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The Newsletter of the Ministry of Defence Guard Service Issue 39
Spring 2011
Farewell Sandy
Head of Profession SandyMacCormick has retired after what hehas described as ‘a roller coaster ride’during the seven years since he tookover the helm of the Ministry ofDefence Guard Service.
In his farewell letter (see opposite)Sandy recalled that he had beenrecruited initially ‘to bring the MGS to aposition from which it could competeon level terms with commercial guardforces’, but that a number of factorshad intervened since then to preventthat goal from becoming a reality.
However, he concluded: ‘I have everyconfidence that every one of you in theMinistry of Defence Guard Service willcontinue to deliver your best for theorganisation and for the Departmentas the future unfolds.’
In a valedictory message from theChief Executive of the Ministry ofDefence Police and Guarding Agency(see page 3), Steve Love writes ofSandy’s tenure as leader of the MGS:‘Under his leadership, the GuardService achieved the National SecurityInspectorate “Gold Standard”accreditation which means that theMOD’s in-house Guard Service nowmeets or exceeds all the most rigorousstandards of the professionalcommercial guarding industry.
‘This is an achievement of hugesignificance to the Guard Service andmarks the successful culmination of thelast seven years of Sandy’s work.’
Sandy’s retirement has been markedin a number of ways around theAgency, including a Dine Out in March
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at Grantham Officer’s Mess, wheremembers of the MGS ManagementBoard joined together to pay tribute toSandy and to make him a presentationof a silver quaich and a good bottle ofwhisky to christen it, from them all (seemain picture above).
“This is an achievement ofhuge significance to the Guard Service and marks the successful culmination of the last seven years of Sandy’s work.
”
Region 4 – Dine Out withSandy MacCormick OBE By Sonia Catchpole,Admin Support Clerk
On the evening of Tuesday 1st March2011, at Royal Logistics Corps OfficersMess Deepcut a number of Region 4MGS Managers and Support Staff joinedtogether to Dine out Sandy MacCormickand to make a small presentation fromthem all.
The evening started by all meeting inthe bar in the Mess, where the socialising
took off apace. We were then formallyinvited to the dining room for dinner,where we partook in an extremelydelightful four course meal.
After the meal the Regional Managerthanked Sandy for his support anddedication to the MGS, MDPGA and theRegion during his time in office. Sandywas presented with a boxed bottle of
Vintage Bordeaux 2002, the TimesNewspaper from his day of birth and acard signed by many members of stafffrom Region 4. Sandy then made his ownspeech where he thanked us all.
The evening continued back in the barwhere a lot of laughter could be heardlong into the night, a good evening washad by all.
A message from theChief Executive
Sandy MacCormick has been Head of the Ministry of DefenceGuard Service for seven years.
Sandy was a Royal Marines officer for more than 30 years,rising to the rank of Colonel and finishing his service with atour in the Directorate of Defence Security.
In 2004 he became a civil servant, taking over the MGS as anewly vested organisation of some 3,900 security personnel. Tohim fell the enormous task of bringing together and unifyingthe many disparate MGS units, defining common standards ofrecruitment, operation, training and deployment, and thenbuilding a viable unified guarding service from the componentparts which he inherited.
This task has involved setting and achieving professionalstandards, comprehensive training and retraining, equipmentand uniform, stabilising the inherited budget shortfalls,restructuring the management, and above all else creating anethos, unity and sense of purpose for which his Royal Marinesbackground was invaluable.
All of this has been achieved in a particularly challengingenvironment and has required persistence, hard work and agenuine commitment and determination to meet Defenceneeds in the critical but sometimes unappreciated field ofguarding.
Under his leadership, the Guard Service achieved the NationalSecurity Inspectorate “Gold Standard” accreditation whichmeans that the MOD’s in-house Guard Service now meets orexceeds all the most rigorous standards of the professionalcommercial guarding industry. This is an achievement of hugesignificance to the Guard Service and marks the successfulculmination of the last seven years of Sandy’s work.
Sandy’s passion and resilience to see the job through areabove and beyond even what we would expect of someone inhis position and his achievements were justly recognised by hisOBE in the New Year Honours list.
Sandy has however been more than the leader and thedriving force of the MGS. He has been part of the soul,inspiration and character of the MDPGA as a whole, since itsincorporation in 2004 and through all its ups and downs since.He will be missed.
Sandy ; you have done us all proud. All the best for the future.Thank youSteve LoveCE MDPGA
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members of HQMGS presented Sandy with a caricature and other
Farewell Letter FromHead of Profession
For me, the thought of retirement changed from a distant,unimportant event to a more immediate reality as Iapproached the end of my military career. The reality ofretirement was pushed a little further to the right when I wasselected for this appointment, but I had by then decided thatthe age of 60 was to be my aiming mark. I had decided that,barring some unforeseen circumstance, I would retire from theMinistry of Defence at 60 and move on to doing something inwhich I would be my own boss.
Well, that moment has now arrived as I reach my 60thbirthday at the end of March and I will be retiring (or resigningwith pension as I think we now have to call it) on 5 April 2011,the last day of Financial Year 2010/2011.
The date is to some extent a happy coincidence. I’m sure youwill all have heard about the Agency Headquarters Review thatis underway, that will establish the future managementstructure for the MGS from the Area HQ level upwards. One ofthe savings measures identified for the Wethersfield HQ is togap my appointment from 1 April 2011, so I would have beenwriting a farewell letter, albeit in slightly different terms, even ifI hadn’t been retiring!
From my perspective, it has been a roller-coaster 7 years. Iwas recruited to bring the MGS to a position from which itcould compete on level terms with commercial guard forces.Unfortunately, instead of concentrating on that goal, I had todeal (along with the whole organization) with a systemicunderfunding position from the outset, and subsequent eventsover the years (Closing the Gap, PR09) have prevented thatgoal from becoming a reality.
The future is more uncertain now, following the StrategicDefence and Security Review and PR11, than it has been formany a year and I know how anxious many of our people areas they contemplate their own future. That said, I am certainthat our staff are better trained, more professional and betterable now than at any time in the past to face the challenges ofthe future, whatever may transpire. I have every confidencethat every one of you in the Ministry of Defence Guard Servicewill continue to deliver your best for the organization and forthe Department as the future unfolds.
I wish you all the very best of good fortune.
A W MacCormick OBE
gifts
DBR visit to Region 2 HQ and Catterick Garrison
The Director Business Resilience (DBR)Mr Mark Preston started his visit ‘upNorth’ on the morning of Wednesday 9February at the Defence Vetting Agency(DVA), Imphal Barracks York. In the earlyafternoon Mr Preston moved across tothe MGS RHQ where he met and chattedwith Mike Cairns, Regional Manager andsome of the MGS Regional Team beforebeing escorted by Nicola Hutchinson,Group Manager to the MGS InformationCentre. Here he spent quite a bit of timetalking to the duty MGS Officers beforehaving to leave on his travels.
Escorted by Mike Cairns he was soonon the move heading ‘further North’ tothe infamous “Brambles Farm” inMiddlesbrough where he was met byJulia Rouse & Matt Triggs the CatterickGarrison Group Managers and RobinSimpson, the duty MGS Officer.
Mr Preston was verysurprised at the fact that“Brambles Farm” wasn’tactually situated on afarm as he’d firstperceived, but waslocated in a largeindustrial area in thecentre of Middlesbrough,He was given an in-depthtour of the site by KevinYarker and even thetumbleweed was notoverlooked. In MrPreston’s own words, thevisit was “was a real eye-opener” and hewas very much relieved that we hadorganised accommodation for him in theGarrison Officers’ Mess rather thanhaving to over-night at Brambles Farm.
That evening the Regional and
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Catterick Managers met Mr Preston,taking the opportunity to hold in depth informal discussions on a varietyof MGS topics.
The following morning Mr Preston,accompanied by Mike Cairns had a fullitinerary around Catterick Garrison. Thisstarted with meeting Andy Bloxham,MGS Area Manager and an office call onCol Nick Millen, the GarrisonCommander and Maj Fiona Gray, theGarrison Security Officer. They gave MrPreston an insight into the securityconcept of Catterick Garrison andcommented on how positive the MGSand MPGS work together to alleviatestaffing issues. Mr Preston then brieflyspoke to Paul Tuite and TonyWhittingham the MGS Officers who wereon duty at the Garrison HQ.
From there it was over to the InfantryTraining Centre where he met anddiscussed issues with Maj Dave Hall MBE,ITC Security Officer, WO2 Mal Shepherdand SSgt Dobby Dobson MC from theMPGS contingent;. This meeting
re-iterated how the MGS and MPGS workwell together and actively support eachother at both ITC sites. Mr Prestonenjoyed his visit to Vimy & Helles Bkswhere he met MGS Officers, Babs Mason,Mark Blair and Sam Atkins whorecounted anecdotal stories from their numerous years of service andexperience at both sites.
During a quick windscreen tour of theGarrison, he stopped briefly at theDuchess of Kent Barracks (formally ahospital which still houses the NHS out of hours emergency Doctor) andspent a few moments chatting with MGS duty personnel Seamus Whittakerand Jackie Downs.
It was full steam ahead to keep animportant lunchtime appointment at the Garrison Golf Club of an ISMpresentation where he was joined by the other MGS Group Managers fromArea 1; Ian Donaldson, Terry Ord andAndy Lewis.
Mr Preston had kindly agreed topresent the Imperial Service Medal toMrs Wendy Bishop, formerly the Area 1Business Support Officer. Wendy hadworked in the MOD from 1982 – 2010 invarious administrative roles and finallydecided to resign last year to “become
the family taxi driver” to her children andstable hand to “Charlie” the family pony,Wendy was joined at the presentation byfriends and former colleagues.
Following lunch Mr Preston was takenthrough the stunning scenery of theNorth Yorkshire Dales to DTE Wathgill,part of the Garrison footprint, where hemet Maj (Ret’d) Mark Flecchia, CampComdt and the Duty MGS Officer Mark Sanders.
Having met with the ITC MPGS in themorning, it wasthen back toCatterick Garrisonfor Mr Preston tomeet with SSgtsMick Rankin andMark Dornan of theGarrison MPGSCompany who gave Mr Preston an overview of their role andresponsibilities.
Last but by nomeans least heheaded to the MGS Area HQ to watch animpressive MGS DogDemonstrationgiven by “Sasha” a very aggressiveworking dog and Handlers GaryClaxton and Gary Jefferson. Also inattendance was John Warbutton theDog Evaluation Officer who was‘straining at the leash’ to give MrPreston an insight into thecapabilities of MGS Dogs andhopefully he came away gaining anew respect for our caninecolleagues.
The initial feedback receivedfrom Mr Preston’s visit has beenvery positive. He gained a lot from the
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visit and using his words, ’it definitelyhelped to bring his policy work to life’,illustrated the ground truth of single-manned posts – but gave him areassuring feeling that there are capableand committed people on the groundwho will work together to make the bestof whatever resources and policy theHead Office, TLB/Agency HQs are able toprovide. He was very impressed with theprofessional attitude of the MGS staffand looks forward to meeting up withthem again in the future.
Peter Anthony Micheal ‘Mickey’ Finn
By Angie Irving, Aldershot Group ManagerOn Monday the 18th October 2010,Mickey Finn dear friend and colleagueof ours past away following a battlewith cancer and other related illnessesat the age of 59.Mickey joined the MGS on the 30thNovember 1992, and then quicklybecame part of the Garrison’s furniture.Also he became an active member ofthe PCS Union, where he had been theBranch Secretary as well as the MGSRepresentative, within this time he hadmany heated discussions withManagement which frequentlyresulted in a lot of laughter emanatingfrom the room and from both sides! Outside of work Mickey was a bit of acomputer wizard on the side, where heenjoyed rebuilding computers from
scratch. On his business card andpersonal e-mail address he calledhimself the ‘Little Fat Wizard’.During his time with the MGS hecommentated on many DogDemonstrations, where their signaturetune was ‘Who let the dogs out’ he wasknown for his Northern Accent andusing his humour during thesedemonstrations.He has been survived by his wifeChristine and daughter Kelly to whomwe all send our deepest sympathies,Mickey will be sadly missed not only asa work colleague but also as a verygood friend to many of the MGS staffand other personnel within AldershotGarrison.
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James ‘Jimmy’O’RaweIt is with great sadness that wereport that the funeral service forJames (Jimmy) O’RAWE was held inAldershot on 14th January 2011,writes Mrs Sonia Catchpole, AdminSupport Clerk, Area 2, Region 4.
Jimmy retired from the MGS in Sept2008 and moved to a life of sun inCyprus with his wife.
Sadly shortly after moving he wasdiagnosed with a terminal illness and he lost his battle just afterChristmas 2010.
Jimmy worked in Aldershot Garrisonfor many years, and was and still issadly missed by all.
His funeral was attended by hisfriends and former colleagues as well as ex-servicemen of theParachute Regiment.
We extend out deepest sympathy to his wife Janice, 2 sons and theirfamilies.
Andrew Bradley
By Aaron Buckingham of MOD Main BuildingIt is with regret and deep sadness that I announce the passing of AndrewBradley who died in his sleep on December 28, 2010, after battling cancer.Andy worked at the Royal College of Defence Studies in London and had beena member of the MGS since it’s formation in 1991. He will be sorely missed byhis friends and colleagues.
MGS at HMS SultanReceive CommendationFrom the Commodore
The Commendation reads:-Ministry Of Defence Guard Service (MGS) HMS Sultan.
I have been most impressed by the MGS Team in HMSSultan. Responsible for the provision of unarmed guardingof the establishment, their duties include access control,foot patrols of the sprawling site, and providing support tothe duty personnel in the event of an emergency.
They consistently conduct these duties in a mostenthusiastic, efficient and courteous manner. They are oftenrequired to work long, unsociable hours, frequently inunpleasant weather conditions, and even while sufferingsevere gapping across the department have not failed todeliver. I have received many compliments on theirprofessionalism from visitors to the site.
Their loyalty and positive contribution has beenunwavering, throughout the recent extended period of
uncertainty regarding the future of HMS Sultan and, morerecently, the long awaited review of guarding within the UK.
The Ministry of Defence Guard Service team at HMS Sultanare fully deserving of a Commodore’s Team Commendationfor their sustained and enduring contribution to theestablishment.
In the Photo is Messrs Brain, Goodman, Smith, Wardle andHiom. The Commodore is Commodore Slawson ADC CO HMS Sultan.
Guards Receive Commandant’s Commendation
By Simon Brewer, Group ManagerOn 3rd December 2009 John Gaffneyand Tony Huntington, were on accesscontrol and desk duty respectively atCollege Town Gate, the Royal MilitaryAcademy Sandhurst. A vehicle arrivedand the passenger stated that he wouldlike to book the driver in as a guest tothe Academy, so the vehicle wasinstructed to park up and enter theguard post, as per standard procedure.
The passenger came in on his own andattempted to use the driver's drivinglicence to book the driver in, without thedriver actually coming in to be putthrough SISYS, so Tony Huntingtonrequested that the driver come in aswell. The passenger seemed veryagitated at this and tried to argue aboutit; however, Tony stood firm and thedriver was eventually brought in.
At first Tony had difficultyunderstanding the driver and put itdown to him being Nepalese; however,the ESS SISYS clerk, Nepalese herself,also could not understand him. BothMGS officers were, therefore, concernedthat the gentleman had been drinkingand driving, so they informed theGuardroom, who sent the MOD Policedown to the gate.
The MDP breathalysed the driver,though this also proved to be difficult asthe driver was not happy at being askedto do so, and found him to be over thelegal alcohol driving limit. Thames ValleyPolice were also called as the vehicle hadbeen driven on a public road - theyattended the scene, breathalysed thedriver again and then arrested him,before interviewing John Gaffney. Dueto the quality of the statements providedand evidence given, a conviction wassecured - Thames Valley Police statedthat without the statements, theprosecution of the driver would have failed.
As a result of their actions, Major LesLewis, Unit Security Officer, put JohnGaffney and Tony Huntington forward
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for a Commandant's Commendation andboth were selected to receive them. On abitterly cold and wet Wed 15 Dec 10,during Commandant's Parade, John andTony were presented with theirCommendations by the Commandanthimself, Major General Patrick MarriottCBE. Ian Hunter-Jaap, Area 2 Manager,Region 4, and Simon Brewer, GroupManager for the Royal Military AcademySandhurst, were also invited to watchthe Parade and presentation of theCommendations. John Gaffney wasaccompanied by his wife, Sue. Followingthe parade, there was a reception held inthe Old College where Maj Gen Marriottpersonally spoke to the recipients of theCommendations and again thankedthem for their actions.
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Letter from David Swaithe former member of the MGS:
Still being in receipt of Flashlight may I commendon an excellent informative Newsletter. I have foundthe articles most interesting and it continues tomake me feel that I am still part of the Organisation.A great article from Paddy Brennan, quite a lot oftruth in there!!! As for Spot the Hazard, well, themain one there was sat right in the middle!!!!!!! Don't mean it really Derek!!
The article that was of most interest to me was the presentation of the ISM (CS) to John Baker, who I would like to congratulate on hisachievement. I started my initial career with theMGS at South Cerney in February 1993 and Johnwas already the CSO4 Supervisor. Not long after I completed my 12 months 'probation' period in1994 John had decided that he wished to revertback to CSO5, for the reasons you stated. The postwas advertised and I applied and was successful. Ithen took over from John in about May 1994 forabout 8 months when the initial post of CSO3 wasestablished at the then DERA Sites at Malvern,Pershore and Defford. I applied and again wassuccessful and took up office at Malvern in Mid1995. After 12 months at DERA an IO(P)2 post wasadvertised at MOD PE Abbey Wood in Bristol, Iapplied and was successful and moved there aboutAugust 1996. In 1999 an MGS Area Co-ordinatorpost was advertised and I applied and was againsuccessful and took up office at RAF Innsworth inGloucester. As they say, the rest is history.
But as you can see as I had taken over from John in1994 and had actually left in 1995 so the dates forJohn were just a little bit out of sync.
Keep up the good work with the Newsletter,maybe a reunion visit to MDPGA HQ of past MGSManagers and Area Coordinators is on the cards???
Note from the editor:
Thank you David for your letter and it is nice tohear from one of our former colleagues. I amdelighted that you enjoy Flashlight and that itmakes you feel part of the Organisation. Not surethat I can arrange the reunion, no money you see,but should any of our former colleagues wish toarrange a reunion they can write to David, via me,and I will forward the letters to him.
Annita
UNCLASSIFIED Name – MISS JO TIDESWELL Job title – Establishment Counter Terrorism Officer Rm 305 Semaphore Tower HMNB Portsmouth PO1 3LT
Tel: 02392722106/938022106 Fax: 02392 728551
Email: [email protected]
To: Cdr P Murnane BSyO
Please reply to:
Our Reference:
Date: 1st December 2010
DOCUMENTCLASSIFICATION
Cdr Murnane Base Security Officer HMNB Portsmouth FESTIVAL OF CHRISTMAS 2010 Reference: A. Festival of Christmas 2010 - MGS 1. During the period of the Festival of Christmas 2010, I was on duty and onsite for the entire event and during this time was witness to the conduct of the MGS on duty. 2. On Friday the 26th November, there were approximately five thousand visitors to the Festival. Mr Den Jarrett one of the MGS Management team was onsite to ensure that the MGS were aware of their requirements over the Festival period, thus ensuring that the first day of the Festival ran smoothly. 3. On Saturday the 27th November there were approximately ten thousand visitors to the Festival. During this time there was a Naval wedding at St Anne’s’ Church and a medical emergency onboard HMS VICTORY, which required an ambulance onsite. On Sunday the 28th November, there were approximately six thousand visitors to the Festival. There were two medical emergencies both requiring an ambulance onsite, one at Action Stations and the other on HMS WARRIOR. 3. Over the Festival weekend, the MGS behaved in a both professional and courteous manner at all times. They ensured all the wedding guests that entered Victory Gate on foot, including the Groom were allowed entry/exit through College Road gate in a timely manner. The wedding guests entering the Naval Base by vehicle through Unicorn Gate were also allowed entry/exit without any dispute. The MGS were also quick to open gates and cordon areas to allow ambulance entry where required whilst ensuring public safety was maintained at all times. 4. All gates were manned efficiently, including the temporary Jago Road gate. MGS post rotation was carried out quickly and effectively ensuring the security of the Naval Base was maintained at all times. CS04 Gary Weaver was responsible for these actions as he was the MGS
supervisor over the weekend. His conduct was exemplary over the Festival weekend and should be applauded. 5. There were a number of issues over the Festival period and I was called upon a number of times over the weekend. When actions were delegated to the MGS, they all reacted without question and in a calm and professional manner ensuring that any disruptions to the Festival were kept to a minimum. 6. The following MGS were on duty for the Festival of Christmas and I would like it to be noted that all named staff were not only a credit to the Naval Base but also a pleasure to work with. CSO3 Den Jarrett CSO4 Gary Weaver CSO5 Phil Bowler CS05 Peter Gilbert CSO5 Alexandra Fox CSO5 Scott Tomlin CS05 Lee Hall CSO5 John Merrikin CSO5 Adam Bateman CS05 Oliver Ansell CSO5 Daniel Hill Kind Regards Jo Tideswell Establishment Counter Terrorism Officer HMNB Portsmouth Ext : 9380 22106
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_
wJ MrdayconNelsobtai The fomale pwith theMDP Cothe groulegitimate
Due to Mr matter wasagencies indeployed to L. Roper Inspector
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE POLICE AND GUARDING AGENCY
(A Defence Agency)
HM Naval Base, Portsmouth
Hampshire, PO1 3LH
Telephone: 02392 722749
Email: [email protected]
Inspector Leslie Roper BA(Hons) MInstLM
Shift Commander
_________________________________tor Durkin efe
____
__________ Chief Inspec
Ministry of D nce Police HM Naval Base
PORTSMOUTH PO1 3LH _____
________________________Your Ref:
Our Ref: MDPGA/PO4/52/10 26 Jan 2011 _____________
____________________________
________________________
Dear Chief Inspector Durkin,
COMMENDABLE ACTIONS – CSO5 Pete Gilbert
I would like to bring to your attention the commendable actions of CSO5 Pete Gilbert
ho was carrying out the role of temporary MGS CCTV Control Operator on 26th
anuary 2011. Gilbert was aware of a security incident that was reported to the MDP the previous
. This consisted of very brief information regarding a male person who’s
versation had been overheard by a serving Royal Navy officer whilst outside HMS
on Wardroom. His conduct gave cause for suspicion; MDP officers attended and
ned a description of the suspicious male.
llowing day, Mr Gilbert was monitoring the CCTV cameras when he noticed a
erson potentially fitting the description of the suspicious male. He checked this
previous day’s CCTV footage and passed this information immediately to the
ntrol Room operators. The man was subsequently identified by an MDP unit on
nd and was stopped. Thankfully, it transpired that the male person was on
business. Gilbert’s prompt action and his personal awareness of recent intelligence, this
able to be resolved quickly, avoiding any extensive enquiries by various
to the original sighting: Thus ensuring that valuable resources could be
other policing and security matters.
J A VAUGHANInspector (MDP)Section 3HMNB Portsmouth
An incident unfolded in the early hours of Saturday 5February 2011 for which Tina Collins should be recognisedfor her quick actions and initiative.
The incident is referenced above. Tina was monitoring theCCTV at approximately 0400 hours when she noticed avehicle being driven along Circular Road without lights. Shealso thought that the driver of the vehicle may have beendrinking as the vehicle appeared to be swerving into thekerb. She immediately contacted her colleagues on UnicornGate to ask that they stop the vehicle, she then informedthe MDP in the Control room advising that MGS mayrequire MDP assistance.
The driver was stopped and indeed smelt strongly ofalcohol and an MDP unit was dispatched to deal. The driverturned out to be well known to the MDP, a serving navalrating who was on bail and who also stated that he wasborrowing the vehicle from a friend. It turned out that he
was only a provisional licence holder and had actually stolen this vehicle – a very expensive Audi which he wasattempting to drive onto a public road and whilst drunk.
The person was arrested and processed for the drink/driveand TWOC offences but also admitted to the offence hewas on bail for – an excellent result.
Had it not been for Tina Collins’ quick actions andconscientious approach to her job the male could havegone on to commit further offences out on the public road(no insurance, driving otherwise than in accordance with alicence, etc.), he could have damaged the vehicle or evencaused an accident given his condition.
I find Tina to be an extremely competent andconscientious individual at all times and I would like her tobe given some credit for her actions during this incident.Without her valued input and her quick observation thisperson would have escaped our attention.
DOG SECTION
By Fred Humphries/John Warbutton, Dog Evaluation OfficersAt the invitation of VSTAT (SSgt Gavin) and the Chief Trainerfrom the DAC (WO1 Holmes) John Warbutton and FredHumphries accompanied by Dave Fairbrother, OperationsManager from HQ and Peter Plaster, attended the final stagesof the Arms Explosives Search (AES) dog course at West Tofts inNorfolk on the 13th December 2010.
The reason for our attendance was to support and observeRob Bourne, from Northwood JSU who, after a gruelling 16week course, was ready to be assessed and licensed with hisAES dog “Marley”.
As you may know Rob is the only AES handler in the MGS andit was decided that although he had already successfullycompleted the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO)Explosive search dog course run by the Metropolitan Police, heshould, on acquiring a new dog, attend the Military run courseas well.
Rob was the only “civvie” on the 16 strong course and nospecial treatment was given or required as Rob acquittedhimself very well. Rob informed us that over the 16 weeks hehad carried out route marches, area searches working in areasas diverse as Twickenham rugby ground and the Royal Alberthall in London, as well as various military barracks, bothoccupied and unoccupied. All scenarios were very real and wellthought out and executed.
He went on to say that it had been a fantastic experience andhe was grateful to the instructors and the rest of his coursecolleagues with whom he was fully integrated and accepted.
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On our arrival Rob and “Marley” were put through their pacesby VSTAT, and they demonstrated their prowess by discovering2 “finds” in a large area (one indoors and one out), and anotherwhich was blank (intentionally of course!). After lunch wemoved to a very realistic mock up Forward Operating Base(FOB), where a scenario had been set up. Rob and “Marley”along with a military colleague working in a team were briefedand instructed to find 2 unexploded mortar shells which werevery well hidden. To make this more difficult, time was anadded pressure as in the scenario. Two platoons were waitingto enter the FOB after a patrol and were under fire. Theweather was very poor with freezing fog and it was very cold.Within 15 minutes, after some very thorough and methodicalsearching, both shells had been located and made safe.
All the time, as with the morning exercises, Rob was beingassessed and observed in how he conducted himself, how hehandled and interacted with his dog and how hecommunicated with his colleague and thought on his feet.
When this exercise was complete, Rob was informed by VSTATthat he had successfully completed the course and that he and“Marley” were now officially a team. It was also mentioned thatRob and “Marley” would be required to assist in the 2012Olympics, and it was agreed by all that they should attend toenhance the profile of the MDPGA and the MGS in particular.
As Rob and “Marley” are the only MGS search dog team, theywill take their Continuation Training with other MilitaryAgencies and be licensed by VSTAT, their annual inspectionswill be carried out by John Warbutton.
After a final Veterinary Check and presentation, on the 22ndDecember 2010 Rob and “Marley” returned to their Unit foroperational duties.
Rob is unique within the MGS, not only is he the only AES handlerin the MGS, he has also now completed both the ACPO Explosivesearch dog course (recognised throughout the country), and themilitary AES handler course and is extremely well qualified and verycompetent. We who attended, and I am sure the rest of you, will wantto wish them our heartiest congratulations and many years ofproductive service together, well done Rob and “Marley” and goodluck to both of you.
Edinburgh Tattoo – Redford Barracks
By Ted Harrison, Group ManagerRedford Barracks is the “live-in” location for all the “players”for the tattoo each year. This includes military staff fromarmies all around the world including America, Russia, SaudiArabia, China, Britain, Switzerland etc plus civilian dancersand singers both male and female. As Colin Henderson(kennel manager at Redford and Dreghorn) says, there aremany instances of high-jinks and raised tempers after quietevenings spent gently sipping wine in the bars (aye, right)
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and he and his colleagues tend to pick up the bodies. Colin,in his usual understated manner, said security is sometimesdifficult at this time. Added to this, the public are allowedaccess to the site for the last dress rehearsal including verysenior people (Princess Anne). It was at this time that ourpictures were taken.
From left to right:- Mark Scollan, Ted Harrison, Colin Henderson, Jake Johnstone, Allan Triplett
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MGS DOG SECTIONARMY AVIATION CENTRE MIDDLE WALLOP
By Michelle Fogerty, Group Manager
Middle Wallop Dog Section wasfirst formed in 1994 with thearrival of two Military Working
Dogs from Greenham Common. A shortwhile later three more dogs arrived fromDefence Animal Centre taking the totalnumber of dogs to five, all of which weredual handled by a ten-man dog section.
Now in 2011 after various changes tostaff, dogs and infrastructure, we have afive-man dog section, CSO5s, with fourMilitary Working Dogs. Cassie is ourfemale German shepherd who is dualhandled by Gavin Penny and AmandaSmith. Our Kennel Manager Mark Crewehandles Omax, a German shepherd fromCzechoslovakia (who we nicknamedASBO because of his childish behaviour).Zeus, also a German shepherd is the oldand bold of our section but is still goingstrong, our very own old and bold DaveBroom who has been at Middle Wallopfor 23 years handles him. Our newestrecruit Cham is the section’s first BelgianMalinois, and I must say a handful (forsome unknown reason he seems to
believe he is Tigger), his handler is TobySeal. Max, our other German shepherd,who had been with us for nearly 5 years,has recently retired on medical groundsand has been live cast to Toby Seal;hopefully he has a good few years aheadof him sat in front of a fire with his pipeand slippers! Good luck Toby and Max.
We also have a Kennel Assistant, EmmaBarnes who along with the handlerstends to the needs of the dogs and thesection. Unfortunately, for us she is onmaternity leave having just given birthto her first baby named Zack. We all wishEmma, her husband Aaron and Zack allthe best for the future and look forwardto her return (so please hurry back).
Here at the Army Aviation Centre,Middle Wallop our dog section isresponsible for patrolling and guardingall that is within the wire. The camp has afully operational and very busy airfieldwith five large aircraft hangars which areused to accommodate various rotaryand fixed wing Army aircraft includingGazelle, Lynx, training and historicaircraft, and of course the mightyApache.
This is only abrief insight intoour dog sectionhere at MiddleWallop; pleaseenjoy our smallselection ofphotos from ourvery own rogue’sgallery.
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A new beginning
By Tracey Hanson, MGS Dog HandlerMy name is Tracey Hanson and I am an MGS Dog Handler,based at Tidworth, Wiltshire.
I have been a handler for about eight years now and stillfeel it is the BEST job in the world. Four of these years havebeen worked alongside Romeo, a 45kilo German SheppardDog (GSD). He’s not fat, just BIG.
Romeo has been one of the lucky ones when it comes toour freezing winter conditions. Here at Tidworth, moremodern and suitable kennels had been built, to replace theoriginal wooden Melton Kennels.
In the last couple of years, thanks to these new heatedkennels, Romeo and our other dogs have improved greatlyin their attitude and health, as well as looking outwardlyhappy. No more of the ‘stiff hips’ or brushing the shreddedpaper from the coat, because that was the only way to keepthem warm at night…. Brrrrrr.
This change in accommodation was especially importantfor Romeo due to his ever increasing medical record. Frommild hip dysplasia, digestion problems, pannus of theeyes… the list goes on.
Anyway, back to why I’m writing this article. In August ofthis year, Romeo failed his annual licensing, which wascarried out by Fred Humphries, who is the Dog EvaluationOfficer (DEO) of the South region.
Unfortunately, due to Romeo’s lack of aggression, it meanthe couldn’t be used as a training dog at the Defence AnimalCentre (DAC) at Melton Mowbray. The only other option wasto Live Cast him to an experienced handler or, the outcomewould look BLEAK.
Previously, working dogs could have been/were ‘Live Cast’to live their retirement out within the home of an
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experienced handler within theAgency. If a willing handler could notbe found, or the dog could not beused for training at Melton, then thepolicy in regard to Military WorkingDog’s were that they were to behumanely put to sleep.
In my panic, I went on the hunt for ahandler that would be willing to takeon Romeo, plus his hugely expensivemedication bill. But, to no avail.
I couldn’t abandon this six year olddog that was outwardly healthy (dueto all of his meds), happy (possiblydue to some of his meds!!!) andfriendly (with people and othercanines). I had to find a way to savehim, even if it meant causing troubleand havoc along the way.
Through pure luck (or was it fate?!), I managed to contact a Mr DavidFranklin, Assistant Field Director of‘Dogs Trust’. Many Dog Handlers may
remember Mr Franklin as the ex RAVC WO2 VSIT Officer,some years ago.
Anyway, he informed me of a Sanctuary for GSD’s, based at‘Dogs Trust’ in Newton Tony, Salisbury. This centre was giventhe thumbs up by David as being an ideal place for him. Hewas more than willing for Romeo to ‘live out his days’ thereand, with Mr Franklin’s knowledge of Live Cast procedures,his assistance was invaluable in speaking to the DAC atMelton.
This sounded like a dream… or maybe a fairy tale? Whywould the DAC allow this to happen when it wouldn’t havebeen considered in the past and seemed to be a taboosubject. I thought I would have a major battle on my handsto try to convince them otherwise.
Anyway, to cut a long story short and many phone callsand letters, tears and tantrums later, the DAC have turnedout to be COMPASSIONATE after all! On Thursday 14thOctober 2010, historyhad been made. Ihanded Romeo over to his new owners,‘Dogs Trust’, and hewas welcomed withopen arms.
And, as he was ledaway, he didn’t evenlook back… How fickleis that!!
This makes a VERYhappy ending for mywork colleague andloyal friend, Romeo.
Getting to know you
Continuing our regular look at individual MGS team membersNAME: Pete Calton
JOB TITLE Guard
LOCATION HMS Flying Fox
“While I worked as a Bailiff I metmany interesting
Where were you born?Kinsley Yorkshire.
Tell us about Your family?Wife Wendy and 2 boys. Son John isa blacksmith and has given me 3lovely granddaughters and otherson Matt is a hair stylist.
Where did you Spend your Last holiday?In our little caravan in DevonDorset border.
Where would You like to Travel in future?To the USA to friends.
What is your favourite book?British Rowers.
Do you have a favourite quote or saying?If thing don’t alter they’ll stay asthey are.
When you get the chance, how do youlike to spend your free time?
It was rowing scouts and Wendycaravan, NOW it is Wendy caravanand rowing scouts.
During your career, what would youconsider as the most interesting job, and why?
While I worked as a Bailiff I metmany interesting characters everyday you never knew what toexpect.
If your house was on fire and you couldsave one thing, what would it be?
My lovely wife Wendy.
If you could invite two personalities todinner, one male and one female(dead/alive, real or fictitious) who wouldyou invite and why?
CDRE A J G Miller CBE RN. He is theonly hero I know.
Suppose I gave you £100,000 to spendon whatever you wanted what wouldyou buy?
A great big boat to play with andnew boats for the scouts.
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What talent would you like tohave?
I would love to learn to play theBagpipes! But as I’m tone deaf Iwouldn’t know if I was good or not.
What do you most enjoy about your job?Working in a small team and beingin the navy environment.
characters every day you never knewwhat to expect. ”
Pete Calton from FlyingFox tells us about hisinvolvement with theScout Movement
My name is Peter Calton and I am amember of the Scout Movement. Myroles are County Assessor, AssistantDistrict Commissioner and Group ScoutLeader. As County Assessor my job is to assess the Scout Leaders on theirability to take Scouts rowing and theability of the actual Scouts. To do this jobI am a member and a level 2 coach forBritish rowing. There are about 10 level 2 coaches for the Scouts in the UK so wedo get about. We are also responsible forensuring that the boats and the kit aresafe and up to standard. As AssistantDistrict Commissioner in the Bath districtI have to help the other Scout leaders inBath, and the District Commissioner. For the Group Scout Leader role I am the Group Scout Leader for the 31st BathScouts and I have to look after thatgroup. I have been a Scout Leader now for over 30 years.
My career in the Scouts started when Iwas in the Army. I had just come backfrom sailing the Atlantic and my bossasked me to spend some time with theScouts and tell them about thecrossing. It was after this that I decidedto join the Sea Scouts. Up to about 3 years ago I was doing a lot more withthe Scouts but I was told that I have gotcancer in my neck. With this problem
I was out of work and the Scouts for 6 months, so I had a long look at my life and cut back.
Getting the Scouts out doing rowing is very important to me. There is a lotmore that I would like to do now thecancer is under control but with theuncertainty at present with shifts atFlying Fox I am not in any position tocommit myself to any firm dates.Therefore, with uncertainty being theproblem, I am left to setting up thingsfor the Scouts to do. I cannot commit my time and that can cause problems if I am not there as I have to find otherleaders to cover for me. For example I have a trip coming up to take Scoutsand Guides rowing for five days from
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Bristol up on the Kennet and Avon canalto see how far they can row and thenback to Bristol. This trip is for 24 Scoutsand Guides and 6 leaders and takes quitea bit of organising.
As well as being a County Assessor forthe Scouts I help out with the Guidesand do their assessing for them as theydo not have any level 2 coaches. I wasone of the leaders that set up the Guides& Scouts rowing club in Bristol and in the first year the club has given theopportunity to 268 Scouts and Guides to have a try at rowing. We are nowconcentrating on getting leaders theskills and the qualifications to takeScouts and Guides rowing.
Getting “Round To It”Lean Training Event By
MG
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Derena Akers, S RTO Region 4
In February 2011, 15 MGS Managers, HRBPs and L&D staffattended Wethersfield for a LEAN fundamentals workshopdelivered by the Defence Academy. The intention of thetraining was to introduce MGS Continuous Improvement (CI)Focal Points and others involved in the CI programme in theMGS to the principles, tools and techniques involved in “Lean”thinking and processes.
For those of you with no knowledge of LEAN, this is a methodology which hasstemmed from Toyota manufacturing and has been used very successfully tostreamline processes.The key to success in applying “Lean thinking” is that:
1. Something happens to make individuals adopt a leanapproach and individuals can see that they will also gainbenefit from it.
2. That it is the people on the ground with the functionalexpertise are those who review the change andrecommend improvements that they know will work
3. That senior managers are visibly involved. I have to admitthat I was fairly cynical about what could be achieved on apractical level. However I found the methodology of thecourse was fascinating and inspiring. We were takenthrough a series of exercises in which, at first, believe it ornot, the managers proved to be inefficient and failed tomeet customer’s goals within an expected time frame!
By implementing a systematic review of the processes weidentified and eliminated waste. We were also all able to
demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the techniques tofacilitate improved efficiency which could fairly easily betransferred back to the workplace for use within MGS Teams.
Quotes from several other colleagues who also attendedthe training support the perceived organisational benefits:-
Trevor Mckinnon “This course has demonstrated to methat the organisation’s decision to embark upon aprogramme of continuous improvement as the secondphase of cultural change was the right one. I would urge allmembers of the MGS to participate in the programme andensure we use our resources to the best effect to serve theDepartment’“
Ange Irving “I could see that it is possible to all work as ateam and give a better output in a more efficient way. Themorale of the workforce then increases and we all seesome sort of benefit to ourselves. The simple statement onthe course that really did make sense & normally we do theopposite is “the 80/20 rule”. This is that we should spend80% of our time perfecting our daily routines so we havetime to spend on the fast balls that come our way and notspend 80% of our time dealing with fast balls, leaving only20% of time available for our daily tasks”
Del Thomas “ It is important to remember that it is notLEAN that will be driving staff cuts. That is the SDSR. TheLEAN Course delivered what it said on the tin by showingus that we can work Smarter in a more efficient andproductive way hopefully even allowing some thinkingtime. By using these processes we are not putting unduestress on staff”.
Tony Jackson, Sandra Salmon, Delyth Thomas, Denise Gibbons, Derena Akers, Carol Roe
Whilst I would not suggest that theLEAN approach will be the solution toall of our issues in the MGS, byimplementing the LEANmethodology as part of the CIprogramme, we could see that it ispossible to Work Smarter /Not Harderand enjoy the benefits.
I would certainly recommend thistraining, particularly to GroupManagers who have an overview ofall MGS processes but also to allOperational Managers. After all thereis little to lose and much that couldbe gained if extra time could befound to deal with those ‘round tuits’!
Max Russell, Welbeck CollegeRetiresAfter 17 years of service, it is withsadness for us that Max has now hunghis MGS cap and taken his wellearned retirement.He worked at a number of units withthe MGS starting out at Garats Hay,then to Old Dalby, RAF Cottesmorethen back to the Garats Hay site tothe newly rebuilt Welbeck Collegewhere he finally retired on 10thDecember 2010.We would like to take the opportunityto wish him and his good lady wifethe very best for the future.
By Jackie Adams,
MGS Foundation CourseGuarding And Security Training Centre
Mr Fairclough, Mr Pearce, Mr Marsden, Mr Fairburn, Mr Young, Mr D CulhamMr Harris, Mr Docherty, Mr Hood, Mr Mullin, Mr Henry, Mr Bridges, Mr Bali
Ms Horwat, Trainer S Rudd, Supt M Spiers (HoLD), Trainer K Christian, Ms Bostock
Managers’ course November 8-12, 2010Pictured (left to right): Back row: David Morgan, Tony Austin, Alex Brady, Jim Chapman, Wayne Blake, Ken Smullen Front Row: Richard Morgan, Mark Scollan,Sandy MacCormick HOP, Steve Rudd Trainer, Derek Hay, Martyn Farmer
Manager’s course December 6-10, 2010Pictured (left to right): Back Row: Mark Hayes, Martin Rooney, Dave Jones, MarkCooper, Paul Evans, Wayne Barker, Neil Tedridge, Paul Gilbert Front Row: Mo Anderson Trainer, Dawn Haselden, Sandy MacCormick HOP, MarcShreeve B2 Ops, Steve Rudd Trainer
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MGS Core ValuesCompetition Winner!
In the winter edition of Flashlight a competition was run toestablish a mnemonic which captured the Core Values and was easyto remember. This was open to everyone within the MGS.
Many entries were received and each member of the MGSManagement Board had the responsibility of voting for theirfavourite. After collating the responses from the MGS ManagementBoard, there was a clear winner – ‘HIPE’ which stands for Honesty,Integrity, Professionalism and Efficiency.
The winner of the competition was Gary James, Group Managerfrom HMNB Devonport (photographed above, receiving his promisedprize from Marc Shreeve). Opposite is the poster for the new MGSCore Values.
Care4Casualties
By Paul UngiThe Royal Green Jacket Scooter Clubmanaged to raise £5,000 at their recent1st Charity Xmas Function held at TheClarendon Club in Tidworth, on 17thDecember 2010 for Care4Casualtieswhere guests were treated to a Soulfulevening with non other than DC Fontanaplaying LIVE and Rare NorthernSoul vinyl spun by 2 fabulous DJ’s IanHurford of the Basingstoke Scooter Cluband Alfie Linney of the SouthamptonSoul Club.
The event was organised by Paul Ungi,Dog Handler at Tidworth Garrisonalongside Sean Wheeler, both served
with the Royal Green Jackets. Paul cameup with an idea to have the ScooterClubs 1st Xmas Bash as a charity fundraiser for The Rifles CharityCare4Casualties which the RGJSCsupports. The Scooter Club is for exserving members of the RGJ and Riflespersonnel, the Club is fully active in thatit attends most National Scooter Ralliesand will be holding an annual charityBash to raise money and awareness forthe lads that have been seriouslywounded in the Middle Eastern conflicts,the families of those that have beenkilled in Action and those suffering from
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PTSD. Paul and Sean are now both intraining for the 3 Peaks challenge, again,all moneys raised will go toward C4Cand Paul is in the process of arranging aSummer Northern Soul Ball.
Both Paul and Sean organised theevent, sourced local businesses todonate prizes for a very successfulauction and raffle and Paul, with hiscontacts, sourced DC Fontana whomplayed for the fuel fare of its bandmembers who currently have an albumout at the moment called six againsteight. With radio interviews andpublicity from BFBS and Garrison FM, Bulford, they managed to raise£5,000.00 and gave their guests a night to remember.
Paul would like to Thank CS04 MickWilson located at Tedworth House,Tidworth, for allowing the RGJSC to usethe Function suite of The Clarendon Clubin Tidworth for free and also Kev ‘Rebel’ McConnel at Larkhill for hisphotographic skills and help in setting the venue up.
Anyone wishing to join the RGJSC orhelp with future fundraisers then pleaseget in touch with the Club by phoningPaul on 07807815448 or Trev on 07515369884 or Sean on 07882527227. Or email us [email protected]
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Honesty —Always tell the truth
Integrity — Always do the right thing, respect yourself and others, and treat people fairly
Professionalism —Know the job, and continuously maintainhigh standards
Efficiency —Continually seek toImprove the way wedeliver the service
The Success of theSupervisors’ Workshop
By Samantha Collins, Organisation Support Officer
the most relevant and useful amongst
The MGS Supervisors’ Workshop wasintroduced in 2009, with the pilottaking place in November 2009. It
is a four day classroom based workshop,with the exception of Day Three whichconsists of an operational exercise thatimmerses students into a real lifescenario. The Hydra suite is used on Day Three of the course which providesstudents with a simulation basedtraining exercise. (To find out moreabout the Hydra simulation suite, pleasesee the related article in the Winter 2010edition of Flashlight (issue 38).
So far, 140 students have attended theSupervisors course held at Wethersfieldand 120 end of course evaluations havebeen completed and submitted. Theseevaluations are all reviewed andanalysed to ensure the workshop ismeeting not only the set objectives butalso the personal needs of individuals.
The data from the evaluations iscollated and distributed to the L&DManager, MGS Course Designer and theHead of G&STC for review and alterationof the course content if necessary.
So far, the evaluations have proved tobe extremely positive. Outlined here is
what students thought tobe the most relevantsessions on the workshop(all scoring greater than90% ‘extremely’ or ‘very’relevant):
➢ Crisis/IncidentManagement
➢ The differencebetweenSupervision & Management inthe MGS
➢ Supervision in the MGS
➢ Communication Skills ➢ Health & Safety
The most useful sessions on theworkshop are (all scoring greater than90% ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ relevant):
➢ Crisis/Incident Management ➢ Supervision in the MGS ➢ The difference between
Supervision & Management in the MGS
➢ Communication Skills Whilst the above sessions proved to be
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the majority of students, most studentsagreed that all sessions on the coursewere relevant and useful in some way.No session received a rating greater than13% for ‘not very’ or ‘not at all’ relevant oruseful.
Below are just some of the commentsreceived following the training:
“A must have for all CSO4s…”
“It’s difficult to comment as I gained somuch from the course overall”
“…I left with a stronger understandingof my role and more confidence in myabilities”
Message fromthe EditorThe Editor takes it for grantedthat any material received hasbeen cleared through therelevant management chain and also that no informationreceived is classified orcommercial in confidence.Deadline for the next issue of
Flashlight is 28th May 2011. All articles must be in electronicformat and all pictures must be in jpeg format in the highestpossible resolution, not embedded within the article.
Please send entries to Mrs Annita McKay, Editor Flashlight, Rm 107 Bldg 1070, MGS HQ, MDPGA, Wethersfield, Braintree,Essex, CM7 4AZ, or email me on MDP-HQ MGS CUST AND RESFOCUS MNGR, or [email protected] Cole and Lil McGarrity have stepped down as FlashlightCoordinators and are replaced by Miss Emma Popczynski andMrs Sonia Catchpole respectively.
Many thanks go to Mel and Lil for all their work for Flashlightand good wishes for the future. Welcome on board Emmaand Sonia, the editor looks forward to hearing from you.
The Flashlight Coordinators for the Regions are as follows:Region 1:
Area1 - FaslaneJo Carr BT: 01436 674321 Faslane ext 4001
Mil: 93255 4001Area 3 – Coulport/Glen Douglas
Mags Williamson BT: 01436 674321 Coulport ext 5694Mil: 93254 5694
Area 4 – Glasgow, Edinburgh and rest of Region 1Marjorie Wilson BT: 0141 224 3538 Mil: 94561 3538& Linda Gilmour
Region 2: John Biggerstaff 01904 662664 Mil: 94777 2664Region 3: Adele Sheppard, 01743 262604 Mil 94461 2604Region 4: Mrs Sonia Catchpole, MDPGA MGS-ALD-Area2Sup
Mil 94222 4873Region 5: Shona Stewart, [email protected]
Mil 94331 2305/3602London: Miss Emma Popczynski
0207218333 Mil 9621 83333
Region 2 (and two members of ourScottish colleagues in Region 1) MGSManagers Programme Follow-Up
By Rachael McEwan Regional Training Officer
Five group managers and one Area Manager had beeninvited to York, Regional Headquarters to conduct theirManagers presentations; this event took place on the27th October 2010.
The managers were given the opportunity to deliver theirprojects to senior members of the MGS Management board,and also an invitation for myself, that I was pleased to accept.
All of the subjects chosen and presented by the managerswere the individual’s choices, these included such a vastvariation in topics and covered a wide diverse range, from “The Operational Supervision of the MGS at RNAD Coulport” to the “Well being initiative”.
Other subjects included, MGS Training, NSI Gold, TheContinuous Improvement Programme and Managing from adistance (which has prompted me not to make the journeybetween RAF Kinloss and Loch Ewe in the summer months!!!!)
All of the presentations went well, and the Managers weregiven one to one feedback on their session from each board member and the opportunity to receive questions from the floor.
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From the presentations some of the recommendations havebeen able to be implemented immediately and those thatrequire some more research have been looked at and willhopefully be in place in the near future.
Marc Shreeve and Trevor McKinnon thanked andcongratulated all of the managers on their performance andTrevor presented each one with their well deserved certificate.
Managers Attending:Andrew Bloxham, Region 2, Area, 1 CatterickIan Donaldson, Region 2, Group Manager, North EastTerry Ord, Region 2, Group Manager, North EastJulia Rouse, Region 2, Group Manager, CatterickRobert Williamson, Region 1, Group ManagerPat Flemming, Region 1, Group Manager
Board Members: Marc ShreeveTrevor McKinnonSarah CookSam CollinsRachael McEwan
(from left to right) are Pat Fleming, Robert Williamson, Ian Donaldson, Sarah Cook, Julia Rouse, Rachael McEwan, Trevor McKinnon, Terry Ord, Marc Shreeve, Andy Bloxham.
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Officers receive NVQ Qualification through MOD Apprenticeship Scheme NVQ Level 2 in Customer Service
Andy Stewart & Wayne Lundy RAFBoulmerIn early 2010 a colleague informed usthat he had seen MOD Apprenticeshipsadvertised on the Defence Intranet. So werang up and made enquires as wethought it would be nice to add somemore “Strings to our bows”.
In March we commenced the NVQ inCustomer Service run by JHP Training whoare the MOD’s chosen providers. TheAssessor, Claire Heggarty, immediatelyput us at our ease and during thefollowing months we never felt that wewere under any pressure. We really enjoyed all aspects of thecourse especially the mathematics assignment. We finished theNVQ in early September with 90% of the assignments carriedout during work-time. We did of course at one point think“what have we let ourselves in for?” But on reflection, we areglad we did it and would recommend it to anyone in the MODespecially the MGS because of our frontline role. Thequalification is also equivalent to 5 GCSEs and at the end of the course there was a great sense of achievement.
Terry Ord Group Manager North East
Andy and Wayne attaining their NVQ in Customer Service hasreally helped raise their self esteem and given them both arecognised qualification that could prove really useful in anyfuture employment they may wish to pursue. I have noticed abig difference in both officers’ confidence whilst dealing withour customers. Another officer and the supervisor at RAFBoulmer have started the same NVQ and are nearingcompletion of their NVQ level 3 in Management. These NVQswere free and organised through the RTO and as you can seeabove most of the work is completed during working hours. I would recommend these courses to anyone who wants tofurther their personal development. There is minimal inputfrom the line Manager but it undoubtedly enhances theservice we give to our customer.
Regional Training Officer Rachael McEwan
On a cold, snowy December morning I arrived at RAFBoulmer, Alnwick, Northumberland, and was met by GroupManager, Terry Ord. We were joined by Wayne Lundy andAndrew Stewart in the HQ conference room for a photoopportunity with Trevor McKinnon who was on site on otherbusiness which gave him the chance to present them withtheir Certificates. Trevor also took the opportunity to speak tothem both of their experiences and offered his congratulationsfor completing their NVQ in Customer Care in record time.
After the photo session from our very own David Bailey!(Terry Ord) I spoke to both Andrew and Wayne about their
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experiences in completing the NVQ and they explained thatafter receiving initial information from me regarding theapprenticeships and having discussed it with their LineManager they signed up to the scheme and met with the JHPAssessor Claire Heggarty.
At their initial induction interview Claire assessed theircurrent qualifications and skills levels in both literacy andnumeracy and planned their modules/programmeaccordingly.
Throughout the process both Andrew and Wayne had regularmeetings with Claire to report and record their progresstowards the NVQ. Included in the qualification topics were:Mathematics, English, Health & Safety, a project/portfolio and a final interview with Claire.
Both officers told me just how much they thoroughlyenjoyed doing the NVQ and are now both assisting a colleaguewho is currently half way through their course work.
I am pleased to say that both officers now hold the NVQ level 2 qualification in Customer Service, such a vital skill forour security officers. This is testament to the hard work anddetermination of both Andrew and Wayne and I would like totake this opportunity to congratulate them. They are so takenup with the Apprenticeship Scheme and both their personaland professional development that they have both just starteda qualification in Business and Information Technology. Welldone guys!
Region 2 was selected to run the pilot scheme ofApprenticeships and to date the following have also gainedqualifications:
Andrew Cross - Management NVQ Level 3Debbie Hale - Management NVQ Level 3Neil Tedridge - Management NVQ Level 3Rob Tahany - Supervisory NVQ Level 2Donna Walker - Customer Service NVQ Level 2Richard Carr - Management NVQ Level 3
Yvonne Mellor is part way through her qualification inCustomer Service.
The Prince’s TrustChallenge CymruNovember 2010
By Eddie Storey - MGS FulwoodBarracks, Preston
I was on a day shift early January 2010when I was summoned to see Group Manager
Ken Smullen. “This Challenge what’s its nuts you have appliedfor, what’s it all about?” he asked, as I walked through the door.Not such a surprising question really as not many people haveheard of the staff development programs run by the Prince’sTrust. I explained that the Prince’s Trust was set up in 1976 as ayouth charity which attempts to change the lives of youngpeople between the ages of 14 and 30 who may be under-achieving at school, leaving care, unemployed or have been introuble with the law. It is supported by a wide spectrum ofemployers including the MOD. The support required ofemployers is similar to other external training and takes theform of them allowing staff to attend courses whilst payingtheir wages and they in turn have the opportunity to developtheir existing skills and gain new ones. “So how does it workand what does the MOD as an employer get back?” he asked.Having explained what I believed to be the benefits I waitedfor Ken to speak to Area Manager, Derek Hay. Having gainedtheir support it was over to Mike Cairns, Regional Manager forhis approval. With the full backing of the Management Team itwas checked that my attendance would not impact on thedelivery of service to the Customer. Thankfully there wassufficient flexi to cover my absence and the wheels were put inmotion. Once the paperwork was completed it was all systemsgo. It was not without some trepidation on my part but toolate to back out now as I would be letting too many peopledown, not least of all myself.
The fateful day arrived in November and having travelleddown on a Sunday to Blue Stone 5 star Holiday Resort inPembrokeshire, been allocated my accommodation in a luxurylog cabin and introduced to the other volunteers we wereasked by the Prince’s Trust Program Executive, Mark Joseph,“who thinks they have come on holiday?” Holiday it certainlywasn’t!
For the first week the 15 volunteers carried out a full programof events starting daily at 0700hrs and not finishing until at theearliest 2130hrs. Team exercises, communications, health &safety, practical lessons on mentoring Young People and theproblems which may arise in relation to child protection issues.Quite an extensive and exhausting program but one whichrelated to so many MOD Core Competencies it was uncanny.Each of the mentors would be allocated a young person onweek two and it was important that we were made aware ofthe medical history and any issues they had so that we coulddeliver a training program tailored to meet their various needs.There was also a number of “get wet sessions”, the sea inNovember is surprisingly warm (not). Kitted out in wet-suit,helmet and life preserver off we went to do all of the thingsyou are told not to do in the sea, jumping of cliffs, climbingover rocks and swimming into caves. Great fun, although I waslet into a secret by the Coast Steering Instructor who said therewere not many groups who would have gone into the seawhen it was so rough. Good job we didn’t know that at thetime when the swell was washing us off the cliffs and tossing
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us all over the place! What a tough bunch we were. We werethen set the task of having to design and build a raft for 14people, launch it and paddle it around a buoy in the middle ofthe estuary before getting back to dry land without gettingwet. A monumental success and my leadership and raftbuilding skills were praised by the instructors who could notbelieve that none of us had known each other before Monday.
Once we had completed these sessions we were informedthat from the following Monday we were to take charge of thewhole program and this entailed appointing daily coordinatorswhose job it was to execute the programs ensuring things ransmoothly, develop and source the resources and plan lessonsfor each of the training sessions we would be carrying out.Finally we were to organise and deliver an end of programpresentation.
Week two began at a fast pace with me volunteering to takeon the daily co-ordinator job for the week which meantaccepting responsibility for arranging the accommodation,briefing the Young People on what was expected of them andorganising the schedule of events for the week. Of course noteverything went to plan. Some of the Young People had notturned up so others had been drafted in to fill the gaps. Withonly an hour left before they arrived I had to amend theaccommodation to suit the change in gender of thereplacement guests, brief the mentors on the changes andbackground of the new guests and appear in full control of thesituation, other words, just like any other day in the MGS.
The week was over very quickly with the Young Peopledeveloping their own skills in communication, confidence andteam work. All of them enjoyed the coast steering and assaultcourse, showing boundless energy and fully participating in allsessions. They were a credit to their school and it showed methe value of what one to one mentoring can achieve and howit can potentially change lives.
Now I have I completed this self development program I feelmore confident, team orientated and better equipped to dealwith day to day challenges. I can honestly say I believe that Ihave developed a better understanding of the MOD corecompetencies and improved my level of competence in allfields whilst re-discovering my enthusiasm for learning anddevelopment all of which I believe makes me a betteremployee. I have as a result realised the importance of team-work and become more of a team player which I hope willenhance the professionalism of the MGS at my location.
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Brigadier Bill Aldridge CBE, presenting the Prince’s Trust Certificate to Eddie Storey
F
Gus Macey, Glencorse Barracks
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Published by the Ministry of Defence Guard Service, Wethersfield, Braintree, EProduced by CDS Ltd, 04/11
lashlight Issue N° 39
By Ted Harrison, Group Management
To quote the auld Scottish song “Cauld winterwas howlin’ o’r moor and o’r mountain anddark was the surge on the wild rolling sea”.
Add to this, heavy snow blizzards in the Borders,and things were looking pretty bad for travel. Toensure he was available to cover his shifts and toensure the continued effective operation of theguardroom, Graeme (Gus) Macey took it uponhimself to try and find accommodation in thebarracks and stay there until his shift block wascomplete.
Gus was awarded Employee of the Monthwhich said “To ensure that you were able tomake it to work, you took it upon yourself to stay on site instead of travelling home. Thisselfless act illustrates your commitment, loyaltyand dedication and you are truly deserving ofthis award”.
Pictured are Gus and John Egan, Regional Manager outside theguardroom at Glencorse.
Norman Ferguson, HMS Caledonia - Rosyth
By Ted Group M
ssex CM7 4AZ.
Harrison, anagement
From left to right:- Martin Rooney, Janet Ferguson, Mark Scollan, Jock Ewan (retired), Peter Mullen, Norman Ferguson (retired), JohnAtkinson, John Egan.After 32 years in the Civil Service Norman retired and was presentedwith the ISM in September 2010 by Regional Manager John Egan.Between Norman and his colleagues I gleaned that he started in 1977in the “factory” at HMS Caledonia where they used to train Navyartificers-But it closed so he moved to RAF Pitreavie Castle in Rosyth around 1984where the famous and vast underground bunker was sited and he wasthere for around 10 yearsBut it closed so then moved to HMS Cochrane But it closed so he moved HMS Caledonia – and all his colleagues havebeen extremely worried since.He joined the MGS in 94/95 and now we are ALLworried.At the presentation he was joined by a number of his “old” colleaguesand his wife, Janet.Having totalled the “service” of those present (and me as photographer)the picture shows nearly 160 years service in total. Some of thosepresent said it sometimes felt as they had worked all that themselves.Everyone wished Norman and Janet a long and happy retirement.
Spring 2011
Policy UpdateFlashlight Issue 39
MGS Your Say Action Plan 2011
In many ways, the MGS scores in the 2010 Your Saysurvey were pleasing. Some 1129 MGS questionnaireswere returned, giving a response rate of 31% (comparedto 24.6% in 2009). The MOD rate declined to 43% from49% in 2009, demonstrating that our efforts to improvethe MGS rate were successful, although participation wasstill very low in London (17%) and clearly we would likeeveryone to take part. Your views are important.
On the main measure, “Engagement Index”, the MGSfigure of 58% matched the MOD and beat the CTLB’s 56%.Compared to 2009, the MOD’s figure fell by 1 and theCTLB’s by 2, whereas the MGS rose by 3 percentage points.
Over the whole survey, almost all the MGS scores movedcloser to the MOD ones, but generally the gap remainslarge. Even where there was no gap the results weresometimes hard to understand. For example, on QuestionB52 – I have clear work objectives – the MGS and MODscores were equal at 72% - but how can 28% of the MGSthink that they don’t have clear work objectives?
I am particularly concerned about Q F02 - “During thepast 12 months, have you personally experienceddiscrimination at work?” - where the MGS score increasedby 8.4 percentage points to 28%, compared to a 2 pointrise to 13% for the MOD. However, the incidence ofinformal or formal complaints about bullying andharassment is much lower.
The strategy for this year’s Action Plan is to address those issues head-on, by getting every manager to discussthem with staff. This shouldn’t be too burdensome: the requirement is simply to address a few specific topicsin the conversations that managers are already supposedto have with each member of staff (and if thoseconversations haven’t been happening in someplaces, that would be another cause for concern).
Of course, none of this addresses the uncertainty aboutthe impact of PR11 measures, VERS and the longer-termposition of the MGS. There’s more about that in theForeword to the MGS Business Plan (coming soon to anotice board near you), but let me say again that the Chiefand I remain committed to telling you as much as we canas soon as we can. The difficulty at the moment is thatimportant decisions haven’t been made.
David Wray
Voluntary Early Release Scheme (VERS)1
Following the closure of the date for applications for theVERS the MDPGA VERS Panel will sit on 20, 21 and 26 Aprilto consider all Agency applications. The Agency Panel willthen report their decisions to the CTLB Panel who willmake the final decision on applications and decisions willbe notified in July.
Minimum StaffingThe formal consultation on the proposal for minimum
staffing at weekends and Bank Holidays has nowcompleted. Any changes to shift rosters, as a result, will besubject to local consultation as normal.
CSO4 Post-MappingA formal consultation document detailing the outcome
of the CSO4 post-mapping exercise was provided to TradeUnions on 29 March 2011. Discussions are ongoing.
Operations ManualThe draft Operations Manual has been provided to the
Trade Unions for their views. There will be some points ofdiscussion to resolve prior to formal publication.
Spring 2011
sion 2.2 dated 9 March 2011
Lead Target/Milestone
M rk to HUG Circulate draft to MGSMB by 31/3/11;Issue !nal 1 version by 30/4/11.
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FraudAwareness
Guide
Reporting PrFor advice and contact the DIR sbelow.
Telephone/Fax01371 85 (MODplus any of the 4223, 4740, 480Fax: 4438.
Address:DIR Cell Room 209,
Manage• Identi
proce• Devel revent
and d deaware or inreport tures areinsert thatautho fined to a p
• Ensur andreport heft,corrup efenceIrregu
TraininThe eleaDLP cAwaresurrouirregustrong
Furth(avail2010DFraudIrreguThis Dprovid
DefenThesebulletiincludhow dishtr
rs’ Obligationsfy risks to which systems anddures are exposed.op and maintain controls to petect fraud. These may incluness of high instances of erring systems, ensuring signaed where required, ensuring rity and expertise are not conarticular individual.e compliance with controls, any suspected irregularity, ttion, bribery or fraud to the Dlarity Reporting (DIR) Cell.
Building 1071,MDPGA HQ We
grning
onest action and breaches of
oceduresother queries please Cell using the detail
: Tel: 94667)
extensions below:6, 4479
UnderstandingFinancial Irregularity
includingFraud, Theft,
Corruption and Bribery
thersfield,
ust are dealt with.
Braintree, Essex, CM7 4AZ
If you have any suspicions regardingirregularity, fraud, theft, corruption orbribery that may be taking place, youshould report them either via your linemanager, via the MGS chain of command,or direct to the DIR Cell on:
0800 161 3665Alternatively MGS staff may wish to use the5x5x5 Intelligence form to report anysuspicions. Forms can be obtained fromthe MGS website under the heading ‘MGSforms’.
ourse V098 ‘Fraudness’, highlights all issuesnding fraud, theft, corruption &
larity and reporting procedures, and isly recommended to all staff.
er Readingable on the Defence Net)IN05044 – The MOD Policy on
, Theft, Corruption, Bribery andlarity.efence Instruction and Noticees further guidance.
ce Fraud & Theft Bulletins biannualns give details of recent cases ing the penalties, and demonstrate
Zero Tolerance Policy
The MOD has a zero tolerance approach tofraud, theft and bribery. All reportedsuspicions are fully investigated andappropriate sanctions for abuse are taken.Gross misconduct offences may lead todisciplinary action which can result indismissal, and also prosecution leading to aprison sentence.
Hospitality and GiftsHospitality and gifts can be accepted only instrictly limited circumstances as set out in theMOD Statement of Policy – 20090907 Standardsof Conduct and Behaviour –Annex
d
Introduction
This guide has been produced to helpincrease your awareness of whatconstitutes fraud, theft, irregularity,corruption and bribery in the MOD.All MOD staff are expected to betrustworthy and demonstrate unequivocalintegrity and honesty in all areas of theirworking lives to protect the publicresources for which they are responsible.Fraud, theft, financial irregularity,corruption or bribery in the MOD occursthrough carelessness, negligence or awilful act. It is important therefore that youunderstand the MOD’s policies and
What is Fraud?
The Fraud Act 2006 (England, Wales & NI)defines the offence of fraud. Similar definitionsare detailed in Scottish common law. Fraud canbe categorised into three main areas:1. False representation: e.g. the use of deception
in the submission of false travel andsubsistence/travelling time claims or abuse of flexi time. Or where an advance for thepurchase of a bicycle is misused to buy a motor bike.
2. Failure to disclose information when there is a legal duty to do so e.g. failing to disclose achange of circumstances whereby claims woulbe deemed no longer valid.
Gifts, Reward and Hospitality.This safeguards both individuals and theorganisation against allegations of corruption
ResponsibilitiesIndividual Obligations• To act with integrity/propriety in the use of
official resources/funds.• Ensure receipts & records of expenditure/
claims are maintained accurately and kept for at least 3 years.
• Ensure that official equipment is notabused e.g. telephones and IT equipment.
• Ensure that all gifts and hospitality offers,whether accepted or not, are recorded in aHospitality book.
• Immediately report any suspicions ofirregularity, fraud, corruption, theft or bribery.
• Immediately report offers of a bribe orcommission from contractors, members
ts
procedures to minimise the risks, as wellas knowing what to do if you suspect afraudulent act is taking place.What is Financial Irregularity?
This can involve any expenditure orresources taken outside regulations suchas false/excessive travel claims,unauthorised use of official telephonesand abuse of financial advances.
What is Corruption?
Corruption includes the offering, givingand acceptance of rewards which caninfluence action. Individuals should nottherefore accept gifts and hospitality whichcould be considered to compromisepersonal judgement or integrity.
3. Abuse of position, for example where anindividual is expected to safeguard the interesof their employer.
What is Theft?
Theft involves dishonestly taking the property ofanother (be it private or MOD property) with theintention of permanent deprivation. This caninclude tangible items such as money orequipment or intangibles such as downloadedinformation.
What is Bribery?
Bribery covers the offering, promising or givingof an advantage (financial or otherwise), andrequesting, agreeing to receive or accepting anadvantage in exchange for improper behaviour,performance or activity. It also covers failure bya commercial organisation to prevent a bribe
of the public or other Crown servants.
being paid for or on its behalf.
