'My hero police officer dad was shot on duty - I blamed myself for never saying goodbye'

In August 1984, PC Brian Bishop was changeable erstwhile apprehending an equipped robber successful Frinton and sadly died 5 days aboriginal successful hospital. To people National Police Memorial Day, his lad Dave reflects connected his father’s tragic decease and the lasting interaction connected him and his family

A police officer who followed successful the footsteps of his precocious begetter has reflected connected however his begetter was shot and killed portion connected work implicit 4 decades agone and has opened up connected the lasting interaction connected him and his family.

In August 1984, PC Brian Bishop was changeable erstwhile apprehending an equipped robber successful Frinton, Essex. He died 5 days aboriginal successful hospital. His son, Dave, was conscionable 10 years aged astatine the time. In 2001, Dave joined Essex Police and is presently portion of Colchester Community Policing Team.

Brian “Bill” Bishop was known arsenic a gentle giant. A towering 6' 7", helium was nicknamed Bill arsenic a cadet aft officers said his hairstyle reminded them of American people leader Wild Bill Hickok.

Bill formally joined Essex Police successful August 1966 arsenic Police Constable 389. After spells successful Colchester and arsenic a canine handler, helium joined the Force Support Unit (FSU) and subsequently became a firearms instructor. Bill joined Susan, a chap Colchester officer, successful June, 1967. Dave was calved successful 1974.

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Dave said Bill was a “very caring Dad” who dedicated his beingness to his family. He had a sarcastic consciousness of humour and was a large sports fan, playing tennis and cricket with Dave and encouraging his moving and judo.

On August 22, 1984, Dave was astatine the household location successful Chelmsford connected his schoolhouse summertime vacation erstwhile Bill concisely popped backmost earlier heading retired connected a job. The FSU had been called to Central Avenue, Frinton, pursuing reports that a antheral had robbed 2 station offices with a sawn-off shotgun and hidden currency there.

Bill - the acting sergeant - and his colleagues laid successful hold for the robber to instrumentality for his money. When helium reappeared, Bill confronted him but was changeable successful the caput utilizing a weapon concealed successful a bearer bag. Bill’s workfellow Mervyn Fairweather was deed successful the groin.

Dave has wide memories of the events that followed, helium said: “It was a lukewarm nighttime and our location backed onto a schoolhouse playing tract wherever determination was a enactment going on. Because of that I couldn’t get to sleep.

“At fractional 10 astatine night, there’s a sound astatine the door. Being a nosy 10-year-old, I’m astatine the apical of the stairs. I conscionable perceive crying and tons of voices. The lounge doorway was shut. Then our neighbour came to get me, and Mum was taken off. For the adjacent 5 days, I was astatine a household friend’s location successful Southend. I was being sheltered from it.

“I lone came location erstwhile Dad had passed. I vividly retrieve a workfellow of Dad’s, Monty Montgomerie, explaining that erstwhile a car’s motor stops, it’s the encephalon of the car and the car doesn’t enactment anymore. He said Dad’s motor had stopped and helium wouldn’t beryllium coming home."

Dave went backmost to schoolhouse betwixt the execution and the funeral. He wasn’t offered immoderate counselling oregon further support, and remembers his caller teacher saying Bill’s ceremonial procession astatine Chelmsford Cathedral had made her precocious for work.

“I’d get radical telling maine that I was the antheral of the location now, that I’ve got to look aft my mum,” said Dave. “Suddenly everyone successful Chelmsford knew who I was. It was connected the news, successful each the papers. My look was connected everyone’s java table. Everyone astatine schoolhouse knew astir maine and my family. It was surreal.”

The gunman, Colin Richards, was changeable by 1 of Bill’s colleagues and paralysed from the waist down. He was sentenced to beingness successful situation successful 1985 but was released aft 17 years.

For Dave, the representation of the last clip helium saw his dada was a root of bitter regret and symptom good into adulthood.

“On the time it happened, Dad had travel location to get changed and I’d seen him rhythm disconnected erstwhile I was playing successful the backmost garden. I bushed myself up and I blamed myself for galore years due to the fact that I ne'er said goodbye. That’s wherefore I ever marque definite I archer my children I emotion them earlier I permission the house.”

Dave was keen connected joining the constabulary aft helium near schoolhouse but his mum – who continued to enactment successful policing and became progressive successful the Police Memorial Trust – talked him retired of it.

“Policing looked aft Mum incredibly good and she stayed until retirement, but she wasn’t keen connected maine joining. She’s mislaid her hubby and didn’t privation to suffer her lad arsenic good but erstwhile she retired, I enactment my exertion in. One time I told her I had a caller occupation and she smiled and said, ‘You’ve joined, haven’t you?” After that, she took a monolithic involvement successful my career.

“Some of Dad’s colleagues were inactive with the unit erstwhile I joined. They’d archer maine I was conscionable similar Dad, which I tin lone instrumentality arsenic a compliment.”

After a vocation that has seen Dave enactment arsenic a detective successful Clacton CID and walk 12 years arsenic a Field Intelligence Officer, 4 years agone helium went backmost to his archetypal emotion of neighbourhood policing erstwhile helium joined Colchester Community Policing Team.

He said what happened to his dada means he’s ne'er complacent astir information and helium believes determination should beryllium greater designation of the imaginable menace to officers.

“I don’t deliberation the nationalist ever admit the information that constabulary officers are successful connected a regular basis. Every location we spell to, idiosyncratic could unfastened the doorway with a knife. Every idiosyncratic we halt hunt could person a weapon. What happened to Dad and Ian Dibell (who was changeable dormant successful Clacton successful 2012) is tragic and incredibly rare, but it could hap to immoderate of america astatine immoderate time.”

Now 4 decades on, and with Bill’s procreation of officers agelong retired, Dave said helium appreciates being much anonymous than helium erstwhile was wrong the unit but helium remains arsenic dedicated arsenic ever to serving the radical of Essex.

He inactive retains links to his dad’s colleagues and successful a twist of fate, present lives conscionable 30 yards distant from Mervyn Fairweather, the different serviceman changeable successful the incident.

“Mervyn told maine that Dad would beryllium arrogant I followed successful his footsteps, and that means a lot.”