I admit it.  I’m usually not so keen on the whole Christmas thing so when the shops start playing Christmas music in September I feel a bit ‘Bah Humbug’.  I like the day itself if I can spend time with my family and friends but quite often on my Unit that doesn’t happen.  Last year I was on call as the Force PolSA, I was called out at 5am on Boxing day following a Christmas day murder and that was the last I saw of home until the New Year.  The year before we dived under Ice at Tilgate lake in Crawley on Chrsitmas Eve for a weapon from a GBH, that certainly made me appreciate sitting by the fire when I finally got to it. 

The festive period usually means an increase in work for us on the SSU.  I don’t want to be the bringer of doom (again!) but it would be good if increasing awareness of what we do would help you all to remain safer and prevent us from being called out.  It’s saddening to go to incidents that could have been avoided so if one person is safer for any of the social media messages that come from us on the SSU then my work is done.

Generally we have more alcohol related water fatalities in the lead up to Christmas and New Year.  I am collecting data on such incidents and the current figures show that out of 27 accidental deaths in water in the last few years 56% were alcohol related.  That’s a lot of potentially avoidable incidents.

One year we were called to dive on New Year’s Eve to recover the body of a young man who had been walking home in a town centre by a river a few days before, he was so drunk that he just fell into the water and drowned.  In another tragic incident a year or so ago two people came out of a party and fell through a fence into the river, one drowned.  One particularly horrific incident a few days before Christmas occurred when a chap was travelling home in a car and for some reason came off the road.  The car went into the river and sank, doing the recovery of the car with the man inside was gruesome and it was saddening thinking of all the presents round the Christmas tree that would never get opened and that Christmas would never be the same for his family.

Many accidents we have been called to have occurred where the person has lived near water (for example on boats) and they don’t safely manage to get home because they are intoxicated and they fall in the water.  Then we have the revellers who drink more than they should and think it’s a great idea to go for a ‘dip’ or borrow a canoe or boat and it all goes wrong.  It always seems like a good idea at the time and most of us have been there - I’ve come out of a nightclub and gone swimming in the sea (a few years ago now!) but if I knew what I know now I wouldn’t have done it.  My rule of thumb is that alcohol and water just don’t mix unless you’re going to be drinking them out of a glass or bottle.

Sadly we also have an increase in people going missing and/or taking their own life at this time of the year, Christmas is emotive and enhances your feelings whether they be good or bad ones.  I would encourage you all to keep an eye out for friends, family or acquaintances who may not be feeling themselves.

Every time that someone asks me if I’ve been busy at work I always think that ‘No’ is the best answer for the good of the general population.  In reality I never say ‘No’ because we’re always busy and if we’re not working on specialist jobs we will be assisting our colleagues on divisions with searches of premises for crime related matters, missing people or security searches. 

This Christmas, if I could not be called out in either my capacity as a PolSA or a police diver over the festive period then I will see that as a very good sign.  I will value the time I get to spend with my family as I know not everyone is as fortunate and no one will mean it more than I when I wish you a safe and happy festive period.