PROMOTION TO SSERGEANT A career policeman reflects on his job THE HERALD Wednesday It 1977 By George Evnhttk Herald writer Although It took him 19 yean to the right to wear them Staff John Barratt of Regional police wain paying too much attention to the crowns on his shoulder epaulets the day after bis promotion came through But during an afternoon lull District 1 Headquarters Georgetown the policeman was willing to talk about his police career He began in as a cadet with a man force in Wolverhampton a semi industrial city in England midlands where he learned police work from the bottom up he said As a cadet he worked In a training capacity In all branches of the force including a stint In the police garage Getting up to your elbows in grease equipment he said After patrolling a beat with more experienced policeman for 18 months Joined the force when he turned and took 13 weeks of basic training During this same time he was Involved in the Duke or Edinburgh a Out program which he remembers fondly as 30 days living In the wilds of Welsh mountains With the end or basic training he was given his own beat to patrol and two years later was transferred to the vice squad He look refresher courses in and again in Reared before transferring to the crime squad He emigrated to Canada at the end of 1964 and early in 1965 Joined the police force in Guclph where he was for almost two years Then after 10 years as policeman he decided to try something else While he was a cadet he attended the English equivalent or a Canadian Community college and for three studied photography I tried it as a job he said but I stand being cooped up He joined the Georgetown polite force I had been out 11 months almost to the day That was November 1967 Staff Sergeant John struct on But in the mix of skills necessary to advance one was missing so In July Barratt asked to be Iran erred to the uniform branch to gain command experience For ib months he was a platoon sergeant until out of the blue I got promoted he said As staff sergeant his Job is to make everything runs smooth for the sergeants who head the platoons he Everything Ideally is eared to the man on the road he added ideally In turn reports Id the staff inspector in this case Ray Andreas who is one step below Superintendent Floyd Sen wants The chain of command rises up to deputy chief and chief and down to the constable on patrol Its tike a big bucket brigade said And as a staff sergeant no longer Investigates crimes directly Criminal investigation is really not my function be said We ve got a CIB Criminal Investigation Branch to Investigate crimes Where I get involved is more in on advisory capacity because I been up through It took him only three months to rise to the rank of is second class constable In be has noted as a when Georgetown established years half of a criminal Investigation lhe En branch I was II as a matter or fact he said Impossible Later he was Joined by technological Henry VanderSluys now deceased God bless him When he started on the beat said Henry did the io Wolverhampton identification I did the ad ministration and we both did investigations During this lime took courses in police science at Humber College at Ontario carried a key to open telephone box located on street comers get In touch with the station Now ihe guys have Also the police then carried 7 notebooks in which they would Police College In and ta J in service training sessions in to Sr you a studied MOmelhods of in vo BUSINESS DIRECTORY Robert H Cranfield DC CHIROPRACTOR Mount nv South FOR APPOINTMENT CALL 42BS OPTOMETRISTS Hamilton RO OPTOMETRIST 16 Mount nv Sou Proross Id no For nlmcnl CHIftOPKACTOKS G CHIROPRACTOR street Georgetown PHONE R E CLIPSHAM LTD Surveyors Consulting Engineers cwRd CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS Goebelle Wagner 877515S j4jk PLACE GEORGETOWN ONTARIO TELEPHONES STEINHAUSEN Astrological Humanistic Counselling MARRIAGE PERSONAL CAREER FAMILY I Ann Georgetown 8774861 stolen you had to go through your book to see if you had the number he said Now we have the terminal and you can get an answer In eight seconds He saw the telex system of communication Introduced In England but discarded in Canada In almost years of police work the biggest change has been the public Barratt believes Today the public is better educated and despite nostalgic memories of the cop on the beat believes the public would not tolerate the kind of simple rough Justice those coos dispensed Nor would today cop do now what the old cop on the beat used to do he said also believes that police service Is probably the last stronghold of con That because of the policeman place in society he said By the very Complex issue tabled for review Roy Booth wasted no time tabling the controversial municipal complex Issue Tuesday night but was op posed in his bid to resolve the dispute by other councillors who insisted that five new members be given a chance to review the matter Coun Booth was the sole proponent of a new bylaw that would rescind bylaw authorizing a I BOO ex to the town Trafalgar Road headquarters The new members of council he argued were all asked for their opinions an the matter prior lo the Dec election and are all well aware of the pros and cons Involved Mike Armstrong s assertion that the new members should have at least two weeks to study the debate was endorsed by Peter Marks newly elected in Ward 1 Coun Marks suggested that the new members could learn more about the issue during a special orientation session of council scheduled for Friday afternoon nature of our position wo must be the last to change We be the last people for example to legalize pot Any policeman in the course of 19 gathers a number of hut refused to mention any Any experiences are either personal to me or to the people involved he said Although in of the squad room other police may find experiences amusing and humorous outside should the knowledge become public the people involved may find them cmbarassing went on to say that the biggest bugbear of being a cop is the fact that the medio seems to be able to publish what is news and it must But what the media forgets are the persons Involved in an incident the victims The story is a threeday wonder ihen forgotten but the people involved hurl for a long lime And like any other person a policeman has many Carets said because he has to deal with a situation facade- almost uncaring said but it almost the only way he can operate In a bad accident or perhaps a Incident involving a child you con t gag or cry You just act but others you see only one facet just the police officer function felt that the public would be unable to ever really know a police officer unless they met under entirely circumstances Your private life has to separate from vour public life he If you don the result is dlastrous Incidents where a policeman discourteous to the public often stem from the officers private life spilling over his working life he said And finally even though didn wont to moke too much of a fuss about the crowns added to his sergeant stripes he was nevertheless proud of them PI MATCH The plowing match will be held in Hills on Oct the Plowmen Association news letter an All RSPs are not alike RSP LOANS QUICK AT CANADA TRUST Borrowing tor a retirement if you already have a savings plan have tobe consider switching Canada a mess ol red tape Chances are Trust In most cases switching youcangetaloanloraCanada Just say word Trust right on the spot We do resl And interest on your RSP Canada Trust TORONTO W SI 112 al on knock 4495 SI And fa 1491 TOflONTOEASTSnopps Wo The TORONTO WEST Eg on al neon Boo 6514 Latino Royal Yd S M Re 10 Sou hoi Squa Woo CO 270 RICHMOND Mill H I no 718 BRAMPTON Mm near talons 2nd J Wo GEORGETOWN Mi MILTON Mama Oil les Sheers Crepes Chiffons w Beautiful Quilted Prints COTTONS POLYESTERS MANY COLOURS DB APERY Acrylic Drapery colours Beautiful Print T I yd Regularly mi yd Open Weave Acrylic 1 Specialty priced il UPHOLSTERY Cotton And Linen Prints 98 FOR ROOM FURNITURES Clearance of Upholstery Ends 998 yd UP TO I YD PIECES NOW A Of UNADVmiStD AU AT A HOUSE OF TEXTILES 999 QUEEN ST WEST mile WEST of Towers Brampton across from the Gulf Station 4578291 Hours Men Sal IU nrlxi Bur alt Iff J BRA J ma f