The Police Community Clubs of Great Britain 2012 Vol 2 Issue 1 £6

Providing Opportunities Creating Successful CommunitiesPOLICECLUB NE

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An Olympic LegacyNew boxing facility opened in Bradford

PCCGB v The Royal MarinesA ringside report from the Spalding event

Leave Your Ego At The DoorA look at the Ozbox programme

Club In FocusRugeley Police Community Amateur Boxing Club

Editor: Andrew Davies

Contributors: Tom JacksonHelena Stylianou

Design: Joanne Hewitt

Advertising Design: James BenjaminLee Clarke

Administration: Carole RobinsonIan Doyle Kelly HollinsLiz JohnsonSamantha Powell

Advertising Sales: Stephen Jackson

Publisher: Ian Jackson Police Community Clubs of Great BritainNorthern Branch OfficeMurlain HouseUnion Street ChesterCH1 1QP

Tel: 01244 316629Fax: 01244 344707Email: admin@pccgb.org.uk

To advertise call: 01244 316629

Business Enquiries: Barry Jones MBE Po Box 160Bideford DevonEX39 9DL

Tel/Fax: 01237 474 869 email: barryjones@policecommunityclubs.org

All Rights Reserved. No part of Police Club News Magazine may be produced or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form without written permission of the editor. ©2011

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It has been a difficult time for boxing lately with the Haye-Chisora fiasco attracting criticism to the sport. The shameful scenes in Hamburg when a press conference descended into a farce should not detract from a sport where its young participants can be offered a way off the streets and instead put on the path to positive citizenship. In Spalding, at a recent boxing event, young boxers proudly wore their Police Clubs vests and stood in the middle of the ring singing the national anthem and shaking hands with their opponents before a bell had rung. At the beginning and end of each round, there was the touching of gloves and at the end of every bout a conversation took place between the boxers filled with congratulation and consolation in equal measure. The sportsmanship I saw amongst the young boxers in Spalding was something I had failed to see in countless other sporting events involving either children or adults. In Bradford, a new boxing facility will carry an Olympic Legacy for the city and offer a place for future boxing champions to hone their skills, visiting teams to continue their training, and most poignantly, offer the city’s youth a sanctuary from the temptation of anti-social activities on the streets. With Bideford Ladies continuing to fly the flag for the PCCGB on the football pitch, the Police Clubs continued involvement in encouraging positive citizenship gathers pace. In the many gyms around the country, in manuals and coaching guides, in educational resources both online and in print; the Police Clubs constantly look to educate young people. It is a campaign that is helping hundreds of young people make the positive changes required in order to become responsible adults. A campaign backed by the effort and dedication put in by the volunteers who devote their time to coaching young people. In this issue we look once more at the people making our Police Clubs the success they are, the programmes helping young people both in the ring and in the community; and also as ever we get out and about to find the stories behind the successes. Boxing is not everything to the Police Clubs. A look at our educational resources will confirm that. But for many of those working hard on weeknights in Police Club gyms, the same message applies. As I witnessed first-hand in Spalding, for those competing against boxers from the Royal Marines, the most important thing isn’t to do well in boxing; it’s to do well full stop. It’s a message that shouted itself from an exhibition centre in Spalding but was sadly unheard amidst the controversy of a conference room in Hamburg.

Enjoy this issue!

Andy, editor

Do you want to see your club’s achievements featured in Police Club News? Are you a member of a group making a positive contribution to your community? Or are you aware of an initiative in your area that deserves recognition? If so, please get in touch (editor@pccgbclubnews.co.uk).

Contact the magazine team on 0800 783 5805 or alternatively email admin@pccgb.org.uk

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WELCOME TO POLICE CLUB NEWS

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CONTENTS

NOTICE TO ADVERTISERSWhile every care is taken to ensure that the contents including the advertisments are accurate, the publisher cannot assume responsibility for

errors. While appreciating your support for making this publication possible, it must be clearly understood that you have purchased advertising space from the publisher, The Police Community Clubs of Great Britain.

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NEWS 9 News from the founder of the Police Community Clubs of Great Britain

11 Latest News

FEATURES 14 PCCGB v The Royal Marines A report from an evening of amateur boxing held in Spalding

20 An Olympic Legacy Police Club News attends the opening ceremony of a new boxing facility in Bradford

23 Club In Focus – Rugeley Police Community Amateur Boxing Club Tom Jackson gives an insight into one of our many clubs making a difference

24 Leave Your Ego At The Door We speak to Sergeant Steve Osbaldeston about the success of ‘Ozbox’

29 Success Stories – Jack Bateson A look at the first AASE Programme Boxer in the country to make it into the Great Britain Development Squad

32 I Owe Boxing Everything The remarkable recovery of Downend Police Amateur Boxing Club head coach, Craig Turner

41 Our Journey The History of The Police and Community Boxing Association (Formerly The British Police Boxing Association)

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OF THE POLICE COMMUNITY CLUBS OF GREAT BRITAINHISTORYPOLICECO

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The Structure

PatronLord John Stevens QPMA past Commissioner of Police for London, Lord Stevens is universally known for his support of police and the work they do. Since his retirement from the Police Service he has been appointed to lead on a number of high profile investigations and enquiries, not least of which was the investigation into the untimely death of Diana, Princess of Wales. A committed supporter of our work, the PCCGB are grateful to have him as their Patron.

The day-to-day work of the PCCGB is organised ‘entirely voluntarily’ by four serving and/or retired police officers:

The SecretaryBarry Jones MBEThe founder of the PCCGB, Barry has retired from the Metropolitan Police and after one year with the Home Office Immigration Inspectorate reviewing Child Protection, Child Smuggling and Trafficking issues, he has concentrated his efforts on establishing the PCCGB as a leader in the provision of support, sport, education and other vital areas associated with children and young people.

The ChairmanDerek RultenAnother founder member, Derek is a retired Superintendent from Essex Constabulary.

The Treasurer Gordon ValentineGordon has recently retired from the Metropolitan Police where he had command and responsibility for the Metropolitan Police Child Protection response to Child Smuggling and Trafficking where it impacted on London Ports. He now devotes substantial time to the PCCGB.

CommitteeSimon Humphrey MAAfter being responsible for a number of sections within the Metropolitan Police including the Clubs and Vice Unit, and latterly its Thames Division and Air Support Services, Simon re-tired as a Chief Superintendent to take up post as Head of Police in Mustique in the Virgin Islands. Simon keeps in regular contact with our team and will return to play an active role at the conclusion of his present post.

Our Work

There is no shortage of ideas, drive and enthusiasm to develop initiatives. Accessing the funds and resources to turn those initiatives into tangible activities, can be a difficult and frustrating task, especially for young people who are anxious to see their hopes and plans come to fruition. The PCCGB seek to bridge that gap.

CitizenshipThe PCCGB support projects, which seek to develop children and young

The Police Community Clubs of Great Britain (PCCGB) is an organisation dedicated to helping children to become good citizens and positive community members. Formed in 1992 by four serving Metropolitan Police officers, they wished to address the growing problem of young people roaming

London’s inner-city streets which they achieved with some success in the North West London Boroughs of Brent and Harrow when they opened a facility where children could be safe, learn about discipline and participate in sporting activities. After testing various sports, they chose the sport of Amateur Boxing. It appeared that the provision of this sport attracted the young people whom they wished to directly engage with. In the intervening years the organisation has grown to encompass a network of clubs that stretches across the country. However, the board of serving and retired officers has ensured that the mission remains the same; helping young people to understand the importance of good citizenship.

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people into good and active citizens who can make a positive contribution to their communities. These will include activities to tackle social exclusion, truancy, bullying, working with excluded pupils and many other community-based initiatives.

Police Community ClubsThey support some 60-plus Police Community Clubs. As a requirement, each club must have at least one serving or retired police officer or Community Support Officer on their management committees. The rationale around this requirement is three fold: • Where projects are the subject of applications for funding, the officer[s] must ensure that such projects fall within or compliment ‘local crime reduction strategies’; • the officer[s] ensure that any funding provided is spent in the manner outlined in the application and; • the officer[s] ensures that any project supported, is capable of being sustained by the group ‘after’ its completion.

Further education Scholarships – Further education Sports AcademiesYoung people are funded through scholarships at Further Education Sports Academies. The FE Academies provide three year academic or vocational courses, which integrate various sports within the curriculum. Staffed by the country’s finest coaches provided by Sport England;

these youngsters are in many cases, given a ‘second chance’ whilst being given the opportunity to excel in their chosen sport. Their policy is to identify prospective students from within the clubs of the PCCGB however, worthy cases identified by police officers ‘working with disadvantaged young people’ are always considered. The latest partnership in this field is with the Bradford FE College in West Yorkshire where we are jointly supporting the college through the Boxing scholarship and Boxing Academy now named The Bradford Police and College Boxing Academy. The PCCGB also part fund the World Class Coach and the Development Officer at this College. Provision of educational materialwith the help of educationalists and other experts in their respective fields, the PCCGB produce educational material which addresses ‘current’ subjects that

when available, support and complement children, parents and teachers alike. Some of the subjects currently addressed are Bullying, Vandalism, Bereavement, Personal Safety, Drugs, Tobacco and Alcohol and Health, Racism and Safety on the Web. One of our current publications address bullying and vandalism, this is titled, Barney & Echo – ‘A friendship made’. Other publications are Barney & Echo - ‘The Magic Mirror’ which is aimed at ‘Drugs Tobacco & Alcohol’ and ‘The Dimwits’ which addresses ‘Weapons & Knives’, Barney & Echo – ‘The Bad Apples’ which is aimed at ‘Anti-social Behaviour and Bullying' and Barney & Echo – ‘Caught In The Web’ which looks at ‘Internet Safety'.Our next publication in the series, ‘Sparky’s Big Idea’ will focus on the environment and sustainability.

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NEWS from

The Police Community Clubs of Great Britain founder

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Barry Jones MBE

Future Projects

Since our last issue we have secured a contract with the Prison Service which will see a number of released prisoners entering into a coaching pathway. Both ourselves and the prison's management team are very excited at this innovative programme.

As we go to press we are awaiting notification as to whether we have been successful in our bid to the Home Office in the delivery of targeted programmes of gun and knife crime to various police service areas throughout the country, I will no doubt report on this in our next edition.

Sport

On the sporting front, we have just launched a new citizenship programme aligned to non-contact Olympic-style boxing called The Contender Plus+ course. This delivers fully insured instruction in all elements of the sport together with delivery of our citizenship programmes. All who wish to proceed to the delivery of this project must be registered with the Police Clubs, be fully insured by ourselves and hold a risk assessed current Enhanced CRB Disclosure certificate.

We have recently signed a new contract with both Derbyshire Police and Derbyshire County Council which enables the Clubs

to deliver our Contender Plus+ programme, first aid training and safeguarding courses to the members of the Derbyshire Volunteer Passport programme. This has proved to be very successful.

Dizzy Heights

As previously reported, our business partners, Community Initiatives Associates in Chester have developed an ‘App’ which features a game around our ‘Barney & Echo’ characters called Dizzy Heights. To download Dizzy Heights for free, visit www.barneyecho.co.uk/dizzyheights

New Patron

Lastly and by no means least I am proud to announce that we have a new Patron in Martin Hewitt who is currently a Deputy Assistant Commissioner with the Metropolitan Police with the lead in London for Organised Crime and Criminal Networks, and Gun Crime.

In closing, I would like to thank all of our sponsors, partners, clubs and volunteers for their hard work and continuing support.

For more information about the Police Community Clubs of Great Britain, please visit www.policecommunityclubs.org.

Barry T Jones MBEFounder of the Police Community Clubs of Great Britain

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NEWS

A serving Police Constable with Suffolk Police is preparing to saddle up for his latest charity challenge. For the last 10 years, PC Neil Smith has been planning and taking part in ‘Bobby on a Bike’. PC Smith organises the long distance/group cycle rides for charity, and to date they have raised over £75,000 for a number of charities both here and in the USA. This year marks the 10th anniversary for the bike rides and as a result, there are a series of extra special challenges to celebrate the milestone. In April, together with PC Rob Bryan, also from Suffolk, PC Smith will be competing in the world’s longest non-stop canoe marathon, the Devizes to Westminster. It will be the hardest single non-stop event they have undertaken, made even more of a challenge by the fact that neither had sat in a canoe up until July last year. “This event is our...from pedal to paddle,” explains PC Smith. “I am also organising the fifth Annual May Ride. For May this year, I have 55 riders (mostly police officers/police staff ) signed up to take part in a challenging four day cycle ride from the Suffolk coast to the coast of Wales: nearly 400 miles!” During that event, PC’s Rob Bryan, Jeff

BOBBY ON A BIKE

Cribb and Neil Smith will attempt to cycle the 400 miles May ride route non-stop. The nominated charity to benefit from this years events is the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). PC Smith added: “I have two crew from the Aldeburgh Lifeboat taking part in the May ride, it has been great to work with the organisation and has allowed us, in our police role, to forge close working

relationships with other agencies. The route will start and finish at RNLI stations.” Later this year, PC Smith will also have the pleasure of carrying the Olympic torch having been nominated last year by a friend on the PTA. For more details on ‘Bobby on a Bike’ events, visit their website at www.bobbyonabike.com

Northern Constabulary is proud to announce it will host the annual Police Sport UK Track and Field and Tug of War Championships. The event will be held at Queens Park Stadium, Inverness on May 30. In a year that will see London play host to the Olympic Games and the Olympic flame will visit the Highlands for the first time, the Highlands will welcome police forces from all over Great Britain. The event will feature track and field events in many disciplines for both male and female officers including long jump, hurdles and javelin as well as a tug of war competition. The event is being organised by Insp David Ogilvie, who has competed in previous competitions all over the UK including Portsmouth, London, Birmingham and Doncaster. Northern Constabulary has excelled in the competition previously, having finished second and third in the medals table in recent years. This year the Northern team hopes to end the dominance of the Metropolitan Police. The Force’s ladies 4x100m sprint team are the current UK relay champions and it’s hoped that home advantage will see

DATE SET FOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPSthem add to that success. The results of each event will be tweeted live from the stadium on @NorthernPolice ‘s Twitter page with the #PSUKtrack hashtag. Insp Ogilvie is delighted to be hosting the event in the Highlands for the first time. He said: “We are delighted to be hosting this year’s PSUK Track and Field Championships here at Northern Constabulary. “With moves currently underway towards a Single Police Service this is likely to be the last chance to host the event as Northern Constabulary, making it all the more historic.” Provost Jimmy Gray, Chairman of The Highland Council’s Inverness City Committee said: “We are thrilled to be welcoming the PSUK Track and Field championship to Inverness. “The event will see up to 250 competitors visiting the city and many of them may bring their families which will provide a very welcome boost to the local economy.” The Force also has two current title holders in Cameron Ross and Victoria Duthie who are the 400m hurdles and triple jump champions respectively.

ABAE LAUNCHES WOMEN’S BOX SERIES

The ABAE has launched a new competition for senior female boxers as part of its commitment to investing in women’s boxing and providing increased competitive opportunities for women and girls. The Women’s Box Series is for senior boxers and is split into three categories; boxers with under two bouts, boxers with 3-10 bouts and boxers with over 10 bouts. Tom Gilbert, National Programmes and Participation Manager for the ABAE has organised the competition, which will take place several times a year in various venues across the country. “One of the biggest challenges to women and girls who want to compete in England is getting a chance to get in the ring and box,” he said. “The ABAE is aware that many women and girls struggle to find local opponents at their weight and level of ability. The Series will bring them together in one place and match them at the right level. The first WBS event took place on March 24 at Next Generation Leisure Centre in Swindon.

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Merseyside and Cheshire ABA teamed up with the North West Region again last month for another successful female squad session at Salisbury Amateur Boxing Club in Liverpool. Boxers travelled from as far afield as London and the Midlands for a chance to train and spar with other athletes and some of England’s top coaches. Advanced coach Amanda Groarke, who organised the squad session said: “We had international athletes training alongside girls who have never boxed before, and it was enouraging to see a noticable improvement in all of the boxers since our last squad; not only in skill and technical ability, but also in confidence. “We are privileged to have an amazing team of female coaches working together to ensure the ongoing success of these squads by volunteering their time to help develop female boxers within our sport. The whole squad was outstanding, they were a real credit to their club coaches.” Amanda added: “A special thanks goes to all boxers who attended, for their dedication and commitment, and a big thank you to all coaches who devoted their time and enthusiasm to ensure a safe, enjoyable atmosphere and environment for our athletes. “Many thanks also to Alan Lynch for the use of his venue, and for his ongoing support, and to the club coaches for their support and dedication in continuing the development of females within our sport.”

Olympic gold medal hopefuls from Nigeria and the Philippines will train at Woking Amateur Boxing Club in the run-up to London 2012. Teams from both countries will use the new facilities in Woking Park as their official training base in July. The arrival of top class international competitors to the club will be a fantastic reward for the young Woking boxers who have worked hard throughout the year. Dave Oliver, team leader at the club, said they would be on hand to help with coaching and provide sparring partners. He said: “We can provide assistance with coaching, we’ve got quite good coaches here and also some very good boxers. If they need training and sparring partners we can provide those. It is great to be involved, great for the lads.” The brand new facilities make the gym an attractive prospect for Olympic teams and Dave reckons they are among the best in the United Kingdom. He added: “As a gym it is as good as anywhere in the country. It is a brand new gym that is fully

WOKING TO WELCOME OLYMPIC BOXERS

OLYMPIC DREAM DRAWS NEARER FOR NICOLA

overwhelm Turkish boxer Derya Aktop by 17 points to three in the semis, and beat talented Italian Valeria Calabrese 17:5 in her final. Welshman Fred Evans beat his strong Turkish opponent Abdul Kadirkoroglu 19:14, also winning gold for GB, while Welsh 2012 Olympian Andrew Selby and Golden Ring ABC boxer Iain Weaver settled for silver after impressive efforts against boxers from the hosting nation in the finals. Earlier in the competition Hull bantamweight Luke Campbell won a bronze medal after losing out, despite a good performance, to Cuban world champion Lazaro Alvarez.

SUCCESSFUL SOLLYSQUAD SESSION

functional. We’ve been waiting 17 years for it and are grateful for the new building but we have worked hard for it.” Dave believes the Olympic announcement is a great reward for chairman Richard Gammage, who he feels does a lot behind the scenes and is not praised often enough. Post-Olympics, the new premises will have a lasting impact, helping coaches to foster the next generation of British boxers for future Olympics. While honing and training potential champions is the aim of any sports club, Dave highlighted that taking youngsters off the streets was his main driving force. He explained: “The facility we can offer gets kids off the streets, that is more important than breeding champions. It is not just kids who want to box but kids who need to do sport. They come down and find they like it. They have a bit of fun and have a healthy pastime. That is what we are trying to encourage and we are getting some good lads and girls out of that.”

England boxer Nicola Adams won a gold medal at the Strandja Cup tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria in February, having beaten double world champion Ren Cancan on her path to the final. The Leeds boxer, who trains at Haringey Police and Community ABC in London when she isn’t training with the GB squad in Sheffield, cemented her reputation as a force to be reckoned with at the forthcoming women’s Olympic qualifiers in May. In the quarter finals a strong performance by Nicola saw her win a 12:11 points decision over Ren Cancan - the Chinese boxer who kept Nicola from the gold podium in the 2010 Women's World Championships. She went on to

Marco Antonio Barrera paid a visit to Wirral Community Police Boxing Club on Sunday, March 11 in order to help raise funds. The former two-time WBO Super Bantamweight spent four hours with boxers and coaches talking about his life in boxing and afterwards posed for photographs. Chairman Peter Phelan said: “We have had many sports stars visit us over the years but Marco was a real gentleman. He had time for everyone and nothing was a problem. He also helped the club with their current campaigns by signing the ‘Gloves not Gangs’ poster and wearing a white ribbon emblem for the ‘White Ribbon Campaign’ (the campaign we support for action against violence to women). Marco was very keen to help in any way he could, he took time out to talk to the youngsters and his old adversary Paul Lloyd. “What an honour to have such an ambassador for boxing visit our club and meet with our club members and the general public.”

BARRERA VISITS WIRRAL BOXERS

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tSpalding Round Table hosted an evening of boxing with bouts between representatives of the PCCGB and the Royal Marines last month. Andrew Davies was ringside to catch all the action on a terrific night of boxing.

Held at the Springfield Exhibition Centre, Spalding, over 450 people were able to enjoy eight boxing contests as part of the Spalding Round Table ‘Annual Charity Boxing Event’. This was the 18th annual show and in the past five years over £50,000 has been raised through the yearly shows with this money then being donated to local worthwhile causes. Prior to the bouts taking place, children from Spalding ABC took part in a boxing demonstration in the ring before former WBC Light Heavyweight Champion, John Conteh spoke of his experiences from his glittering career having fought on the same bill as Muhammad Ali.

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FEATUREBY ANDREW DAVIES

BOUT 2Bryan Jackson (Hard & Police Boys Club)

vConnor McKinnon (Woking Police ABC)

Another junior contest followed between representatives from two of our Police Clubs. Adopting similar styles, a fast paced opening round saw McKinnon landing the better shots whilst Jackson worked hard to impose himself on his opponent. Again both boxers were well matched in the second round, Jackson offering plenty of shots but not always connecting and McKinnon skilfully boxing off the back foot. After such a frantic opening two rounds, it was perhaps inevitable that one boxer would tire and as Jackson tried to respond to the support of the crowd, Mckinnon produced some excellent counter-punching which helped him to secure a majority decision.

BOUT 3Kieron McLaren (Queensberry Police ABC)

vJamol Cabilogan (Downend Police ABC)

A good left hand from Cabilogan rocked McLaren early in the first but the Queensberry boxer came back well with one-two combinations. The smaller of the two boxers, Cabilogan looked to try and get on the inside and capitalise on his success early on in the bout. The second round proved to be more cautious as Cabilogan continued to try and land a big left hand with McLaren keeping him at bay using his jab effectively. Being a light-welterweight bout, the contest was fought over four rounds and round three saw both boxers up the tempo with Cabilogan fighting back from a series of good combinations from McLaren by landing yet another left hand. The final round produced the best boxing of the night from McLaren who scored with some excellent shots forcing Cabilogan onto the ropes. A unanimous decision went the way of McLaren in the red corner although Cabilogan could take heart from a spirited showing which was well appreciated by the crowd.

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BOUT 1Naheem Chaudhry (Blackburn and Darwin ABC)

vTom Williams (Downend Police ABC)

The night's opening contest saw Naheem Chaudhry defeat Tom Williams in an entertaining bout which set the tone for the evenings boxing. After a positive opening exchange, Chaudhry took control looking dangerous throughout the opening round and keeping Williams on the ropes with some good body punches. In the second, the contest was more evenly balanced although Chaudhry continued to control the middle of the ring and finished the round stronger. The final round saw the night’s first standing eight-count after Chaudhry scored with a hard right hand followed by a good combination of shots. Williams wasn’t prepared to simply stand back and be beaten and responded well with combinations of his own to take the fight to the judges’ scorecard who gave the decision unanimously to the impressive Chaudhry.

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BOUT 5Thomas Baldwin (Royal Marines)

vDanny Milner (Downend Police ABC)

Next up was a hard fought middleweight contest which left both competitors exhausted after a terrific three-round battle. It was Milner who set the pace from the first bell with some excellent straight punching combinations. Baldwin came out for the second round with more intent and although Milner continued to box well off the back foot, it was the Marines boxer who had more joy connecting with punches. With both boxers backed by the support of their respective coaches and the watching crowd, the final round began with a flurry of blows and Baldwin scoring with a solid jab and following that with a succession of good head shots. There was still time for Milner to rally and hit back with head shots of his own finishing the bout strongly and taking a unanimous points decision owing much to his excellent work in the opening round.

BOUT 6Martin Smith (Royal Marines)

vJames Mosely (Woking Police ABC)

Smith controlled the opening round of this contest between two skilful light-heavyweight boxers. Mosely looked in trouble early on when a left hand forced him towards the ropes but he was able to withstand some heavy pressure to match Smith towards the end of the round. Mosely was again on the receiving end of another hard left and the referee enforced a standing eight-count. Smith continued to control the bout although Mosely recovered well to get to the end of the second still in with a chance of getting himself back in to the fight. That chance disappeared soon in to the final round when Smith asserted his dominance and the referee gave Mosely another standing eight-count. When Smith again put together a quickfire combination the referee once more intervened to issue a third standing count before stopping the contest. It was an impressive display from Smith in producing the night’s first stoppage.

BOUT 7Craig Greenwood (Royal Marines)

vLuke Groves (Woking Police ABC)

The final Marines versus PCCGB bout was a tight affair between two evenly matched boxers. A scrappy opening round was perhaps shaded by Groves as both he and Greenwood tried to find their range with the jab and neither really imposing themselves. A positive start to the second from Groves soon faded offering Greenwood the chance to score some good shots which impressed the judges. After such an even opening two rounds, it was no surprise that both fighters looked to score a knockout in round three. After a good opening exchange which saw Groves land with a right hand which left Greenwood’s nose bloodied, the bout fizzled out slightly with tiredness setting in. Another majority decision from the judges resulted in a win for Greenwood although the closeness of the contest was reflected in the 7-7 draw awarded by one of the three judges.

That result meant that both the Royal Marines and the Police Clubs had recorded two wins each against one another and a 2-2 draw was the fairest result on a night where all the boxers gave their all and treated the crowd to an exciting night of amateur boxing. Results are certainly not the most important thing for Police Club boxers and the commitment, sportsmanship and professionalism both in and out of the ring made them a credit to the PCCGB.

The final bout of the evening saw James Carter and Kurt Taylor compete for the Marines Novice Championship with Carter coming out victorious.

BOUT 4Louis Deegan (Royal Marines)

vMichael Chapman (Woking Police ABC)

Bout number four provided the first chance for the PCCGB and the Royal Marines to go head to head. The taller of the two, Chapman struggled to find any rhythm in the opening round as Deegan showed good hand speed and good variety in his punches. In an attempt to get off to a good start in the second, Chapman literally came running out of the blocks but was soon on the back foot again as he incurred a standing eight-count. This seemed to dent Chapman’s confidence as he tried to feel his way back into the contest. A scrappy last round saw both boxers showing signs of fatigue as Chapman finally began to find his range against the lively Deegan. Despite that standing eight-count, Chapman was awarded the victory with a unanimous decision from the judges although the scoring showed the fight was a lot closer than the unanimous decision suggested.

Boxing Academy commemorated an Olympic Legacy on Friday, 24 February with the opening of a new state of the art £300,000 Boxing Centre in the heart of their Trinity Green Campus. The Trinity Green Campus was officially opened in September 2008, by the then Minister for Sport, Gerry Sutcliffe MP. Mr Sutcliffe was on hand once again to officially open the new centre, which boasts three boxing rings, including an AIBA-spec competition ring, a full range of hitting equipment, mirrors, weights,

two full sets of instant playback audio-visual equipment with 51-inch TV monitors for performance analysis and a sound system. “It’s a real privilege to be here today and I know we are all looking forward to a very special Olympic and Paralympic year. From my time as Sports Minister I know how sport is a passionate thing for all of us

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Two women are doing pad work in one ring whilst in another, a young male boxer is being put through his paces. To the side of the ring, a small group

of school children wait in line to perform a combination in front of one of the coaches. Slightly away from the in-ring action, a boxer in a wheelchair is working on one of three punchbags hanging in a line next to a plasma screen displaying messages of support. It’s a scene which can only inspire the

many who attended the official opening of the new gym facility at Bradford College. Camera crews and photographers are catching the action as students demonstrate their skills. Its further evidence of what can be achieved within a community with the help of boxing. Building on its reputation for global excellence, Bradford Police and College

Bradford Police and College Boxing Academy officially opened their new gym last month and Police Club News was there to look around the fantastic new facility.

The Official Opening of aWorld Class Boxing Centre

in Bradford and how sport has the power to change people’s lives,” said Mr Sutcliffe. The centre forms part of the £17million Trinity Green Sports Complex, which includes 120-bed accommodation forsquads, visiting teams and a fully-equipped sports centre. Bradford College Principal and Chief Executive, Michele Sutton welcomed visitors attending the official opening, including London 2012 Olympic personnel and international guests jetting in from across the globe.

Amongst the guests impressed with the new boxing centre were international guests from the Vietnamese Olympic Committee, Mittal Champions Trust /Indian Boxing Federation, Chinese, Qatar and Nigerian Government Officials. Mr Sutcliffe added: “We want people to enjoy the power of sport and what it can do for us all. What a great time to be

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The Official Opening of aWorld Class Boxing Centre

celebrating this great new sporting facility in our great city and a new sport facility that is a world class facility. I always talk about that with sporting facilities. What we want is world class facilities. What we want is our children to be able to be the best they can be in the world.” During the official ceremony Nigerian Government Official Mrs Zuwaira Yusuf, PA to Dame Patience Jonathan (the First Lady of Nigeria) was delighted to present the Lord Mayor of Bradford with a personal portrait to mark the auspicious occasion. Principal, Michele Sutton speaking at the official opening ceremony said: “In this unique period of Great British sports history, we are delighted to provide an inspiring new boxing training facility for elite performers, whilst delivering the

three key themes of Sport England’s strategy: grow, sustain and excel. The facility will provide an internationally recognised Boxing Centre that puts itself at the centre of Olympic boxing in Britain.” As a leading player in boxing education, the Bradford Police and College Boxing Academy has made huge strides since it opened in 2008. Bradford Boxing Development Officer, Paul Porter reflected: “We didn’t even have a pair of gloves when I first joined the college. Now we’ve got the new boxing centre we can continue and expand our work of holding training sessions and boxing events for all levels, from beginners to Olympic level athletes.” Paul continued: “We started two weeks after the end of the last Olympics and by the start of London 2012 we will have hosted international teams’ pre-games training camps.” The long time vision of Paul and his

organisational team has been realised, the new gym offering a reward for the hard work and dedication which has gone into making the facility possible. Bradford College’s womens boxing programme has also been granted the ‘Inspire Mark’; the badge of the London 2012 Inspire programme which recognises innovative and exceptional projects directly inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Academy is also one of only seven colleges in the country to become a designated High Performance Boxing Centre for aspiring boxers aged 16-19 years, embarking on the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence. “We have an extremely talented coaching set-up, led by Mally MacIver (Head Coach) and Kevin Smith (former

Scotland National Team Coach) now running our Advanced Apprenticeships in Sporting Excellence Programme. Any boxer that joins our Academy can fulfil their true potential, with the opportunity through Bradford College to become an international class boxer,” added Paul. International Project Manager, Ronnie Todd concluded: “The Bradford Sports Partnership of the College, University, Council and Community Sports Network is absolutely delighted that the Amateur Boxing Association of England and Sport England has chosen us to be their flagship capital project in a truly historic Olympic year. “With the tremendous support of the Police Community Clubs of Great Britain, our Academy will serve the next generations of young people in the most noble of sports in our city. This fantastic new facility will cater for people simply wishing to get some exercise to Olympic standard high performance athletes. It is a

true Olympic Legacy and a real testament to the Bradford and Yorkshire Gold strategies, adding to the quality of the City’s 2012 Pre – Games Training Camp Facilities for our visiting Olympic Teams including those from Vietnam, Tanzania and China. “It has been a true team effort from all concerned and I’m sure we’ll put on the best Olympic and Paralympic Games ever.” Once the speeches and presentations are over, the boxers are quick to enter the ring once more to continue their pad work while others shadow box in front of large mirrors or work on punch bags. It’s perhaps the most significant indication of what the new gym will offer the young people of Bradford. Although the Olympics were hugely important in making the gym happen, once the ‘show’

is over, as was the case with the opening ceremony in Bradford, at least, young people will carry on using the facilities aiming to become the best they can be.

“We want people to enjoy the power of sport and what

it can do for us all"

"The facility will provide an internationally recognised Boxing Centre that puts itself at the centre of Olympic boxing in Britain.”

In Focus

FEATURE

In Focus

FEATURE BY TOM JACKSON

Rugeley Police Community Amateur Boxing Club

Rugeley: a historic market town in Staffordshire home to shops, businesses, hotels, pubs, restaurants, clubs, cinemas, theatres, is still described as a place where there is, ‘little to do’ for youngsters. Unless it’s a Monday, Wednesday or a Friday night

and the Rugeley Police Community Amateur Boxing Club is open for business. Established in 1962 by local businessmen of the time, the club is a registered charity and has grown into an asset for the community, but it hasn’t been an entirely smooth journey. “The boxing club is on a lease, which is coming to an end, and there was uncertainty as to whether that lease would be renewed,” says Ian Lear, secretary of the club. “Our plan was to build membership and purchase the plot of land next to the club, as well as the building that we already accommodate. But the council don’t seem as keen on the idea as we do.” The village itself is a neighbour of Cannock Chase, an area compiled of three towns, and also home to the council board that Rugeley is governed by. Despite providing a place where youngsters in Rugeley can go to train, work out, make friends and socialise, it seemed at one point that the council were unsure about whether they would keep the club open, although Mr Lear had been kept in the dark as to why that was. “But they have come to a decision and we have been granted our new lease, which lasts for another seven years. So hopefully there won’t be any hassle next time around, but we’ll have to continue to work hard to make sure that’s the case.” Now the club’s short-term future is secure, Mr Lear is looking forward to continuing in a role he enjoys so much. “I love the job – well, it’s voluntary work, of course, but there are benefits that you don’t get from a ‘normal’ job. We get people coming to us who are anywhere between the ages of 10 and 40 really, and I have made some of my best friends here. No matter what age, anyone is welcome.” And in 2006, the hard work put in by Mr Lear and his colleagues was credited. “We won the Boxing Community Services Award! I was delighted. It was presented to me at a ceremony. It was an honour, and was awarded by British Boxing Border Control.”

Another award for another successful club within the Police Clubs.

POLICECLUBNEWS

FEATURE THE OZBOX PROGRAMME BY ANDREW DAVIES

24

Last issue, we told you about a development which would see the PCCGB link up with the increasingly popular Ozbox programme. In this edition we speak to Ozbox founder, Steve Osbaldeston on the history of the scheme and its future with the help of the PCCGB.Leave

Your Ego DoorAt The

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It can occasionally be an unnerving experience interviewing a Police Sergeant. Pre-conceptions of stern faced men who command both fear and respect in equal measure can

make the thought of calling them a little worrying. Sergeant Steve Osbaldeston is someone who shatters the notion that Sergeants are unapproachable in our opening exchange. “Hi mate, shall I call you back on your landline?” comes a friendly voice on the other end of the phone. The reason I had called Sgt Osbaldeston was to discuss his Ozbox programme, a boxing initiative that has been hugely successful in the eight years since its inception. It’s a story which has seen the programme gain recognition for its work in helping tackle anti-social behaviour and growing support in terms of both participants and funding. “We started in 2003 with just two pairs of boxing gloves. Basically, I was moved to Shirebrook after 19 years in CID and there was anti-social behaviour and the need for people to get involved to tackle it. I went down on Friday nights and used the squash courts for £4 for four weeks. I knew it (boxing) worked. When I went to Shirebrook, outside they were all drinking Special Brew and we couldn’t get them in until we said ‘You can bang a copper!’” said Sgt Osbaldeston. The ‘slogan’ worked and soon there was a need for more equipment to accommodate the extra numbers. Transportation of the equipment was aided with Sgt Osbaldeston’s ability to get hold of a vehicle to carry equipment and today there are more vehicles helping the programme run smoothly. “I was able to get hold of an old murder van which could carry two punch bags. Now we’ve got five mobile gyms and they can take classes of 30. We’re involved with five ‘static’ community gyms and involved with another nine others,” he added. Although the Ozbox programme is delivered through the static gyms, the facilities are not there entirely for Ozbox. Sgt Osbaldeston continued: “They are boxing gyms in their own right. They are for the community and are multi-purpose.” And there has been fantastic news for the programme financially with funding and investment obtained through the National Lottery and also Derbyshire County Council giving its backing to the project. “We have got lottery funding of £350,000 and Derbyshire County Council has invested £462,000. This will help train five new deliverers of the programme along with a manager. We will also help get kids into a community gym or even to a local ABA boxing club.” As well as the financial assistance Ozbox has received, the PCCGB have leant their support in providing coaching for

volunteers involved in the gyms. Over the course of three years, 300 volunteers are to be trained by the PCCGB to help deliver the programme as Sgt Osbaldeston looks towards further expansion of the project in the future. My next question was like the many people who look at schemes such as Ozbox; why boxing? “I was a keen amateur boxer and was brought up in Derbyshire. We were all too busy to get into trouble because we were always training. You only have to look at the likes of Cassius Clay and other boxers who have been taken care of by coppers. We’re not reinventing the wheel! We’ve got kids who are now over in Afghanistan serving and they send pictures back to us. There is even one lad who has gone onto the marines who was bullied prior to joining us,” is the almost defiant answer from someone with 27 years of service in the police force to rely on and the recent recipient of an MBE in December last year. “The council have now seen that the programme can work. With the milestones we’ve set, the police will work with the County Council to get people trained for

more kids to come in. It won’t cost for schools and there are 61 schools in the county. If they are not interested in boxing we will sign post them into cricket or football or other sports,” commented Sgt Osbaldeston. News of the good work the programme is doing is spreading too. Sgt Osbaldeston told me: “I can see other forces becoming interested in the programme. Just as I look at my emails I can see a lad from Lancashire wants to come down and have a look. We’ve trained so many down here. We are drawing them away from criminality and extreme violence. It’s a way of building trust and breaking down barriers. There’ll be kids at the gym tonight with tags and we help turn them around. Touch wood, we’ve never had an assault at the gym. For the kids who are registered amateurs we train them for ABA contests.” With a stigma still attached to the sport of boxing, I was keen to find out about the variety of young people attending and if there had been any negativity from community members who may have been concerned about a boxing programme for young people. “The age range is 11-19. We work with youth offenders, PRU’s, mental health groups and Nacro amongst

others. Some of the kids have nothing to look forward to. We can bring a bit of life into a village. It works because you have the whole village turn out to see it and we can’t get them all in and we have to bus people in for training. “Once we’ve got kids off their backsides and into sport, whether it’s boxing or not is immaterial. Once the community realise that only a small few go on to box properly (there’s no problem). We want to keep kids fit and out of trouble and the kids are getting that message always. A kid can take their aggression out on a punch bag rather than a human being. Its about 50-50 lads and girls but we’ve had times when it’s been 70-30 girls to lads.” Out in the community, Sgt Osbaldeston explains how members of the programme wear their tracksuits with pride. The hard work in the gym clearly goes a long way to promoting good citizenship out on the streets. “The hardest of lads started talking to bobbies. We get trust built in. If a bobby is out on his own and there’s an incident, lads from the programme have helped the bobby. We’ve had instances where lads have stood alongside the bobby

in that situation. Barriers have been broken down. Kids now know their own local officer. Everyone who comes down to watch is blown away by it. They’ve never seen anything like it. We have trainers who work through it and the programme now effectively runs itself.” It’s a remarkable journey from having just two pairs of boxing gloves and the use

of a squash court on a Friday night. The simplicity of the programme in its early days along with the fact it has always been free to attend, is something that clearly makes Sgt Osbaldeston proud of Ozbox. It is even more clear where the 56-year-old stands on the issue of young people using ‘corporate’ gyms with a monthly membership fee: “Our programme is somewhere where they don’t have to pay silly prices to go on a treadmill and watch telly. There aren’t any chandeliers in our gym; it’s a case of leaving your ego at the door and working hard!” With the help of the PCCGB and the investment Ozbox has received, more young people are to be given an opportunity to find a way to fitness through boxing and more importantly the respect and discipline it teaches. In Sgt Osbaldeston, the programme has someone determined to make a difference in his community and to improve the behaviour of young people. Sgt Osbaldeston unsurprisingly continued to break down barriers and stereotypes throughout our interview. Approachable, friendly and dedicated to the programme and the young people it serves, I’m just glad I kept my Total Fitness membership to myself…

Leave Your Ego DoorAt The

FEATURE

POLICECLUBNEWS27

FEATURE CAMBRIDGE POLICE AMATEUR BOXING CLUB BY ANDREW DAVIES

SUCCESS STORY

POLICECLUBNEWS29

Jack BatesonSUCCESS STORY BY HELENA STYLIANOU

Not content with winning Gold at the Commonwealth Youth Championships last year, Jack has set himself the new challenge of aiming for the

Commonwealth Games 2014 and Olympic Games 2016. Commenting on how it felt to become the first ever AASE Programme Boxer in the country to become a member of the GB Development Squad, Jack said: “I’m really pleased because without AASE I wouldn’t be where I am today. About two years ago I was going through a bit of a rough patch where I didn’t win any national titles for a year. In all the other years I’d won on the trot. I came here and I was a bit gutted really as boxing wasn’t my main thing. Then since training with Kevin (Smith) I’ve been so motivated and dedicated. The AASE programme has helped me loads and I am just so grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given.” AASE stands for Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence, and AASE boxing students are trained by AASE Head Coach Kevin Smith, the former Scotland National Boxing Coach. Those selected for the AASE programme must already be boxing at a good level, with the potential and desire to reach the national level of the sport, and must commit themselves to this two-year academic and sporting programme. Jack’s love of boxing began at a young age. Elaborating further Jack said: “Since I started boxing at the age of nine I’ve never looked back. I won my first 12 fights and there was nothing better than winning. Then I tasted defeat. I was completely devastated and gutted, but I used the experience to work harder. I got straight back in the gym as I’ve always put boxing first.” Despite a gruelling seven day a week training schedule, Jack still finds time to study on his Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) course at Bradford College; excelling academically as a student of distinction. Bradford Police and College Boxing Academy is a partnership between

Humble, focused and dedicated, Jack Bateson is taking the boxing world by storm as the first ever AASE Programme Boxer in the country to make it into the Great Britain Development Squad.

Bradford College and the Police Community Clubs of England, backed by the Amateur Boxing Association of England and Bradford Council. With the launch of the National Apprenticeship Week recently, Jack has also been selected to take part in the

national campaign and has been invited to meet top officials and Government Ministers at a ceremony in London. Explaining in more detail about his training schedule, Jack said: “I train three times a day. I get up at half six and train again at College with Kevin and Mally at lunchtime. Then after College I go straight to the gym and do a two hour session. I probably get home about half eight, eat and go to sleep, so it’s just like a ‘training-sleep routine’,” Jack smiled then added: “And if I’m lucky my trainer gives me the occasional day off now and then. So yeah, it’s been hard, but it’s paying off!”

Jack continued: “It’s not easy, but if you put your mind to it, a lot can be achieved, especially in such a short space of time. I’m just grateful that I’ve been given the opportunity.” Jack credits the influence of former Scotland National Team Coach Kevin Smith, Bradford Boxing

Development Officer, Paul Porter, Boxing Academy Head Coach, Mally MacIver and Bermontoff Armature Boxing Club for his motivation to succeed, remain focused and achieve his goals. Jack has been sparring with Charlie Edwards (49kg) on the Great Britain Podium Squad and is confident that his boxing ability is of equal standing. “I went and sparred with him and there was nothing in it. He’s probably going to be going to the Olympics later this year. I might be one step behind this kid, but I know there is no difference in the level of skill between me and him. It’s really given me a confidence boost,” said Jack. Commenting on the elite boxing athlete, Bradford Boxing Development Officer, Paul Porter said: “Jack being taken on by the GB Development Squad comes as no surprise after all his hard work and dedication. He has developed very quickly and can comfortably hold his own with the likes of Charlie Edwards, looking like a natural in that sort of company.” Paul continued: “What we’ve seen in him over the last year demonstrates that he is completely comfortable boxing at International level in the European Junior Championships and then going

on to win the Commonwealth Junior Gold Medal. This is not an end point for Jack – this is just the beginning for his top level career. With still half a year left working with Kevin on the AASE Programme I am confident he will continue to go from strength to strength, becoming a member of the GB Podium Squad and competing at the highest level as a senior boxer.” With an impressive list of victories under his belt, Jack looks set to go to the Olympics and represent Britain in the 2016 games – watch this space for Britain’s fresh, focused and inspiring new boxing talent.

POLICECLUBNEWS32

“Basically, it was a routine shout and we were on foot patrol as we were part of the Neighbourhood Policing Team for the area. One of the residents called us on our mobile and said there were children in one of the old licensed premises,” starts Craig, reliving the moment his career as a police officer in Bristol effectively finished. “When we got to the building it was a shambles really. It was a report about children about 14 years of age playing there. I went upstairs and as I was walking across the top landing, I fell straight through and broke my wrist and also my sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae in my neck.” Although his injuries were severe, had a child incurred the same fall Craig believes the injuries could have been fatal. “Honestly Andy, a child would not have survived that fall,” he tells me. That was back in 2007. What followed was surgery involving a prosthetic joint being placed in his vertebrae and five months of rehabilitation before he was allowed back to work. ‘Work’ would be behind a desk and not as a beat officer, a job Craig had enjoyed for eight years prior to the accident.

But life behind a desk wasn’t for the head coach of Downend Police and Community Boxing Club. “In the end I could not be a police officer on the street and in that position because the body armour was aggravating the injury, it was simply too much on my back and neck. They gave me a desk job but it just wasn’t for me. I was working for eight months as a victim advocate liaising with victims of crime. I applied for a role at Filton College delivering a boxing programme and was successful. Since then I’ve been involved there full time.” An amazing recovery for someone who had essentially broken his neck less than a year earlier, Craig has a full range of movement in his neck following the success of the operation and the rehabilitation.

“I owe boxing everything”

When Craig Turner attended a routine

call out to a dilapidated pub, he

could not foresee the chain of events which would cause

him to leave his role as a police officer, changing his life.

His remarkable recovery now means

he is changing the lives of others.

FEATURE BY ANDREW DAVIES

POLICECLUBNEWS33

“I owe boxing everything”

Boxing has been a long-time passion for Craig and he had always been involved with various amateur boxing clubs. “I had started the Barton Hill ABC and I had started the Yate ABC. I was 10-years-old when I started (in boxing) and I had some schoolboy contests. I was the youngest coach in the west of England at 17 when I was waiting to get my level one qualification. I was very aware that there were guys my age getting into trouble and I saw boxing as a way forward. You wouldn’t believe the amount of guys in my school year that are now in prison. “I started a club when I was on the beat where I worked in a tough area of Bristol with a massive ethnic spectrum. We had frequent racial clashes but the boxing club went a long way to helping break down barriers in the community,” he says. The Downend club is a ‘labour of love’ for Craig who turns 40 in August and away from his work at Filton College (part of the Bristol Academy of Sport) as a boxing coach, he still takes coaching sessions at the gym which has provided him with so much help both in and out of the police force.

“For me as a beat officer it broke down barriers in that I was ‘Craig the boxing coach’. The intelligence that came through them trusting me was unbelievable. We have guys that have had a violent sentence and we can give kids who are on the fringes of society the chance to learn to respect themselves and others. We have the Downend boxers who will go into the ring and be wearing their Police Club vest proudly and Barry Jones of the PCCGB was tremendously encouraging when we were first starting out. For me, I’m involved in the youth participation now and trying to help them become responsible citizens. “We compete everywhere and we take a load of them all over the country for competitions and it really is a labour of love. I very much kept my foot in the door. We get young apprentices coming through to the college in Filton. What we can give is tangible skills. The coaching and the club offer guys a plan B if boxing doesn’t work out through the AASE programme. It’s very difficult to earn a living after someone’s boxing days are over. The AASE tries to enhance sporting opportunities and also what we try and do is protect guys from poor management,” he adds. At Downend Police Community Boxing Club, there are now facilities which can allow young people the best environment to receive coaching. Sparring areas and punchbags are readily available and a flatscreen television on the wall enables Craig to show young boxers correct technique. It’s all a long way from the many run-down gyms with leaking roofs the club have used throughout their 19-year history. It’s clear that Craig is determined for those attending the club to gain the same experiences he has through boxing. He states: “I owe boxing everything. The opportunities it has given me means

everything and I’ve learned about sponsorship and things like that through boxing because I left school with no qualifications. I had to survive and had to learn how to act and if I hadn’t got involved with boxing I wouldn’t have gained that knowledge.” Again, this determination and commitment to helping young people is all the more inspiring given Craig’s accident. Speaking once more about his recovery, Craig is hugely appreciative of the work of the hospital staff that helped him. “My recovery has been phenomenal and I’m fortunate that I have no real scars from what happened. They had to go through my throat in order to get to the vertebrae. I’m a little bit stiff some days and I’ve had a lot of therapy. In the gym, I’m able to do the pads so I can take a full part in the coaching. For a disabled person to be able to do that, I’m very pleased. When I passed my senior coaching course it was seven months after my operation.” Craig’s future is a healthy one. Like so many, participating in a Police Club has changed his life. His work now looks to give many more young people the opportunity to better themselves in and out of the ring. Craig may owe everything to boxing but boxing isn’t everything. He explains: “I see myself quite happy teaching kids there the rest of my working life. I would be flattered to be involved with England at some stage but the kids’ achievements here are far more important than mine. Larger, more populated areas get more coverage but we do have some very good boxers down here. The majority of our kids will never box but they will never be scared to get up in front of a room full of people and speak. “We give them confidence, we give them a great level of fitness and that promotes a healthy lifestyle which is hugely important.”

"The opportunities it has given me means everything"

"The majority of our kids will never

box but they will never be scared

to get up in front of a room full of people and

speak."

CITIZENSHIP PROJECT

POLICECO

MMUNITYCLUBS

OFGREAT BR

ITAIN

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BARNEY & ECHO FROM THE POLICE COMMUNITY CLUBS

Sparky's Big Idea poster set

Sparky’s Big Idea: Barney Says Let’s Talk about The Environment is the latest title in the range of Barney and Echo educational resources for schools. The book was developed to help teachers and parents introduce primary school children to the topic of the environment in an age-appropriate manner, enabling pupils to understand both the nature of the problems the environment faces and also the importance of sustainability.

With the environment under threat, it is incumbent of schools to encourage children to make responsible choices and develop a sustainable lifestyle. Aimed at pupils in key stage 1-2, Sparky’s Big Idea aims to educate children on the importance of protecting the environment and using sustainable energy. Sparky’s Big Idea is the sixth book in the series.

Living in a forest, there appears to be an endless supply of wood but as the animals use it up without planting new trees the forest starts to die. Sparky Fox tries to tell everyone to recycle and save energy but nobody will listen until the Treetop Forest

Council announce that they will need to cut down an area of forest to supply wood for the winter. This includes cutting down Echo Squirrel’s home. It’s time for change and with Sparky’s help, Echo starts an Eco Club.

The mixture of puzzles and activities that punctuate the narrative then offer them the chance to consider their own thoughts on the issues raised which they can then discuss with others in the group. In addition to the resource itself, all schools will benefit from the Sparky’s Big Idea schools programme pack including colourful and informative posters, a dramatisation of the book and extra lesson plans to be found online on our dedicated website www.barneyecho.co.uk.

There are also five other books in the series. The Magic Mirror addresses the dangers of drugs, tobacco and alcohol in a fun but informative way by looking at how a group of friends cope with harmful substances. A Friendship Made tackles issues relating to bullying and vandalism, and examines what life would be like in

The Police Community Clubs of Great Britain in partnership with Community Initiatives Associates helps to educate children on environmental issues by delivering the Barney & Echo Citizenship Project to schools.

a society where people have no respect for each other or the environment. Echo’s New Watch approaches the dangers of knife crime within the social environment of children. Caught in the Web tackles internet safety and The Bad Apples looks at anti-social behaviour.

These stories are intended to not only warn children about the dangers that they might be confronted with in everyday life, but also to educate children and their carers on numerous subjects relating to the promotion of life skills. Included with each title is a play based upon the narrative of the book which pupils can use as part of their lesson plan, and posters which convey the message of each resource booklet. As part of promoting the citizenship programme, The Police Community Clubs of Great Britain and Community Initiatives Associates hold instructive conferences at which schools and organisations involved in sponsorship and support of the programme can come together and share ideas.

For more information please go to

www.barneyecho.co.ukTo see additional projects that The Police Community Clubs of Great Britain are involved in visit www.policecommunityclubs.org

POLICECLUBNEWS37

POLICECLUBNEWS38

POLICECLUBNEWS39

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40

FEATURE OUR JOURNEY

In 1986, Barry Jones, a member of the Metropolitan Police organised an annual charity-boxing event, the sole purpose of which was to raise much needed funds for police charities and in particular for the widows of officers of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (now The Police Service of Northern Ireland). This was achieved by contacting every police force within the United Kingdom and in doing so, making that vital initial contact with ‘all’ police force boxing clubs. Also identified were individual police officers that participated in the sport not only through their respective force clubs but those who boxed with non-police boxing clubs. Having successfully staged a number of these events, all interested active police boxing sections were invited to a meeting held at the then terrorist holding station, Paddington Green Police Station in London on October 21, 1988. From this meeting was born the Police Amateur Boxing Association. A pilot committee was subsequently formed which included Chief Officers from the Metropolitan Police, Merseyside Police, Staffordshire Police, West Midlands Police and The Royal Ulster Constabulary. The first President of the Association was Sir James Anderton of Greater

Manchester Police. The first Chairman was Bob Lawrence who became the Chief Constable of South Wales Police, who incidentally held the post until his untimely death in 1996. On May 3, 1989 at a meeting held in Belfast, the Committee of the Police ABA was officially adopted by the Police Athletic Association (now known as Police Sport UK) as the Boxing Section of that national governing body of police sport. From that date the title of the Section was ‘The British Police Amateur Boxing Association’ and teams formed from that date were to be called ‘British Police Teams’. On February 10, 1990 the national governing body (civil) of amateur boxing the ABA of England, sanctioned and adopted the British Police National Novice Boxing Championships. The first British Police ABA National Novice Championships were held on March 23, 1990 in Walsall Town Hall, Walsall, West Midlands. The first ‘official’ British Police ABA team was formed to participate in a match against the Royal Navy on the April 20, 1990 at the South Parade Pier, Southsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire. Although this championship had taken place for many years, on February 16, 1991 the British Police International Open Championship was adopted by the ABA of England. The first ‘official’ event being staged at the Elephant and Castle Leisure Centre, London in May 1993. Because of the reforming of a new National Governing Body (NGB), on November 18, 1992 the British Police ABA joined the newly formed limited company ‘The Amateur Boxing Association of

Although specific Police Amateur Boxing Clubs including the Metropolitan Police Boxing Club have been in existence and active since 1928, prior to 1986, nationally, police boxing had been fragmented. Although greatly encouraged by some Chief Officers throughout the United Kingdom, the undoubted talents within individual police boxing clubs remained untapped from a national standpoint.

POLICECLUBNEWS41

The History of The Police and Community Boxing Association (Formerly The British Police Boxing Association)

England Limited’. In 1994 the British Police Amateur Boxing Association appointed its first National Coach in the person of Mike Gannon BEM. Then a member of Hampshire Constabulary, Mike had just completed a full term in the British Army Physical Training Corps, the last 12 of

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FEATURE OUR JOURNEY

which had been as the Warrant Officer Chief Coach of the British Army Boxing Team. At the request of the ABAE Limited, the British Police Amateur Boxing Association formulated the rules of the ABAE National Novice Championships within which, for the first time, the national governing body incorporated the ‘graded ability by bouts’ rules, which had previously, only featured in police and Combined Services boxing rules. At the request of the ABAE the first ABAE National Novice Championships were staged in 1996 by the British Police ABA at Brent Town Hall, Wembley, London. At a meeting of the British Police Amateur Boxing Association Committee on February 28, 1997, held at Durham Police Headquarters, it was agreed that the committee would withdraw from membership of the Police Athletic Association and thereby cease to receive their central funding. This was purely on the grounds that ‘within the PAA’, the Police Boxing Association could not continue receiving central funding if it pursued its intended course of affiliating civilian clubs and boxers. Having taken this step, the Boxing Association reverted to the status held prior to the May 3, 1989 and again became the Police Boxing Association, and not The British Police ABA. On May 22, 1997 the National Governing Body ‘The ABA of England Limited’ were informed of the ‘deformation’ from PAA status i.e.: British Police to Police Boxing Association, and on July 19, 1997 at its Executive Meeting the new status was adopted by them. On Saturday, July 12, 1997 a meeting of representatives from all Police Community Clubs took place at the West Midlands Training Establishment, Tally-Ho, Birmingham. It is correct to say that there was overwhelming support for the concept of an ‘alliance’ of police community boxing clubs with the emphasis being put on service to the community by volunteer police officers and civil staff through community boxing clubs. At this formative meeting 12 clubs joined, all were from inner city areas throughout England including Newcastle, London, Bradford, Devonport and Birmingham, The ‘Police Clubs’ committee was formed and the Chairman appointed was Commander Malcolm Campbell, QPM of the Metropolitan Police, the Vice Chairman was Assistant Chief Constable David Baker, QPM of West Midlands Police and the Patron was subsequently appointed when Sir James Anderton the retired Chief Officer from Greater Manchester Police kindly accepted the post offered on August 27, 1997, thereby

returning to the original committee he assisted in forming in 1988. The first season 1997/1998 of the ‘Clubs’ proved to be an unqualified success, collectively the clubs had in excess of 300 boxers some holding titles including ‘Olympic silver medallist, European Bronze medallists (two), National Senior ABA champions (two) and at least ten International representatives in the first year. Some clubs have formed partnerships with their respective local authorities and the benefit that the actions of the member clubs have given both to the local communities and police community relations is immeasurable. Literally hundreds of children and young people now find themselves in a disciplined and friendly environment as apposed to wandering the inner city streets or participating in anti-social activities and crime. It is no understatement to say that many of our members have been guided from a path of crime into the competitive and disciplined confines of our clubs. The ‘Clubs’ are committed to enhancing police community relations whilst at the same time promoting healthy sporting activities. We seek to exploit every opportunity to promote our organisation and aims. On November 28, 1997, the Chairman of The Clubs, in liaison with the Secretary of the Police Athletic Association Chief Constable Sir John Evans, agreed that the Association should be renamed in order to correctly reflect the activities of the newly constituted Association outside the PAA structure. It was agreed that henceforth the Association would be called The Police and Community Boxing Association. On January 17, 1998 at a meeting of the Amateur Boxing Association of England Limited Executive Council, the Home Office and Civil Service were included within the Police Association. This instruction incorporates such organisations as the prison service, some fire service athletes and other Home Office and civil service employees. At this same meeting, the National Governing Body adopted the new title for the organisation, The Police and Community Boxing Association. In 2001 the ‘Alliance’ was integrated into the Police Community Clubs of Great Britain (PCCGB), a collective of police community clubs with links and activities with many sporting and community-based activities. With regard to its boxing activities, the clubs are administered in England as before, under The Police and Community Boxing Association. As a member of the PCCGB, all member clubs, including those participating in amateur boxing, are encouraged and expected to include ‘other’ community based activities into their structure.

In 2004 the Police Association was asked by the ABAE to formulate rules for Female Boxing, based on the police ‘Graded’ boxing rules they were adopted by the NGB and the Police Association staged the first Female Championships at the Hendon Police College in north London in that same year. In June 2006, both the Metropolitan Police Boxing Club and the Police Community Clubs of Great Britain became Limited Companies. In 2007 membership of the PCCGB Boxing Clubs totalled 77 with a waiting list of over 150 clubs. Many of the PCCGB clubs had by then formed partnerships with numerous Youth Offending Teams, many of which also worked closely with local Magistrates Courts from which clubs were provided with referred youngsters as they were seen as a major tool in a magistrate’s armoury of rehabilitation options. Also in 2007 we reluctantly lost our National Coach Mick Gannon BEM who after 13 years (one year longer than his duties with the British Army team), took up post as the National ABAE Coach leading England’s bid for medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. He remains as our ‘Coaching Consultant’. September 2008 witnessed the scaling down of our Boxing Clubs in favour of ensuring we retained clubs which go ‘that extra mile’ to provide a comprehensive service to their local communities. The process saw the retention of 37 fully affiliated clubs and 13 Associate Level clubs. This time also saw the affiliation of the first ‘Police Clubs’ from the Principality of Wales. A total of nine from throughout that country formed our first group under the title of ‘The Police Community Clubs of Wales’. September 2008 saw our move into Boxing Academies when we formed a partnership with the Bradford College of Further Education, the Bradford City Council and the Bradford Police Boys Boxing Club. From this partnership emerged the Bradford Police and College Boxing Academy. To coincide with the opening of the Bradford Academy, we appointed the first Police Club’s Development Officer, Paul Porter, who now works jointly with ourselves, the Academy and the local authority. We anticipate that the Bradford Academy will become a centre of excellence initially for all National ABAE Squads who will utilise the first class facilities and accommodation for regular squad training programmes. Given the unquestioned success of the Amateur Boxing Section, we can feel confident police community relations can only thrive on our efforts and that amateur boxing remains one of our major vehicles to enable us to achieve our aims.

POLICE CLUB LISTINGS

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BRADFORD POLICE & COLLEGE BOXING ACADEMY DEVELOPMENT OFFICER: Paul PorterPCCGB & Bradford College BoxingBoxing Development Office (G8), McMillan Building, Bradford College,Trinity Road, Bradford BD5 0JETelephone: 07841 647 866HEAD BOXING COACH: Mally MacIverBoxing Development Office (G8), McMillan Building, Bradford College,Trinity Road, Bradford BD5 0JETelephone: 07792 304 931ADVANCED APPRENTICESHIPS BOXING (AASE) COACH: Kevin SmithBoxing Development Office (G8), McMillan Building, Bradford College,Trinity Road, Bradford BD5 0JETelephone: 07590 050 810

FULL AFFILIATE CLUBS

BRADFORD POLICE AMATEUR BOXING CLUB SECRETARY & COMPETITION SECRETARY & HEAD COACH: Julian Cyprien70 Wattyhall Road, Wibsey, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD6 3AHTelephone: 01274 201636Mobile: 07977 914652 or 07828 056614

BRIDGEFOOT POLICE AMATEUR BOXING CLUBSECRETARY: Paul Groake24 Amelia Street, Warrington, Cheshire WA2 7QATelephone: 07770676049COMPETITION SECRETARY: Derek Groarke278 Poplars Avenue, Orford, Warrington, Cheshire WA2 9TYTelephone: 07753 285795

CAMBRIDGE POLICE AMATEUR BOXING CLUB COMPETITION SECRETARY: Michael Taylor‘Penrose’, The Green, Woodwalton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE17 5YNTelephone: 01487773520SECRETARY: Christopher BakerTelephone: 01733 757444

CASTLE HILL POLICE BOXING CLUBSECRETARY & COMPETITION SECRETARY: John Hart82 Lightbounds Road, Bolton, Lancashire BL1 5UPTelephone: 01204 845 701MOB: 07889 255371

CHESTER POLICE AMATEUR BOXING CLUBCOMPETITION SECRETARY: Mike Melia2 St. Andrew’s Drive, Southdown Park, Buckley, Flintshire CH7 2NFTelephone: 01244 546431

THE CITY OF LONDON POLICE BOXING CLUBCOMPETITION SECRETARY: Tom FisherWood Street Police Station, 37 Wood Street, London EC2P 2NQTelephone: 07921095338CLUB SECRETARY: Daniel MedlycottTelephone: 07787244437CLUB WELFARE OFFICER: John RylandTelephone: 07799567411

CWMBRAN BOYS CLUB (ABC) POLICE COMMUNITY CLUB (WALES)SECRETARY: Mrs Maureen Jefferies105 North Road, Croesyceiliog, Cwmbran, Gwent NP44 2LJTelephone: 01633 868534Mobile: 07723 348447 COMPETITION SECRETARY: Keith Jefferies105 North Road, Croesyceiliog, Cwmbran, Gwent NP44 2LJTelephone: 01633 868534

CWMGORS POLICE COMMUNITY BOXING CLUB (WALES)SECRETARY: Ronnie Morris9 Oakfield Rd, Twyn, Garnant, Ammanford, Carmarthenshire SA18 1JHTelephone: 01269 825655Mobile: 07883029577

DAGENHAM POLICE BOYS AMATEUR BOXING CLUBSECRETARY: Dan O’Sullivanc/o 29 Lindisfarne Rd, Dagenham, Essex RM8 2QXTelephone: 07973 656238

COMPETITION SECRETARY: Jimmy Bush69 Amersham Road, Harold Hill, Romford RM3 9HXTelephone: 07976 918442

DEVA POLICE AMATEUR BOXING CLUB (WALES)SECRETARY: Dave Evans23 Sandy Lane, Saltney, Flintshire CH4 8UBTelephone: 01244 683 921Mobile: 07731 073 952COMPETITION SECRETARY: Mark Shepherd2 Pennant street, Connahs Quay, Flintshire CH5 4NPTelephone: 07809 540 869

DOWNEND POLICE AMATEUR BOXING CLUBSECRETARY: Joanne Turner16E Derrick Road, Kingswood, Bristol BS15 8DSTelephone: 0117.3771860Mobile: 07803199919COMPETITION SECRETARY: Ed Baker38 Mendip Crescent, Downend, BristolTelephone: 01179 563875

FELTHAM POLICE BOXING CLUBSECRETARY & COMPETITION SECRETARY: Mike HunterMetropolitan Police, Feltham Police Station34 Hanworth Road, Feltham TW13 5BDTelephone: 07815 762 680

GEMINI POLICE AMATEUR BOXING CLUBSECRETARY: Mark O’Brien18 High Street, Hale, Merseyside L24 4AFTelephone: 0151 425 3809Mobile: 07971 152151COMPETITION SECRETARY: Gary WhiteTelephone: 0151 288 9231

HARD & FAST POLICE BOYS CLUBSECRETARY: Fred Gummerson166 Brierley Road, Grimethorpe, Barnsley,South Yorkshire S72 7AWTelephone: 01226 711909Fax: 01226 780075

HARINGEY POLICE AND COMMUNITY AMATEUR BOXING CLUBSECRETARY: Gerry Willmott57 School Green Lane, North Weald, Essex CM16 6EHTelephone: 01992 523698Mobile: 07764 583291COMPETITION SECRETARY: Terrie KellyMobile: 07966 101585

HOYLE MILL POLICE BOYS AMATEUR BOXING CLUBSECRETARY: Frank Lindley154 Pontefract Road, Hoyle Mill, Barnsley,South Yorkshire S71 1HUTelephone: 01226 249182Mobile: 07796 074954

HUNSLET POLICE BOYS AMATEUR BOXING CLUBSECRETARY: Dennis Robbins1A Main Street, Carlton, West Yorkshire WF3 3RWTelephone: 01132 821337Mobile: 07960 500609Telephone Club: 01132 716489

QUEENSBERRY POLICE AMATEUR BOXING CLUBSECRETARY: John Donnelly30 Tame Walk, Weston Coyney, Stoke on Trent,Staffordshire ST3 5QTTelephone/Fax: 01782 318132Mobile: 07768 044563

RUGELEY POLICE COMMUNITY AMATEUR BOXING CLUBSECRETARY: Ian Lear5 Armitage Gardens, Brerton Rugeley, Staffordshire WS15 1PFTelephone: 01889 582187Mobile: 07870 122870

RUNNYMEDE POLICE BOXING CLUBSECRETARY: Colin Martin65 Cole Ave, Aldershot, Hants GU11 1AWTelephone: 07867808180COMPETITION SECRETARY: Tony Davis39 Cole Ave, Aldershot, Hants GU11 1ANTelephone: 07771656690

SANDS END POLICE BOXING CLUBSECRETARY: Richard Powers31 Newton Road, Isleworth, Middlesex TW7 6QDTelephone: 07897 369897COMPETITION SECRETARY: George BurtonGelmway, Worcester Park, Sutton, Surrey K14 8LTTelephone: 0793 158 2354

SKELMERSDALE POLICE AMATEUR BOXING CLUBSECRETARY: John Hallam85 Eskbank, Tanhouse, Skelmersdale, Lancashire WN8 6EGTelephone: 01695 733102Mobile: 07809 629083

TOTTENHAM & ENFIELD POLICE AMATEUR BOXING CLUBSECRETARY: Stuart Clench128 Cromwell Avenue, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire EN7 5DWTelephone: 07795 223349

WIRRAL POLICE BOXING CLUBSECRETARY: John Smurthwaite9 Withburn Close, Upton, Chester CH49 6QHTelephone: 0151 678 9984COMPETITION SECRETARY: Paul Butler11 Shaw Close, Great Sutton, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire CH66 2QETelephone: 0151 20 2710 MOB: 07934 562 132

WOKING POLICE AMATEUR BOXING CLUBCOMPETITION SECRETARY: David Oliver85 Sandy Lane, Maybury, Woking GU22 8BGTelephone: 01483 762279SECRETARY: Eddie Lawther54 Thorneycroft Close, Walton on Thames, Surrey

ASSOCIATE LEVEL CLUBS

BROADPLAIN BOYS AMATEUR BOXING CLUB (A Police Community Club)SECRETARY: Dennis Stinchcombe MBERiverside Youth Project, Clement Street, Easton, Bristol BS2 9ESTelephone: 01179 616352Fax: 01179 412266Mobile: 07973 574091Club Telephone: 01179 9552866

CITY OF LIVERPOOL ROTUNDA BOXING CLUB (A Police Community Club)SECRETARY: Mike McallisterLambeth Road, Liverpool, L4 1SHTelephone: 0151 355 8727Mobile: 07810 046 620COMPETITION SECRETARY: Steve SpencerTelephone: 07742 028427

SALISBURY AMATEUR BOXING CLUB (A Police Community Club)SECRETARY: Tony Lawler33 Claremont Road, Seaforth, LiverpoolL21 1HTTelephone: 0151.928.9960Mobile: 07732 949209 COMPETITION SECRETARY: Alan Lynch21 Drakefield Road, Liverpool L11 7ATTelephone/Fax: 0151 474 5498Mobile: 07799 611865

TAMWORTH AMATEUR BOXING CLUB (A Police Community Club) SECRETARY: Nigel Keast15 Caledonian Glascote Heath, Tamworth, Staffordshire B77 2EBTelephone: 01827 289334Mobile: 078166 85 985 or 07717 433 157COMPETITION SECRETARY: Alan Keast29 Elizabeth Drive, Leyfields, Tamworth, Staffordshire B79 8EDMobile: 07973 766 467