Winter on nights can be long, hard and cold to probationary constables that have to walk the beat with their tutors. But their is nothing like experience for learning the work.
This particular night there was a report of some groaning or weeping coming from a graveyard on the outskirt of the city. A Tutor and Probationer were transported there by car and dropped off by the Graveyard gate. It was a very still night and icy, there were no street lights shinning into the cemetery, it was quite eerie, and the only light was torchlight (flashlight).
The direction of the noise was ascertained and the tutor set the probationer off in the direction of the noise with the warning to be careful of his footing.
The Tutor then slowly dropped out of sight of his pupil and he was on his own. He made his way to the noise which was some sort of groaning. As he drew near to the grave stone and the noise he was all alone. Suddenly, this white sheet like apparition rose up before him making a most hideous noise and the probationer made off at such speed that no one could have caught him not even old nick himself! He tore out the graveyard and along the street without drawing breath. Shouting into his radio; “It’s after me, It’s after me!”
I quickly collected the ghost in the patrol car and drew up beside the pupil constable with the offending groaner/ghost in the back seat. The probationer took one look at the white sheeted figure and ran even faster. He had to be stopped by his Tutor at the next corner, he was taken to the station and provided with a cup of sweet tea and calmed down.
We all went through some similar kind of initiation ritual and generally the hierarchy turned a blind eye to it. But this new bobby was so disturbed by his experience that he threatened to resign. In the end he was transferred to another shift and our unit was read the riot act about such pranks.
I heard that about a month later another unit at a another station tried the same prank on another new probationer. Whether the news had gone around about our lad or not or, whether it was just unfortunate I don’t know. But when the bobby behind the sheet stood to scare the tomorrow out the probationer the probationer drew his truncheon and calmly struck the ghost on the head. The probationary constable then radioed control to tell them what he had done. The ghost had concussion and had to go to hospital he was off sick for a week. Well done quick thinking young bobby!
No doubt the accident book read to the effect that PC ??????? Had tripped and hit his head while making enquires in the graveyard.
Tricky places Graveyards!
The Lovely Blonde
We were on nights in the city in the summer when there is hardly any darkness to speak of. It is just about dark when you go on duty and light by about 03:00 hours.
Sunday morning, the nightclubs had nearly all turned out, there were just a few stragglers so the roads were deserted.
I stopped the patrol car at a set of red traffic lights waiting for them to change. A very expensive convertible with the hood down drew up along the nearside. The driver was a blonde with long flowing hair. I knew immediately that it was false. My partner, a new lad was dazzled and said to me;
“Here look at this!”
I said, “keep looking.”
The blonde turned round and blew my partner a lovely kiss and fluttered eyebrows you could have dug potatoes up with.
He said to me,
“It’s a so and so bloke!”
I said,
“Yes, and he, she or it, really fancies you!”.
His words were not repeatable!