Paul Beecroft: Extract From An English Notebook

Last Week In England With Paul Beecroft

My friend, Paul Beecroft, has spent a good deal of his life in law enforcement, in England. He’s worked Foot Patrol, Area Car, Instant Response Car and also as a Police Motorcyclist. He’s currently a coroner’s investigator and has traveled all over England, Wales, Scotland and even Germany to investigate crimes.

Paul is an avid falconer, and he’s a pretty darn good writer. Today he’s taken another page from one of his own notebooks to share with us. Please enjoy.

White

Frost covers the land

Minus 6

7.15 am

Christmas Day

Freezing

8 – 4 shift

De-ice the windscreen

Travel to work

Roads empty

Ice covered

Treacherous

Arrive at Station

No one else

Skeleton staff

No pending jobs

Merry Christmas from Control Room Staff

Police vehicle

Travel home

Live on area

Hot coffee

Cooked breakfast

Open presents

Excited kids

10.15 am

“Echo Charlie One One over”

“Go ahead over”

“Sorry about this, can you attend Kings Hill, one vehicle T.A. (Traffic Accident), car overturned, not known if injury”.

“Yes on my way over”.

Roads still bad, very icy

Very little traffic as I make my way

Headlamp flash from oncoming car

A warning of something ahead.

Car sideways across road

Two occupants, standing to the side of it.

Husband and wife on their way to see relatives

Not injured but very shaken

“What happened?”

“We came over the brow back there”

“The car just went sideways and we just started rolling over and over”.

“Since we have been here other cars have lost control, it’s the ice”.

“You sure you are both okay”

“Yes, yes, just a bit shaken up”.

“I can well imagine you are”.

“Let me call this in and then get some help”.

“Echo Charlie One One over”

“Go ahead over”.

“Yes, first of all can you call the Council, I need the road gritting urgently”

“Yes understood”

“Secondly, can you call the relatives of…………………….

“BLOODY HELL…………MOVE”

Black

Tumbling

Rolling

Roof

Wheels

Over and over

Closer and closer

Transfixed

Slow motion

Running

Me

Husband and Wife

Slowing

Final roll

On its wheels

Stopped

No more than six inches from the front of my car

Exactly where we had been standing

Two occupants

Another married couple

Uninjured

Presents scattered all around inside the car

Wrench open a door

“Everyone OK?”

“I think so”

“Stay here, I will be back in a minute”

Police car

Drive to brow of hill

Park in middle of road

Blue light on

Traffic should slow now

Return to crashed vehicles

Control Room informed of situation.

Both couples chatting

No one killed

No one injured

Remarkable

Both cars scratched and dented

Both driveable

They are ready to leave

Warned re possible shock setting in and to look after each other

“Thanks Officer and Merry Christmas”

“And to you”

Now alone

Waiting for the Gritter

God it’s cold………..but thank you.

3 replies
  1. Elena
    Elena says:

    What an incredible Christmas gift – no one was injured! Not the expected, rather a most welcome ending.

    Thank you Paul.

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