As smarter criminals exploit the latest developments, such as through phishing or using the dark web, the police are forever playing catch-up. Within three weeks of Peter James and a couple of his friends setting up Pavilion, one of the UK’s first internet service providers in the early 1990s, West Midlands Police were complaining that the Information Superhighway was being turned into a dirt track by paedophiles downloading child abuse images.
Many criminals and ex-criminals I have spoken to, while in the police and during research for this book, say ‘I couldn’t do your job’, citing the abuse and violence cops have to endure and the rules that constrain them. Some of those offenders lived a very comfortable life, ill-gotten but comfortable nonetheless. Many had bigger houses, better cars and more cash in their pockets than I ever would.
The flip side though is that although they turned a blind eye to the misery left in their wake, they never knew when we would come knocking nor when the Proceeds of Crime Act would take it all away. I know which lifestyle I preferred. There is no softer pillow than a clear conscience. I guarantee I sleep better than Messrs Bloomstein, Sherry and Chiggers.
It is hard leaving a life that has defined you for so long. Not being part of something so unique and honourable takes some getting used to. The camaraderie, the unifying sense of purpose and the instinct that we would all lay down our lives for each other create a powerful bond.
I could never imagine Roy Grace, Glenn Branson or their colleagues shedding the values that define them as people when their time comes to leave. Neither have I. As the adage goes, ‘You can take the man out of the police but you can never take policing out of the man.’ I would still run towards danger rather than away and would prefer to give my time to help someone in need than to make a buck.
I don’t regret one day of my service. Nor do I regret retiring from the job that fulfilled me and made my family so proud. I loved policing Roy Grace’s Brighton. Now it’s someone else’s turn.
Acknowledgements
This book is the culmination of thirty years of policing combined with twelve Roy Grace crime novels. However, the experiences we both have could not have compiled such a rich compendium of policing tales without the support of a huge number of people. Some of those mentioned in the book chose to have their names changed and we will use their pseudonyms here too.
Many former colleagues have been so generous with their time and recollections of events and investigations of years gone by. Amongst the retired officers who showed that memory does not always fade with age are the real Roy Grace, Detective Chief Superintendent David Gaylor, Detective Superintendent Russ Whitfield, Detective Chief Inspector George Smith, Detective Inspector Malcolm Bacon, Detective Sergeants Don Welch and Jim Sharpe, Detective Constables Debbie Wood, Dave Swainston, Nigel Kelly, Andy Mays and Dave Cooper and Police Constable Bob Elliott. They provided substantial detail on a number of crimes and showed why each of them was a force to be reckoned with in their day.
The support from the highest level in Sussex Police, from Chief Constable Giles York QPM and Olivia Pinkney QPM, now Chief Constable of Hampshire, has been invaluable, not least in allowing David Tonkin to check the manuscript on their behalf to ensure no secrets were revealed.
Our very good friend Chief Superintendent Nev Kemp, Brighton and Hove’s Divisional Commander, has been enormously helpful as has Detective Inspector Bill Warner, who was only too happy for his crazy ways to be laid bare for all to read. DS Julian Deans and PC Darren Balkham, who in their own very different ways make Brighton and Hove so much safer, have provided a rare insight into their unique worlds. Inspector Matt Webb and PC Mark White of the Police Federation have provided fabulous support in researching people and events gone by.
The courage of the victims of crime who helped cannot be underestimated. To ask them to relive traumatic events seemed an intrusion but Dr Alison Hewitt, Glynn Morgan and Fiona Perry were so incredibly helpful and we will be forever in their debt.
On the other side of the law, for some ex-offenders to happily talk to us about their exploits and the consequences of their crimes was as welcome as it was surprising. David Henty, Clifford Wake and Paul Teed were only too happy to provide a perspective that, otherwise, would have been sorely missed.
Like cops, journalists have enduring memories and see the world from a slightly different angle to that of the police and crime writers. The help of Phil Mills, Emily Walker, Michael Beard and Mike Gilson, all either currently at or previously of Brighton’s Argus newspaper, is hugely appreciated in not only contributing to the stories but also in sourcing some of the photographs from their dusty archives.
Special thanks go to our wonderful agent Carole Blake of Blake Friedman Literary Agency, who always goes the extra mile, and to the incredibly patient and inspirational Ingrid Connell, who provided such magnificent guidance throughout the writing. Much gratitude too is owed to our editor Susan Opie, whose patience and eye for detail are something to behold. Geoff Duffield, of Pan Macmillan, deserves a particular mention as it was he who, when presented with the embryonic plan for this book, gave such fulsome encouragement and support, something he has sustained throughout. Others who have provided excellent critical reflections on various stages of the manuscript include Linda Buckley and Phil Viner.
The fabulous and energetic staff at Midas PR, especially Tony Mulliken, Sophie Ransom and Becky Short, have been brilliant in so fully and enthusiastically promoting this book,
Mostly though, for not only providing constant physical and emotional support and encouragement but also for reading and re-reading draft after draft, huge love and thanks go to our wives Julie and Lara. Julie has been with Graham on the rollercoaster of self-doubt and elation every step of the way. To adapt from a wife whose husband was mainly at work trying to cure the ills of a city he loves, to having him under her feet pulling his hair out over rhythm, syntax and grammar is no mean feat. Thank you both so much as we literally couldn’t do this without you.
Graham Bartlett and Peter James
Glossary
ANPR – Automatic Number Plate Recognition. Roadside or mobile cameras which automatically capture the registration number of all cars that pass. It can be used to historically track which cars went past a certain camera and can also trigger alerts for cars which are stolen, have no insurance or have an alert attached to them.
ARV – Armed Response Vehicle.
CCTV – Closed Circuit Television. Can be either publicly owned and monitored (e.g. by the police), or privately installed in people’s houses or businesses.
Chief Officer – A police officer of or above the rank of Assistant Chief Constable (in most forces) or Commander (in the Metropolitan or City of London Police).
CID – Criminal Investigation Department. Usually refers to the divisional detectives rather than the specialist squads.
Commanders
Gold (or strategic) Commander – The Gold commander sets the strategy and assumes and retains overall strategic command for the operation or incident.
Silver (or tactical) Commander – The Silver commander commands and coordinates the overall tactical response in compliance with Gold’s strategy, and is the tactical commander of the incident.
Bronze (or operational) Commander – The Bronze commander is responsible for the command of a group of resources, and carries out functional or geographical responsibilities to deliver the requirements set by Silver in their tactical plan.
CPS – Crown Prosecution Service. The public agency that conducts criminal prosecutions in England and Wales.
CSI – was SOCO – Crime Scene Investigators (Scenes of Crime Officers). They are the people who attend crime scenes to search for fingerprints, DNA samples etc.
DNA – Deoxyribonucleic Acid. A molecule that encodes the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and many viruses. Used in policing to identify the source of bodily samples left at crime scenes. Generally provides a 1:1
billion certainty of the source/person.
DVLA – Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority. The Government agency that registers motor vehicles and issues driving licences. An important source of intelligence in many enquiries.
Golf 99 – The call sign for the divisional duty inspector who is expected to take ground command of critical incidents, working usually alongside Ops-1 or to the CIM.
HOLMES – Home Office Large Major Enquiry System. The national computer database used on all murders. It provides a repository of all messages, actions, decisions and statements, allowing the analysis of intelligence and the tracking and auditing of the whole enquiry. Can enable enquiries to be linked across force areas where necessary.
Intel Cell – Intelligence cell. A dedicated team of officers and staff who provide the intelligence research and analysis to a major crime or incident.
IPCC – Independent Police Complaints Commission. Body that oversees the police complaints system in England and Wales and sets the standards by which the police should handle complaints. Will determine, in certain cases, whether the investigation should be handled locally, managed/supervised by themselves or independently investigated.
LST – Local Support Team. The standing unit of officers who provide public order, search and low-level surveillance tactics on a division. Can be drawn together to form a PSU (see below).
MIR-1 – Major Incident Room 1. One of the large rooms in the Major Incident Suite where most of the investigation team work and brief.
Misper – Short for ‘missing person’.
MO – Modus Operandi (method of operation). The manner by which the offender has committed the offence. Often this can reveal unique features which allow crimes to be linked or suspects to be identified.
Ops-1 – The call sign of the Force Control Duty Inspector, who has oversight and command of all critical incidents in the initial stages.
PCSO – Police Community Support Officer. These are uniformed neighbourhood officers who work in communities but do not have police powers such as arrest, search, use of force etc.
POLSA – Police Search Advisor. A trained and accredited officer who provides advice on where to search for something or someone, and how in any given circumstance. Can be used as the Bronze commander (see above) for the search elements of an enquiry or incident.
PSU – Police Support Unit. A unit of police officers trained and equipped to deal with public order or crowded events. Usually comprises one inspector, three sergeants, eighteen constables together with two medics and three drivers.
RPU – Roads Policing Unit. The new name for the Traffic Division.
RTC – Road Traffic Collision (commonly known as an ‘accident’ by the public, but this term is not used as it implies no one is at fault when usually someone is).
SIO – Senior Investigating Officer. Usually a Detective Chief Inspector who is in overall charge of the investigation of a major crime such as murder, kidnap or rape.
SOCO – see CSI.
SSU – Specialist Search Unit. The team who provide expert search skills such as searching underwater or in confined places at height, as well as locations where a high degree of search expertise is required, such as large or complex crime scenes.
TFU – Tactical Firearms Unit. The small, permanently armed department of the police that responds to firearms incidents. They often deploy in ARVs (see above), and also have other specialist capabilities.
TPAC – Tactical Pursuit And Containment. Describes a range of methods for managing and terminating police pursuits, including boxing the target vehicle in using police cars and, where necessary, causing it to stop by use of controlled collision.
SLANG AND PHRASES
ABC – Assume Nothing, Believe No-one, Check Everything. The Senior Investigating Officer’s mantra for maintaining an open and enquiring mindset in investigations.
Copper’s Nose – a police officer’s instinct. The sixth sense which often guides an officer’s suspicions.
Golden Hour – the first hour after a crime has been committed or reported when the best chances of seizing evidence and/or identifying witnesses exist.
PC Rain – so called as a good downpour has a greater chance of clearing people, including drunks and criminals, off the street than any number of police officers can!
Q Word – short for ‘quiet’. Emergency services personnel never say the word ‘quiet’, as it invariably is a bad omen, causing chaos to reign!
Shit Magnet – Slang for a police officer who seems to attract trouble and around whom disaster invariably reigns.
CHART OF POLICE RANKS1
Police ranks are consistent across all disciplines and the addition of prefixes such as ‘detective’ (e.g. detective constable) does not affect seniority relative to others of the same rank (e.g. police constable).
Picture Acknowledgements
All photographs are from the author’s collection with the exception of the following:
Here, and here: courtesy of Sussex Police.
Here, here, here, here, here, here and here: courtesy of The Argus.
Here: courtesy of The Argus and Sussex Police.
Here: courtesy of Andy Mays – Inspired Images www.inspiredphotoimages.co.uk
Endnote
1 Note: these can vary between forces.
List of Illustrations
1. (From left to right) Dad, me and Uncle Gordon in our uniforms. I idolized them both.
2. Enjoying firearms training during my time policing Gatwick airport.
3. Tim Phillips receiving aid from the emergency services after being shot by Dew and Cooke.
4. The Lighthouse Club, owned by George Teed.
5. Police searching Shoreham Harbour for evidence following the Lighthouse Club triple murder.
6. George and Hilda Teed.
7. David Teed.
8. Paul Teed.
9. Paul Teed (left) with Peter James.
10. (From left to right) Peter James, David Henty and me.
11. On the steps of Henty and Wake’s passport factory following their arrest, with printer Barry Cheriton behind.
12. Charlie Bloomstein, Justin Bishop, Andrew Barratt and Daryl Aldridge.
13. The pistol and ammunition found in the gang’s possession.
14. Anthony Robinson’s VW camper van being towed following the discovery of his body.
15. The ruthless Denis Mulder.
16. With Russell Brand filming a BBC TV documentary exploring drug rehabilitation in Brighton.
17. Career criminal Michael Fitzpatrick, who was shot by police.
18. The scene at Rock Place following the Fitzpatrick shooting.
19. Peter and I with the first ‘Peter James car’ that he sponsored for Sussex Police.
20. Activists besiege the EDO MBM factory – a carefully planned police operation ensured public safety.
21. My family at my retirement party in 2013.
1. (From left to right) Dad, me and Uncle Gordon in our uniforms. I idolized them both.
2. Enjoying firearms training during my time policing Gatwick airport.
3. Tim Phillips receiving aid from the emergency services after being shot by Dew and Cooke.
4. The Lighthouse Club, owned by George Teed.
5. Police searching Shoreham Harbour for evidence following the Lighthouse Club triple murder.
6. George and Hilda Teed.
7. David Teed.
8. Paul Teed.
9. Paul Teed (left) with Peter James.
10. (From left to right) Peter James, David Henty and me.
11. On the steps of Henty and Wake’s passport factory following their arrest, with printer Barry Cheriton behind.
12. Charlie Bloomstein, Justin Bishop, Andrew Barratt and Daryl Aldridge.
13. The pistol and ammunition found in the gang’s possession.
14. Anthony Robinson’s VW camper van being towed following the discovery of his body.
15. The ruthless Denis Mul
der.
16. With Russell Brand filming a BBC TV documentary exploring drug rehabilitation in Brighton.
17. Career criminal Michael Fitzpatrick, who was shot by police.
18. The scene at Rock Place following the Fitzpatrick shooting.
19. Peter and I with the first ‘Peter James car’ that he sponsored for Sussex Police.
20. Activists besiege the EDO MBM factory – a carefully planned police operation ensured public safety.
21. My family at my retirement party in 2013.
Graham Bartlett was a Sussex police officer for thirty years. In 1989 he was posted to Brighton and Hove, becoming a detective the following year. Quite uniquely he served the city through every rank, rising to become a homicide senior investigating officer and Detective Superintendent for Public Protection as well as a strategic firearms and public order commander. He then achieved his life’s ambition, as Chief Superintendent, to become the city’s Police Commander, a job he held and loved for four years. He pioneered Operation Reduction, the enduring approach to slashing drug deaths and reducing crime as well as cutting disorder at protests by adopting methods developed by one of the world’s foremost crowd psychologists. He lives in Sussex.
Death Comes Knocking: Policing Roy Grace’s Brighton Page 30
