Cops Don't Run

By Diem Burden

Swapping his army-greens for police-blues, ex-soldier Diem Burden chooses to do just that, initially suspecting he has joined 'just another army'.

All that changes, however, once he is let loose on the unsuspecting public that makes up the beautiful British university city of Cambridge. From mad axe-men to heart-breaking agony messages, the new probationer samples everything that cops routinely face, whilst infamously making police college history along the way.

This story is part TWO of THE ROZZERS series. Follow Constable Burden as he embarks on his new police career. Walk with him as he discovers another world, one only ever seen by those brave (or foolish) enough to put on a police uniform. Share his fears, his shock, and his heartache as he is guided through the myriad of jobs he will be expected to deal with as a solo cop, if he can just make it through those first few, memorable months as a trainee.

Warning: Contains strong language and graphic descriptions of death and injury. You've been warned ...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diem Burden
• Release date: Nov 13, 2013
• ISBN: 9781310291173

Diem Burden

Award-winning author Diem Burden (DM Burden) grew up the middle of five sons to a working class family in the north Midlands, UK. Childhood was extremely hard and money was scarce.From an early age, he showed an artistic talent in painting and drawing, so much so that one of his drawings mysteriously disappeared from his school foyer (last seen at the home of a teacher, allegedly...)Destined for art college, Diem grew so frustrated with further education that one day he got up and walked out of college, and joined the army for six years. After his military service, he became a police officer in Cambridge, UK. He left that job as a sergeant after 12 years walking the beat.By then, he was on his second marriage, and moved to Spain to teach English in 2002. He helped to set up a highly successful language school in Spain before semi-retiring in 2020 to focus on his new passion: writing.He published five short stories of his time as a cop in Cambridge, and wrote an additional (free) ebook available to people who sign up to his newsletter, which is a humorous look at his tough childhood, and perhaps implies he should never have become a cop all those years later!At the end of the year of Covid (2020), his life was rocked when he suddenly lost his eldest brother to cancer. His marriage ended at the same time and he found himself alone in Spain at 55 years of age.Over the next six months, Diem fell into a deep and dark depression, struggling to get out of bed most days. He just opted out of life, giving up on writing altogether.In mid-2021, a stranger walked into his local café and led him on a three-month journey he could never have expected: the ardent and highly opinionated atheist subsequently found Jesus, who changed his life around instantly.The story of that miracle is told in his book, Come to the Table.Now, unless God has any other plans for him, he is finishing his series of books (Get up and Walk) of his pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago in Spain, walking each stage with a different action plan with God.

Book preview

COPS DON’T RUN

Part two of

THE ROZZERS

By Diem Burden

LEGAL

Published by Shriven Books

Copyright 2013 Diem Burden

Copy-edited by Jan Marshall

Cover design © Jan Marshall

Police Officers image © iStockphoto.com

Cambridge scene image © Rainprel | Dreamstime.com

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved worldwide.

No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author.

DISCLAIMER

This short story is based, in part, upon actual events and persons. I have tried to recreate events, locales and conversations from my memories of them. In order to maintain their anonymity in all instances, I have changed the names of individuals and places. I may have changed some identifying characteristics and details such as physical properties, occupations and places of residence, as well as other descriptive details. Some of the events and characters are also composites of several individual events or persons.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to each and every man and woman who took the brave decision to become a police officer, even if ultimately you didn’t make it through basic training.

You wanted to make a difference, and for that, I applaud you.

ALSO BY DIEM BURDEN

End of the Road

Part One of

THE ROZZERS

FREE!

"Such a well written short … I wished it wouldn’t end … I’m happy to support such a wonderful writer. I hope the next few books or shorts are as great!" Vinny Vino

"I was right to pick this well written, short read, the author made the story come alive and left me wanting more." Nutty Helen

"This was just a great short story. The biography of the author [on Amazon] is funny too … [the story] is well written and just flies along. It’s gritty and graphic and will make your heart pound. I can’t wait to see what is next." Dara Kovachev

CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter one

Chapter two

Chapter three

Chapter four

Chapter five

Chapter six

Chapter seven

Chapter eight

Chapter nine

Chapter ten

Chapter eleven

One for the Road, a free sample

About the Author

Acknowledgements

PROLOGUE

I left the garrison town of Tidworth for the last time and headed off over to Cambridge to start a new life. I’d applied to join the police shortly after my army boss had told me that it was the right job for me. That had been a year earlier. The selection process had been long and rigorous and I hadn’t expected to get through it: competition was fierce. When the letter arrived offering me a position with the Cambridgeshire Constabulary I was stunned. As my time in the army was over, and with nothing else available, I decided to take them up on their offer and become a cop.

On arrival in Cambridge I was allocated a police house in a marvellous rural setting, in a very upmarket village just outside of the city. In comparison to my army house it was enormous. I was given a week to settle in before reporting for duty at Cambridge Police Station as probationary Police Constable 424 Burden.

My training was based on the new modular system. The induction module, conveniently labelled module one, lasted for four weeks and took place at my intended police station. The first week of this module dealt with admin matters: allocation of uniform and equipment; getting sworn in; allocation of police warrant card; and touring the station to meet the relevant heads of department. The second week was spent away from the police station, in civilian attire, attached to outside agencies. I spent a fun day in a fire engine, another with a reporter from the local newspaper, and one more with a mental health charity.

Although dressing up as a fireman for a day was fun, it was the third week that proved the most memorable for me. I was put into my new uniform and sent out on patrol with my future colleagues, as a cop. That first week out on the streets both excited and terrified me. I was introduced to my new shift at briefing and spent the rest of the week out and about with them, dealing with the day-to-day routine of a patrol officer. With no training whatsoever, the idea was to give me a taste of patrol work in order to get a feel of what lay ahead for me as a police officer.

Allocated to a tutor constable to look after me, my brief was to quietly observe, to stay out of trouble, not to get involved in anything, and above all, to enjoy the experience. That was easier said than done.

Part two of THE ROZZERS by DIEM BURDEN

o0o

CHAPTER ONE

Jeremy’s a loser, a complete waster, said Danny as we responded to a lunchtime call of a street disturbance. A washed up druggy who usually only comes to our attention nowadays for petty domestic stuff – along with his fat, ugly missus. Used to be a handful in his time did our Jeremy, he added, almost in admiration, but this’ll be a load of crap, a waste of our time. Just you see.

I’d known PC Danny Green for exactly two days at this point. I knew he had nothing against Jeremy; it was people in general he disliked. Danny was my tutor; a world-weary cop who was, on account of his length of service, ‘qualified’ to take new recruits out on patrol. As the new boy I was – naturally – in total awe of him. With an expanding waistline, he was dry, apparently humourless, completely inexcitable and hated everything and everybody, including – it seemed – being burdened with excitable, incompetent new recruits.

For the last two mornings we’d been patrolling the northern half of the city – the rough council estates – in our little Ford Escort panda car. Yesterday, my first day out on patrol with Cambridgeshire Police, had been dull and routine: tons of paperwork which Danny had to complete whilst I sat and watched, trying to look interested, interspersed with false intruder alarms activated by cleaning staff. This call was different though. This sounded like real police work.

As Danny cut through the chaotic streets of the council estate like a racing pro, I kept glancing