The Magazine of the Talkalk Ministry of Defence Police Throughhrough MDPMDP onon thethe frontfront lineline BuildingBuilding thethe peacepeace inin KosovoKosovo andand IraqIraq PagesPages 2-52-5 Senior Police Officers’ 2004 Conference Special Pages 7-13 Issue 118 June/July 2004 Contents Issue 118 June/July 2004 MDP in Kosovo and Iraq 2 Vesting Day for new Agency 6 Senior Police Officers’ 2004 Conference 7 Page 2 Women’s Staff Association 12 Facelift for Menwith Hill 14 Special role for convoys 16 Page 7 Drive and determination 3 20 UBO returns to AFC Harrogate 23 Focus on overtime 24 Page 16 Gone to the dogs 26 Awards for MDP officers 27 Learning on line 28 Page 27 Orphanage Appeal 29 FRONT COVER: T/ACC (P&T) Sharon Taylor and Lottery Results 33 Chief Inspector Jim Gillen (Overseas Deployment Office) pictured during their recent visit to Kosovo Display and Classified alk Advertising: David Lancaster T TG Scott & Son Ltd hrough Brettenham House 10 Savoy Street T London WC2E 7HR Editor: tel: 020 7240 2032 fax: 020 7379 7118/7155 Norman Hicks Corporate Communications Room 2/1070 MDP Wethersfield Braintree, Essex CM7 4AZ We welcome articles and photos of interest tel: 01371 854206 to readers, but reserve the right to shorten/edit contributions. fax: 01371 854010 e-mail: [email protected] Staff contributing articles should ensure they are suitable for open publication. Assistant Editor If you would like to discuss your Judith Slater. tel: 01371 854751 contribution, please contact the Editor. Website: www.mdp.mod.uk Progressing with Unity and Support his is the first edition of TalkThrough since our Major change is very much in the air at the moment moment of history with the merger between with the opening of the new Police Control Rooms at TMDP and MGS on 1st April to make us the Fylingdales and Headquarters soon to be followed by new MDPGA. It represents the opening of a new Portsmouth and Whitehall. The opportunities that the chapter and strengthens the Agency’s position in being Airwave project offers the Agency to improve joined up able to provide a comprehensive security and thinking and communication with a fuller reassurance service to the wider MOD. Any partnership understanding of the totality of activity and business takes time to settle in and I have no doubt we will suffer within the MOD is significant and further supports our “birth pangs” as we get used to each other as new vision of greater effectiveness as a joint Agency. partners. From the Operational Support view, I see it as In this edition of TalkThrough you will also see the an opportunity for us to broaden our horizons and second in our articles on the work of the Special Escort understanding of our MOD customers and a logical Group and the ongoing enhancement of operations in extension of the drive to help make all parts of the respect of moving towards Continuous Running later Agency a more intelligent and demanding customer of this year. With this article Ops Support is completing our services. the picture of the breadth of expertise that has been Thus over the forthcoming months we will be developed with the Group describing its mission in looking at areas where we may be able to assist with supporting the movement of Special Nuclear Materials. clothing, equipment and vehicles, in particular, as TalkThrough, in bringing a wide range of items of services that we can offer to our MGS colleagues to interest to our attention, maintains its high quality as an maintain and hopefully improve the level of support in-house magazine and I commend it as essential that they currently enjoy. reading for all those interested in how the Agency is More importantly, we will also be looking at how we moving forward as well as the day-to-day activities of all can encourage them to make a full contribution towards our people as they go about their business in a highly our guarding, policing and security missions, as well as professional manner. One particular item of interest for countering crime. We now have an additional 4,500 me is the proposed force picture “MDP through the pairs of ears and eyes throughout the MOD estate, ages”. It will graphically (literally) depict the proud providing us with the opportunity to greatly enhance our history of our service and for me represents a timely intelligence gathering capability as an Agency. The reminder of where we have come from as we look to an timely introduction of the Police National Intelligence ever more challenging future. Enjoy our magazine and Model (NIM) needs to be exploited to best effect, so remember, we are all potential contributors, so CAN that the Defence community derives maximum benefit YOU help to maintain its interest and quality? from our new partnership. Similarly, it is also the chance for our new colleagues to recognise the value that they bring to the Agency. Ultimately, whilst we have merged at the Headquarters level, it is the operational unity and mutual support that will both cement our partnership and exploit maximum benefit for all. ACC (Director, Operational Support) John Bligh 1 OVERSEAS DEPLOYMENT BuildingBuilding thethe peapea Temporary ACC Sharon Taylor tells TalkThrough of her recent visit to Kosovo Following the recent met Ch Supt Tom Sloman, UK MDP’s positive well-publicised civil Contingent Commander, T/Inspector contribution Colin Aitken and Sergeant Paul “disorder, in which MDP Friday was a long day, with meetings officers were involved, I Niven. We then travelled in convoy to the Grand Hotel in the centre of with the MDP managers, the Head of judged it important to visit Pristina. Kosovo looks like many KPS Administration, Richard Warren, Kosovo as the Temporary other parts of Europe, with green and Deputy Commissioner, Vihar Assistant Chief Constable rolling countryside that reminded me Cherkozov, in the morning and the with responsibility for our of the West Coast of Scotland. There UK Contingent meeting in the international policing are still many signs however that the afternoon. It was great to see so responsibilities. region was part of a war zone five many of our officers, some of whom years ago. The roads are littered with I knew from previous postings. So between 29th April - 2nd May, potholes and burnt, derelict houses Eamon, Jim and I took the I flew to Pristina with Chief Inspector form part of the landscape, next to opportunity to address the meeting. Jim Gillen (Overseas Deployment newly-built and half finished In my case I shared some recent Office) and Eamon Keating, the new properties. developments within the Agency, DPF Chairman. My main purpose was delivered some key messages on a Walking into the Grand Hotel was to address the UK Contingent Meeting, variety of issues and answered attended mainly by MDP but including like going back to the 1970s in terms questions posed during an open two other UK police officers working of facilities and comfort. But the forum. I then conducted five career for the UN, and to meet other key UN staff were friendly and the service interviews before returning to the staff involved in the formation of the was excellent. What I was not prepared for was the traffic noise. It hotel to quickly wash and change for Kosovo Police Service (KPS). was like “Wacky Races” in the streets the evening. After a meal, we met up On landing, we were whisked until 2am every morning - mainly with both MDP and the other through to the VIP lounge where we taxis, police and KFOR vehicles. officers who are part of the UK 2 aceace inin Kosovo.Kosovo. Contingent, for a more informal chat. What struck me about every officer I spoke to was their obvious pride and their dedication to their various roles within the mission. Everyone is making such a positive contribution and, in most cases, performing roles far beyond the responsibilities normally associated with the rank of constable or sergeant. On Saturday I had a morning meeting with the Deputy Commissioner for Operations, ex- Dallas Police Chief Jill Muncy. We discussed the real sense of unease felt after the public disorder in March, where the UN had been Meeting a Deputy having picnics by rivers and streams, taken by surprise and had responded Regional Commander unfortunately spoilt by uncollected in a much more disorganised fashion rubbish. There appears to be very Eamon, Jim and I were then than had been expected. Quite little farming activity and it seems transported up to Gnijilane by frankly, it is a miracle that some that most food is mainly imported. Inspector Isabel Hunter, where she people were not killed or seriously The gold mine we passed was derelict works with PC Margaret Shields-Rae injured. Our officers responded (though apparently the region is very and Sgt John Kane. Despite his rank magnificently to the challenge but rich in minerals). Most of the villages in MDP, John is the Deputy Regional were vulnerable for days due to lack looked very poor and the region Commander, with responsibility for of equipment and co-ordinated appears to still lack the infrastructure over 1,000 staff of international support from the Special Police Units we take for granted – post and police officers and KPS (puts my own and KFOR. Jill reassured me that rubbish collections, road maintenance responsibilities as Ex-OCU various steps had been taken to avoid and the like. a repetition, including our Commander Uxbridge to shame!). The continuing underlying procurement of helmets and body We travelled through some beautiful tension between the Serbs and armour for the UK Contingent.