25th July 2014 - In search of the Duck...

Thought for the day : "Did you hear about the cross-eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn't control her pupils?"

An interesting day today - the first time I have crossed the boundaries of Dyfed-Powys Police Headquarters since 2006..

It was the day that the new Museum was being launched, it is to be set up in the old bar at the Headquarters, but the actual day was to commemorate the presentation of a painting - entitled the "Timeline" of Dyfed Powys  Police.. to represent the entire history of the policing of the area...

It was strange to enter the new building - notable for the fact that the cladding stone did not match that of the neighbouring buildings - a hoop we were forced to jump through when building both the police headquarters and the Communications Centre...  The new building was of some other stone and a surreal slate style cladding...    Inside, I was restricted to the main conference area - the one used for the emergency planning that the building was designed for and the new ACPO suite I was not allowed to see...

It seemed strange being presented with a whole building and feeling alien and not allowed to have a wander around...  I looked a little wistfully at my old stamping ground - knowing that I previously had unfettered access..

The meeting itself included a number of old colleagues. It was noticeable that the old habit of wearing name badges (those designed by myself back in the day) is not something done these days. Faces that should be familiar remained nameless... As my own appearance has changed quite a bit - I was not immediately picked out by many - but was surprised by the old colleagues - mainly staff who worked for me - who approached with warmth and friendliness...   

Even the Chief Constable was anonymous as though everyone should know who he was... Sadly the DPP website does not include photographs of senior officers, indeed the Finance Officer comes up with "Restricted" page error, and so some Superintendents passed me by - me not caring enough to challenge them for their name and me obviously not someone to be remembered...

However, the Chief Constable was there - I had caught his name and he was pointed out to me - so I made the point of saying hello, he was friendly enough but it was clear that he had other engagements - or there were more important people to speak to rather than the funny guy with the long hair....

The new facilities were well designed for the presentation.  Here the Chief Constable says a few words and Kevin Smith the staff officer, now retiring but who will be taking on the mantle as curator of the new museum stands in the background with Charles Griffiths- the old Curator just in the shot...

Charles made one of his excellent historical presentations, recounting from 1285 with Watch and Ward to the present day in 15 minutes - not a mean task...    Key points were 1830 - a year after the "new" police force in London where Aberystwyth unanimously voted against having a police force!! It would not last !!!
It was one of my greatest regrets that supporting him for ten years I was unable to provide a location for a full time museum - having to make do with the occasional exhibition in carious corridors of the force. I failed to get a proper storage location - having to make do with a garage at Ammanford police station .. He wrote a book of the history of the Force, and I proved unable to get that off the ground - but it was later published after I left the force....  He had unending enthusiasm and was devoted to the history of the force -  indeed of his own Royal Ulster Constabulary as well as many Force histories....  I am now so glad that there is an element of support for the concept of a museum ....  and for maintaining the history of the force...

A number of dignitaries were there as well as the current group of "Student Officers". Apparently they are no longer "Probationers" these days - but they had an afternoon off and seemed to be on a three line whip to attend..  Time passes so quickly...   They had no idea of who I was and my small part in the history..

As Charles' story recounts the changing of the force badges under Chief Constable Ray White, the current logo and badges indeed, I was thinking - yes !! I designed those!! Sat with a small team as we played with the images as we developed the Quality Support Department and the entire branding of the force...  

I looked at the Police Headquarters itself and thought to myself - I helped build that as the two man Organisation and Planning Department..  An old colleague Nigel reminded me of our role in the Force Development Department .. and I thought back to introducing PACE, Human Rights, developing Sub Divisional Policing - restructuring the force into 8 sub divisions to allow the new duties of Superintendents under PACE. Later - restructuring into four divisions - as though we had not started there !!! but with less senior officers of course.... 

A conversation with Jackie Roberts the retired deputy Chief Constable includes the information that the computer and technology department is still the envy of the country with other forces wanting to benefit from the systems and principles that exist in the force for adaptable computer systems - which seems to be the legacy that I created in the early days when we refused large central systems and developed special and fit for purpose bespoke systems - 17 of which  wrote, though soon passed on to those who had the skills at coding ....

But today was about a presentation - and so it was that the Chief Constable received the painting from the artist...  Each person (with one exception) a real picture for the archives...  All the buildings key to the history of the force...

It turns out that Dyfed-Powys Police are the last of 43 forces to get a Timeline Painting.

The artist is Michael John Ewins (A.S.A.I).. His website says :
	Mick specialises in fine detailed water colour paintings. He has, over the last 5 years, been commissioned by 32 Chief Constables to paint their individual forces from an historical perspective. 28 of those commissioned have been completed and are available on this website. The remainder are at varying stages of completion.
Mick's paintings are reproduced as limited edition prints, which are signed and numbered by him. Each year new pictures are added to his portfolio and his limited editions are fast becoming collectors items as his skills are recognised and appreciated. Mick was there today to present the painting and it was a key moment for him as well, as he had finally done all 43 forces and presented all 43 painting and was therefore retiring after 19 years of painting forces..  Of course - there can always be errors - and I am not sure if that is true in the painting ..     Kevn outlined two issues from the painting one which may not include a "real person" Part of the timeline was to include the glorious match in 1972 where the all Blacks were beaten at Llanelli.. Now I did not join until 1976 - but the following is still valid.. There were two main stories from that eventful day .. First :  The Pubs ran dry !!  Max Boyce tells it well.. The Town that Boasted both Felinfoel Brewery and Buckley's Brewery  ran dry .. I believe this to be true !!! Second: The Policemen played rugby with their helmets!!! Now.... I hate to spoil a good story!!   Indeed, I am often quoted as telling people "Never spoil a good story by introducing the truth!" BUT .... As I know to my detriment .. When I joined in 1976 - Dyfed Powys Police not only issued new recruits with second hand uniform ( I had the marks of the sergeant stripes on my first uniform) but we also wore Flat Caps..  DPP did not have helmets !!! We were known as the Pongo's in training School and I never wore a "Nipple Head" in my career. So in 1972 - there was no chance that the officers played rugby with their helmets as they did not have helmets..  But the picture represents the ethos of the time - and so I let it lie... But I can tell you of the time in early February - when the snow was 7 inches on the ground and all police cars were grounded ( we were not trusted to drive in snow!!) when we played frisbee with out flat caps in the alleys behind the old Tesco's....   but that is another story .. I met some old colleagues today, and surprisingly it was good to see some of them and catch up on what they are now doing...  But one of my main tasks was to find the Duck !!!   I have previously discussed my duck!!!   See Link Here to earlier Blog But for those who may not wish to read an old listing - the day I retired I annotated a decoy duck with the words "Goodbye and thanks for all the fish" (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference) and the words "Iain Sewell 1976 - 2006)" on the base.  I placed it in the drainage ditch that was put in place at the building of the Communications Centre..  When preparing for this event I talked with some colleagues who remarked that they had seen the  duck there over many years but not recently... So - after the tea and biccies and the examination of the various photos spread over the area ( none of which included me it must be said !) I decided to check the Pond!!! Considering that it was only a concrete drainage ditch - the amount of foliage has increased greatly..  There is no real part that you can see water - only the growth of plants ... Another view shows that it will be very difficult  to check all the surface for a random duck!!  I stepped inside the barrier and had a closer look along the edges... Yes..   As you can see - there was no  way that I was going to find a duck in this undergrowth..   And so I leave this small reunion, not really knowing if the duck is there or not ...  I think it is a little like Schroedinger's Cat...  It may be there in the undergrowth or may not .. We do not know of anyone having any reason to go into the pond and remove it ...    So it makes sense that it COULD be there .. Today I looked .. but will not need to look again.. I now know that it is, or is not there and that it can, or cannot  be found, but the thought will always be there .... I know that I left my mark on Dyfed-Powys Police in my 30 years.. I have moved on. It is not important to me that anyone else knows what I did, but I am happy that on the way I touched a few lives and they were happy to meet me and greet me ... I raise a glass to the past .. and drink to the future...

-o0o-

Picture of the day