SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

It is reported on page 16 of the Yorkshire Evening Post today (Oct 11 2018) that the collar number 1066 has been retired and will not be reissued by the North Yorkshire Police (NYP). This is a mark of respect following the death in Leeds on Sunday of PC Mick Atkinson who was a dog handler with the NYP.

The Huddersfield Examiner today has about a dozen photos of ex West Riding police.
May be of interest to some of our regulars on this thread

examiner.co.uk

The interesting posts on SL remembering various officers puts me in mind of three officers who I have personal memories of, so can anyone give me an update on the lives of :-

1) PC Hopper, who lodged with us with his wife and family in Cow Close Road, Leeds 12, in the early 1950s.

2) My school friend from West Leeds Boys in the 1950s (would have been born in 1940/41) Patrick William Johnson.

3) My relative by marriage Richard(?) Caukwell, would now be in his 70s I think. Lived Brownberrie Lane area Horsforth in the 1960s.

jim

No bells rung with me, so to speak, but that means nothing these days.

Thanks for response anyway jma.

Hi Jim,

So far as relates to PC Hopper and Richard Caukwell, I have no knowledge of them being in the Leeds City Police. They may have served in another force such as the West Riding Constabulary or the North Yorkshire Police and they may not have served for very long. I have checked West Yorkshire Police Obituaries and neither are recorded but, unfortunately, the records are not very accurate and many names are missing. I know a man called Mick Caukwell (Cawkwell?), who lives at Embsay, and served in the North Yorkshire Police but I doubt that he is related.

So far as relates to Pat :

Pat Johnson (B. 1941)

Pat Johnson was well known in the Police Service. I knew him as a sergeant and I think that he retired in that rank. I only knew him through his activities with the Police Federation, I never knew him as an operational officer. I have not seen him since I retired in 1995. I always found him to be a very friendly and approachable man who would always give help when he could.

He has an entry in Linkedin (see later). It seems that in recent years he has been occupying his time attending short courses on a variety of subjects such as – Improving Memory, Information Literacy, Improving Your Judgement, Communicating with Confidence, Customer Service (Handling Abusive Customers), Leadership Skills, Writing a Compelling Blog Post and Digital Citizenship.

He appears to be a very busy man for a 77 year old. Good luck to him.

Linkedin Entry.

West Riding Constabulary/West Yorkshire Police 1957 – 1989 (32 yrs.) N.B. - probably included Cadet Service.

Officer of the Police Federation 1975 - 1986
1981-1986 Deputy Secretary of the National Executive of the Police Federation
Organised Conferences and meetings, joint Seminars with other bodies.
Re-branded Annual Conference and co-authored Training Programme
Member of Police Advisory Board and Police Negotiating Board
Represenative to TUC Local Government Committee

1986 - 1989 Assistant Staff Officer to Sir Colin Sampson (former Chief Constable)
Organised Conferences, wrote briefing papers and speeches for Senior Officers.

Published articles in Police Magazine, Police Review on various police related subjects.

1989 - 2006 Secretary of the British Shooting Sports Council [BSSC]
Organised conferences and meetings.
Represented BSSC at national and international meetings.
Gave evidence to two Select Committees on the use of Firearms
Member of the Home Office Firearms Consultative Committee
Represented BSSC at the World Forum on the Future of Sports Shooting Activities [WFSA}
1998 - 2006 Vice-President of WFSA
2001 Represented UK Sporting Shooters at the United Nations Conference on Firearms in New York


Ian

Thank you very much for the info Ian. I haven't seen Pat since I bumped into him on Armley Town Street some thirty years ago. Good to know of his busy life.

On thinking about it, I may have conflated "Hopper" with another of our lodgers in the early 50s, and haven't remembered his correct surname at all, just that he was a police officer. I recall him being pushed for time catching buses and stoppin a Ledgards bus at the bottom of our garden (some way from a stop) as if dealing with a traffic matter, and then boarding the bus.

Caukwell/Cawkwell I am sure I remember a newspaper report mentioning him as an Inspector from a West Leeds Police Station (Pudsey, Stanningley,Horsforth?). I may have his christian name wrong, and as I said his somewhat distant relationship with me was as son of the daughter of an uncle by marriage (second and third wives) with his first wife

Hi Jim,

I think that you will find that the name was Richard Coldwell. I think that he retired as an inspector in 2015 and he did work in the areas that you mentioned. I did not know him but I think that he was a keen rugby fan and he does some work for one of the local real ale groups similar to CAMRA - he is the publicity officer. I can't remember the proper name of the organisation but he attends beer festivals and writes in their magazine. I think that it is called 'Full Measure', I read it in my local pub. There is a photograph of him below.

Ian

Thanks Ian, but I don't think that's the right person I'm afraid. Not old enough, and I am certain of the "K" in the surname.

Does anyone know the former collar number of PC Joe Lee. MBE? Gipton and Garforth. Thank you