At this month's Federation conference, we are saying goodbye to several familiar faces. One of those is Mark Bishop who is retiring after 34 years' police service.
Our sincere thanks to Mark, who has represented, supported and advised hundreds of officers during his time as a Fed Rep, even more so since becoming a full-time Rep in 2017. We know Mark has intervened in and resolved countless issues before they have become significant problems. He will be missed.
We couldn't let Mark go without reflecting on his service and he has kindly shared his career highlights with us...
My journey began 5th September 1988 with Hertfordshire Constabulary.
I attended Bruche Police Training Centre in Warrington; an extremely disciplined centre compared to today.
Training completed I was posted to Hatfield (Horses Arse for those who have read the book!) and worked with some of the characters that taught me how to navigate police life. I then became a village Policeman in Codicote. It was just like Heartbeat... They were great times and one of my tea stops was Kim Wilde (image right).
After nearly six years, village policing was no longer the flavour of the day, and I was posted to various stations. This meant having to move out of the police house and office.
The bombs of 7 July 2005 in London influenced me greatly and I transferred to BTP to assist in the aftermath.
Shortly after that, I began a year as acting Sgt at King's Cross and when St Pancras opened its doors to Eurostar I transferred over. I assisted in 2012 Olympics as part of a bomb search team and, as a Fed rep, assisted with welfare matters.
In 2017, I became full time Federation rep
I like to think I was available 24/7, 365 days to assist colleagues with discipline and welfare, including looking after Wayne Marques from the day after the London Bridge attacks... Boy, that bloke loved his Magnum ice creams!
Sadly, after 34 years, I have decided to hang up my boots and move to pastures new in retirement.
I wish everyone well in the changing world of policing. I know an awful lot of people complain about Federation, but they do not see what goes on behind the scenes. I know we all feel the stress of discipline as much as the officers, the responsibility of assisting them and all the background work that is needed. Remember, Fed reps also pay the same fees!
Brothers and sisters, as my American colleagues say, be safe out there. I hope you have a career that is long and fulfilling (well, most of the time).
Bish.
Our sincere thanks to Mark, who has represented, supported and advised hundreds of officers during his time as a Fed Rep, even more so since becoming a full-time Rep in 2017. We know Mark has intervened in and resolved countless issues before they have become significant problems. He will be missed.
We couldn't let Mark go without reflecting on his service and he has kindly shared his career highlights with us...
My journey began 5th September 1988 with Hertfordshire Constabulary. I attended Bruche Police Training Centre in Warrington; an extremely disciplined centre compared to today.
Training completed I was posted to Hatfield (Horses Arse for those who have read the book!) and worked with some of the characters that taught me how to navigate police life. I then became a village Policeman in Codicote. It was just like Heartbeat... They were great times and one of my tea stops was Kim Wilde (image right).
After nearly six years, village policing was no longer the flavour of the day, and I was posted to various stations. This meant having to move out of the police house and office.
The bombs of 7 July 2005 in London influenced me greatly and I transferred to BTP to assist in the aftermath. Shortly after that, I began a year as acting Sgt at King's Cross and when St Pancras opened its doors to Eurostar I transferred over. I assisted in 2012 Olympics as part of a bomb search team and, as a Fed rep, assisted with welfare matters.
In 2017, I became full time Federation rep
I like to think I was available 24/7, 365 days to assist colleagues with discipline and welfare, including looking after Wayne Marques from the day after the London Bridge attacks... Boy, that bloke loved his Magnum ice creams!
Sadly, after 34 years, I have decided to hang up my boots and move to pastures new in retirement.
I wish everyone well in the changing world of policing. I know an awful lot of people complain about Federation, but they do not see what goes on behind the scenes. I know we all feel the stress of discipline as much as the officers, the responsibility of assisting them and all the background work that is needed. Remember, Fed reps also pay the same fees! Brothers and sisters, as my American colleagues say, be safe out there. I hope you have a career that is long and fulfilling (well, most of the time).
Bish.