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Fink

  • Thread starter Thread starter Frantic
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Frantic

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We had a PC on my unit at Ladywood nick who we used to call 'Fink'. I can't even remember his real name anymore....he was always 'Fink' and I attrbuted this to the fact that he couldn't pronounce the letters 'th' properly. One day I asked the station sergant why this PC was called 'Fink' and it transpired that one night, the said PC was on night duty walking the Jewellery Quarter (this duty was reserved for PC's who mis-behaved). 'Making Points' with the Sergant was not done much any more, they would call you up on the radio every so-often to see if you were still alive. This was the gist of the radio conversation.
" Charlie Two control to Charlie 123 (not real number)
"123 answering Charlie two"
" What is your position 123?"
"Er.....Stand by Charlie two".
[lengthy break]
"Do you know your position or not 123?
"Er...Stand by Charlie Two.
[another lengthy break]
"Charlie 123....What is your position?" (getting angry)
"Er.....I Fink I'm lost Charlie Two".
[much tittering in control room]
" Are you on a pavement 123?"
"Yes Charlie two"
"Well if you walk along the pavement until you come to a junction....and then look all around you.....you will see a white plate with black letters on it.....probably on a wall......THIS WILL TELL YOU WHERE YOU ARE"
for weeks after, ther were mystery radio calls going out sayin "Oh Fiii-ink....Where are you".
 
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Hugo

Its a bit before your time Fran. there was a sergent at Kenyon St. known as Hugo. When he was on desk duty and a job came in he always said to the first person in " hugo to that one "
 
Mike-g.
There obviously was a second Hugo at Kenyon Street when I was there in about 1958.
The man was classed as a First Police Reserve. These were officers who the force were obliged to employ due to their wartime military service. This was one man who should never have been so employed, if one is honest. He had been captured by the Japanese and had mentally been impaired by his experiences. He was so insecure that he was called Hugo for if he was sent on an enquiry he would always try to get someone to do it for him.
Two stories I can relate to him. The first was coming into Kenyon Street to this oficer reporting to the desk sergeant. He had been sent to a house in Monument Road where the female occupier, who lived alone, had not been seen for some time. This time Hugo could not pass the buck and was reporting back to say he had knocked the door and obviously no one was in. The look on the sergeant's face was worth the view. I was CID then and my partner and I attended and it ended up with us getting a ladder and getting in a upstairs bedroom. Keeping it short the body was there and had lain so all through the previous eight months - yet each week her rent was being paid at the council offices. There was a innocent explanation but on going home the first thing I had to do was get in a hot bath to wash it all off me before I could eat. Thanks Hugo.
The second time. He was listed as an interpretor, speaking an Indian language. I attended court one day and saw he was being used as an interpreter in another case. To be fair to him we know that the Indian sub continent has many languages and of course this defendant spoke one other than that of Hugo. Still not to be outdone and loose his interperter's fees he was talking loud and in pidgen English to try and get him to understand. It was a complete farce.
That was my Hugo.
 
Nothing changes. When my daughter first joined she worked with a PC called Weem and very few people knew his real name. He got the handle because of his habit of stating that weem am gonna do this or that in his Black Country dialect.

At one stage they did have a Super who decided using nick names was unprofessional and tried to end the practice. I think it all fell apart because so many officers didn't know their colleagues' proper names.
 
Another tale from the tall hat brigade. Still at Kenyon Street. One of the beats I used to walk was around the Flats in Lodge Road.
This particular tour of duty I was posted to another area and my old beat was taken on by another officer, who was not the sharpest knife in the drawer. It was the era of the Teddy Boys.
This officer having done half a tour on this beat came to me at our break time and asked if I knew of any 'blind Teds on the Flats' I confessed I did not and he related to me, how he was crossing the road there and a Teddy Boy crossed and bumped into him. He had said to the lad 'was he blind' and the lad replied 'Yes'.
Nice fella but not the sharpest knife.. Have a dim recollection he decided subsequently the tall hat was not for him.....
 
police

this is the news paper cutting photogragh of william yarnarld
taken in worc court and sentencd to be hung at worc jail
by judge jelf , by henrypiepoint 1925
for the murder of his wife
i do have photo copy of his cell [hanging ]
sent to me by michael grundy retired news paper reporter for the worcester news ,
best wishes to everybody and have a nice day
astonian ;;;;;
 
Punishment , For Crime

Should We Bring Back Corpral Punshment for murder for every body
or just for the police ,this is often debated by the politicians
i personaly think it should be for every body
you take a life ,you should pay your life ,
as it,s states in the bible , an eye for an eye, so surely we must go by this
in todays case you see on the media and the news papers ,
that you can kill a person and walk out of the dock , wheres the justice
of today , its laughter if you lost a love one through some druken, or drugged
yob of today even simple argueing and falling out with a friend ,or neibour
etheir you push ,kick , or stabb them them they die ,
and always we are somebodys child , father , brother , sister , wife ,
if you are lucky to get a sentence today in prison it compatable
you dont pay board and lodging you get your fags ,money ,tv,s
even an health farm and your days out , some get there congienal rights
layed on by the prison in special qaurters
but then when they have done a couple of years there back out on the streets , but the person who,s lost family member has lost out dearly
today kids arerunning around with knifes and stabbing each other
over silly things and dieing by the knife
the others ,the so called grown ups are with guns out robbing and shooting
is our country to soft now but somthink needs to be done
so if eventualy we bring back the hanging it as to be for all
not just for the police
its a pitty that the piepoints familyain,t around today to do the job
but at the end of the day its up to our goverment to enforce it
and some of these pomas judges to execute the sentenc .get younger judges, rather than these old 80,s and ninetys year old judges whom lost touch with realaity
here is the photos of the pieepoint family in the centuries gone by
and top of the list whom was the head of the family WAS albert pierepoint
whom was resposible for hanging william yarnold at worc gaol november 1925 he came from bradford on the instruction of judge jelf
this was jelf,s first case in worc court for the murder of his wife
we know that from that time on over in time as gone up until todays era
there as been alot of mis justice s but surely with todays DNA
we cannot make a mistake
but hanging should be for every one ,not just for the police
best wishes to every body astonian ;;;;
 
The difference between a police officer and Mr Citizen is that if a police officer sees a crime or missdemenour being committed he/she is duty bound to intervene whereas Mr Citizen has the choice to walk away if they want( as happens in a lot of cases )
Front line troops must have the protection of the courts, who far too frequently appear not to make the punishment fit the crime.
Would hanging make a difference ?, I don't think it would as most of these "career criminals" face death on a daily basis from their own kind.
Prison has long been known as a type of finishing school for petty crims, where they can further their "skills".
There MUST be an answer, but I'm afraid I don't posesss it.
 
postie
i like very much the way you put your answer ,
You have used a double action reply to the subject
and put it acrossvery nicely
but i think you are out of alinement slightly
of course i do agree with the things you have said
about our coppers being on front line,and they should be given
proctection by what ever means
but where do you justify ,hanging for the police , and not the
joe public ?.
heaven,s for bid , should it ever happen to one of your beloved
member of your family , that they died at the hands of one
of these guys you would have emotions running through your
head ,and you would want rectribution ,you would be out raged
after all you are only human , surely,
and the judge is only sentence,s this guy to afew yearsinprisoment
come on , you would want more than that
knowing that this guy his walking the streets after afew years
i think not ,
and regarding the title of finishing school ,
i do not believe in once a crook always a crook
i do believe have faith and believe in the human race
for what it is worth today
the days of the true harnden, crimmals are over
the guys whom are inprisons today are only kids
and if the law had the hanging penalty in force
these kids would be frighend to kill some body
but lets face it most of it is done by two people whom
just argue and accidently kill each other unintensly
they know that its an holiday in there
infact some are running the jails them selves
not the screws nor the system , but the conns
there is more money and drugs in these gaols than in civvy street
but to say only hang people for the police , is totaly wrong
law is for everybody ,
these guys whom join the police force know what it involves
just like when you join the army , you are playing and
putting your life on the line
they have a choice and they want to feel superior in iniform
the same as prison officiers
and these guys would only make labourers on the outside
they are not highly intelligent people ,.
we are keeping these crimms in gaol at our expence
and as you have stated some of these guys are persistent
robbers , these people are like a barrel of bad apples
you so you open the baRREL AND REMOVE IT
so in this case if you commit murder and take alife ,you loose
your life ,
if these guys know that the hanging law is in force ,
they would be worried and it would cut the murder crime
drasticaly
so the hanging bill as to be for both part,s
the police and joe public . astonian ,;;;;
 
so mike q
i take it you want a state police force , yeh
i wouldn,t want to join the police force say no moore
i know lots of police officiers , i have family whom are police officers
one in cid at walsall and a brother in brum and i have a brother inlaw
whom lives in sutton cold field whom is the protection at the house of
parliments whom protects our mp,s i will not mention no names
believe it or not . he as to drive him around
regarding the officiers whom work at the gaols , they are not police officers ,
they are employed by a private sector
they used to be hmp police officiers whom was the warders in them days
but now as long as you have got a ten year work record ,
with no crimmal records anybody can join
and regards to your statement about to see how hard it is to join
i know what the standards are i think you mis read my meaning
the guys whom are or would have been labours are the
so called prison officiers
and i would just like to say michael
yet again ,believe it or not i am a prisoner ,s visitor at a certain prison
when i retired and spoke with my two members of my family
i took this on .
have a nice day ,best wishes astonian ,;;
 
Kenyon Street Police Station

.............Kenyon St.

My father was stationed at Kenyon Street in the early 60s I think, after returning from active duty in Cyprus in 1959. I found an engraved brass keyring disc of his in an old button tin:

B'HAM CITY POLICE

Please Return Key To

KENYON ST

POLICE STATION

The last line is quite worn but states something like:

AND BE REWARDED

Does anyone know if this disc was used on a keyring for a Police Box key, or something more general?
 
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Not seen that one, our station used to hold keys to various things, eg traffic lights,police post and box, park gates etc. Could be anyone of these.
 
Colin
Referring to your last post it seems that " Mikejee you do not have permission to access this page..."
Never mind. My patience runneth over , and is not "running out" , so that's OK
Mike
 
Mike you have to ask to be admitted to the banter and debate area. PM postie to access.
 
my dear old dad was in the Oxford City Police in 1936 and transfered to Digbeth and joined the B C P it said he quite enjoyed it but for about 6mths he could hardly unstand any body
paul
 
I think you are getting your names mixed up. There was Hugo M... but you Police reserve was Charlie C.............................. Regards C57.
 
Re: Kenyon Street Police Station

Hi Sam, I was at Kenyon Street 1957 + you are right there were quite a number of these at the 'nick', they were used to attach to keys of the local Jewellers, usually the larger ones. It was to enable the police to get into the premises should there be any problems. Fire, burglaries etc.,
Bear in mind there were few telephones, if you needed to call out a keyholder you could wait hours. This saved time. My first arrests were two villians who I spotted in a jewellers nicking silver candleabra. We couldn't get to them for about three hours. The owner only lived about a mile away but had not registered with the police and when you think there could have been ten or so different businesses in what was one converted house. It's changed now. Will you IM me with your fathers name. Regards George
 
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