1212COPPERPLATE

IN THISISSUE:

MY EVEREST TRIP BY ANDY ALLAN • ACPOS PRESIDENT MAKES POLICE REFORM VISIT TO TAYSIDE • T IN THE PARK 2012 • WHAT WILL YOU LEARN TODAY? • COPS FIREWALK CHALLENGE

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T A Y S I D E P O L I C E | S T A F F N E W S L E T T E R

www.tayside.police.uk

OLYMPIC TORCH IN TAYSIDEAfter months of careful planning, the Olympic Torch finally arrived in Tayside on Tuesday 12 June 2012.Offi cers across the Force were on hand to ensure the safe passage of the torch as it travelled through villages and towns in Angus and the Mearns, Perth and Kinross before ending the day in Dundee where an evening of celebration was enjoyed by over 20,000 people in Baxter Park.Lots of people took to Tayside Police’s Facebook and Twitter to give positive feedback regarding policing of the event. Here’s a snapshot of what they had to say;Just wanted to thank all the offi cers who have been at the torch relay, and the lovely one who called me madam (made me feel like my mum!) Michelle Mackenzie, Dundee.Well Done TP you’s worked hard tonight at baxters :) Corrina Charles, Dundee.The offi cers on duty today on there motorbikes were fab, the highlight to the Olympic torch in Forfar for my 3 year old was high fi ving them every time they went past. Gail Longmuir, Forfar.Wendy Fallows Totally agree Gail, they were really great :-) Wendy Fallows, Forfar.I live in city centre and was expecting mayhem as I fi nish work in Fintry at 6pm. Just wanted to say well done to Tayside Police for a very well run operation! Stopped on West Marketgait for about 7 mins but got excellent view of relay passing right in front of me. Kirsten Doig, Dundee. I was delighted to see approx 10,000 people in the town centre tonight and spoke to quite a few police offi cers they added to a very happy evening. Many thanks TP. Christina Roberts, Dundee.

www.tayside.police.uk

P02 | COPPERPLATE | JUL:2012

My Everest TripBy Andy Allan,Retired Detective Chief Inspector I always had great plans for my retirementand, over the years since retiring in 2003, haveaccomplished most things I had set my mind on. However, there was always a niggle that I wantedto do just a little more hillwalking or even a littleclimbing. For the past three years I’ve been toAustria where I managed to get a little higherthan Scottish Munro level, and even managedsome rock climbing, but there was still somethingmissing so this year I decided I would go to theHimalayas and really gain some height.I decided on an 18 day trek to Everest basecamp which, along with a minor peak, would take me to well over 18000 feet. Along with myyoungest daughter Kerri and her husband Brian,we set off from Glasgow to fl y via London andDelhi to Kathmandu in Nepal from where the realadventure would start.Following a couple of nights in the Nepalesecapital we boarded a small 16 seater aircraft to fl yjust over a hundred miles to the mountain airportof Lukla. I was seated directly behind the twopilots and was more than a little surprised to seea small satnav unit sitting on their dashboard! Welanded safely on the uphill 350 metre long runwayand the trek to base camp started after a cup oftea at a local tea house.Starting off at over 9000 feet the weather wascrystal clear. It was warm with the sun shiningand our party of 16, under the charge of ourleader, Sherpa Pasang, his three assistants, aporter and a yak driver with his four yaks, set offwalking towards our fi rst night in a Himalayan teahouse. I should say at this stage all our overnightswere in these small basic establishments wherethe twin rooms were about eight feet square,unheated but at least they had a bed, the food waspretty good as well.Over the next fi ve days we were climbingconstantly with the summit of Everest visiblefor most of this time eventually arriving at thevillage of Dingboche, sitting at almost 15000 feet. A number of the party were starting to feel theeffects of the altitude although I was pretty luckywith just the odd sore head and not much of anappetite. Others suffered dizzy spells, sickness,lack of appetite and were unable to sleep. Therewas an acclimatisation climb from this villageto Nangkertshang Peak at 16800 feet where theviews of the surrounding mountains including Makalu, Lhotse and the fabulous Ama Dablamwere incredible.From Dingboche, another two days took us toGorak Shep, which was basically a single buildingbut the closest habitation to Everest base camp. Another three hours walking alongside theKhumbu glacier then onto the glacier itself andwe were there, the place I had always wantedto see, pretty desolate yet absolutely stunningat the same time. All 16 of us made it althoughthere were only sherpas in residence putting upthe fi xed ropes for the climbers who will maketheir attempts to climb Everest. Making our wayback to Gorak Shep, where we were to spend thenight, it started to snow pretty heavily increasingto blizzard conditions. Although the temperaturedropped considerably every afternoon and then

more as night fell this place was just freezing. Each night about 8.30pm we would put a nalgenebottle with boiling water in it into our sleepingbags, this served a double purpose in that itheated your sleeping bag and secondly you coulddrink the water after it cooled. At Gorak ShepI wakened about 12.30am and having put thebottle at the side of my bed earlier in the eveningI made to have a drink only to fi nd the water hadfrozen in the space of about 4 hours and this wasin my bedroom!The following morning we should have climbedto the nearby peak of Kala Patar at well over18000 feet however the snow the previousday prevented us going up the fi nal narrowridge so we had to be satisfi ed going up to justunder 18200 feet. However, the weather againwas crystal clear with all the major summits,including Everest, looking great.The descent from this area was pretty rapid witha nine hour walk down to the village of Pherichepassing an area known as Chukpo Lari wheresimple yet pretty poignant memorials illustratejust how many people have died on Everest, thereare literally hundreds of small cairn memorialsalong with some larger ones to both individualsand groups.Another three days walking and we were backin Lukla where we spent the night in a roomwith a shower, the fi rst such room since leavingKathmandu, then back to Kathmandu the followingmorning and a great night out.This was the trip of a lifetime. Was it hard going?Of course it was with an oxygen level just halfof what we have here and steep climbs day afterday. Do you need a head for heights? Yes, withsome of the trails edging towards ravine drops ofabout 1000 feet. Would I do it again? Defi nitely,although I would like to try a different route witha slightly longer trek, perhaps going for a higherpeak. Anyone thinking about a trip like this don’tthink too long, just do it! And if you’re looking forany tips just get in touch.

This month the Copperplate team caught up with retired Detective Chief Inspector AndyAllan who has recently returned from an 18 day trek to Everest base camp.Here he shares his story of his trip of a lifetime...

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www.tayside.police.uk

JUL:2012 | COPPERPLATE | P03

ACPOS President Kevin Smith visited Tayside Police HQ on Wednesday June 20 to brief 40 key staff on police reform.Mr Smith’s visit formed part of an engagement programme with the police service as the reform programme moves forward.Chief Constable Curran opened the session and said rather than change being diffi cult for people to deal with the real issue to manage, as individuals and as leaders / managers in an organisation, was uncertainty. She said the focus of Tayside Police was on continuing to deliver for the people of Dundee, Perthshire and Angus, adding,“We can only do that if we take our people with us.”Mr Smith said Tayside Police was fully involved in the reform programme and shaping the future of policing in Scotland through the involvement of key individuals including the Chief Constable, DCC Gordon Scobbie, Doug Cross, Wilma Canning, Chief Supt Roddy Ross and Supt David Tonks.He said the Police Service of Scotland was being shaped by every force and organisation with the objectives being to enhance local policing, increase access to specialist services across the country, engage with communities and to achieve savings. He said this would not happen just because of the introduction of new legislation alone but would require leadership and commitment.He said there were huge opportunities for Tayside Police through reform and the force could bring many of its key strengths to a single service.Mr Smith said there were a number of signifi cant challenges – the biggest being achieving the fi nancial savings required set against the commitments by Government to maintain police numbers, no use of compulsory redundancy, following a dispersed model for services and limitations on outsourcing.The ACPOS president said the savings required were the fi nancial equivalent to 2000 staff jobs and that everything possible was being done to seek the savings from elsewhere across the service to minimise the impact on people. However he said the fi nancial challenge was such that it was inevitable that the service would need to move forward with fewer people working for the Police Service of Scotland. He said it would be the third quarter of 2013 before savings from any redundancy process would start to be realised due to the timeframes involved in meaningful consultation with unions, individuals according to the legal process.He said the service and every existing force was performing strongly and one of the key aims of reform was to provide stability which would in itself provide a platform for reform.He said a number of developments, fi tting the objectives of reform, would signal the service is reforming:• Plans to introduce a single non-emergency

number, making it easier for the public tocontact the police locally

• Plans to introduce a Specialist CrimeDirectorate, ensuring the best access to specialist skills and services

• Local policing would remain fundamentallyunchanged – providing a platform ofstrong performance for the new service

• There would be no rationalisation ofcontact centres / ops rooms for Day 1with the intention to retain the current infrastructure.

Mr Smith said planning around the blueprint for the new service was progressing well and that signifi cant milestones in the coming months would see the appointment of the new Chief Constable and the creation of the Scottish Police Authority.However, he said the issue surrounding the people who work in the service remained the single biggest issue and how the transition is handled – with dignity, respect and professionalism – would refl ect on the new organisation.Following questions and answers, Reform Change Manager Alison Campbell and Wilma Canning, of Tayside Police, led a session on leadership and management skills through change. Questions asked included;Q. Tayside in the north or east?A. Work has developed across the

programme and clear and compellingbody of evidence to locate Tayside in thenorth territorial policing area. He stressed this was not the creation of three semi-autonomous forces – it will be a singlenational service delivered locally.

Q. Public protection – local ornational (within SCD)?

A. Public Protection needs a local response;it’s built around partnerships and localinvestigation. Crime is developingits proposals around the SpecialistCrime Directorate and its role in Public Protection which will be around policy,strategy and a corporate approach to ahigh risk area.

Q. Are you concerned aboutchanges within existing forces and how that fits with reform?

A. No concerns re Tayside or elsewhere.Forces are performing well. What’shappening in Tayside re structural changesfi ts well with reform, as it does elsewhere. Local commands do not exist in isolationfrom the bigger organisation. We canmeet the provisions of the Bill re localcommanders and keep what is in place(1 identifi ed local commander coveringmore than 1 local authority area i.e. 1 xChief Supt supported by 3 x Supts/ChiefInsps). One size will not fi t all – the profi leof Glasgow is different to the profi le ofClackmannanshire, for example.

Q. Business change – lessonslearned from elsewhereincluding SPSA?

A. Yes, we are benchmarking, learninglessons from previous change programme,work closely with the SPSA and have keypeople involved.

Q. Where do staff in services like staff development, HR, finance etc fit in? What will staff structures look like?

A. There will be national directorates but not necessarily everyone in one place. Full consultation will take place before a model is agreed and put in place. The Scottish Government has said we need to follow a dispersed model and recognise the appetite for information. Human Resource issues are complex and we need to bring forward a coherent plan with which we can engage with the unions.

Q. Will there be a resource allocation model?A. We need that to ensure we are resourcing

intelligently.Q. From an Ops Room perspective,

are we looking at things we do not have a legal requirement to do? (example given was Mountain Rescue).

A. There would be a grave danger from a perspective of public confi dence that the Police Service of Scotland comes into being and the police are now stopping things, like mountain rescue. As a service we are not good at stopping doing things. Mr Smith recognised that this function in particular was carried out in different ways across the forces – some forces have mountain rescue resources and others co-ordinate.

Q. Is there a risk that the new chief will come and unpick all of the good work done in Tayside?

A. Whoever the new chief is will bring their own style and ethos about policing and will want to continue the good work in Tayside and elsewhere in Scotland. Along with the new command team, they will want to help shape the vision and values. However, whoever is the new chief is the temporary custodian of Scottish policing and the service is shaped by everyone who works in it.

Q. What will the role of HMIC and Audit Scotland be?

A. There is a recognition that the landscape needs to be de-cluttered but that needs to be fi rmed up.

Q. Will Constables in the promotion pool be overlooked as we enter single service?

A. The service will still need sergeants the length and breadth of the country. There is no reason why the new service will be a block to promotion. I am confi dent the concern that people will have to travel the length and breadth of the country on promotion will be unfounded.

For further information on police reform please visit the dedicated Intranet site accessible from Tayside Police’s Intranet.

ACPOS PRESIDENT MAKES POLICE REFORM VISIT TO TAYSIDE

P04 | COPPERPLATE | JUL:2012

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T IN THEPARK 2012T in the Park 2012 enjoyed afantastic finale, topping a full weekend of music from some of thebiggest bands on the globe, playing to the best audience in the world.Rain and shine, record numbers of 85,000 people per day partied over three days to the sound of200 acts including the Stone Roses, Kasabian, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Nicki Minaj,Swedish House Mafi a, Tinie Tempah, New Order, Professor Green and many more.But the real stars were the fans, who organisersand emergency services praised unanimously as being well behaved and in excellent form all weekend.Geoff Ellis, Festival Director, said,“This year, we had an extremely diverse line-upand there’s been something for everyone – pop, hip-hop, rock, indie, even classical – which hasgone down brilliantly. A personal highlight for me has to be seeing the legendary Stone Rosesleading the crowd in a mass singalong of their seminal hits.”“The weather brought us some challenges this weekend, but our strong contingency planning and the dedication and hard work of our team andall of our partner agencies ensured that we couldstill deliver another excellent event. I’d also like to thank the fans for their good humour and theirpositive attitude - the reason that T in the Park is

the favourite festival to play for so many bands is because of the unbelievable welcome that they always get from our audience.”In all Tayside Police made 30 arrests during the festival and recorded 271 incidents, 208 of those being misuse of drugs offences. Overall, nine outof every ten offences that were reported to the police or identifi ed by offi cers were detected. Crimes such as theft and possession of offensiveweapons were reported to be low.Event Commander, Superintendent Rick Dunkerley, said,“It has been another outstanding weekend and,while crimes are up on last year, this is due to the proactive work of our police offi cers and the stewards working alongside them in engagingwith those attending the event, particularlyat the point of entrance, which has led to theidentifi cation of certain incidents – notably drugs offences.“Those arrested are a very small minority – theoverwhelming majority of people have cometo Balado to have a great time and there islittle doubt they have succeeded. The weather presented us with some challenges, but I believethat the determination and positive outlook of the organisers, all the agencies, our police offi cersand, most importantly, the festival-goers hasdelivered another terrifi c T in the Park.“We prepare, plan and ensure we have allcontingencies for whatever challenges come ourway. That has guaranteed another successful event, but it is the 85,000 people who came to Balado to party who ensured the occasion wasfully realised.”

The onsite medical team has had 810 people visitthe hospital tent, 2148 present at fi rst aid and 33people have been taken to hospital offsite.Says Bob MacGregor, Onsite Medical Services,“Our team has attended to a lot of people this weekend but the overwhelming majority havebeen folk who want to come in and warm up, or who have minor ailments or pre-existingconditions.“Again, we’d like to emphasise the community spirit and positive attitude at T in the Park thisyear. People came prepared for the weather andmorale was really high. It’s been great to see theaudience looking out for themselves and others.”Here’s a snap shot of what our social media followers have said;

Big thanks to @TaysidePolice security, medical staff who did an amazing job at #TITP12.Genuinely felt like such a safe place. So friendly!@TaysidePolice wanted to thank you again for agreat job yesterday, we were performing at the festival and the only help we got was from youRegardless of the incompetence of @tintheparkstaff, @taysidepolice are doing an awesome job and have been all dayA big thank you to PC Kevin Heafey and his 2colleagues for going out of their way to help this morning when I was stranded at TITP. I amextremely grateful and very glad to be homesafe and sound. Thanks again guys! :)It was fantastic, everyone I saw/talked to werenice and in good spirits. Didn’t see any trouble at all.

An innovative scheme to ‘Make Every Day a Training Day’ will be launchedby Tayside Police on Monday 16 July.Offi cers and police staff in specifi c roles willshortly see ‘Everyday Training Pop-ups’ appear onFOCUS. The Pop-ups will appear via the briefi ngapplication and will cover different policing topics taken from a combination of experience from high risk, low frequency events, aide memoirs,probationary training notes and learning pointsfrom complaints about the police. Superintendent Athol Aitken, a member of theproject team, explained,“The concept is that the short daily inputs aredesigned to integrate and directly link with ourpolicies and guidance but are presented in a quick and easy format. They are designed toremind offi cers and police staff of the practicalapplication of our procedures or law.“We sometimes think that training is what

happens in a formal setting, away from all distractions. Whilst those training environments have their place, this concept highlights thatevery day is a training day. “Often the best learning environments are simplysitting down with colleagues and sharing skills and knowledge by talking about our responses to any given incident. This ‘Everyday Training’approach provides some structure and corporacy to this ad-hoc practice to assist staff by reminding everyone of the key points related to a range of important topics.“Learning is a discipline, and the more we do it, the more second nature it becomes. Offi cerswho are well trained and knowledgeable will not only have increased confi dence in dealing with incidents but in turn enhance the service providedto the public.’’The ‘Everyday Training Pop-ups’ will becomplemented with the introduction of ‘Everyday

Training Scenarios’ where section Sergeants will host informal learning sessions with their teams. Chief Inspector Gordon Milne has developed a number of ‘Everyday Training Scenarios’ that present specifi c policing challenges. Shifts willbe encouraged to spend a few minutes duringdaily briefi ngs discussing their response to thesescenarios. This approach will be piloted by oneteam from each Local Policing Area with a view torolling it out across the Force in due course.Superintendent Aitken added,“The Everyday Training Pop-ups and Scenarioshave been developed to make every day a training day for offi cers and police staff. The format of both elements has been designed to be quick andeasy to absorb and has the potential to betterequip and protect all staff to improve our service to the communities of Tayside.”

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN TODAY?

COPS FIREWALK CHALLENGEWould you ever walk over hot coals for Care of Police Survivors (COPS)?COPS is a UK registered charity dedicated to helping the familieof police offi cers who have lost their lives in the line of duty,rebuild their lives. It aims to ensure that survivors have all thehelp they need to cope with such a tragedy, and that they remaipart of the police family.If you would like to help raise money for COPS this is yourchance to turn up the heat and join a unique and inspiringevent - A night to remember, supporting COPS in memoryof fallen offi cers.A special Firewalk will take place at the Scottish PoliceCollege, Tulliallan on Tuesday 4 September from 5.30pm. It’s £15 to enter and as much sponsorship as you can raise for COPS.For further information please contact;georgine.whigham@ukcops.org / stuart.holmes@spsa.pnn.police.uk

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