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More memories from Harold Taylor, around the 1950's when Harold was with the Worthing police force...
I was just completing a period of CID Aid, when a 'tip off' came, that a certain coal office in Chapel Road was going to be the target of a safe breaking. It was decided that from Sunday until further notice there would be observation kept inside these offices.
That Sunday evening it was to start, Harry Gape and myself strolled up Chapel Road to see that the scene was clear before we entered the offices.
There were few people about, but as we crossed the road to go in, we noticed a fellow come out of Perrings shop front and walk away from us. Harry said, 'Do you know him?' to which I replied 'no' and we went into the shop to sit all night.
The next night I did the same with another Detective, and so the week went on except for the nights when it was my day off, when someone else stood in. After a week with no sign that the place would be 'done' the observation was discontinued. The next night the safe was stolen.
This started a series of safe breakings, and although there were several suspects, there was nothing concrete to blame anyone. This went on for several months, then we had a piece of luck. A butcher's shop at West Worthing was attacked one Sunday night. I was called in to assist the enquiry.
During the door to door enquiries I came across some people who had seen a small open topped van parked behind the shop that night. That gave us our first lead, and I called Det. Sgt. Turner over so that he could get the information at first hand.
Now as it so happened this van was always to be seen in the garden of a house very close to the Police Station. The home of a couple of local 'villains' who were friendly with a man who had previously been suspected of involvement.
Casual observation by passing policemen on the beat revealed that written or scratched on the paintwork of the rear of this vehicle were all the numbers of the local police vehicles as well as some private ones, and included some of neighbouring divisions.
Observations were set up to track the movements of this vehicle. I was placed in a beach shelter at East Worthing, at my own request, because I knew I had some contacts close by where I could use the phone.
In fact that first night of observation, mine was the first report that they were on the move, as they moved towards a neighbouring division. They were plotted doing a very circuitous route round Worthing.
They were caught that night and subsequently tried, but when I saw who the offenders were, I never let on that one of them was the fellow who might have watched Harry and I go into the Coal Offices some weeks earlier.
It was after this event that Harry was promoted to Sergeant, and he came back to our Division as a Section Sergeant, but not on my section. Childs was promoted at the same time. His first day out on the beat, they were both interviewed by the Superintendent.
Following that, Harry came down the road to meet me on a conference point. He was probably working a split shift for familiarisation.
As he met me he said 'It won't be long before you're promoted Harold.' I asked what made him think that, to which he replied, 'Childs and I have just been in to see the old man for a pep talk.
He told us that if we ever get into any difficulties, not to be frightened to ask some of the more experienced constables, naming the three office men and you.'
Harry Gape retired as Chief Superintendent at Crawley, and went on to take up some work with the RSPCA at its headquarters in Horsham.
There were quite a number people who seemed to be Peeping Toms. When I was a youth, running the streets, and the water meadows at Chichester, both during and after the war, we were accustomed to one or two groups of people who would come into the area to get a cheap thrill watching courting couples.
One of these we knew to be a police constable who, if he met us, would always make the excuse that he was himself looking for the Peeping Toms.
It was not till I joined the police that I knew this man to be a clerk in the Chief Constable's office. About the time I went to Worthing, an instruction had gone out that before a person could be promoted he had to have experience of beat work.
So at the time I got to Worthing, this man was posted there also, but he had already reached the rank of Sergeant, so before he could be promoted higher he had to come on the beat, and he was attached to our section.
It soon became common knowledge that he spent most of his time as a Peeping Tom because other constables besides me, would discover him creeping out of dark alleys on their beats.
At first, some used to think he was just checking up on them, or even trying to catch them out, but the reality and the frequency of these nightly exploits soon revealed to all, the mans intentions.
After completing his year on the beat, he went to the Police Senior Officers College at Brighton and eventually was promoted to Inspector, and must have been disappointed to come back to our division instead of returning to the Chief Constables Office.
This recalls to me the first experience of beat policemen being involved in this act. Jack, who was at Horsham imparted to Fred one night about a 'Poppy Show' he had come across on the town beat. Fred being on that beat this particular night decided to look for it.
The next night Fred told Jack he had not come across the particular event, whereupon Jack said,'Did you get the chair out of the shed Fred?' 'No Jack.' 'Oh, you'll need that to stand on, because the window opens at the top, then you've got to push the curtains apart with you truncheon otherwise you won't see anything.' Replied Jack.
Had I been that way inclined I would not have been disciplined for falling asleep on duty by Sgt Chappell when on the Goring beat. I was invited to watch a 'poppy show' of a young nurse rising to go on duty.
This would have been at the time the Sgt. found me asleep on Durrington station where I had gone to make a conference point. I had entered the waiting room which was kept unlocked and sat down on the seat to await the appointed time. I obviously fell asleep.
The Sgt. came along and could not see me although my cycle was beside the telephone kiosk. After the waiting time had elapsed he had gone looking for me and found me.
I was fined £1 for this offence, as they took into consideration the fact that I had decorators at my home disturbing my sleep in the daytime.
Harold Taylor, West Sussex, 2001
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