Sheffield City Police Great Big Scam of 1964.

[PCPLOD178 10]

A General Order was issued in 1964 which proclaimed that as from a certain date, weekly pay in cash would be replaced by monthly salaries paid directly into bank accounts. The first thing that struck me was that there was no mention of how the transition would be achieved because we worked one week in arrears, and leaping ahead into one month left questions to be answered. The Police Federation couldn't help, mind you, it never did, so I began sending requests to the Chief Constable for information. Five or six were ignored until the Superintendent at West Bar (The old Fire Station) demanded my attendance in his office.

 

He told me what I had suspected all along, that being we would have to go without pay for another three weeks. I protested, I was on £12.17.6d a week, and with two children and another on the way, we needed every single penny.

 

"Can't be helped', he said,'we're all in the same boat. "Yes Sir', I replied, but your boat is a lot bigger than ours." "Get Out," he shouted so I did.

 

"You know folks,' I said to myself as I crossed West Bar Green to go to my beat,'this means WARRRRRRR !!!!!," (with thanks to Bugs Bunny.)

 

A day or so later, I was in the Magistrates Court, then on Castle Street, when I espied an agency reporter who I knew very well. I invited him to the café for a cup of tea and told him all about the problem. I explained that we had been instructed to open bank accounts and apply to the managers for bank loans to tide us over. The big problem was that few of us had sufficient income to repay the loans.

 

"What are you going to do about it ?." he asked. I told him that on the first Saturday that we hadn't received our pay, a large group of off duty officers would assemble in Fitzalan Square, and then march up High St., Church St. and West St. to the offices of the National Assistance Board to apply for emergency welfare relief. "Won't you get into trouble ?," he asked. "Nah ,' I said, 'they cannot allow police officers to go without pay for three weeks without us going hungry and getting the rent into arrears."

 

Less than an hour later, a police car pulled up at the side of me. "Get in,"

said the driver.

 

The Superintendent was livid, his face glowed red with anger. "Names", he demanded holding pen ready with paper. "F.....g names now."

I told him that I hadn't a clue who was going to march with me, that all I had been told were the numbers involved, adding that there would about a hundred of us.

 

"You know we can do you for incitement to munity and bring the force into disrepute, you'll go to prison", he said.

"No Sir you can't, all we will be doing is exercising our legal rights to claim welfare relief to pay rents and put food on the table. It will be those on the top corridor over at headquarters who will have brought the force into disrepute."

 

He told me to Eff off, and so I effed off as quickly as I could.

 

A week later, a general order proclaimed that we would be paid three weeks in advance.

 

The March ?, a figment of my imagination actually, but those who inhabited the top corridor dare not take the risk.

 

If the pilot scheme had been successful it would have been adopted throughout every force, and then the Fire Brigades followed by all wage earning council workers.

 

No-one knew until I posted this thread why those on the top corridor changed their minds. I hope there are a few good men who remember the attempted scam and now know why it failed.

 

Harry Bunker, P.C. Plod

[abbeyedges 83]

Brilliant post. It would make a good film

[TORONTONY 10]

A General Order was issued in 1964 which proclaimed that as from a certain date, weekly pay in cash would be replaced by monthly salaries paid directly into bank accounts. The first thing that struck me was that there was no mention of how the transition would be achieved because we worked one week in arrears, and leaping ahead into one month left questions to be answered. The Police Federation couldn't help, mind you, it never did, so I began sending requests to the Chief Constable for information. Five or six were ignored until the Superintendent at West Bar (The old Fire Station) demanded my attendance in his office.

 

He told me what I had suspected all along, that being we would have to go without pay for another three weeks. I protested, I was on £12.17.6d a week, and with two children and another on the way, we needed every single penny.

 

"Can't be helped', he said,'we're all in the same boat. "Yes Sir', I replied, but your boat is a lot bigger than ours." "Get Out," he shouted so I did.

 

"You know folks,' I said to myself as I crossed West Bar Green to go to my beat,'this means WARRRRRRR !!!!!," (with thanks to Bugs Bunny.)

 

A day or so later, I was in the Magistrates Court, then on Castle Street, when I espied an agency reporter who I knew very well. I invited him to the café for a cup of tea and told him all about the problem. I explained that we had been instructed to open bank accounts and apply to the managers for bank loans to tide us over. The big problem was that few of us had sufficient income to repay the loans.

 

"What are you going to do about it ?." he asked. I told him that on the first Saturday that we hadn't received our pay, a large group of off duty officers would assemble in Fitzalan Square, and then march up High St., Church St. and West St. to the offices of the National Assistance Board to apply for emergency welfare relief. "Won't you get into trouble ?," he asked. "Nah ,' I said, 'they cannot allow police officers to go without pay for three weeks without us going hungry and getting the rent into arrears."

 

Less than an hour later, a police car pulled up at the side of me. "Get in,"

said the driver.

 

The Superintendent was livid, his face glowed red with anger. "Names", he demanded holding pen ready with paper. "F.....g names now."

I told him that I hadn't a clue who was going to march with me, that all I had been told were the numbers involved, adding that there would about a hundred of us.

 

"You know we can do you for incitement to munity and bring the force into disrepute, you'll go to prison", he said.

"No Sir you can't, all we will be doing is exercising our legal rights to claim welfare relief to pay rents and put food on the table. It will be those on the top corridor over at headquarters who will have brought the force into disrepute."

 

He told me to Eff off, and so I effed off as quickly as I could.

 

A week later, a general order proclaimed that we would be paid three weeks in advance.

 

The March ?, a figment of my imagination actually, but those who inhabited the top corridor dare not take the risk.

 

If the pilot scheme had been successful it would have been adopted throughout every force, and then the Fire Brigades followed by all wage earning council workers.

 

No-one knew until I posted this thread why those on the top corridor changed their minds. I hope there are a few good men who remember the attempted scam and now know why it failed.

 

Harry Bunker, P.C. Plod

Great stuff, you are one stand up guy, and I bet you were a damn good cop too. All the best,

[PCPLOD178 10]

There is a lot more where that came from folks, e.g. Chief Constables used Section 49 of the Police Act, 1964, dealing with complaints from the public, as a means of getting rid of problem bobbies like I was. Well I did something about that as well, I changed the law !!!!!!!!!!!!. If you want more, please ask.

Sincerely,

Harry Bunker. P.C. Plod.

 

---------- Post added 06-04-2015 at 10:35 ----------

 

Then there was the incident where Drug's Squad dug my garden for me, he he.

 

---------- Post added 06-04-2015 at 10:47 ----------

 

And what about when I bugged the Deputy Chief Constable's office and got him ranting on about me not giving up my home to the new landlord so that he could sell it with vacant possession. The landlord was one of his lodge pals and had appealed to him to get me and my family out. He threatened me with all things horrible, but changed his mind when I played part of the tape back to him....I can hear the No. 19 bus starting up now, all former Sheffield bobbies knows what that means.

[rossyrooney 12]

Well ... you've certainly excited my imagination matey.

 

thanks for the read.

[PCPLOD178 10]

Those who inhabited the top corridor gave me the nickname 'The Bolshie *******'. I was neither Bolshie nor a *******, but I became proud of the name.

P.C. Plod.

[rossyrooney 12]

That's very much the same in any job ... anyone with more common sense than management (not hard at all) is marked as a misfit or rabble rouser.

 

As you say, a tag that should be carried with pride.

[Cycleracer 10]

Interesting story, actually I didn't think that monthly saleries were happening that early.

On a simular point though its the same for an unemployed person who starts a new job to do the same principle thats going from there weekly giro's (although I know thats changed now) to getting a monthly wage so inafectively having to go 4 weeks without any money.

You would think that they would continue to pay benefits up to the end of the month or pay day but it stops with immediate affect.

 

Also to add to that That is work a month for your salery in=hand then actually get paid at the end of the second month which means 2 months without money

Edited April 7, 2015 by Cycleracer

[chrishall 10]

My wife worked for IBM in the 70s and they paid their employees' salaries a month in advance.

[scousemouse 10]

...............I bet you could tell us some real tales about what went on!!! Care to spill the beans? Not mentioning any names ofcourse!!!

[Jim Hardie 527]

Interesting story, actually I didn't think that monthly saleries were happening that early.

On a simular point though its the same for an unemployed person who starts a new job to do the same principle thats going from there weekly giro's (although I know thats changed now) to getting a monthly wage so inafectively having to go 4 weeks without any money.

You would think that they would continue to pay benefits up to the end of the month or pay day but it stops with immediate affect.

 

Also to add to that That is work a month for your salery in=hand then actually get paid at the end of the second month which means 2 months without money

 

People don't always appreciate how tough it is going without pay when wages are paid monthly. My first job on this basis paid me roughly £40 a month after tax. I had to borrow £30 off my father and it took me six months to pay him back at a fiver a month. He wanted to let me off the last payment but it was important to me that he got paid in full. I did let him buy me the odd pint though.

[Alan Ladd 10]

I remember PC Plod(Hiya Harry).

 

You will eventually read disparaging things on here about him as the ranks close and the standard damage limitation protocol is put into place.

 

Be aware of this, there was never a more hard working, conscientious, honest cop than PC Plod. He was eccentric, a real character but he put more villains away in a year than most cops of the time did in a career.