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Timing and The Story About `Fenty`

Writer's picture: Russ Magnall Safe and SoundRuss Magnall Safe and Sound

Timing and knowing when, where, and how to use Safe and Sound wellbeing tips, tools, and techniques comes from combining knowledge, practice, and experience, but not necessarily in that order.


Neil Fent or ‘Fenty’ as he was known, was what you would call an ‘old school bobby’. Over

six feet tall, wide at the shoulders and with an imposing presence. The sort of bobby your dad would reminisce about as being the one who would give you a ‘clip round the ear’ (followed by another off your mum and dad when you got home for getting caught in the first place!).


Fenty had been a constable all his service and had twenty-five years ‘in’ when I first met him. I liked him immediately. I could tell he had loads of experience as a ‘copper’; he oozed

confidence and made everyone, even newbies like me, feel welcome.


I knew from the start that working with Fenty would be good for me and jumped at the

chance to be partnered with him at every opportunity. Not only did he know his stuff, but he also had a brilliant sense of humour and knew where to get the best ‘Full English’ on earlies.


Our callsign was November Mike Zero One. The subdivisional van working a ‘two-ten’

afternoon shift on a sunny Tuesday afternoon in May 1990.


The call was to a ‘domestic’. Police language for some sort of family quarrel. Often minor in

nature, but nothing taken for granted, as most murders committed in England are committed in family situations, often out of minor disagreements that boil up out of control. We pull up outside the house, a terraced two-up two-down on a sprawling council estate. As we exit the van, the screaming and shouting from a male and female can be heard coming from the house, made easier by the front door being wide open.


Police officers have a lawful power of entry to go into an ‘Englishman’s castle’, by force if

needed, to protect life or prevent a breach of the peace. The racket coming from the house giving us a reason and lawful authority to enter. No force was needed that day; we walked straight into the hallway turning immediately right into the front room. Fenty went in first, I was just behind him.


We were met by Mr and Mrs Large standing nose to nose in the middle of the room and

determined to carry on their slanging match, seemingly oblivious to the presence of the local constabulary in their living room.


I will never forget what happened next. It wasn’t in the police manual of ‘ to deal with

domestics’ or written in any conflict management handbooks I know of, but it was incredible to see.


Fenty sat down on the settee and picked up a newspaper. Grabbing the remote control, he

turned the television on and flicked to the horse racing pages on Ceefax (for younger readers, Ceefax is like Twitter on the telly but not as good!) The couple continued to rant as Fenty sat, cross-legged and relaxed, flicking his gaze between the paper and the telly. I stood in the doorway, dumbfounded, with no idea what was going on!


About fifteen seconds later, the couple slowly became aware that a policeman had walked

into their living room and was sitting on the settee looking at the horse racing results on their telly! They stopped rowing, both looking at Fenty with a look of horror and disbelief on their faces.


Mr Large spoke first.


‘What the fuck d’ya think you’re doing!’ he roared.


Fenty replied calmly and quietly with his gaze still fixed on the television.


‘Hi folks, we’ve had a call about a disturbance from this house and I wondered if there was

anything we can do to help, but before we do that, can I just check the 3.30 at York?’


I still had no idea what was going on, but what I did know was the fighting had stopped.

Their attention diverted away from fighting each other and towards positive conversation to start resolving whatever the issue was. It was a surreal moment, but it worked!


Contrast that with a different approach, perhaps an attempt to verbally dominate the

couple, put ‘hands on’ and start to wrestle them apart? Arrests, a fight, injuries, who knows? Gas, batons, handcuffs, Taser? Loads of options are available but communication skills, tact and diplomacy should always be the police officer’s first choice.


Back to Fenty’s technique. That was the first and last time I ever saw anyone, including

Fenty, do anything like that. How did he know how to do that? How did he know he wouldn’t make matters worse? Where on earth did it come from? He never disclosed.


‘Experience, son!’ was all I could ever coax from him.


The story was told many times at parties, retirement events; in fact, anytime we came

together socially, invariably the story would be told, to peals of laughter.


No one can argue that it was unconventional, but it worked. It was exactly the right thing to

do at that time. This story serves a purpose for us all. When we think about wellbeing, resilience and mental health, whether our own or someone else’s, sometimes it takes something ‘outside the box’ to sort things out, and it often pays to be creative with what you do. There’s no ‘one size fits all’, and timing is important, as it was for Fenty that day.


Knowing what to do and when to do it will come to you too, as long as you remember that it all boils down to knowledge, experience, and practice, but not necessarily in that order! :)

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