Saturday 26 April 2014

Those were the days…. Durham Market Place 1960

Durham Market Place as it used to be.


 
P.C. Bob Bell Durham Market Place 1950
PC Bob Bell, Durham Market Place about 1950 ?
Dick Collinson 1940. Note tin helmet
Dick Collinson : about 1940 (Note tin helmet)

Pc 859 'Jim' Best taken approx 1945/46 when he was posted in Durham and living in the barracks in Durham City Police office
The Police Traffic Control Box in the Market Place in Durham City.
Notice the step halfway up the box, which officers used, to use to climb into the box as it had no door.
This was later changed as it was deemed undignified for an officer, particularly a WPC,  to climb in & out of the box
(Click on the images to view in the gallery)
Video courtesy of www.britishpathe.com
And…. as it was in 1944
 

Thursday 24 April 2014

Durham Cadet Training School : September 1980

Durham Police Cadet Training School : September 1980

Many Thanks to Neil Spurgeon for providing the picture of the Durham Cadet Training School, taken September 1980.
Anyone who can help with names  ?  Leave a comment below

Neil is sitting down on the front row – far right.

Click on picture to view enlarged in NARPO gallery

Is Employment and Support Allowance deductible from an Injury Pension?

Will be of interest to those receiving an Injury Pension :

“We are aware that the position on this matter is varied throughout the country with some Forces deducting ESA and others not deducting it.

ESA is a direct replacement for Incapacity benefit so on first sight one would expect it to be deductible, however Incapacity Benefit is expressly detailed as a ‘relevant benefit’ under Schedule 3 of The Police [Injury Benefit] Regulations 2006; ESA however as it is a new DWP benefit is not so detailed.

In an effort to clarify the situation we recently wrote to the Home Office seeking clarification of the matter. The response we received from the Home Office included the following:

In principle, we believe it would be appropriate to change both the police pension and injury benefit regulations to make ESA deductible.

This obviously leads us to surmise that the Home Office are of the opinion that ESA is not deductible from an Injury Pension at present. The letter also makes it clear that Police Forces are responsible for administering pensions within the regulations and in view of this we suggest that those who are having ESA deducted from their Injury Pension write to their Force in an attempt to clarify the matter and receive back any monies unlawfully deducted.”

We have prepared a template letter for you to use to write to your Force see the website for more at: http://www.narpo.org.uk/index.php/pensions/injury-pensions.html

HAPPY EASTER

Steve Edwards

Deputy Chief Executive

01924 331 251

www.narpo.org

Death of former colleague Mary Elizabeth Welsh (nee Murray)

It is with deepest sadness that we have to advise you of the death of former colleague Mary Elizabeth Welsh (nee Murray) who died peacefully on April 12, 2014 aged 90 years.
Mary retired from Durham Constabulary in 1976 from HQ Crime Stats and in retirement she was heavily involved in establishing and promoting Neighbourhood Watch in Durham area.  She was also a proud volunteer Steward of Durham Cathedral for 24 years.
Mary was the dearly loved wife of the late Robert, mother of the late Donald, a dear grandma to Sarah, Emma and Louis, great-grandma to Faith and mother-in-law to Angie.
Friends and former colleagues are asked to please meet for service in Durham Cathedral on Wednesday April 30 at 2.00pm. Cremation to follow.
Donations in lieu of flowers please to Friends of Durham Cathedral by request. Refreshments to follow at the Court Inn, Court Lane, Durham, DH1 3AW.

Friday 11 April 2014

Durham Police K9…. Easter

EasterMany of you will be aware of Durham Motorcycle Sections annual BikeWise Easter Egg Run...
This is a hugely popular event, that, with assistance from the force's motorcycle section, regularly sees up to 1,000 motorcyclists enjoying a 'closed road' ride from Durham to Darlington Memorial Hospital and then back to University Hospital of North Durham, where easter eggs and toys are donated to the respective children's wards, and a generous amount of money is raised for a nominated charity.

This is actually a hugely popular national initiative, supported by motorcyclists from all backgrounds, with a common goal of making Easter a bit more enjoyable for the children who can't be at home to enjoy the festivities.
Unfortunately, this year sees the first time since 2005 that  our motorcycle section are unable to host the event.
We at the Dog Support Unit have, for a long time, enjoyed a good relationship and affiliation with our bike section, and a few of the unit are regulars at the Easter Egg Runs.
With this in mind, we have decided to try and keep the tradition going by hosting our own Easter event, still with the children's wards in mind, and hopefully continuing with the great public support and interaction with ourselves and the organisation, that has been built since 2005.

We obviously wouldn't be able to coordinate the 'closed road' ride, so the following has been proposed :

From Monday 14th April 2014, please drop off your Easter eggs / toys / donation (voluntary) at any of your local Police stations, including HQ reception at Aykley Heads or with us at the Dog Support Unit.
Make sure all items are clearly marked for the 'Dog Support Unit (DSU) Easter Event' so that we can collect them easily at various times throughout the week.
If possible, please drop us a quick email at durhampolicek9@gmail.com to tell us where you have left your gifts.

On Saturday 19th April a couple of our handlers and dogs will visit the children's wards at Darlington, Bishop Auckland and Durham (UHND) hospitals to hand out your gifts and give the children and families a chance to meet and play with  some of our friendlier dogs and learn about their work.
A representative from 'BikeWise' will also be with us as they are generously donating some money to some of the wards.
There is also to be a special visit to the stroke ward at Bishop Auckland, in recognition of the assistance given to a colleague who sadly and very recently passed away.
We'll see how this year turns out, but there is every chance this will turn into a fabulous annual event for our unit.
All suggestions are welcomed ...!

Please spread the word and here's looking forward to brightening up Easter weekend for some poorly kids.
This year's nominated charity is PawsUp

Some other dates for your diary :
Sunday 18th May 2014 -
Durham Constabulary Dog Support Unit's annual 'DOGWISE' event. At Haughall College campus, Durham. 10am - 4pm.
More details to follow at a later date.

Sunday 20th July 2014 -
Durham Constabulary's annual 'BIKEWISE' event. Police HQ, Aykley heads, Durham.
More details to follow at a later date

Friday 4 April 2014

Death of a retired Police Officer : Brian Snaith (Ex Durham & Northumbria)

It is with regret that I announce the death of retired Police Officer : Brian Snaith,75yrs, who died on the 30th March 2014.
Brian Snaith joined Durham Constabulary in 1961,he then transferred to Northumbria in 1974 and subsequently retired on medical grounds from Northumbria in 1994.
e was a member of Northumbria NARPO and an additional member of Durham Branch NARPO
He leaves son's Michael, Paul & David
The funeral will be held on Wednesday 9th April 2014 at South Shields Crematorium at 1pm, the service is not private.
Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to the Stroke Unit, South Tyneside District Hospital.
Our thoughts are with the family at this sad time.

Death of a retired Police Staff member : John Kenneth Hall (Ken)

It is with regret that we have to announce the death of a retired Police Staff Member : John Kenneth Hall (Ken), who died on the 28th March 2014. He was aged 55 years old.
He was a loving dad of Scott and Zoe, also a sadly missed brother of Peter, twin Gary and the late Pauline.
Ken Hall Joined Durham Constabulary on the 22nd February 1983, he served as a Driver Maintenance Officer, until he was medically retired on the 14th June 2010 after serving 27 Years and 3 months.
The funeral service will be taking place on Tuesday the 8th April 2014 at 10.30am, it will be held at Durham Crematorium.
The family have requested family flowers only but donations can be made in lieu of flowers if desired to MIND, there will be a box provided at the crematorium.
Our thoughts are with the family at this sad time.

March edition of Police Magazine

March 2014The March 2014 edition of Police Magazine is now available to view on the site.

Please click on this link or the image to go to the Federation, Police Magazine, page of the website.

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