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royal visit liaison officer, licensing officer, firearms enquiry officer, airport
officer, events officer, custody officer, road traffic officer, and general advice
giver. I soon learnt how to deal with a range of things without any back up.
The most valuable skill I learnt – just to relax and know that things will work
out. I am convinced that nothing is hard in our job – perhaps just something
I’ve not done before, in which case someone was always a phone call away.
Part of the uniqueness of our location (5 hours by ferry to Oban or a once
a day flight to Glasgow) was what to do if we had a custody for court. This
involved getting a prisoner from Barra, over the sea to Uist, up through Uist,
and then over the sea to Harris and Lewis where they would be presented
before Stornoway Sheriff Court. A custody could quite
easily mean a 20 hour shift, if the arrest occurred after
the last ferry of the day in the late afternoon. This meant
a huge part of the job there was keeping people calm and
onside. Andy and I could often be found snoozing in the
Police car on the ferry back from Uist after transferring a
prisoner. Ultimately, they would return to Barra and I would
see them in the one food shop on the island the next
week, or they’d be related to the plumber, or postman, or
nursery worker that worked with my child. The whole job
in Barra was about keeping the balance, being fair, using
discretion, and doing a good job.
Two years passed and it was time to return to the
mainland. Being the Police Officer’s family in a tiny
community is not the easiest. People are kind and
sincere but they could never really be seen to befriend
the Police’s family, as ultimately it would appear they
were taking sides. There were always exceptions however and I will never
forget a shepherd called Jimmy, 20 years my senior, who befriended me and
welcomed me into his world. I ended up helping him with his sheep in the
hills and had many an interesting conversation with a man who had never
lived anywhere but Barra. Jimmy will never read this but I am grateful for his
friendship.
I will treasure the memories Barra has given me and hopefully will one day
return to reminisce and remember.
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POLICE WORLD
Vol 61 No. 3, 2016
Article