You never know what is round the corner

Inspector Umer Khan of the Rochdale North Neighbourhood Policing Team

Inspector Umer Khan of GMP Rochdale North says...

We are half way through the summer holidays and as expected it has thus far been an extremely busy period, as far as demand on policing is concerned.

As people enjoyed the extended heat wave the number of incidents reported to the Police also increased – at one stage we were experiencing a 30% increase in reports being made to the police on daily basis, that’s roughly 3000+ calls to GMP on any given day. The areas where we have noted increases centre around around drink related disorder, domestic incidents and general anti-social behaviour, as well as the opportunist thieves exploiting insecurities around homes, as people have left windows and doors open due to the heat.

Couple of updates from recent investigations:

The disturbances on Salik Gardens and Deeplish Road where four people were arrested for street disorder – the investigation has now been completed. A number of people were interviewed, witnesses statements have been obtained and in the past few days an evidential file has been submitted to the CPS for a charging decision. The outcome will be communicated in due course.

We also had the case of the man who was found in possession of explosive substances – he too remains on bail as forensic examination takes place, once again this investigation is being supervised by CPS and a charging decision will be made in due course.

What these investigations demonstrate is that all the hard work starts once a suspect has been arrested. Sometimes in straightforward cases we are able to get a charging decision from the CPS within the 24 hour detention period - the time we are legally allowed to hold someone in custody.

In complex cases CPS require additional evidence to satisfy the charging threshold. We then have to bail the suspects and use bail conditions to minimise any potential risks.

I know members of public have concerns about people being bailed pending charging decisions but I want to assure everyone officers take into account the risks a suspect may present and, where possible, if any risks or threats to the victim or witnesses are identified, then appropriate conditions are put in place to mitigate these risks. Clearly this situation is not always ideal but the additional conditions, such as the restrictions on contact with victim or witnesses, reside and sleep and even signing on regular basis at the police station, allows us to offer protection to victims and take enforcement action which otherwise would not be possible without these conditions in place.

I guess summer period is generally a busy period for everyone; with the school holidays it can be challenging for families to find affordable meaningful activities for the children to engage in. This is something we have been conscious about and I hope the information recently shared of the additional youth activities around the borough has proved to be helpful.

In Rochdale, despite what people may think, I feel there is diverse range of opportunities and activities for people to get their kids involved in, some of these have been well promoted on the safe4summer website – others long-term interests can be pursued locally.

For example, something I have personally been involved in as a volunteer community coach, is cricket. I work with many hard working young kids and am pleased to see quite a number of them progress from playing at their local clubs to now playing representative cricket both for the Lancashire County Club and couple for England school boys. A good example is of a young man from Rochdale, who at the age of 10 started playing club cricket at Thornham Cricket Club. Last year, at the age of 15, he got into the Lancashire County Academy and this year he was picked for the England U17s. A fantastic achievement on his part. He thoroughly enjoyed the threeweeks development programme in South Africa during the winter.

I highlight this as an example of what can be achieved if someone is dedicated enough to pursue their dream and is prepared to work hard at it.

This also goes to show we had good infrastructure and facilities in the Borough to enable young kids to achieve these outcomes. For example we have Thornham CC,  Rochdale CC,  Norden CC, Heywood CC, Middleton CC, Littleborough CC and Milnrow CC to name a few of these excellent well run clubs, who all provide training and games for kids from the age of 9 onwards all year round.

The benefit for parents is that you know where your kids are, off the streets on the playing fields making new friends, expending their energies in enjoyable, meaningful activities, and who knows in years to come they could be going on to represent Lancashire CC and even England. It just needs parents to take the first steps – just search for your local club and contact them. From my dealings with them they welcome prospective players and parents regardless of skill or ability.

Our motivation in this pursuit is quite simple, we want young people off the streets and into activities be it football, cricket or any other sport for that matter. From experience I have noted that children that regularly participate in sports go on to learn important life skills, in addition to experiencing fun and enjoyment, perhaps more importantly they tend to stay out of trouble, thus improving their prospects for the future.

Going back to the heading, ‘you never know what is just round the corner’ is something that is ingrained in us when we first join as a police officer. Although it is a cliché, in our job it certainly holds true for us all. I have know many days when at first it all seems all calm and quiet with not much happening and then all of sudden out of the blue comes some report of some incident or some news comes along which you would never have expected.

Over the last few months we have all been trying to come to terms with shock news of our much loved colleague PC Phil Booth going off sick with a unexpected illness, some of you may recall a month or so ago I mentioned his plight as we all came to terms with sad news of his condition, sadly it is with great sorrow and regret that I report that our beloved friend and colleague Phil passed away on Wednesday 31 July at 23.55hrs.

Phil was much liked and highly regarded member of our team. I worked with him when he first joined the police. He was my partner in the early days.  He was affectionately known as the ‘Gentle Giant’, as although he was visibly an imposing man, he was nevertheless a very gentle and kind man who always sought to resolve conflict through dialogue and understanding rather than having to resort to any force.

He dedicated 18 years of his life to serving the people of Rochdale and I hope everyone will think of him in their prayers in recognition of the exemplary service he has given to the Borough. He will be missed but always remembered.

His funeral will take place on Tuesday 14 August 2013 at Parkland Crematorium, Elland and if anyone knew him and wish to attend the funeral then please feel free to contact us and further details will be shared.

This is a sad time for his family, loved ones and friends and and it is really sad to lose a colleague and friend who only few months ago was working amongst us. We all feel deeply sad for what has happened and at this moment our thoughts and prayers are with his elderly parents and his sister, who have all shown tremendous strength and resolve over the past few months as they helped to make his last days happy and memorable ones.

The last few weeks we have all witnessed incidents, deaths and funerals. All of these tragic incidents highlight how uncertain life is from one moment to the next and just shows that in life you cannot take anything for granted.

On reflection I guess we should all try to value every day and every moment we have, enjoy the company of those around us, and make the most of each day we live, as you never know what tomorrow may hold and you will never know what is just round the corner.

Have a safe week ahead everyone.

Inspector Umer Khan
GMP Rochdale North