Life After The Job - continued

Being a couple of weeks away from my 71st birthday I recently re-read an article I did two years ago about my life since finally retiring from the police service in 2011. It still made me smile in some places, so I thought to reproduce it with an ‘update’ at the end.

‘Life After the Job’

‘This week I celebrated my sixty-ninth birthday, an age which I still personally find difficult to comprehend, and one which places me firmly in the ‘older age’ group category. As I reflected on the number of candles it takes to fill a chocolate cake and how long it took to blow them out, even with the active support of a grandson who was keen to get on with eating some of it, I also suddenly felt the urge to mark the occasion with some personal reflections on my life since leaving the police service.

Such needs can by themselves be quite cathartic, so I make no apologies for indulging myself, but I also felt that some of my post-policing life experiences might be of some small benefit to others. I will of course let others be the judge of that.

I generally steer away from controversary and particularly politics when commenting on social media. That doesn’t mean that I don’t share the feelings of upset and frustration of many, especially when it comes to the current ‘anti-police’ narrative that is sweeping the country, but perhaps I have come to realise that finding the right ‘buzz phrase’ to respond is unlikely to make a ‘blind bit of difference’. Rather than viewing it as capitulation I simply prefer to leave it to the more informed in society and the ‘community influencers’ who purport to know better.

I have heard it said that some of the most stressful things that you can do in life are to divorce, to remarry, to retire, to move to another country, to sell your home, or to start or leave a new job. Since leaving the West Midlands Police in 2003 I have done all those things and some more than once. I can confirm that they were indeed all very stressful situations but for varying reasons. When considering each of those options though I simply chose happiness rather than financial security as being the deciding factor. The tactic of seeking happiness has generally stood me in good stead and if asked whether I would have changed anything then apart from trying to rectify some of the many mistakes I made along the way the answer is a simple ‘no’.

I have however increasingly come to realise that I have absolutely no control over past events so now try to focus on the future. Self-reflection is a good learning tool, but self-destruction serves no purpose at all.

I left the West Midlands Police in 2003 having reached the rank of Chief Superintendent and was awarded the Queens Police Medal in the same year. I spent much of my service as a ‘career detective’ and to say that the ‘job’ was everything to me would probably be an understatement. A selfish attitude I know but when you are immersed in a job that gives you such a high return on so many fronts it’s hard to view it in that way.

I had watched a generation before me retire after thirty years to seek out hobbies such as golf and regular socializing. Many are sadly no longer with us, and I was firmly of the opinion that this approach was not for me. Many of those officers never worked again after taking their pensions from the police but rightly or wrongly I have always stuck to the principle that whatever form it takes you must have something to ‘get up for in the morning’. The need to maintain some momentum in life is I believe one of the key links to maintaining both physical and mental health. That doesn’t mean that you can’t slowdown in some aspects of your life but coming to a ‘full stop’ should not be an option.

After leaving WMP I went on to serve as a Divisional Commander with the Sovereign Bases Police in Cyprus for eighteen months followed by six years as the Director of Intelligence and finally Superintendent (Operations) with the British Transport Police.

I finally left the police service in 2011 after more than forty-three years’ service in total. I still loved the job although it would be true to say that I didn’t love a few select individuals within it but it was the right time to go. In truth I did not prepare well for my departure, particularly in relation to seeking out opportunities for formal training qualifications, and IT skills, but I didn’t particularly have any difficulties in ‘letting go’ of the management and leadership aspects of the job.

It was always my intention on retiring that I would register myself as a sole-trader and become a self-employed crime and community safety consultant and that’s what I did. Having previously had responsibility for up to five hundred staff I had no desire to start ‘empire building’ or to aspire to status again in terms of a job title.

I put myself out there with contacts but did no aggressive marketing. I worked for the rail industry, for a major company involved in using forensic processes for crime reduction and detection and mentored several potential managers in a commercial company. I enjoyed the relative freedom that this lifestyle offered and the nature of the work. I never declined any offer, even if I didn’t quite have the expertise, but soon learnt the subject matter. To this day I still work on the same principles and whilst I don’t currently actively seek work, I doubt that I would turn opportunities down. Hence retiring in the full sense of the word is not one that I can identify with.

On two occasions I was approached about full-time employment opportunities and went through successful recruitment processes. In both cases I stuck to my maxim about putting happiness before financial reward and eventually left both positions on good terms. Whilst I would like to believe that I left my mark nevertheless I wasn’t best suited to the management regimes. I decided that I needed to be honest with myself and to move on in a relatively painless fashion.

In 2013 quite by accident I was encouraged to write about one of my experiences whilst a Detective Sergeant in West Midlands Police and co-write ‘Hunting the Hooligans’ with Robert Endeacott which was published by MILO in 2015. It remains my most successful writing venture to date with thousands of copies sold.

At the time of starting, I remarked to my wife that if I was going to write one book then why not six, so a target was set!

To date I have written or co-written twenty-one books and worked with several accomplished and committed individuals including former colleagues and friends, and even my wife. There are three more books in the offing this year and then that may be it. We shall see.

None of the books are academic or literary classics but I believe in each of them for different reasons and remain intensely proud of the end products. We have collectively received overwhelmingly positive reviews across the board but developing a ‘thick skin’ is necessary to cope with the minority of ‘avenging souls’ whether that be an unreformed football hooligan or indeed a retired officer with a grudge to bare who sees the anonymity of the process as an ideal mechanism for cleansing bitter memories of some past unhappiness.

It is worth mentioning that writing is unlikely to make you rich – publishing via traditional methods will provide you with a small stream of royalty payments but standard royalties throughout the industry are very small. Self-publishing now offers greater scope for getting your work out there with a higher return but suffice to say anecdotally I believe that 90% of all books never sell more than a thousand copies.

All that said I think that we all have at least one story to tell and particularly when it comes to police history, I believe fervently that we need to preserve it. Several books I have co-written with Stephen Burrows relate to the history of the West Midlands Police – in particular ‘Reporting for Duty’.

Whilst working in paid capacities I have over the years also engaged in some voluntary roles.

For three years from 2013 I was the ‘Community Ambassador’ for the then West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner and thoroughly enjoyed my time interacting with local communities and officers in the North Worcestershire area. I also became a member of the BTP Independent Advisory Group for the Midlands Area in 2016 until 2020, a Trustee, and the Chair of the BTP History Group in 2020, and historically a Trustee for a Domestic Violence Group.

I retain volunteer status at a residential home for people living with dementia and post-Covid restrictions look forward to re-engaging with the residents, one of whom is a retired officer.

In 2018 I was diagnosed with both prostate cancer and spinal stenosis within a very short space of time. Two operations later I now have matching scars – one at the back and one at the front but I am currently still here!

Throughout my police service I had less than thirty days sick leave in total. I have been a member of a gym for many years but most of my physical activity extends to turning the pages of a newspaper over whilst suitably donned in a tracksuit and trainers. I did however regard myself as reasonably fit and healthy.

I now realise that I am in fact not immortal and will be eternally grateful for the support of my wife, family, and friends who got me through a challenging period.

I have since shared my experiences of prostate cancer with many people and think it’s important to dismantle the barriers that we build as men when talking about ‘sensitive’ issues. Cancer scares ‘the shit’ out of you and its long-standing effects need to be confronted and addressed.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the effects of Covid over the last eighteen months. Without doubt it has given me fresh challenges in particular the need to retain self-esteem, confidence, and a sense of purpose. I have only worn a suit and tie once in eighteen months and that takes a bit of getting used to!

At the beginning of the pandemic, I had just gone through the selection process to become a part-time associate trainer of new recruits undergoing the PCDA process at one of the Universities. I quickly realised that everything would have to go ‘online’ and that it simply would not be for me. I doubted my IT abilities and the world of ‘distance learning’ without any ‘face to face’ contact was just too much for me to countenance so I withdrew.

I retreated into writing another book called ‘Proud to Serve – embracing diversity in policing’ – a book I had always wanted to write about my experiences working with officers who were committed to building diverse links with communities in Walsall and about my three trips to India relating to a Forced Marriage project. It shows every sign of not being a best seller, but it is one of my favourite books and I get great satisfaction from seeing it in print.

I then embarked on an extensive research project with my wife, who is a Greek Cypriot. She translated many diaries belonging to her recently deceased father from Greek to English and we pieced details of his life together which is now well-advanced in terms of becoming a published book. To say it would make a great adventure ‘movie’ would be an understatement with many previously unknown details of his exploits being revealed.

In keeping with many former colleagues, I have also relied on social media to keep me in touch with the outside world during these difficult times, but I have tried hard to impose some rules on myself.

When it comes to the mainstream media, I no longer rely on one source of information to keep me updated on current affairs. I tend to traverse several sources ‘online’ and rely on personal intuition to arrive at a point of truth which seems rational and reasonable.

In respect of social media, I find myself returning to my introduction. I have accounts with three of the main providers but try hard not to engage in anything which I deem to be potentially ‘destructive’ in nature in terms of my own emotional engagement.

I love the camaraderie that still exists among most retired officers and their sense of belonging to the ‘police family’. The work of the volunteer ‘Admins’ on such police groups is vastly understated and their commitment is to be much admired. I hate the odd ‘barrack room lawyers’ and confess to occasional use of the ‘block’ button.

I am interested in getting ‘followers’ as selfishly it helps when it comes to marketing books, but I am truly not exercised one way or another and the process is not without its complexities.

For example, I have come realise that very often the more ‘important’ you are in society the less that person will be inclined to ‘follow’ others on a social media platform. It follows therefore that they are presumably keen to spread their own views but not particularly keen on being exposed to the views of others. Perhaps I am over-thinking it, but you could always test the theory! It’s a bit like turning up late for a function – the later you are the more important you are.

In concluding, I would simply reaffirm that there is life after ‘the job’ and that further success comes in many forms whether that be through paid employment, volunteering or simply focusing on something which provides you with a sense of achievement and happiness.

The thirty-year retirement syndrome has long since passed and with men and women living longer, we of the ‘older generation’ still have skills to offer something to someone.

I’ve still got some of that chocolate cake left but I’m guessing that it won’t be there for long!

(Michael Layton 2021) .’

Postscript

So, two years on where am I today?

I suppose that the most important thing is that I am still alive! In terms of my prostate cancer, I now have a slight PSA reading which is increasing at a very slow rate, notwithstanding that I no longer have a prostate. Not good news as it’s an indicator that the cancer may have returned but put into perspective its still too small to show up on an MRI scan and I remain in a monitoring stage. I have recently signed up as a volunteer with ‘Prostate Cancer UK’ as a peer-on-peer volunteer to share my experiences with others who may have been recently diagnosed and are seeking information.

My advice to anyone continues to be that if you have any concerns consult your GP at the earliest opportunity. Caught early prostate cancer is entirely treatable with good outcomes.

My ‘blended family’ now includes seven grandchildren, living in two countries so there are lots of youngsters growing up around me. Whilst my wife loves to be surrounded by lively children and countless toys I am still learning to adjust!

In terms of writing, I have now written/co-written twenty-six books and we are waiting for the final one to be published this year which will be called ‘Top Secret Warwickshire’. My wife Andry Christou-Layton and I went on to complete the story of her father’s life and ‘The Patriot – the secret diaries of ‘Inka’ Costas’ has been published. Whilst he didn’t live to see his ambition of publishing his book realised we feel a great sense of pride in getting his remarkable story out there in the public eye.

Will I write more – I don’t know but I would never exclude the possibility.

I still get contacted from time to time by media outlets asking for my opinion on aspects of policing but as time progresses, I have become less inclined to contribute in the knowledge that some of my policing experience is now dated. This need on the part of the press to contact retired police officers is in part I believe driven by the way the police service now deals with the media. It is unfortunate in my humble opinion that senior police officers no longer have the day-to-day access to the media that I was used to as they are generally now controlled in what they say by corporate communications departments in police forces. That personal link with the press and the public through that medium has now largely been broken.

I no longer go to the gym or read newspapers but having recently been diagnosed as ‘pre-diabetic’ I try to be careful and chocolate cake is no longer on the agenda. I am not a big eater or drinker, but I seem to have followed in the path of my late father who also had prostate cancer and diabetes.

I remain a huge supporter of the police but lament better times and realise how lucky I was during my service. The ‘old timers’ then all used to say that ‘morale had never been so bad’ in the 70s and its still being said today but perhaps with a bit more force behind it.

From time to time I give talks on my policing journey to groups and whilst the odd person falls asleep, I remain proud of my police background and hope that my message is a positive one. I always try to avoid the phrase ‘in my day’ as it somehow feels very condescending. Some recent feedback was welcomely received:

‘Please will you pass on our belated thanks to Mike himself, for his interesting and enjoyable, albeit on occasions slightly uncomfortable, account of some of his memorable moments working in the police force. Chatting with members over coffee later, I soon picked up that people had enjoyed his talk very much. They were able to hear him clearly and to follow his presentation, which is not always the case, and were touched by some of the sadder details he explained to us. It was refreshing to hear from a real police officer and to be reminded that they are people just like the rest of us, trying to do an efficient job, with integrity.’

On a final note, I recently read an article by Louise Carpenter which was completed in January 2023 and consisted of an interview with broadcaster Edward Stourton who is living with prostate cancer. It was an immensely powerful and moving article which touched me deeply. In it he reflected that ‘my generation is slipping into history’ and that ‘it seems worth reflecting a little on who we are, and why – before we say goodbye’.

Notwithstanding the sadness within those statements the article was nevertheless a story of hope and achievement – not at all bad things to strive for.

(Michael Layton QPM 2023)

#WMP #Police #history #BTP #books #policefamily #volunteering Alistair Brewin @MILO @Amberley #thejob #wellbeing #mentalhealth #ProstatecancerUK #SBAPolice #Birmingham #Westmidlands #thejob#Walsall #India #Cyprus @edwardstourton