated with 'great professionalism'.

The team, led by Det Ch Insp Joanne Rawlinson, was faced with a number of challenges in this case including the strength of public feeling and the wider general public who all sought to assist the police to bring Nellie's killer to justice.

“This was not a case where there was a clear line of inquiry that automatically led us to Mark Royle,” said DCI Rawlinson. “There were no witnesses who saw what happened, there was no CCTV covering the scene and there was no forensic

evidence. Furthermore, Nellie was too badly hurt to give us her account and never regained consciousness.”

It was from the examination of footage from the surrounding area, both before and after the attack on Nellie, that a male, later identified as Mark Royle, who was circling the streets on his mountain bike, came of interest to the investigation.

At the time of Nellie’s death there was insufficient evidence to charge Royle but following some skilful detective work the team identified further witnesses who had not been spoken to. It was discovered that Royle had returned to an address in Shaw following the attack, with a large quantity of cash.

Whilst at this address he changed his clothing, made a call to his drug dealer and went to 'score' drugs.

A new sighting of Royle was discovered at Dunwood Park, where he had been spotted on the footpath at the side of the River Beale, a significant distance from the scene of the attack on Nellie. After days and days of searching this river the underwater search team located a Boots Advantage Card belonging to Nellie and a handbag that was later scientifically proven to be the bag that had been taken from Nellie.

Unfortunately the ashes were never found.

Syndicate Four then turned their attention to obtaining every piece of evidence possible to show that Nellie had been murdered by Mark Royle.

With the assistance of a number of experts it was shown that Royle had used substantial force against Nellie, causing serious head injuries and internal injuries. Nellie also suffered a heart attack as a result of

the assault.

After a ten day trial, the jury unanimously found Royle guilty of murder and robbery and he was jailed for life with a minimum term of 28 years.

Det Ch Insp Rawlinson added: "This was a fantastic result due to the outstanding work of the team who worked tirelessly on this lengthy enquiry. They had the task of following all of the many hundred lines of enquiry that followed the overwhelming public response, including the Crimewatch appeal.

“They spent hours examining CCTV in order to paint a picture that was eventually able to prove to a jury beyond all reasonable doubt, that Mark Royle was the person responsible for Nellie’s death.

“I am extremely proud of what the team have achieved, and most importantly, that we brought justice for Mrs Geraghty's family."

The prosecution team ­ Peter Wright QC, Andrew Nuttall, and Mr Simon Nelson, HM Coroner echoed the comments of His Honour Judge Gilbart and praised the depth of the investigation, the attention to detail and the way in which the case was presented.

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Features

Right people, right place, right time The Duty Management System allows GMP to better manage resources, explains John Mullery

THE Force has introduced a new duty management system that will improve the way it manages its resources.

Last month, Salford and Oldham divisions launched the new Duty Management System (DMS).

All police officers and police staff at these two divisions are now actively booking on and off DMS every day via an automated telephone line. This provides the division with a clear picture of who is on duty and the key skills they possess.

Project lead Superintendent Graeme Openshaw said: “DMS has been over 12 months in the planning and is one of the largest IT and business change projects that the Force has ever undertaken.

“I’m really pleased with how we

have been able to deliver a product that will make us more effective operationally and also more efficient.

“As with any large project it has been a challenge ensuring that DMS works effectively and we have learned a lot from the recent roll­out to Salford and Oldham divisions.”

The introduction of DMS will also see the removal of traditional paper based systems such as annual leave, sickness management, time recording and overtime payments.

It also links into GMPICs so that radio operators in the Operational Communications Branch will have an accurate view of deployable resources.

The transfer of information from Force systems and local planning systems has been a major part of the roll­out.

THE Force has expanded its range of social media sites to include Pinterest.

Reported as the fastest­growing social media site in history, Pinterest allows users to view members content ­ photographs, videos and other visual ­ comment on them, like them or ‘pin’ them to their own boards.

GMP’s Pinterest site was launched in September and has already become the most followed of any UK police forces social media sites.

The development of our Pinterest site builds upon the Force’s success on Flickr and YouTube and offers new ways to communicate the message about all the good work from across the Force.

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Supt Openshaw said: “The switchover has not been easy because of the level of detail required however it is this information that makes DMS so effective as a planning tool.”

The Demand Unit at Salford are getting to grips with the new system.

Chief Inspector Mark Kenny said: “Salford is a very busy division and we are constantly required to resource operations often at short notice.

“DMS allows us to see who is available now and in the future much more easily and will enable us to do our job far more effectively.”

ACO Lynne Potts, who has overall responsibility said: “DMS is an important part of the Change Programme and is something we have needed operationally for a long time. It reduces a large amount of unnecessary bureaucracy which we can ill­afford and I am really pleased that it is now working operationally.”

DMS will roll­out to the North Manchester Division in February next year and then roll­out across the rest of GMP over the next 12 months.

Features

Crime crackdown

By Stefan Jarmolowicz A multi­agency operation to tackle organised crime groups has been unveiled to target criminal networks who cause misery and hardship to communities across Greater Manchester.

Bringing together a wide variety of local and national agencies, the team will investigate every area of a criminal's life ­ such as their business interests, properties, benefits, associates as well as their involvement in drug dealing and smuggling firearms to identify illegal activity.

Agencies will then be able to use their powers to make it difficult for these criminals to operate, which could include arrests, freezing their assets, evicting them from their homes, seizing their cars or stopping their benefits.

Based on the third floor of GMP's Central Park headquarters, this Fusion Hub brings officers from the Force and representatives from partner agencies under one roof.

Chief Superintendent Jon Rush THE use of Flickr to show off images produced by the Force's photographers continues to grow.

Since its launch in late 2009 the Force’s site on the image­based social media network Flickr has received more the 3.25 million hits.

The site that is managed by the Corporate Communications Branch has seen continual growth since its launch and now regularly sees more than 10 thousand image views per day.

Chris Oldham, Head of Corporate & Media Imaging said: “The image is perhaps the most immediate and powerful form of communication.

Flickr has given us the opportunity to maximise the value of latest images and to utilise our extensive archives in a new way.

“The continuing development of social media presents increasing

heads up the multi­agency operation, having left his post as Divisional Commander at Bury.

Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy said: "Organised crime groups can have an insidious effect on our communities, creating a culture of fear and intimidation and making people's lives a misery.

"Time and time again, agencies are dealing with the same people from the same families which is both a huge drain on resources and the public purse. We all need to work together rather than in silos to really tackle these problems.”

The multi­agency operation will build on work in Salford where high impact raids, the innovative use of gang injunctions combined with a focus on neighbourhood policing to encourage residents to work with police.

Lasting change is the aim of the operation, which has the support of the Home Office and is being piloted in Tameside and North Manchester with a view to rolling it out across Greater Manchester.

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Heywood, GMP’s Gold Commander for the operation, added: "This is not about cutting off the arm of an OCG, but dismantling it piece by piece, member by member.

"If you want to bring down the so­ called 'Mr Bigs', you need to strip away their empire. And when you start to pull on the threads of what appears to be minor offences, the whole empire begins to unravel.”

"By working so closely in partnership, agencies can share information about every aspect of these people's lives and together we will take decisive and permanent action to stop them causing misery in our communities."

The long­term aim of the operation is to change people's attitudes towards the acceptance and existence of organised crime groups and discourage youngsters from slipping into this lifestyle.

Since May, the multi­agency team has already arrested more than 70 people, executed more than 60 warrants at homes and business premises and seized thousands of pounds worth of cash and drugs.

The power of pictures opportunities for the Force to communicate directly with the public and images play a major role in this.”

The site allows GMP to use the images produced by the Force’s photographers – usually intended for release to traditional media – to reach a new and expanding audience on­line. It also allows the Force the chance to show off some of the fabulous historic images from the archives of the Force Museum.

The site provides a ready supply of images that can be used on other social media platforms such as Twitter. The images ­ arranged in themes ­ can be attached to tweets to illustrate any relevant policing issues, such as burglary, robbery or drink­driving. This allows officers to

make their messages more visual and dynamic.

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Features

Twitter catches up with ‘artist’

A graffiti artist has apologised to victims after artwork was recognised on Twitter—by his Dad. In October, Sale residents woke up to the word ‘nueve’ sprayed from

Senior women in policing LAST month ‘Senior Women in Policing’ held a charity evening at Force Headquarters to mark the launch of the new network for all senior female officers and police staff.

The charity dinner was opened by ACC Dawn Copley who spoke about the launch of the network which now has an elected committee chaired by Supt Serena Kennedy.

the town centre towards Sale West.

From phone boxes, streets signs, estate agent boards and trees, in total the bright purple paint seemed to go on and on.

In fact Sgt Scott Byers from the Sale Neighbourhood Policing Team took over 80 pictures.

On returning to the office, PCSO Becky Fox picked a couple of the pictures and posted them on Twitter

Chief Constable Justine Curran of Tayside Police previously worked for GMP. She talked about her career as a female officer and about the qualities and skills she feels that she has brought to her different roles.

Retired Ch Supt Jane Antrobus and star of hit TV series ‘Crime Stories’ shared some of her stories throughout her 30­year career and the positive changes she had seen for women in the organisation.

The event raised over £1,000 for Macmillan Nurses and the British Heart Foundation.

Angels of the Village VILLAGE Angels reached the finals of the ‘Be Proud Awards’ run by Manchester City Council.

A voluntary group, the Village Angels were nominated by the Village Neighbourhood Team from the North Manchester Division for the support they provide to the police on Friday and Saturday evenings.

PCSO Lisa Brookes (pictured middle) said: “They help us look after vulnerable people and this enables us to patrol and deal with other incidents around the village area.

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Brief Christmas 2012 Edition

along with a message asking for information.

Sgt Byers said: “A short time later a very embarrassed sounding person rang claiming to have done the artistic act.

“He admitted being very drunk and had thought it was a good idea on his way home from the pub.

“It transpires that his dad saw the tweet and recognised the ‘tag’ as he had put the same artwork on his school books.”

After apologising to his victims he hired a pressure washer and spent the following week scrubbing all traces of the paint.

He also received a Restorative Justice disposal on the wishes of the community.

Ch Insp Sarah Jones and Supt Serena Kennedy

Features

An outstanding customer service SUPPORTING the Force to deliver excellent customer service is a top priority for the Neighbourhoods, Confidence and Equality team.

With the highest ever customer satisfaction rating (85 per cent) so far this year, the team are determined to build on that success.

Sergeant Russell Magnall who is responsible for the Customer Service team said: “This result is great news and is a reflection of the hard work that takes place day in day out across the Force.”

In October Sgt Magnall also organised a customer service conference for all team leaders.

Opened by Claire Brown­Allen, head of the Neighbourhoods, Confidence and Equality team, the day was also designed to reinforce the importance of maintaining trust and confidence in the community as well as sharing information and good practice,

P GM

particularly from those who speak to victims of crime every day.

David Atherton who works for DRL, the UK’s largest on­line kitchen appliance retailer spoke at the conference as DRL are recognised for the delivery of outstanding customer service.

He talked about what customer service means to DRL and how staff listen to customer feedback and act quickly to address complaints. DRL also recognises the need to treat staff well so there is a real focus on working hard to engage with staff so that they are listened to and able to contribute to shaping the future of the company.

Delegates also heard about the collaborative work with the Crime Scene Investigation unit and Denis Casey from the Salford Division spoke about the training delivered to crime investigators on the division and how the division is working with

Design for Security. He said: “The training is designed to focus officer’s minds on victim empathy and reinforce how every update provided to victims, no matter how small, is important and complements the Victim Codes of Practice rules.

“By working with Design for Security we want to enhance the delivery of crime reduction techniques for residents in Salford.”

Drivers of satisfaction:

¨ Treat people fairly ¨ Appear interested ¨ Take the matter seriously

¨ Provide information quickly

¨ Make people feel reassured.

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Features

Appraisals designed by you for you A new appraisal process will be introduced across the Force in January next year.

The new Annual Development Review (ADR) process will provide a simplified, flexible process that can be tailored to your job as well as your individual needs and circumstances.

It has been created following feedback from officers and staff around the Force who said the

previous Individual Appraisal Review (IAR) was cumbersome, bureaucratic and very time consuming.

Earlier this year the IAR process was suspended to allow a review of the appraisal system to take place, and a new procedure to be developed that was more suitable for managers and staff within GMP. Officers, staff and representatives from staff associations such as UNISON and the Police Federation were invited to take part in focus groups, where they were asked what they felt they needed from an appraisal.

The answer was that they wanted a process that helped people understand what was expected of them, understand what success looks like and be provided with support in achieving this. Above all feedback said that staff wanted to be able to have a regular discussion with their boss about their job.

The new process tries to achieve this, the foundation for this being that managers will continue to be encouraged to have regular reviews with their staff about their role, once

a year this conversation will be formalised by reviewing how the job is going and what support individuals need to help them do their job.

Head of HR Tim Way said: "The over­riding principle of the new appraisal process is that the majority of people in GMP come to work to do a good job and are totally competent in the job they do.

"The new process hasn't been designed by the HR Branch, it's been designed by talking to staff and asking them what it is they want from an appraisal that will help them in their role.

“They wanted a development review that will help and guide them rather than performance managing them.

"The new ADR acknowledges the importance of enabling individuals to take ownership of their own development, for example it provides a flexible approach that enables staff to decide how formal or informal their development objectives should be."

Further information about the new ADR process is available on the People Pages Intranet site.

Team leaders from a number of specialist units have qualified in road safety enforcement technology.

The advanced award (BTEC Level three) will enable leaders from the Airport, Camera Enforcement Unit and the traffic PCSO team provide officers and staff with advice on how to use camera equipment as well as the legal implications when progressing prosecutions.

Those who qualified are pictured left.

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Features

Supporting staff through difficult times During times of economic uncertainty many people including police officers and staff face debt problems and financial difficulty.

WHILE credit is all too freely available and individual debt can quickly spiral out of control there is support and practical help available for staff and officers. John Dineen, Force Vetting Officer said: “It is accepted that debts can occasionally spiral out of control through factors beyond the control of the individual. Such debts only become a problem where the individual fails to take remedial action or where they are caused by compulsive behaviour, such as gambling. If anyone is experiencing financial difficulties I would encourage them to get some support at the earliest possible stage.”

Committing criminal acts

When individuals get themselves into financial difficulty they may also face the added pressure of being asked to commit criminal acts. This might include disclosure of information or breaches of the professional standards of behaviour expected of police officers and staff.

John Dineen added: “From a vetting perspective the vulnerability resulting from debt is the driver behind financial vetting and the reason why applicants are asked to provide ‘in confidence’ details of their financial circumstances. Such disclosure significantly reduces the risk of compromise.

“Where vetting is required existing officers and staff should be re­assured that there is no need to be concerned about mortgage and credit card commitments that are in line with their income, providing they have the ability and will to meet the commitments.”

Unison

Members of police staff are also contacting Unison with similar experiences. Stephanie Bell, Branch Secretary said: “If any Unison members are experiencing financial difficulties for whatever reason, they need to contact us at the earliest opportunity so that we can provide the right support.

“We are here to support our

members and will treat the information they discuss with us in the strictest confidence. If members of staff don’t speak to us then we are not able to help or point them in the right direction.”

Concerns raised by Unison members include a growing family, the loss of an income in the family home, rising costs of living, the loss of earning opportunities with regards overtime, pay freezes and increased pension costs.

sleep and eating. This will undoubtedly affect them at work and can lead to other issues in the workplace.

“My message is clear don’t let your debt get to this stage. Get some help and advice.” The Federation is also working with the North West Police Benevolent Fund and other agencies as they will be able to signpost officers to advice and support.

Organisational support

GMP Police Federation

PC Lance Thomas from the Police Federation said: “We want officers to get help at the earliest opportunity. There is no shame in struggling financially and there are networks set up and established to assist and guide officers and their families through this.

“We often come across officers who have left it too late to do anything. So, remember don't suffer in silence.”

Jackie Smithies from GMP’s Police Federation said: “There has sadly been a massive increase in officers taking out pay day loans and the interest rates is criminal. More and more officers are falling behind on these loans and with such high interest rates, anything up to 4000 per cent, the interest takes over and you never catch up.

“When an officer gets into this position it can affect their health,

Providing all the right information and support to officers and staff is vital. Damian Morley, Occupational Health and Welfare Manager said: “We want to ensure that staff are aware of all of their options when facing debt. As a result we are working in partnership with the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that includes advice and practical help in complete confidence. “ The EAP provider is called ‘CiC­ EAP supporting organisaions ad they can be contacted on Freephone 0800 0851376.

Details of the EAP provider can be found on the People Pages of the Intranet. In addition, National Debtline (0808 808 4000) will also provide independent help and advice and Money Advice Service is also able to provide advice on a variety of financial matters including debt.

If you are experiencing financial difficulties speak to someone—they will be able to help YOU!

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GMP Community

Charities

In memory of Fiona and Nicola

London to Manchester charity ride

EIGHT officers from the Metropolitan Police Force cycled to Manchester and raised more than £6,200 for the North West Police Benevolent Fund.

Five weeks before the 200­mile cycle ride, only three officers owned a bike but thanks to donations the team were soon ready for their four­ day ride.

After setting off from Westminster Cathedral in London on Tuesday 6 November they all arrived at Force Headquarters on Friday 9 November and were greeted by rapturous

applause from 80 other GMP cyclists who had joined them in the early hours of Friday to cycle the remaining 25 miles.

They told Brief that the hills were definitely a low point but all was forgotten when they reached FHQ and made to feel so welcome by so many people.

The eight officers were also amazed at the number of cyclists who turned up to support them and despite a few sore bodies they felt very humbled.

Providing support along the way was Ch Supt Steve Kershaw and PC Tony Watson. Ch Supt Kershaw told Brief that they when they heard the news about Nicola and Fiona they were all devastated and the incident just brought it home the dangers of policing.

He said that they were compelled to show their solidarity. The officers who took part were PCs Damian Goddard­Lane, Wes Green, Lorraine Jones, Tony Walsh, Paul Hudson, Sgt Mark Sanna, Sam Johnson and Insp Kevan Baylie.

Desert Challenge IN March next year PC Jon Ezard from Salford South NPT will be trekking across the Sahara Desert for eight days.

He said: "This will be extremely challenging both mentally and physically as I will be enduring high temperatures, rough terrain and blister clinics!!!”

His target is to raise £5,000. For more information or to follow Jon's progress please visit www.facebook.com/saharatrek

The Fuzz

MEMORIAL road race: A 5k road race took place on Sunday 2 December in memory of Nicola and Fiona. Andems runners were assisted by Rochdale Harriers and Rochdale police.

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MEMBERS of the Corporate Communications Branch have raised more than £270 after cultivating their facial hair throughout November.

While they fully embraced the ethos of ‘Movember’, the team felt compelled to raise money in memory of PCs Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone.

Pictured above (clockwise): Adrian Worsley, Rob Birkett, Asmar Chaudhry and Mark Bellew.

GMP Community

Charities

In memory of Fiona and Nicola

Manchester City legends vs. GMP

OFFICERS from Tameside Division lined up against ex­ Manchester City FC players last month in memory of PCs Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone.

Officers took on Manchester City legends such as Peter Barnes who played for England, Asa Hartford who played for Scotland and Andy Morrison who was captain of Manchester City when there were promoted and won the cup.

The match held at Hyde Football Club was arranged by Derek Partridge from Manchester City Former Players FC and raised £3,420 for the North West Benevolent Fund and Care of Police Survivors.

Inspector Terry Finn from the Hyde Neighbourhood Policing Team said: "I was delighted to be involved in this event. The public support has been overwhelming and I would like to thank them, Manchester City Former Players FC and Hyde FC as without their assistance the event wouldn’t have been possible.”

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GMP Community

Charities

PCSO Shelley Flitcroft (pictured right) is a volunteer knitter for a charity called ‘Angelbear’ (set up by Melanie Smith, pictured left and Mary Doyle, middle) and she has helped to knit 2,000 angel bears. Last month the angel bears were donated to Ch Supt Mary Doyle on behalf of the Public Protection Investigation Units. They will be provided to children who have to come into police stations to be interviewed and help to show that the police station is a place of safety.

Marking a milestone in style LAST month Diane Shaw (pictured left) from Tameside Operational Communications Room celebrated her fiftieth birthday at the top of Ben Nevis. This was one of three challenges that Diane set herself to raise money for Breast Cancer. “I ran the Manchester 10k in May, took part in the Midnight moon

walk (full marathon distance) in June and more recently I climbed Ben Nevis. This was in honour of my friend Nicola Bruce also from Tameside OCR who has just completed her treatment for breast cancer and is hopefully on the road to making a full recovery. I’ve raised approximately £750 for breast cancer.”

Obituaries IT is with great sadness that Brief announces the death of the following former officers: August 04/08: Philip Brian Hughes, 74 07/08: William Bullen, 93 13/08: Jack Armstrong, 85 29/08: Roy Mathison, 56 29/08: William Collins, 81 29/08: Paul Smith, 72 31/08: Stephen James Lynch, 56

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Brief Christmas 2012 Edition

September 15/09: John Stoker, 86 16/09: Joseph Howell, 85 19/09: Joseph Alun Davies, 77 24/09: Barry Battle, 65 25/09: Harvey Taylor, 74 27/09: Bryan Scott Dixon, 80 October 04/10: Stephen James Simpkin, 55 06/10: Richard Terence Jackson, 81 11/10: John Dow, 82 12/10: Brian Waller, 78

14/10: John Fraser Oliver, 78 21/10: Thomas Fyvie, 74 24/10: Denis Bailey, 92 31/10: Bernard Dowd, 71 November 01/11: Hugh Weir Clark, 83 01/11: Brian Heath, 74 02/11: Colin Oldfield, 62 07/11: Robert Duckworth, 62 18/11: George Frederick Gough, 91 20/11: John James Hibbert, 70 27/11: Geoffrey Abbott, 68

GMP Community

Charities As well as a sponsored bike ride from Bamfurlong to Southport and back, friends have set up a charity night in Wigan on 20 December and Supt Dave Wilkinson has donated his latest painting to an upcoming on­ A helping paintbrush line auction .

Earlier this month AFTER being diagnosed with they were able to raise enough Motor Neurone Disease in May last money to send Rob, his wife and two year, friends and colleagues of PC young children to Lapland. Further Robin Dobie have been raising funds details will be publicised on the to support Rob and his family. home page of the Intranet.

TWO GMP officers have completed a gruelling 800­kilometre bike ride across Northern Spain in six days and raised money for three good causes.

PC Tony Hemans from Tameside OCR and Glen Eccles from the Wigan Division cycled the 'Camino Frances', a route that takes travellers from the bottom of the French Pyranees to the city of Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain.

It is a journey travelled by many thousands each year to reach the burial place of St James, a disciple of Jesus.

Tony admitted that at the beginning of the year he would have found it hard to believe he could do it. He said: “At the start of this year I classed myself as a ‘couch potato’ but I knew that I wanted to be fitter and healthier if I wanted to be around to see my children grow up.

“Changing my lifestyle made me realise that there are many children who don’t get live pain­free lives and so I wanted to make a difference for the children for whom life is one constant battle.”

Breakfast of champions

IN October Alison Ashton (left) and Jayne Fletcher (middle) from Bury Division handed over a cheque for more than £4,000 to The Christie Hospital.

Thanks to Bury’s own Little Chef ­ Clive Wright (right) ­ the team have been selling a range of breakfast sandwiches for charity. They also raised £1,000 for the Twincess’s Fund and £220 to the families of PC Fiona Bone and PC Nicola Hughes.

El Camino challenge The journey to Camino Frances takes about 35 days on foot and two weeks to cycle.

But for Tony and Glen they set themselves a much harder challenge by cycling the ‘Camino Frances’ in six days. And they did it!

Tony added: “I arrived back home with a real sense of achievement and I have now found another goal in a bid to continue making these journeys. In May 2013 we plan to

complete the ‘Way of the Roses’, a 170­mile bike ride from Morecambe to Bridlington in a day.”

Tony and Glen have so far raised £400 for their chosen charities.

Tony is supporting two charities, SANDS (stillborn and neonatal death society) and CLIC Sargent, while Glen is raising money for the Stroke Association and completed the journey in memory of his late father who suffered a stroke.

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GMP Community

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

Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

Great work I just wanted to drop you a quick line to send my sincere thanks to DC James Coles for all his help and assistance during his handling of a case where my son who is studying at the University of Manchester, was attacked and robbed in the city centre.

James showed us all very kind attention and care, beyond the call of duty. He was extremely helpful to our son, and also to us, who, as concerned parents, were massively concerned, in particular the pending court case. James was very informative, helpful and assuring and he made us very comforted at a very difficult time.

I wanted to pass on our strongest thanks and sincerest gratitude to James, who was a credit to the Force and the great work that you do. I would be very proud if he worked in my team!

P.K., Manchester Eternally thankful Please pass our grateful and most sincere thanks to PC Jim Forster, for his professionalism, his dedication and true understanding in dealing with our daughter.

As parents, we found the situation to be frightening, daunting and also embarrassing. Without the help and support we witnessed being provided by PC Forster, we would not be feeling the emotional relief we have today.

Our understanding is that PC Forster had attended previous incidents involving our daughter, which we had no prior knowledge of.

For this we remain eternally thankful that he had been assigned ‘the job’.

We will continue to support our

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daughter in her endeavour to create a happy future for herself and her baby son and hope that police intervention is called on less.

Mr Mrs Lee

Carin g o

ffice rs I am wri ting to y ou with r off icers i egards t n particu o two lar. Earl ha d rea ier this y son to c ear we all the p of occas olice on ions due a n um ber to the b teenage ehav iou son wh r of our o had se rails and em ed to threate g o off the n suicide pe riod o . During f our life t h is we f oun were giv d it v ery en com p h a rd and a ssionate un dersta adv ice a nding by n d these tw o officer I feel the s. se t wo o fficers tu around a rned ou nd m yse r son’s l lf and m y if e ap precia wif e rea ted their lly help. C pa ss on ould you our tha please nks to P and An C Andrew n­Marie Brown Greena fantastic

ll. They job. did a Mr Mrs G udgeon, North M ancheste r

Magnificent I am writing this letter on behalf of the Chavda family to truly appreciate the magnificence of two outstanding officers from Oldham and Tameside, PC Neil Coulson of Ashton police station and PC Javed Akhtar of Oldham police station. These two officers went out of their way to help our family retrieve an item not only of a high financial value but also of a personal value during difficult times.

We as the Chavda family would like to thank Tameside Police on a whole for their full support and belief in this case and returning the items back to our rightful possession.

As a result of this we are truly pleased and indebted to the excellent focus and determination shown, and will praise to all members of the local community on what a great service the police provided.

Mr J. Chavda Use of premises I am writing to you to record our

appreciation of the support and efforts by PC Lisa Cameron, PS Stephanie Owen, PCSO Christine Rogers, PCSO Michelle Hewitt and PCSO Gareth Moore with regard to the difficulties we have faced through antisocial behaviour and illegal use of premises at the above address.

Our function is that of Managing Agents of the common parts of blocks of flats where we regularly receive complaints from leaseholders with regard to activities of certain individuals. The situation at Denton Court was particularly acute and this was eventually resolved in no small part, due to significant efforts and consistent efforts on the part of the above named officers.

To date their support is ongoing

GMP Community

and I feel that they should be commended for their efforts and any service records noted appropriately.

Oakland Residential Management Limited, Tameside

Park care As Chair of The Friends of Pennington Hall Park I would like to sincerely thank PCs Mick Aspinall and Brendon Sidebottom, and PCSOs Christopher King, Wendy Safe place Walters and Steven Kirby.

I feel I must write to express my Because of their presence in the thanks of the prompt attention to my park, there is no doubt that the phone call about some bogus frequent episodes of petty vandalism workmen who called at my home. I has more or less ceased and the gave as much information as I could trouble caused by motor bikes has and was promptly visited by PC also stopped.

1440 Bob Whitehead who The Police presence in the park inspected the exterior of my flat is valuable on many levels, not least where the bogus work was going to for the general public who visit. The be carried out.

Secretary to The Friends liaises I wish to thank the police officer closely with police staff and it is who put me at my ease and because hoped that this very fruitful I am disabled and on medication as relationship will continue for the well as on oxygen 24/7. He made foreseeable future. sure I was settled and secure and Chairman, The Friends of also offered to contact my sons Pennington Hall Park should I require further reassurance.

I am most grateful to this officer Time of loss and the rest of the Tameside Police My wife and I sadly found my Division for keeping Tameside a safe wife’s mother dead at her home. PC place to live.

Hughes attended the scene and M. Simpson stayed at the house for around an

hour. She acted in a very professional manner but was also very sympathetic, understanding and reassuring. I am not in the habit of sending letters or emails of praise but I felt that PC Hughes should be commended for the way she helped all our family. She is a credit to your Force.

Mr D Broadbent, Audenshaw Fantastic Officer On Friday 23 November I received a letter on behalf of my son regarding irregular spending on his bank account. My son was involved in a road traffic accident and suffered from a brain injury and very poor short memory loss. I reported this irregular spending to the police and PC Dean Birkhead visited my son. On arrival he was professional and supportive. I explained my son’s brain injury and vulnerability and he became concerned about his bank account.

PC Birkhead spent three hours that morning taking statements from us.

What a fantastic policeman he is and is a credit to GMP. Mr & Mrs Brett, Denton

Sasha Brooks @SashieeLoves

Sandra Lane

@gmpolice were very nice when we was drunk chatting to them on Deans Gate Locks on Saturday so thanks! Haha

Hi just like to say I called the 101 number last night to report I could hear my elderly neighbour calling for help. I thought it might take a while for someone to respond as I hadn't rung 999. But to my surprise and the gratitude of my neighbour they were there within 3 mins. Job well done.

landylass @landylass2a @GMPRoytonShaw @GMPSaddleworth @GMPPennine And surrounding area @gmpolice hope you all keep the tweets, grt service, grt banter #human Katherine Gledhill @KatherineJJayne Thank you @gmpolice for all the informa­ tion about the Human Remains dogs you used to have! Great help #thanksIan

Amy end Bsl Murch Thumbs up today, my door was left slightly open today and a nice police community support officer knocked to tell me as the high burglar rate in my area and to make sure we were ok! It made me feel much safer knowing their around keeping an eye out. X

Helen Brown Matt Slater @MattSlater94 the @gmpolice #GMPAdvent videos never fail to make me laugh, brings a sense of humour to the serious, brave work they do to keep us safe!

I'd like to thank a policeman called Russ, from Swinton.

He drove past my son who was really upset outside school and then reversed up to him to see what was wrong and very kindly brought him home. Great job Russ, thank you very much :­)

Brief Christmas 2012 Edition

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Features

No time limit on justice

By Martin Bottomley Head of Investigative Review IN April 2004 Kalvinder Singh i (pictured right) was enjoying an evening out in Manchester but he became the innocent victim of a senseless murder.

Kalvinder, known as Bob to his family and friends was viciously beaten with wooden fence posts by a group of Albanian men who then stamped on his head.

Bob, a local Sikh businessman, survived for 16 days but finally succumbed to his injuries and died with his wife and two young daughters at his bed side.

Unbeknown to her at the time, Jackie Watson, a detective in the Major Incident Team (MIT) was to embark upon an eight­year­long investigation.

The investigation would lead her across the length of Britain into Italy and Ireland, before recently reaching the Court of Appeal in London. To date three offenders have been tracked down and with one still outstanding, the final stop on the journey still remains unknown.

Working with colleagues in MIT, she was able to track down a young Albanian man who had witnessed the murder but fled from Manchester fearing reprisals if he assisted the police.

Over a period of several months, Jackie gained his trust and provided reassurances as to his safety and anonymity. This led to him identifying the four offenders by their nicknames ­ Cimi, Jani, Taci and Ardi ­ and describing the role each had taken in the attack.

Working with the Border Agency and other partners the team were eventually able to identify all the offenders but had no idea where they were.

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Following a Crimewatch appeal a year after the murder, Cimi ­ Marjam Semaj ­ was traced to Worcester where he was arrested and charged.

He stood trial for murder in November 2005.

While most of her colleagues had moved on to working on other cases, Jackie took on the role of both witness and family liaison officer, balancing the needs of Bob’s family with her desire to ensure the key witness remained supportive to the prosecution case.

Describing Cimi’s conviction for murder as “a brilliant result”, Mrs Singh and her daughters paid tribute to the whole of the investigation team in a moving letter to the Chief Constable.

Jackie herself moved into another role in the Cold Case Team, where she worked with Det Insp Debbie Dooley. Insp Dooley had also been a member of the original MIT investigation team.

Knowing there were three suspects still outstanding, Debbie and Jackie continued to follow up leads to trace the wanted men, working with Interpol across several European countries.

Six years after

the murder, in 2010, their persistence paid off and both Jani and Taci were extradited from Italy and Ireland, respectively.

Once again, Jackie and Debbie’s sheer hard work and people skills resulted in Jani – Emirjan Hysaj – being sentenced to life imprisonment after another difficult trial.

The latest challenge to Jackie’s all round skills came two years later when Marjam Semaj's legal team launched an appeal against his conviction based on alleged 'fresh evidence'.

Jackie’s intimate knowledge of the case was crucial to this stage of the judicial proceedings, eight years after the initial offence, as she prepared the material to challenge this ‘fresh evidence’.

Using her excellent memory, she was able to methodically unpick and disprove every aspect of the ‘fresh evidence’ the defence team were to present to the Court of Appeal. This involved the scrutiny of hundreds of documents to tease out gaps, inaccuracies and lies in the defence statements.

On 16 July 2012, at the Royal Courts of Justice, following the hearing of evidence by two defence witnesses (including a solicitor), Semaj's conviction was upheld. This was due almost entirely to Jackie’s dedication to the case and being able once again to bring the original Albanian witness to court.

Kalvinder Singh with his two daughters

Features

Acting on fraud THE way that fraud is reported in Greater Manchester has changed.

Most incidents are now reported direct to Action Fraud ­ the UK's national fraud reporting centre.

GMP is one of six forces who adopted the new reporting arrangements in early 2012, acting as a pilot force. By 1 April 2013, all other forces in the England and Wales will have adopted this procedure.

Fraud in the UK is now big business ­ generating crime to the value of £73 billion per year ­this figure only refers to confirmed reports of fraud. There are now more than 140 types of fraud being committed regularly throughout the UK Up until now, individual police forces have had responsibility for reporting incidents of fraud but this has led to a piecemeal, inflexible and inconsistent treatment of dealing with fraud. The investigation of fraud

also takes up a large amount of police officer time ­ 150,000 hours per year in GMP alone. It is for this reason Action Fraud was set up.

Incidents reported to Action Fraud are fed into the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, based at the City of London, where they are subject to an evaluation process.

If the report meets the threshold and has viable leads it will then be referred to the most appropriate law enforcement agency for consideration of investigation.

Any reports referred to GMP will be sent to the Economic Crime Desk who after applying the GMP fraud allocation and investigation policy, will decide if the investigation will be progressed to secondary investigation.

Any secondary investigation will be conducted by the Volume Fraud Team or Major Fraud Team.

Action Fraud is a one stop

reporting centre which will handle reports of fraud from throughout the UK. Whilst the majority of fraud cases will be reported direct to Action Fraud by telephone or by an online reporting tool, Greater Manchester Police will still be responsible for logging some incidents – if the victim is vulnerable, where suspects are at the scene, they have been arrested by officers, where there is a locally known suspect, or police have the opportunity to prevent a fraud taking place.

Action Fraud will also provide advice to persons using this reporting method and can put them in touch with support agencies.

Members of the public, police, business and charities can report fraud and scams and get advice by visiting the Action Fraud website.

searches might be misinterpreted by

Letterbox: a novel inspired by a dream the authorities.

A GMP officer has written and published a novel – all because of a friend’s strange dream.

PC Paul Davies (picture right) had the idea for his story, Letterbox, a fictional account of the 1996 IRA Manchester bombing when chatting about ideas with his friend and colleague Mark Dunn.

“Mark told me that he had had a strange dream of the late Ian Curtis of Joy Division telling him that he needed to do something with his life, like write a hit record or a book,” said Paul. “So, when I went to his house we set about thinking of things to write about.”

“After a few glasses of wine, the basic idea of Letterbox was formed and I began to write it the very next day. Mark lost interest in the project but I continued to write the book and

a year later it was finally finished.”

Paul a response officer from the North Manchester Division chose the IRA bombing in Manchester bombing because it is a recognised part of British history that affected his home city.

The title Letterbox comes from the letter box on Corporation Street that was miraculously unharmed amidst the bomb damage on the fateful day of 15 June 1996.

The letter box has since become an iconic image of Manchester’s recovery.

Paul did so much research on the internet about it that at one time he was worried his

“As I was taking such an interest in bomb making and terrorism I started to panic in case I was being monitored!” said Paul.

“I have always loved writing ever since school and have written a few short stories and poems in the past.

“My second novel called ‘George’ is now half way finished ­ only another 40,000 words left to go!”

Brief Christmas 2012 Edition

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GMP Community

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How to advertise in Brief Please fill in the Electronic version of the Advertisement Coupon here: www.gmp.police.uk/briefads

Although all reasonable steps have been taken to check the authenticity of advertisers, it must be stressed that acceptance for publication does not imply the acceptance All adverts must be accompanied by a copy of the of any responsibility or liability to GMP in respect of any advertiser’s warrant/ID card or pension number advertisement. Publication does not imply any Cheques should be made payable to “Greater Manchester endorsement of the companies, individuals or products.

Police” and sent to: Deadline for adverts to be submitted for the next Brief Advertising, Corporate Communications, Force HQ, edition is: Friday 18 January 2013 Northampton Road, Manchester M40 5BP. 32

Brief Christmas 2012 Edition

GMP Community

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Brief Christmas 2012 Edition

33

Features

Sweet dreams are made of this A GMP officer’s stunning wildlife photo of a black­necked swan has attracted national admiration from wildlife photography experts.

PC Laura Bristow was named second in the national 2012 Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust nationwide photography competition.

Laura, who works on the A6 Neighbourhood Policing Team was picked as the winner from 2,500 entries in the Wetland Wildlife category, with her picture entitled ‘Sweet Dreams’.

Laura, who took up photography two years ago when her boyfriend bought her a camera, has won a place on an acclaimed photography course held by nature photography experts Wild Arena.

Laura said: “I ended up entering the competition after visiting Martin

PC Laura Bristow’s winning entry, ‘Sweet Dreams’

Mere on one of my days off. I chose my subject as the cygnets were only a couple of weeks old and were really cute and fluffy and taking it in turns to climb on their parents back.

“I am really chuffed to get second place especially as the head judge was Ben Osbourne, the official photographer for the BBC programme, Planet Earth”.

Friends of No 1 CopperPot Lottery winners

£2,000 Paul Bond, retired £1,000 Robert Francombe, retired £500 William Wallis, retired £250 Christopher Brown, Leics Helen Bumford, relative £150 Michelle Wilkinson, GMP Peter Hallam, GMP £100 Joe Clough, GMP Gerard Finnegan, retired Graham Nicholson, Humberside Susan Ruffley, ex­GMP Constance Probert, retired John Buckley, GMP Patrick Larkin, retired

A plaque dedicated to PC Mike Silcock has been unveiled at Elizabeth Slinger Road.

Pictured (left to right) PC Sam Billington, Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy and Mike’s parents.

PC Silcock was killed off duty by a reckless driver in March 2009. The plaque was provided by Mike’s friends and colleagues on the South Manchester Division, where he worked from 2001-09.

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Brief Christmas 2012 Edition

£50 Jonathon Marshall, retired Julie Read, relative Brian Howlett, retired Caroline Clarke, Leics Barry Wardle, retired Stacey Ryley, GMP Ian Dunn, retired Philip Thompson, retired James Pidgeon, Notts Susan Law, ex­Leics Robert Ashworth, retired Hafwen Williams, retired Frank McGowan, Met Jennifer Pratley, Thames Elizabeth Foulkes, ex­NWales

Sports & Social

Clean sweep for GMP

By Neil Cook THIS year saw the 20 th annual PSUK Powerlifting Championships affiliated under the British Drug­Free Powerlifting Association (BDFPA) and 30 competitors made the journey up to Glasgow. This was a record turnout and included six female lifters.

Defending PSUK champions Neil Cook from the Organisational Learning & Workforce Development Branch and Colin Harrison from the Tactical Aid Unit were joined by first­ time PSUK competitors Marie Eldred from the North Manchester Division and Angela Taylor from the Tactical Aid Unit to form the largest GMP team in years.

In the Under 55.5Kg category, Marie posted lifts of squat 70Kg, bench 57.5Kg and deadlift 95Kg to total 217.5Kg. She won her category and set four new PSUK National records en route to qualifying for next year’s national championships.

Triathlon triumph A GMP officer has completed the Iron Man UK Triathlon competition.

One of the hardest single day endurance events in the world, PC Mark Humphrys from the Immersive Learning team was one of a group of athletes. Their team ‘True Team Spirit’ consisted of injured servicemen and a support team made up of rehabilitation physiotherapists, civilians and volunteers.

The team raised more than £50,000 from completing the Iron Man UK event. Their next challenge will be when they represent the UK at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

To learn more about the team please visit their website www.teamtruespirit.org.uk

Pictured left to right: Angela Taylor, Neil Cook, Colin Harrison, Marie Eldred

A superb result.

Angela competed in the Under 70Kg category against the defending champion. She lifted squat 65Kg, bench 60Kg, deadlift 111Kg, a total of 230Kg and also won her category, again setting four new PSUK National records.

Neil, the current BDFPA 60Kg National champion, returned to the PSUK with his eyes on breaking the National total record. He gained his fourth straight PSUK title, improved his PSUK bench record and he also

took the National BDFPA deadlift and total records.

This placed him second overall in the competition across all weight groups and he has now qualified for the National Championships.

Colin put on another lifting masterclass with squat 230Kg, bench 150Kg and deadlift 282.5Kg making a total 662.5Kg at 90Kg bodyweight. This performance resulted in his second consecutive best lifter trophy overall by some margin.

so we decided to raise money for them.”

Riding a tandem is certainly not RAISING money on a bike took as easy as it looks. on a different image when a group of Supt Lawton may have fallen into officers from the Force Events the canal near Skipton, raising a few Section decided to cycle along the Leeds to Liverpool Canal Tow path. laughs and smiles once the group knew he was ok but it didn’t stop the Supt Bryan Lawton and Steve group from raising more than £2,000 Howard joined the group on a tandem. A route made up of tarmac, for the charity. concrete, muddy paths and wet grass was certainly a challenge and the journey was not without its hitches.

One of the organisers, PC John Clee said: “My wife suffered from cancer and a close friend is currently being treated by Christie’s.

“Many of us have personal stories about our experiences with cancer. Christie’s is such a worthwhile charity to many of us

Double trouble

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35

The memorial garden to permanently remember the lives of fallen officers, PCs Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes was unveiled on Thursday 13 December at Hyde Police Station. It was created following generous donations from members of the community, local businesses and police partners. Tameside Divisional Commander Ch Supt Nick Adderley, pictured above with the memorial, said: “We have been overwhelmed with the support and compassion shown by not only our community but also from those further afield. On behalf of my officers here in Tameside I want to say thank you.�