In the days running up to the Olympics, officers from across Cheshire Constabulary will be preparing for 26 July, where they are being deployed to work within London and at the Olympics. Ian Cuthbertson, a local officer who has been employed with Cheshire Police since 1989 works on the rural neighbourhood team at Frodsham. Ian has worked in a variety of roles including the opportunity to work on CID, with the intelligence unit and as a Press Officer.
Asked about his expectations on being asked to work in the Olympic Village, Ian is looking forward to the experience, but "will be brushing up on my languages so I don′t get caught out. Also, after the summer we′ve had so far, I expect to get wet." From a working perspective, the hours will be long and being away from home and family for almost three weeks will prove difficult for Ian but he is accustomed to working at events, maybe not on such a high scale as at the Olympics, but he has been involved in working at Chester Races, and has also policed in the past at Euro ′96, motor racing venues, football grounds, concerts and festivals. In June 2007, he was part of the Neighbourhood Policing Team who visited the House of Commons for Prime Minister′s Questions in conjunction with their local MP.
In the build up to the Olympics, Ian was involved in the Torch Relay as it passed through Chester City Centre. "A very early start, but the crowds who turned up to watch at such an early hour proved how the Games has created real excitement and how witnessing the relay was many people′s way of getting involved." Ian is a big sports fan so this is the ultimate experience for him. A fan of track and field, cycling and swimming, he will be on the look out for anyone from Team GB past or present within the Olympic Village, especially Jessica Ennis!
Ian performs a valued role in the rural neighbourhood team within Frodsham and because they are a close knit team, they work well together. "We are used to filling in for each other during periods of leave or redeployment. As a support officer, the impact on fellow officers who will be covering my work will not be too significant". During his deployment to the Games, Ian foresees his role in terms of giving directions and ensuring the safety of visitors at all times. Ian concludes as he talks of it being a career high for him, and how pleased he is to be a part of the Games in some way; "What an opportunity! It really is a chance in a lifetime and I feel really privileged to be involved in such a global event. The coming together of the world′s best sporting icons and I will be there to play a part in the national policing effort." British Bobbies are renowned as being the best in the world. With the world coming to the UK, we need to live up to that expectation.
Ian will be one of several officers who will be reporting his experiences from the Olympics, so that the public can get involved and gain an insight from his blogger′s diary. All blogs can be followed from 27 July to 12 August by following our main website and twitter links − follow the link from the homepage at http://www.cheshire.police.uk/ or post your comments at twitter.com/cheshirepolice. We are also running Olympic themed competitions on cheshirepolice.uk and upbeat.co.uk over the next few weeks, starting 20.7.12.
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