Trust Me, I'm a Cop!

By Bob MacDonald

This story follows the life of a young man, Chad Fowler after he enlists with the police force of Western Australia as a constable.

Each incident in which he becomes involved is based on real-life experiences. However, unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

This work provides the reader with behind-the-scenes activities which take place within a police force of a major Australian state.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bob MacDonald
• Release date: May 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201409234

Bob MacDonald

Bob MacDonald is a retired West Australian Police officer of thirty years experience. Bob's last day at school was his 14th birthday - commencing work, the very next day, in a timber mill in his home town of Pemberton, West Australia.He later self-educated and enlisted in the West Australian police force, retiring as a superintendent in the Internal Investigations Branch of the Professional Standards portfolio.Since retirement Bob has been working at remote aboriginal communities in Central Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. He also did a tour of duty on the island nation of Cyprus with the United Nations Blue Beret Peacekeepers.Bob, a keen sportsman continues with various sporting activities; which also includes fishing and camping trips. Writing articles for various magazines and now venturing into anecdotal short story compilations and fictional manuscripts ensures Bob leads a busy life.

Book preview

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Prologue

This story follows the life of a young man, Chad Fowler after he enlists with the police force of Western Australia as a constable.

Each incident in which he becomes involved is based on real-life experiences. However, unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

This work provides the reader with behind-the-scenes activities which take place within a police force of a major Australian state.

Table of Contents

Chapter 01 – The Police School

Chapter 02 – Graduation

Chapter 03 – On the Beat

Chapter 04 – First Arrest

Chapter 05 – Disillusioned

Chapter 06 – Ducks on the Pond

Chapter 07 – Cannington Station

Chapter 08 – The Langford Lady

Chapter 09 - The Wedding Ring

Chapter 10 – Sticky Buns and Moustaches

Chapter 11 – Break-ins & Burglaries

Chapter 12 – Radios and Revolvers

Chapter 13 – Swapping Partners

Chapter 14 – Wives, Pawnbrokers & Lockup Cells

Chapter 15 – Bringing in the Dogs

Chapter 16 - Stalemate 

Chapter 17 – Joint Patrol

Chapter 18 – Dogs, Drunks & Death

Chapter 19 – Money & Trust

Chapter 20 – The Last Job

Chapter 21 – Shots Fired

Chapter 22 – Tidying-up

Epilogue

Chapter 01 – The Police School

Chad Fowler sat at the kitchen table of his one-bedroom flat in East Perth. The time was just after 06:00 am, and being a Friday, he’d been out of bed for the past hour. Friday was exam day at the police school and Chad studied single-mindedly in his endeavour to cram as much of the Firearms Act, as he could, into his head.

Every Friday, the academy instructor, Sergeant Black, could hardly wait to learn if Chad or any of the other twenty-nine recruits had slacked off and not paid heed to the visiting lecturers, conducted a Statutes Test. And the Firearms Act featured this day. Five of the training school’s inductees were ex-police cadets and had been in the job for four and a half years before the tuition course commenced.

These class members, because of their familiarity with police nuts and bolts, revelled in big-noting themselves with their open fraternization with serving officers. Now, into the tenth week of the twelve-week course, Chad had grown more and more fed up with the smart-arsed capers of each of the onetime plebes.

So, by putting many hours into his studying, Chad had improved his grading assessments, as issued by the supervising sergeant to equal those and sometimes bettering the annoying ex-cadet classmates.

On reaching the age of twenty years and six months, cadets became eligible to be inducted into the police training school as recruits and thus become sworn officers. Except for the odd one, who did not reach the required standard, all such trainees were keen to take the next step towards a career in policing. Those who’d fallen short of making the grade received their marching orders. We. In jest, referred to such dismissals as the person so sacked having been awarded the DCM (Distinguished Conduct Medal); when in fact, in our eyes, it meant ‘Don’t Come Monday.’

The cadets were of similar age and were city boys. They lived at home with their mummies (and most likely their dads, as well) and had seen little of the real world. Chad, at twenty-four, outstripped the younger class members’ dogsbody experience and worldliness. He’d finished school on his fourteenth birthday and followed his parents in taking on employment in the local timber mill.

At nineteen, Chad left his town of birth in the state’s lower-south-west region and spent five years moving around the state; playing Australian Rules football, basketball and cricket; as well as picking up jobs in the timber industry to support his bachelor's ways.

*

The year was 1966 and Chad while flying for a screamer during a game with the WAFL team of East Perth, tumbled over the top of a pack of players and, on landing, suffered a serious neck injury. That put an end to his dreams of graduating to the all-powerful VFL competition in the state of Victoria.

With his sporting career curtailed, Chad decided on giving the flick to his boring go-nowhere job of sharpening saws and blades of various descriptions within the state's stagnant timber industry. He applied for the police force after being influenced by a couple of serving officers who stripped for the same football team for which he’d earlier pulled on a guernsey.

He kept secret the injury which curtailed his sporting activities, as he believed the impairment stood a good chance of settling with rest. Chad suffered no qualms about what he may meet as a blossoming police officer. He’d worked with grown men since leaving school at fourteen at several timber mills. As well, he’d competed head to toe against men in the sporting arena, from sixteen years of age.

He’d been involved in many scuffles and punch-ups, both on and off the playing field. His height of six feet and four inches and the weight of fourteen and a half stone made him a formidable opponent.

*

Chad had no family interested enough to attend and witness him at the class passing out parade. He struck a lonely figure as friends and relatives flocked around other recruits, snapping photos and gushing farcical and bullshit compliments.

What now? Chad sipped on his cup of warm, stewed tea and nibbled on his ginger nut biscuit until the force’s big wigs made their departure. Then, he, catching the eye of a couple of his classmates, gave the nod to adjourn to the George Hotel.

This pub, by far a long way off being included in the top drinking venues of the city, was the watering hole for the detectives, who were based in the nearby James Street police complex. Chad and his mates had been hanging out to call at the George but had heeded the class sergeant’s warning not to visit any liquor outlets during their time as recruits.

Chad, accompanied by half a dozen of the more older-aged class members, fronted up at the notorious boozer with the urge to put to rest the thirst of three months of abstinence. Things were progressing without a hitch until two of the ex-cadets, on hearing where Chad and his group had headed, tagged along and joined the party.

Neither could lay claim to being seasoned drinkers and after a few glasses of beer, of which they sculled at a rate fast enough to make their eyes water, they began acting like hooligans. When one started dancing on the lounge bar’s tables, the angry landlord booted us out. From there, the group adjourned to the police mess at the rear of Central Station on Hay Street.

Not to be outdone, the duo of two-pot screamer ex-cadets rocked up at the canteen. They were too far gone to take notice that Chad and his friends wanted nothing to do with them. But when one of them took a fluffy pampas grass flower from a display