A morning in police custody

Last week I spent a morning in the custody of Sussex Police undergoing a “speed awareness course”.  OK, so they’d contracted it out to some private trainers, but there was no doubt that if I failed to “contribute positively” I would be referred back to the police to receive a fine and the mandatory two points on my driving licence.

Although it was “training” you could tell it was really punishment because it started at 8.00am and went on for four hours – far too long to be be brought up to speed on the latest driving laws and best practice instructions.  All this for missing when a 40mph limit went down to 30 and running into a speed camera – my first offence too.

Previously my thoughts about Sussex Police were fairly positive – anyone who’s watched the t.v. programme Brighton Beach Patrol and who has seen the poor coppers struggling with the hoards of stag parties and crowds of habitual drunks who throng the seafront on a Friday night could not but help have sympathy with them.

Also of course, they have a highly effective ambassador in crime writer Peter James who’s “Dead” series of novels (they all have the word “dead” in the title) have been huge sellers, not least due to the in-depth relationship he has with Sussex Police, accompanying them on raids, investigations, autopsies etc.

In fact, I’ve just read Dead Like You, a truly thrilling thriller in which Detective Superintenden Roy Grace (the main man in all the novels) investigates a nasty  series of rapes by “The Shoe Man”.

Roy soon realises that these cases bear remarkable similarities to a similar series of unsolved series from the late nineties.  Is this a copycat, or has the Shoe Man resumed his life of crime?

Its all tied up in Roy’s mind with his own situation for his much-loved wife Sandy disappeared some years ago never to be seen again.  He spent years trying to track her down but has now given up on ever finding her.  He is now in a new relationship with forensic scientist Cleo, and the couple are expecting their first baby.  But the current investigation rings too many bells about missing women for Roy to be completely emotionally detached as a good policeman should.

Its the detail of the investigations which makes Peter James’ novels such engrossing reads.  The list of acknowledgements at the back explains this – The Chief Constable, numerous senior officers, scientific support officers, governors of prisons, coroners – the list goes on and on for two pages.  Peter James takes meticulous research to a new level and it shows in his novels.  Heck, he even sponsored a police car and it has his name on its side!

On another topic, Max Cairnduff has just reviewed Ellis Peters’ book, A Morbid Taste for Bones.  This reminded me of many happy reading hours spent with Brother Cadfael, the crusader turned monk with a gift for herbalism – and criminal investigations.

I dug out my collection to find I had eleven still in a cupboard, which I haven’t had the heart to recycle. Flicking through them reminded me what a good read they were.  One day I’ll revisit them.  I couldn’t bring myself to watch the Brother Cadfael TV series (in which Derek Jacobi played Cadfael), so strong were my internal images of Cadfael and his world that I couldn’t bear to have them tarnished.

P.S.  To be honest, I actually found the speed awareness course quite helpful.  Its a long time since I took my driving test and the laws had changed in quite a few ways and it was interesting to hear about some advanced driving techniques that hadn’t occurred to me before.  Maybe it does no harm to compel drivers to go back into the classroom from time to time to refresh their knowledge of the Highway Code.