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InterviewEX-POLICE GATHER:John Kennard withthe early EPIC bookletlisting members64HAPPY‘In particular, the softFM companies could seeincreased M&A activity,as the larger outfitslook to strengthen theirofferings and the midsizedcompanies look todiversify.’A facilities managementmarket forecast fromDavid Ascott, CorporateFinance Partner atGrant Thornton UK LLP.EPIC menfrom thebeginningLeonid Brezhnev ruled the SovietUnion, and there were no suchthings as the internet and mobilephones, when Ex-Police in Industryand Commerce (EPIC) began. At thefirst EPIC gathering of 2013 were acouple of men who were among thegroup’s starters. Mark Rowe spoketo one of them.The two seated at the frontwere Harry Atkinson (aProfessional Security readerwho had most complimentary thingsto say about the magazine) and JohnKennard, who recalled that the groupBirmingham, in 1979. To the 2013meeting, also near Birmingham, hebrought a 1983 booklet listing EPICEPIC treasurer, and was for 19 years.Even in those days, he recalled, therewas a breadth to security (and somesecurity and safety) managers whowere ex-police. The booklet readslike a list of old British industrialnames, some that have lasted betterthan others: British Leyland, RoyalDoulton, Ansells Brewery, Rackhamsthe Birmingham department store,the Gas Board, and WedgewoodPottery. John was working for theconstruction company GallifordBrindley.ExpertiseArthur Rees, the retired chiefconstable of Staffordshire, called theoriginal meeting, ‘and quite a fewwere actually serving, and peoplewho had just left the police service.And the idea was that these peoplehad a world of expertise and becauseof the background, the integrity ofthese people, it was felt that theywould have no problems in movingout into industry and commerce. Itwas set up really as a networkingthing, so that if you had a problemAPRIL 2013 PROFESSIONAL SECURITYso in Manchester and you were inBirmingham, you had somebodyamongst the members you couldring,’ not for money, but simplyto do a good turn by discussingsomething that, quite likely, had thesame problem. Or, to coin a phrase,that fellow member might not know,but knew a man who did. The weekof the latest EPIC meeting, JohnKennard turned 83. He joined thepolice in Lancashire - and recallsintroducing ‘panda cars’ there.He went to North America on anexchange for six months; and movedto Warwickshire; and worked on themove of the old Coventry city forceinto Warwickshire; and then, as partof local government reorganising in1974, Coventry went into the WestMidlands force. During the EPICmeeting, one issue that croppedup was whether civilians, evenforeigners, should be ‘parachuted’into senior police jobs - of interestnot only to EPIC members (manywith children now in the police) butto private security people who might(or re-entering) the police as amanager. EPIC patron Don Dovaston,the former Derbyshire deputy chiefconstable, spoke of how he was setagainst non-police, in the police.Would you want someone who wasn’ta professional to do, for example,brain surgery on you? was how heput it.Different worldJohn Kennard, recalling his earlyyears, saw another side. “When Ijoined the police service in 1952,most of the chief constables wereex-military; some of them camefrom the gentry, and had familieswho were titled, even. But theywere individuals. There was noway they were policemen, neverwould have been in a month ofSundays.” In a word, those oldhad this policy, probably becauseof their military background, todelegate. They delegated to thepeople who had been doing the job.It was a different world.” He gavean example, reckoning that once,unless it was a serious crime, mostcriminals if caught would admit theircrime. “Very often he was in court thenext day and he was dealt with andthat was the end of it. He was eitherNow, for whatever reasons, it’sthe opposite; most criminals denyall. Still able to get around, stillgardening, and still interested inlife - on John Kennard’s lapel wasa Probus club badge - he’s retired.The EPIC tie he was wearing was ofa different design to the ones wornby more recent members, which herecalled helping to design. The oldstyle has similar colours and stylebut a different crown, a mistake: theking’s crown, not the queen’s. Therewill come a time, as I joked with him,when King Charles is on the throneand the tie will be right.Enforced retirementsThat EPIC may have particular usegiven the round of enforced policeretirements was aired by CrawfordRobinson. The former Met Policeand then AstraZeneca man, nowconsulting, described how hehad found the commercial world‘completely different’ from 30 yearshave had to leave after 30 years(so-called A19, after the regulation).He suggested encouraging suchpolice to attend an EPIC meeting,and to be mentored. Advice couldinclude how to present yourself ata commercial interview - Crawfordknew, he was wrong - or to writea CV, saying more than what youdid in the police. He made the pointthat the military in the last couple ofyears of their service before ‘CivvyStreet’ can take courses, often inprivate security, as part of their resettlement.The meeting heard fromsome months’ notice before theyhad to leave the police; but not suchtraining. Besides the military leavers,in their late 30s; Crawford went on,‘there’s a new generation comingthrough’. He gave the example ofa 29-year-old security manager fora company in the City; a graduate;with a master’s degree; someonewell-educated who had tried to gointo quantity surveying, but who sawwww.professionalsecurity.co.uk