M223

From as early as he could remember, Mark Thornton wanted to be a bobby on the beat. He had watched a lot of TV in his childhood years of the 1970s, from Starsky and Hutch to Z-Cars, Dickson of Dock Green and Sweeney. His dream job was to put on a big hat and walk around, helping people and communities.

It was his mam who saw the news article advertising a force's recruitment drive. In what seemed like only a matter of days he was part of that recruit selection and was soon told he was in: he was to become an officer of the law.

These pages outline Mark's first two years' probationary period, detailing some of the funnier experiences he faced and the scrapes he and his shift navigated.

Those early years helped to shape Mark's 30-year career in the police, something he looks back on now with pride and a smile. He hopes the book will make you smile and realise how much things have changed in a relatively short time period.