The Staffordshire Knot Staffordshire Branch of N.A.R.P.O. Keeping the ties with former colleagues. National Association of Retired Police Officers. www.narpo.org.uk Staffordshire Branch No. 96. www.narpo-staffs.co.uk Chairman: Mr. Mark Judson 19 Larchwood, Wildwood, Stafford. ST17 4SQ Tel. 01785 660095 E Mail: markjudson@narpo-staffs.co.uk Hon. Sec.: Mr. Des Lockwood 97 Pirehill Lane, Walton, Stone, Staffs. ST15 0AS Tel. 01785 615190 E Mail: desmondlockwood@narpo-staffs.co.uk Hon. Treasurer: Mr. Reay Pearman 2 Spode Grove, Clayton, Newcastle, Staffs. ST5 4HE Tel. 01782 625502 E Mail: bruce.pearman@btinternet.com Gerry Robinson - Staffs Knot Editor drakeford24@btinternet.com 'Serving those who have served' AGM 2014 Edition This is the 43rd Edition of YOUR very own NEWSLETTER - February 2014. We keep the print of this Newsletter as large as possible to assist our members with failing sight. NOTICE. 63 rd ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. 11:00 am Saturday 3 rd May 2014 Police Headquarters, Weston Road, Stafford. LIST OF MEMBERS JOINED SINCE LAST STAFFS KNOT. Welcome to membership of NARPO to you all. Thank you for joining us and please take advantage of all the facilities we have on offer for your present and future welfare. NAME SUB NAME SUB BRANCH BRANCH Francis Martyn HORDERN Northern Kevin DAVIES Leek Ian Stewart REVANS Stafford Edward Roy ADKIN Tamworth Derek John REEVES Northern Ian HACKNEY Northern Lyndon Bleddyn MORRIS Northern Philip John BOULTON Leek Kate Joanne SCOTT Northern Steve WINTER Lichfield Raymond Frederick KEY Stafford Paul Keith MATTHEWS Stafford Martin KIRRANE Leek Stephen Gainford BENNETT Leek Neil BAXTER Stafford Michael Francis FISHER Stafford Robert Andrew PILLING Stafford Martin David COX Stafford Lloyd Anthony MASON Burton Can we wish you all a long and healthy retirement? Remember you can t buy time enjoy life and take as many holidays and join in as many activities as you can afford!
-2- Members Called to Higher Service. Obituary 2013/14. Deaths since Last Staffordshire Knot. Your Branch Committee record with regret the deaths of the following members. Our sympathy is extended to all the bereaved families. Ret d Pc Anthony (Tony) CHILDS Stafford 06.01.1941 03.09.2013 Ret d D/Sgt Richard Henry A EVERETT Burton 04.10.1927 05.10.2013 Ret d Pc Frederick THORNTON Stafford 02.10.1940 07.11.2013 Ret d Pc Richard HYMUS Northern 21.11.1945 26.10.2013 Ret d Ch/Insp Anthony Eric JOHNSON Stafford 15.10.2013 07.11.2013 Ret d Ch/Insp William Peter SMALLWOOD Shropshire 16.06.1938 08.11.2013 Ret d Sgt Alan A STEVENSON Northern 30.01.1946 12.11.2013 Ret d Supt Kenneth AINGE Stafford 09.09.1943 15.11.2013 Ret d Pc John A BRIDGETT Northern 11.05.1959 26.11.2013 Ret d Sgt Eric John SAUNDERS Tamworth 22.08.1935 26.11.2013 Ret d Ch/Supt Keith PERRINS Leek 11.09.1949 29.11.2013 Ret d D/Sgt Alan William EARDLEY Northern 14.10.1936 04.12.2013 Ret d Pc. Eric J WARD West Bromwich 03.03.1944 27.12.2013 Ret d Ch/Supt Walter Leonard JONES Northern 03.03.1929 12.01.2014 Ret d Supt Donald MALKIN Stafford 06.11.1924 08.02.2014 Widows & Wives called to Higher Service. Obituary 2013/14. Your Branch Committee record with regret the deaths of the following widows and wives. Our sympathy is extended to all the bereaved families. Mrs (Wife) Eveline HILL Lichfield 19.05.1926 13.11.2013 Mrs (Wife) Barbara JONES Northern 17.01.1948 23.11.2013 Mrs Gwendoline Mary GRICE Stafford 05.12.1936 07.12.2013 Mrs Alice Elizabeth TEW Stafford 11.06.1932 13.01.2014 SOUTHERN TRAFFIC GROUP, LICHFIELD RE-UNION. Arrangements have now been finalised for the first Re-Union of Southern Traffic Group Members, Wives, Partners, and Civilian Staff. The date is Friday, the 4 th April, 2014 time 7:00pm until 11:00pm, at St. Matthews Sports and Social Club, St. Matthews Road, Burntwood, WS7 9EP. A large number of Ex Members have been in touch with Brian Brough and Linda Hicken, but there are more of you out there. Please come along and renew acquaintances and friendships with ex colleagues, and talk about the 'good old' days, and make this a successful event. Please pass the details on to Ex Members who may not be NARPO Members, or who may still be serving with Staffordshire Police.
Chairman s Corner. It appears although Spring is just around the corner, perhaps we need to give Spring a new connotation with all the rain and flooding everybody is experiencing at this moment in time. On the Staffordshire Police front all seems reasonably quiet at the moment. The Chief Constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner are forging ahead with new technology i.e. body worn video and streamlined computer processes to try to ease the burden of falling numbers of Police Officers and Police Staff. The PCC is hoping to have the now cleared old H.Q. Site sold by September 2014. One problem on the horizon, is the recent judgement in an Employment Tribunal in Nottingham which has ruled that the use of A19, [the forcing of officers who were eligible to draw a pension to leave the force on the grounds of efficiency] is unlawful due to age discrimination. If this ruling is upheld it could cause the Force some serious financial problems. The Local Police Federation is awaiting guidance from the National Federation as it affects many officers who were forced to leave Staffordshire Police. It could herald interesting times. On the Police Federation front the National Police Federation have commissioned an independent report into how the Federation operates, following mounting criticism from a number of areas, including its own members. The report has now been published with recommendations that are radical in nature. If accepted the Federation of the future will be a very different animal than it is today. The 2014 Federation Conference in Bournemouth is going to be very interesting this year because many of these recommendations will have to be voted through. N.E.C. wise, National NARPO is in a sound financial position, recording a 194,504 surplus for 2013. A motion is going to be taken to conference proposing that a 10,000 accidental death cover be taken out on behalf of National NARPO for all fee paying members. The cost of this would be approximately 73 pence per member and would be picked up by NARPO at Wakefield. It is seen as a way of giving something back to the membership. The theme of Conference at Brighton in September is going to be along the lines of maintaining and if possible enhancing pensioner benefits. NARPO will be joining up with other pensioner groups to attempt to lobby MPs and Parliament on the run up to the General Election in May 2015. Our Conference is one of the first of the Conference season, so NARPO are endeavouring to make it as professional as possible. To this end they are employing the services of a specialist communications company The Live Group, who may provide a Web-caste of the whole proceedings at conference. It is hoped to attract some high profile speakers to engender a lively debate. There are a couple of interesting articles in February s edition of NARPO News. Clint Elliot s editorial about the issue of the New State Pension in 2016 and the correlation between this and National Insurance contribution is worth a read. As is the Hawkridge inheritance on page 21. At my suggestion, National NARPO are piloting a NARPO App for Android Smart-phones, this will mean that so minded NARPO members will be able to access the National NARPO Website whilst on the move. If successful this will be extended to I-phones. Steve Edward s the Deputy Chief Executive has been responsible for pulling this together at minimal cost. The Voluntary Exit Scheme [Voluntary redundancy] which Staffordshire Police introduced under the Winsor Report, has (at this moment in time) been halted. The possible effects on NARPO membership numbers were discussed at the NEC meeting, because it was envisaged that the scheme may extend to other Forces. The decision of the NEC to deal with any members leaving under this scheme and wishing to join NARPO was to make them associate members.
From the archive. A couple of updates from my previous posts. I received a letter from Alan Perry, an ex Traffic Officer who now lives in Barmouth in Wales. Here is an extract from his letter. I was posted to Cannock from Mill Meece Training School in January 1958, the Police Training Centre at Cannock had then closed, but the premises were being used as a hostel for men from numerous Eastern Bloc Countries. After the uprising in Hungary in 1956 the disused RAF Camp at Hednesford [the top of Brindley Heath] became a clearing station for the people who had fled Hungary and other Eastern Bloc countries. The families were found accommodation within the local area and the single men placed in the old Police Training School, which was turned into a hostel with good living accommodation and kitchens. A warden was appointed to look after the young men and a lot of them who had worked in the mines in their own countries found work in the local pits, namely Littleton and Cannock Number 5. The warden was responsible for the conduct of the men, but normally on a Saturday night after too many drinks trouble would flair and the police would be called. I attended there on numerous occasions with my sergeant, the great Jack James, to sort things out. After a few years the men found their own accommodation and the hostel was closed for a while. The N.C.B then took it over and I think it became a computer centre where all the wages for the N.C.B staff were worked out. This lasted a few years and then the N.C.B moved to a new Headquarters in Stoke. On a similar vein, Mark Judson received an e-mail from Brian Podmore, a former H.Q drill instructor. He now resides in the Thames Valley Area. He confirms that the Cannock Training School did exist on the Walsall Road. He remembers whilst a P.C. at Cannock, the prisoners had blankets embossed with Police Training School. Also, his wife worked at the N.C.B. premises and he stated that they would often find items lying about which referred to the old Police Training School. My thanks to both Alan and Brian, from afar sharing their memories with us. The publication of the article on the Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal also drew some interest from members. Chase Hobson from the Northern Branch sent me an e-mail to the effect: I was a third generation Bobby. As a result I was able to present my mother with a set of three of these medals. What makes this even more unique is that each is accompanied by a Queen s Coronation, Silver and Golden Jubilee medal - not given to every officer in the past. All these medals were earned North of the County in Newcastle Borough Police, Stoke-on Trent City Police and Staffordshire County Police. In addition I was contacted by another retired officer who was seeking assistance in how he might be able to retrospectively obtain his L.G.C. Medal. I made some enquiries on his behalf and put him in touch with someone at Headquarters to see if the matter could be progressed with the relevant department in London. I am yet to receive an update. At our recent Branch Meeting, the honour of NARPO Life Membership was approved to Peter Toghill (Welfare Officer, West Bromwich) and Glyn Thomas (Chairman, Tamworth). Also, Joe Molloy (Website Manager), was nominated as our Staffordshire NARPO representative at the London Cenotaph Parade in November later this year. Regards Mark Judson [Chairman Staffordshire NARPO]
Branch & Sub Branch Contacts and Meeting Dates. BURTON Ralph Seville 01283 790 527 Secretary, Lesley Bennett. 07896 809130 Meeting & Socials at 7:30 pm. 9 th April 2014, 9 th July 2014. 8 th October 2014. LICHFIELD Ron Hill 01543 685524 Linda Hicken 01922 452572 Lichfield Rugby Club. 19 th March. 21 st May. 16 th July. 17 th Sept. 19 th Nov. 10 th December Xmas Lunch. TAMWORTH Glyn Thomas 01827 67545 Dave Gardner 01827 311096 Coton & Hopwas Social Club. 4 th March. 6 th May. 1 st July. 2 nd September. 11 th Nov. CANNOCK Joe Edwards 01543 503 113 Secretary John Hartshorne 01889 620286 Meeting & Socials at 7:30 pm. AGM 13 March 2014, 19 th June, Social Event 8 th November 2014. NORTHERN Keith Houlston 01782 616118 Dave Malam 01782 620955 Tollgate Hotel (Oakwood Suite), Ripon Rd, Blurton, Stoke-on-Trent. (off Trentham Rd) 3 rd April. 2 nd October. WOMBOURNE Roger Jones 01902 847299 John Cooper. 01902 344687 Wombourne Tennis, Bowls & Cricket Club. 3 rd June. 7 th October. LEEK Peter Simms 01782 315 383 Bob Scrimgeour 01782 503755 Meeting & Socials at 7:30 pm. Leek Golf Club 4 th March. Leek Golf Club. 1 st July 2014. Cheadle Cricket Club. STAFFORD Michael Kozam 01785 257578 Vice Chair. Gerry Robinson. 01783 212394. Secretary Maureen Poole 01785 603999 Constitutional Club, 5 Lloyd Street, Stafford, ST16 3AS. 26 th June. 23 rd Oct.(AGM) WEST BROMWICH Ken Stevens 01384 850677 Terry Barton 01902 495249 Meetings and Socials 8:00.pm. The Royal Naval Association Club, Bull Lane, West Bromwich 12 th May. 1 st Sept. 1 st Dec.2014 BRANCH CHAIRMAN BRANCH VICE CHAIRMAN BRANCH SECRETARY Mark Judson 01785 660095 Gerry Robinson 01785 212394 Desmond Lockwood 01785 615190 BRANCH TREASURER WEBSITE MANAGER ALL MEMBERS Reay Pearman 01782 652205 Joe Molloy 01889 583991 Keep right up to date by following our Website. www.narpo-staffs.co.uk You may attend meetings at any of our 9 sub branches.