Stepping into the shoes of my ancestor

Following one of our ‘Throwback Thursday’ posts on social media, Bedfordshire Police was contacted by Tony Ireland, who recognised a man named Frederick Janes (Fred) in one of our photos dating back to 1922.

Tony, who is a Service Manager for Public Protection at Luton Council, also happens to be Fred’s great-great-grandson.

The photo depicts officers from Luton Borough Police decades before it merged with the Bedfordshire Constabulary.

Back then police responsibilities included; licensing of premises, supervising carriages (taxis), stage plays and cinematography. Those responsibilities now belong to local councils.

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“I feel honoured to be asked to take part…”

Life’s seemingly endless stream is punctuated by a series of milestones, many of which are happy, such as marriages and the birth of children.

However in my career there have been three events that have represented ‘President Kennedy’ moments. Moments in time seared so deeply into my consciousness that I can recall every second as if it were yesterday. The attack on the World Trade Centre in 2001 was such an example; the suicide attacks on the London transport network in 2005 another, but I watched these events unfolding as a detached spectator.

The third, the pivotal moment of my career, was in June 2007 when Jon Henry was murdered.