MEET A COVERT SURVEILLANCE MOTORCYCLE OFFICER

ALPHA ONE (callsign) is a former National Crime Squad Police Surveillance covert motorcycle officer with a Midlands Police Service.

What did your main role in the Police Service consist of?
My main role was as a covert motorcycle surveillance officer working as part of a team of 14-20 officers conducting surveillance operations on what we call life style criminals, major criminals and working on terrorist operations.

The surveillance operations were often protracted enquiries over many months all across the country (some across the World) and we would work alongside Government bodies and departments, intelligence officers and other organisations to build evidence and gather intelligence against individuals or teams of criminals.

Riding the motorcycle was often to keep the team in contact with the criminal who may be moving away from the cars due to erratic driving or road conditions, often a need to travel at high speed.

Riding a Motorbike all day must be great fun?
It is actually immensely hard work and requires great discipline. Firstly we are very highly trained to ride the motorbikes, which are the most powerful on the road, but we have to ride all day in all conditions, heavy rain, thunder, blistering heat and frost. We cannot just disregard our responsibility due to weather. Quite often I have emptied my boots of a pint of water or wrung out my leathers after long periods of perspiration……nice…..so yes, great fun, great buzz.

So it must be quite easy following someone, sitting behind them on a bike?
Again the perception of surveillance is quite wrong. Surveillance is a skill and a craft that needs to be continually honed.

It is not a case of sitting in a car behind the car you are following because you will soon be spotted. There is a need to find natural cover to put obstacles between you and the person you are following. There are often cases where the criminal has got on a train or gone to an airport for an internal flight and the bike has to be ahead and waiting at the destination. Glasgow to Birmingham…….just a few hours…..oh that IS exciting!

How does that skill base fit in with your role at Expert Investigations?
At Expert Investigations we conduct a lot of surveillance operations. Whilst the level of the individual we are following is nowhere near the level of individual we were used to in the Police, we adopt the same principles.

Our procedures regarding how we operate, our radio procedure, our covert filming and cover stories are all the same as in our Police days.

It is simple…it works in the Police so let’s use the best tried and tested method in the commercial world.

The motorbike really is the most valuable tool in the commercial world of surveillance as we clearly don’t run with as many vehicles as in the Police so there is a lot of requirements on the bike rider. Each time we go on operation with Expert Investigations it is like we are going out on a Police operation.

What is the best thing about being with Expert Investigations?
It is great that we can mobilise so quickly on behalf of clients’. Once David Kearns our MD has seen a client we can be the other end of the country the following day conducting surveillance.
Within Expert Investigations it is bureaucracy free and as David is very hands on, we react immediately to clients needs. Jump on the bike and go.

What has been your most memorable enquiry for Expert Investigations?
Well there have been some great times, we have worked with the TV on a few occasions and that gives you a good insight into their lives.

We worked on an enquiry whereby a family member was trying to abduct a very young child who was subject to court order and the adult was not allowed access to the child.

Our surveillance operation showed the adult was having contact and was seeking to abduct the child, but our evidence with the relevant authorities prevented this and a successful prosecution ensured.

Let’s say it was a 10 day labour of love on that operation.