I salute you ! And hope your health keeps improving .
I happen to think that being a police officer takes more guts these days than in the past .A determined crook can easily find you and family where you live .
Yes I have had that threat upon me and in fact to step aside from this thread for a moment , I will tell you a story .... In the mid 90’s a criminal was in dispute with another criminal and territory and leadership aka ‘ ‘alpha male and testosterone ‘ became a huge factor within the disagreement. This resulted in around 40 doormen ( nightclub security staff working for security companies set up by dubious characters) moving in convoy from the Kirby area of Liverpool down the A580 East Lancs road, to the Fazakerly area of Liverpool where the leader knew that the subsequent victim SC would be. The Police, observing this on a quiet Sunday afternoon, stopped the convoy and questioned the leader . However, there were only two Police officers free at that time as all the others ( only around another 6 covering a huge high crime area , were already deployed elsewhere.
Being outnumbered, the two Police Officers were unable to stop and search 40 plus males as at that time, there was no such safety equipment to call upon like CS Gas or ‘tasers’ and in fact we were still issued the old wooden truncheons as the new sidesticks and ASPs hadn’t yet been purchased and issued to officers . In fact , from memory, the Firearms department was very new with few staff and rules of engagement were still in their infancy . Suffice to say that the officers knew something wasn’t right but having stopped and held them for sufficient time to check out if their was any intelligence in relation to this gang of any note, and none being provided by the Police control room , ( intelligence was not known at that exact time about the ongoing ‘beef ‘between the two ) , they called for Officers from the Fazackerly area to take over the following of the convoy ( designated area borders had been crossed and therefore the two initial officers were no longer on their own designated patch and needed to return).
Whilst awaiting the takeover, the convoy having decided that they had been inconvenienced enough already and were not under arrest and free to go, took off.
They travelled to a local pub nearby where families were enjoying Sunday lunch and afternoon drinks and a number of these individuals entered the establishment whilst the others remained outside and they sought out their target SC, their nemesis, sat with his wife and kids and they used CS gas and sprayed it to incapacitate SC’s wife and children and other nearby patrons and they hacked SC to death in the pub before calmly leaving!!!
They were all arrested and I was given the job of interviewing one of the main offenders, 4 individual interviews over many hours. At the conclusion he made it clear that he found me attractive and wanted to take me out . I politely declined and thanked him , however this was not an option to decline as he lost his ‘street credibility ‘, and was very annoyed .
I wasn’t too perturbed at the time because I knew he would be remanded to prison awaiting trial .
A couple of months later I went out with friends in Liverpool city centre for a night out dancing etc and as I approached a well
known club, guess who was standing at the door as security? Yup, the guy I dealt with! To say I pooped myself was an understatement. He had been given JC bail and was now out awaiting trial . He saw me and made a beeline and reminded me that I owed him! I have never been so scared as I knew he wouldn’t do anything because it was too obvious but he could easily get another doorman to do so . I left on the pretext of going to go to the ladies and I would return to talk with him and I was followed to the loo. I managed with my friend to spot a fire exit and made a sharp exit before it was noted that I had gone .
From that day until his sentence was passed for his part of co conspirator in the murder of SC, I was under a risk assessment and even imprisoned, I was terrified that he would get someone to ‘get me ‘ on his behalf. Since that night, I have never been out in Liverpool City Centre ever since and I would always register my car at DVLA, as my world address to reduce being identified and located . It’s a very real threat out there just for doing a job !
Sorry to derail the thread for a moment but the occasional diversion is not such a bad thing!
