PW_4_2023

Sussex 50

John Rodway I joined the IPA over 50 years ago, a family that extends across five continents. My first IPA trip to the USA was in 1974, visiting Oregon, California and Nevada. As with most overseas visits of the time, this was self-funded, but I did travel with the best wishes of the Chief Constable. C alifornian patrol officers had access to the forerunner of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, even back in the 1970s. Individual patrols had handheld speed detection devices too. Fitness and well-being of officers was embedded in San Francisco, where new recruits had an initial fitness test on appointment. Each officer was required to improve fitness by 10% over the next 10 years, maintain that fitness level for their second 10 years, and allowed to reduce fitness level to the original level in their last 10 years. They were therefore expected to be as fit after 30 years’ service as they were on the day they joined. In 1995, I was the recipient of the Hugh Hallett, IPA Scholarship, and undertook a study tour of the USA to review the use of less than lethal force by police officers. Highlights of my visit included training with pepper spray at the FBI Academy at Quantico, visits to the White House, the Capitol Building and FBI Headquarters. Throughout this visit, I received support and hospitality from frontline patrol officers in Texas and Maryland, through to Chief Officers in Saint Cloud Minnesota and Transport Police officers in Boston Massachusetts. Throughout the past 50 years I have enjoyed the company of fellow IPA members on visits to France, Belgium, Germany and Netherlands, and I have hosted fellow members from Some particular highlights of my career were; dealing with a loud concert at the Apple Corporation HQ in Saville Row, where The Beatles were holding their last concert on the roof. We entered the building and negotiated the end of the concert. There was much publicity, and we were filmed on the roof with the Beatles, to ensure the concert was concluded swiftly. (This was recently revisited, and the film lasting six hours was shown on Disney). Whilst a Sergeant at Cannon Row, I was the Daytime Controller at the Iranian Embassy Siege, working in the next building to the Embassy for the 10-day duration of the siege. After retiring from the Police, I began volunteering with the National Trust, as a Room Guide at Ightham Mote. I am still volunteering at Scotney Castle and Bodiam Castle, 23 years later, as a House Experience volunteer and an artefact Conservator. Ray Shayler I joined the Met, from its civilian staff in 1966, initially serving in London’s West End. I joined the IPA in 1972, becoming the Press Officer on 6/4 Sub-Region. With my colleague Keith Pugh, we developed the friendship between ‘P’ Branch and the Oldenburgh Branch in Northern Germany. O n retirement, I rejoined the civil staff as an Information Officer . In total, I worked for the Met for 38 years. As a retirement job, I joined Kent Ambulance Service as a Driver Attendant, leaving after five and a half years to move to Sussex, where I continue to live. In 2007 I joined the Sussex IPA Branch, and have just taken on the role of Branch Treasurer at the age of 79.

Ray Shayler and Wendy in 1986

Ray Shayler - Retirement Day

Honolulu, California, Germany and France. Thank you IPA, for 50 years well spent.

POLICE WORLD Vol 68 No.4, 2023

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