What should we talk about today?
The world according to Kirkey
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
As an ex-cop I find many police dramas mildly irritating. It’s normally the process issues that make my teeth grind, such as a uniformed officer standing guard at the interview room door as the heroic plain clothed detectives place the hapless suspect in checkmate. With custody alarms readily available to summon assistance this waste of … 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
A long time ago in an existence far, far away, I was a police officer. Joining in 1982, that year and those that followed were once my present day. My era. My modern-day. Nobody ever lives in history, do they? Then something peculiar happened to me. The years became decades and my life looped around … Read more
As I kid, I remember the double entendre placed upon the street signage: ‘Bill Stickers Will Be Prosecuted!’ under which was daubed, ‘Bill Stickers is innocent!’ A funny play on words but illustrative of the power of English language. Last night in Bristol a demonstration labelled ‘Kill the Bill’ reminded me of this flexibility of … Read more
The thing with opinions is that everyone has one. Even if you choose not to engage that is nonetheless a view. As the author of this piece, it shouldn’t be that shocking to note that there will be a clear bias towards my own judgements. If you weren’t moved in some way by the events … Read more
As a rookie cop there were many times when I felt vulnerable. Pub fights, large scale public disorder and high-speed pursuits were the usual suspects. The first couple of events rarely had any rules and I was always mindful that an errant punch could deprive me of my prominent, but nonetheless cherished, front teeth. Having … Read more
Has storytelling become a lost art? Have we become so insular, buried in our mobile technology often connecting with people we have probably never met in a virtual world of imagery and diminished literary content that storytelling has become a thing of the past? If so, I think that is sad as I was fortunate … Read more