What should we talk about today?
The world according to Kirkey
If Part One was the warm up lap, this is where the memories start sprinting. Bracknell in the 80s wasn’t just a place — it was a full contact sport. Robberies, dodgy motors, youth clubs, blasting The Specials, and me trying to look competent in a Vauxhall Chevette that handled like a shopping trolley with … Read more
Some towns never really let you go. Bracknell is one of mine. I left it, returned to it, loved in it, worked in it, and lost in it. I went for a stroll around Bracknell then like a budget Forrest Gump I kept on going – well at least for 9 miles. What propelled me … Read more
Policing is messy. It’s human. It’s imperfect. And anyone who’s ever worn the uniform knows that the fault line running through every shift, every decision, every “why did they do that?” moment is the same: the human beings doing the job. I should know. I was once one of them. Operational policing isn’t a seminar. … Read more
When I joined the police in 1982, we were issued a truncheon – a lump of wood so archaic it felt like a relic from the Crimean War. As a tool of personal protection, it was about as useful as an ashtray on a motorcycle. The version handed to my female colleagues was even more … Read more
Police officers who deploy lethal force understand that their actions will be subject to the highest level of scrutiny. In my experience, decisions of this nature are never taken lightly. Where permissible, such actions are typically preceded by the articulation of options aimed at eliminating the need for force. Operational decisions of this kind inevitably … Read more
Manchester – at least in my personal experience – has a reliability and permanency of one facet: rain. And I wasn’t to be disappointed during the qualifying rounds and the Under-21 final of this year’s Speedway of Nations tournament held at the National Speedway Stadium in Belle Vue, Manchester. Thankfully, the proceedings brightened up for … Read more
Eagerly anticipating my second adventure to India, I never once considered the commission of any form of crime, especially not my demise at the hands of a murderer. I’d never been to Goa, the final leg of the two-week exploration of this incredible country that never ceases to amaze, enthral, and excite me. It represented … Read more
Lucy Letby is a callous monster ─ the most despicable specimen of humanity; however, can I really frame her existence within the context of what I believe it is to be a human being? Surely, she defies every conceivable convention of compassion: the cornerstone of our creation. She is the embodiment of pure evil; and … Read more
Standing solemnly on a cold, dark evening I heard the words of the politicians, and maybe if I’d been asked to make a formal speech I too would have reiterated the importance of reflection, reconciliation and reverence. But I had a nagging and growing doubt about the sincerity of the pledges. Attended by a handful … Read more
I’m often impatient, infuriating, and – apparently – annoyingly inquisitive. In my academic life I have had to become engrossed within huge tomes of social, legal, and scientific data, regularly scanning the tedious text for the golden nugget; the bottom line; the epicentre of the empirical data. This is always a systemic slog with my … Read more