PW_2_2021

Article

Our Last Poppy watercolour

150 years of Women in Policing - original watercolour

Joining, was only a beginning. I had worked for so long in a factory, making a million jam pot lids a day, that I had forgotten how to write. My first couple of pocket books were written entirely in capital letters, much to the amusement of my tutor. The next giant leap for my dyslexic mind was in the CID office; no, I had not been demoted to a detective. I had arrested someone for chequebook fraud, and taken a statement from the shop assistant. DS Colin Walker tried to educate me in the subtle difference between check and cheque. There were a lot of checks in my statement, but no Cheques. Reading it aloud to the CID office, his ridicule drew laughter from his captive audience. With my tongue very firmly in my cheek, I quoted my favourite premise, “If you can’t spell a word in more than two different ways, you have no imagination.” I think my words were taken to heart by the old time sergeant, because he immediately tore up the statement, dropped it in his bin and instructed me to take another. On my return to the CID office and DS Colin Walker, I pondered the necessity of my extra work. I handed the new statement over with a smile, but on reading it, the expression on his face did not change. I confidently extended my arm and he reluctantly shook my hand, but I cracked the grim look on his face when I said, “Thank you.” On every occasion we met, it was with a smile. I spent 22 of my 30 years on a Tactical Firearms Unit, where I became known as a bit of a maverick. The maverick reputation followed me for the whole of my career, and into my final years as a Response Sergeant. If a job could not be done one way, then I would find another way to complete it. In one of my life’s surreal destinies, I became the Single Point of Contact for dyslexia at my station. A young Lady from HQ came to teach me about dyslexia and the ways I could help dyslexic officers. After the flying visit, I was left with a thick folder full of information. It was then I took the tests to see if I was indeed, dyslexic. I scored very highly, which was not necessarily a good thing, but it confirmed what I already knew.

Black Ops watercolour illustration

Throughout my career I was creative and often unorthodox in my approach to different situations. With my dyslexic mind generating a plethora of different ideas to overcome problems, I was often the person people came to for advice. I am now an accomplished artist, photographer and an author. I am a storyteller who tries to convey the whimsical wanderings of my mind in writing. The struggle between my vivid imagination and my dyslexic brain has often frustrated me. But since retiring I have written and published two books: Above the Italian Woods and The Last Celt - Waking Dreams. (both available through Amazon Books). Amanda Morgan still haunts me, looking over my shoulder as I write, patiently pointing out spelling and grammar. I wanted in some way to write about her influence in my life, but was unable to for many years. I felt her story, along with the stories of others, were worth the telling. I wanted to give her life a voice. My book, Above the Italian Woods, whilst a work of fiction, includes her story, along with the stories of others who helped me. In many ways you cannot overcome dyslexia; you can work around it and make it work for you, but it never truly goes away. That is probably a good thing, because if dyslexia went away, the other gifts would disappear with it.

Snowdon snowscape glowing in the sunrise photo image

Creative portraiture featuring Priya Chauhan

POLICE WORLD Vol 66 No.2, 2021

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