Putting It Together

Always play the long game is an old policing adage. No matter who pisses you off an opportunity will undoubtedly present itself so you win out in the end. It’s upto you to keep an eye on things and piece the little bits and pieces together. I’m still waiting to get some people, they know it because I’ve told them, but at least they keep out of my way. God forbid upsetting me too much, because then I’ll come hunting for you. Upsetting me includes:

· Dealing in my area when I’ve told you not to .. or sent a message via addicts
· Being extremely rude to me, without good reason. Don’t Diss Me.
· Pissing off the estate residents so I get ear ache.. and then not stopping said conduct when told. We all like a quiet life after all.
· Getting off at court with a NG and laughing at me about it afterwards. Bad move.

I’ve had a relatively dealer free estate for some time. It still goes on of course, but not in your face. How do I know? Easy, the inhabitants will let it be known. They won’t get on the phone and ring me, never ever, that’s not the done thing on my estate. It is however accepted practice to mention in passing that it’s going on. They then know it gets dealt with – eventually. I say eventually because you’ve got to dig every little bit of information out of them to give yourself a chance.

Location and times helps, a known name lovely but unlikely, a description will do for starters. A long open pathway was propped up as the place to score, and a good spot it was too, plenty of time to see approaching police and make good your escape. The man arrives on a bike so I know what to look for. I patrolled for weeks and this was always on my watch list, but nothing, not an addict in sight. Not unusual because word soon gets around that it’s “Hot” and there’s plenty of other places to trade.

See my people again a few weeks later and apparently it’s still going on.

“Not caught him yet Stressed? Don’t know how you miss it; you should come out in plain clothes”

“Great idea but everyone knows me, it’s not like The Bill you know!”

I think they almost revel in my discomfort. They are however good people and I promise it will get sorted. Forget your policing pledges about answering the phone after 10 seconds, this is where it’s at, and where it matters.

Even the junkies weren’t helping me out with this one. Just the usual mobile numbers when I turned them over. The local caretakers chipped in by telling me the man on the bike always had a Green woolen hat. Couldn’t tell me what colour he was, but everything helps.

It comes together at the most unexpected times. I was walking a couple of old girls back to their sheltered housing. They were chattering away and suddenly I’m interested, not in their conversation, but in the two druggies loitering at the end of the block. They’ve seen me and my mate. I try not to let on I’ve seen them, after all, just a dumb plod me, so I continue in with my elderly charges. I know they’re waiting to score and they’re worried. Maybe the Old Bill have gone in for a cuppa with the grannies? Wrong, I’m in the stairwell three floors up watching you as you’ve moved to the opposite end of the block. And when you move back to the other end of the block near the start of the long pathway I’m in the other stairwell two floors up listening to your phone conversation, telling somebody that the Old Bill is around.

I’ve been here before, who knows what will happen? I know it will be quick and would love it to happen just below me, where there’s a fire exit. Me and my mate can just jump out and grab everybody. Be sensible Stressed, last time you did this you knackered yourself. I call up for any available units and luckily there’s a plain clothes robbery car nearby. I plot them where I think is the best place.

I’m right above the junkies sat on my arse just chadding the low window. Is this it? A black youth arrives, in street gear, yeah he fits the profile. He walks up the path and they watch after him. They still haven’t moved and the minutes tick by, I’m a racist after all and mentally chastise myself. It was just a bad call but you know what I mean. Then their scrawny bodies jerk into action, a figure appears on a bike and he’s wearing a Green Woolen hat. STANDBY. He disappears up the path and finally they are after him doing the druggie shuffle. I can’t see them and run down the stairs. I burst out of the fire exit hoping they’ll be under the light but they’re not. I can see them forty yards away at the next block surrounding the man on the bike. There are two or three other figures as well now walking off away from us. The deals are nearly done.

I stride towards them as there’s a star burst and grab one coming towards me. Bike boy rides off casually away from us. I cuff mine immediately and am glad to hear the bike has ridden straight into the Robbery boy’s who debike him. See those residents were right after all, he didn’t realize they were police.

I trawl my man round to the Robbery car. An initial search reveals nothing on mine. It appears that Bike Boy has already put his hands up to having gear on him. Two strip searches back to the station then. My addict was an Eastern European who insisted he was not an addict despite the burnt foil in his pockets. I could hear a lot of bumping from the next door room; Bike Boy is not giving his gear up easily after all. Mine was clean so was kicked on his way after declining to give a statement, Bike Boy had 20 wraps of Crack and Heroin. The Robbery boy’s offered me the body, which was a nice touch. I declined as they’d earned it by coming to help me out in the first place.

Bike Boy had a better TV then I’ve got when we searched his flat, and it was really quite nice and clean. In fact it belonged to his addict girlfriend who was the tenant. He actually put his hands up in interview to Possession with Intent to supply, with mitigation that he was just a runner. He was an addict himself but people don’t work for their own addiction nowadays, the going rate is 80 pounds to deal all day.

I let it be known to the estate that Bike Boy was history so we can do no more, unfortunately he will be replaced by somebody else. When does it end?