POLICE_WORLD_3_2016

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were taking sides. There were always exceptions however and I will never forget a shepherd called Jimmy, 20 years my senior, who befriended me and welcomed me into his world. I ended up helping him with his sheep in the hills and had many an interesting conversation with a man who had never lived anywhere but Barra. Jimmy will never read this but I am grateful for his friendship. I will treasure the memories Barra has given me and hopefully will one day return to reminisce and remember.

royal visit liaison officer, licensing officer, firearms enquiry officer, airport officer, events officer, custody officer, road traffic officer, and general advice giver. I soon learnt how to deal with a range of things without any back up. The most valuable skill I learnt – just to relax and know that things will work out. I am convinced that nothing is hard in our job – perhaps just something I’ve not done before, in which case someone was always a phone call away. Part of the uniqueness of our location (5 hours by ferry to Oban or a once a day flight to Glasgow) was what to do if we had a custody for court. This involved getting a prisoner from Barra, over the sea to Uist, up through Uist, and then over the sea to Harris and Lewis where they would be presented

before Stornoway Sheriff Court. A custody could quite easily mean a 20 hour shift, if the arrest occurred after the last ferry of the day in the late afternoon. This meant a huge part of the job there was keeping people calm and onside. Andy and I could often be found snoozing in the Police car on the ferry back from Uist after transferring a prisoner. Ultimately, they would return to Barra and I would see them in the one food shop on the island the next week, or they’d be related to the plumber, or postman, or nursery worker that worked with my child. The whole job in Barra was about keeping the balance, being fair, using discretion, and doing a good job. Two years passed and it was time to return to the mainland. Being the Police Officer’s family in a tiny community is not the easiest. People are kind and sincere but they could never really be seen to befriend the Police’s family, as ultimately it would appear they

POLICE WORLD Vol 61 No. 3, 2016

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