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John Bateman is a former member of Hertfordshire Police and prior to joining he was a merchant seaman and served as a navigator. He undertook this role before GPS and computers steered these sea going vessels.

Using a sextant and understanding the old techniques John successfully guided his vessels around the world. John chose to follow his father’s footsteps by joining Hertfordshire.

His initial training took place at Ashford Police Training School and enjoyed his time there but found it frustrating as he had held responsibility in the navy, and this didn’t seem to count in his training. His first posting was St Albans and vividly remembers foot patrol including the call sign Foxtrot 101.

John progressed to CID and worked on a variety of cases including the Patrick Hurling murder in Hertford on 1st Dec 1990. This case remains unsolved. In 1992 he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis his diagnosis came after he had collision in a Police vehicle. John had unusual symptoms, and the doctors announced that he had this debilitating illness.

In 1994 John left the job and went into private industry. He went to work at a private detective agency working with Roger Pritchard.

John is on the board of the IPI – Institute of Professional Investigators www.ipi.org.uk and endeavours to ensure that investigators have credibility and integrity.

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Kevin's inspiration to join the Police was prompted by a robbery where at the age of 14 he was held at knifepoint and his pedal cycle was stolen. He went on to see the suspect in a local park on the stolen bike. The police were contacted and when they arrived, they arrested the suspect and seized the bike. The rest as they say is history.

Kevin was 20 when he joined the Metropolitan Police, and the year was 1983. His service commenced in Edmonton and after 6 years transferred to King Cross. This area was not the affluent location that it is now!

The Harrods Bombing, The murder of Yvonne Fletcher and the Broadwater farm riots took place in his early years in the job.

Kevin describes the significant events and the Tottenham riots in particular; he was patrolling Southgate when he was told to return to base pick up his public order kit and travel to the infamous Broadwater Farm.

Kevin's love for cars help directed him to the stolen vehicle squad. It was during this time that he honed his skills as an investigator. He went on to lead a team at Kings Cross and headed missing persons enquires. One such was Paula Field, Her body was found minus its identifying features in a holdall in the canal at Camden.

He was invited to apply for the role in SO10 which specialised in undercover deployments and stayed in the role for 8 years. He found the role particularly political, and we discuss the issues in managing undercovers and the associated issues. During his time he became a hostage negotiator and recalls vividly the kidnap of a 10 year old boy.

He concluded his services a s Chief Superintendent and was an operational lead during the 2021 Olympics .

A memorable day during his service was the nail bombing in Old Compton Street at the Admiral Duncan Pub. He talks about a member of the public Named David Morley who had been injured in the explosion. This mans nickname was Cinders. He survived the bombing and was a very kind individual. A few years later Mr Morley was murdered on the South Bank by a group of youths.

Since leaving the Police Kevin has been behind the television shows “The Hunted” and “The Heist” He is now a published author and his book “Where The Evidence Takes Us” Is available from all good book sellers. John Sutherland and Adam Kay were inspirations and John has written has written a recommendation.

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Scott Joined the Police in 1995. He had been a professional footballer, and his selection process was extremely smooth! He had played for Alloa Athletic and Scotland under 16 and played against Saudi Arabia in the Youth World Cup Final alongside Paul Dickov .

Prior to joining the police Scott worked in the travel industry. His first day at training school wasn’t the best start. He had been told to wear casual clothing. However, the drill sergeant had other ideas and a public telling off and was one of a handful who had to put their uniform on in the car park! He has fond memories of his time in training school and it was a platform that served him well throughout his career.

His conclusion of training he went to his force for local procedure. On his first day, as he sat in the canteen, he was informed that there had been a shooting at Dunblane primary school. Along with his young colleagues he was dispatched to the school and was placed on scene preservation and to prevent the press and parents from entering the area. He saw the aftermath of the shooting and he describes his experiences as unforgettable. His first week became even more memorable when he broke the wrist of a suspect who he had handcuffed.

Scott served at the Court in Holland where the Lockerbie Suspects were tried. This experience was carried out in the spotlight of the worlds press. The camp was in lockdown at night and the staff worked hard and played hard.

Scott discovered a liking for firearms and undertook the tough process to qualify. His skills were recognised and he became the Chief Firearms instructor. The success in the work place came at a cost. The impact on his family was such that it put an end to his marriage. His depression was overwhelming but the death by suicide of a friend had a significant impact, and he found that with the support of the PFOA he was able to make the changes he needed to put his life back on track.

The motivation to retire from Police Scotland was as a result of the pension changes. He wanted to stay but it became cost prohibitive.

Since retirement Scott has been working for a number of different organisations and concentrates on wellbeing and has supported organisations such as PFOA

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