| Description | Tape 1 Side A: JAMES URQUHART born 29 January 1964, Isle of Skye. Comments on road bridge to Isle, its impact. Father was skipper of ferries. Recalls his work, emergency call-outs etc. Describes Isle, its people, working class traditions, accent - affected by workers on Inverness railway. Characteristics of Skye speech, gives example. Impact of bridge on own village. Describes childhood home, views across water, effect of bridge on landscape. Details re house. Youngest of three children. Details re two sisters. Paternal family: grandfather from mainland, grannie's family from Skye over many generations. Reference to Battle of Brae. Maternal family: goes well back on Skye. Grandfather from Harris. Has detailed family records. Details re relative Peter McCaskill, 'the Giant'. Details re names in family on both sides. Has memory of very good upbringing in village. Describes location on waterfront of Skye. Recalls childhood games, pastimes. Police based in Broadford, little contact with them. Recalls local special constable who worked with father. Explains role of special constables then, now (in Aberdeen). Not much crime in childhood time. Problems on Isle with alcohol. Important people in community were head teacher, minister. Details re local churches. Father, as ferry skipper, well known. Significance of ferry to village. Describes turntable ferry. Father went to Ireland to test German ferry which was taken over by Caledonian MacBrayne. It remained till bridge came. Recalls ferry names. Father not seaman by training, trained as chef. He worked in Marine Hotel, later worked on fishing boat. He then worked on ferry for 25 years. Parents now retired in Aberdeen. Mentions father's job as gardener at Eventide Home, Balmedie.
Tape 1 Side B: Describes father's personality. Explains setup on ferry, location of skipper's cabin, responsibilities of skipper, nature of job. Recalls taking ferry across under father's supervision. Details re operation of ferry. Father has fascination for sea. Mother opposite of father. Describes her character. She was young when her father died - effect of this. Grandfather a gamekeeper, later worked on railway. Mentions deaths of three of mother's siblings. Own family still close. Recalls positive discipline in childhood. Church important, father an elder. Significance of religion in own daily life. Recalls bible readings, prayers at home - does same with own family. Everybody working class on Skye, all had middle class attitudes. Explains. Parents voted Conservative. Encouraged their children in education. Expected to leave Skye. Sisters' did nursing training. Always wanted to join Police. Recalls early feelings re Aberdeen, which was clean, tidy. Didn't want to join Northern Constabulary. Explains. Attitude on Skye to employment opportunities during childhood. Recalls television then. Possible attraction of police work when young. Had strong sense of order, is methodical. Never affected by liberalisation in society. Explains situation on Skye. Recalls seeing drugs introduced there, clash with culture, relaxed security in childhood. Went to local primary school. Sisters went to Portree. Reason for being sent to Plockton, difference from sisters' experience. Several from village joined police, girls became nurses, others went to university. Recent efforts to keep young people on Skye. Interested in arts, stayed six years, enjoyed school, sport. Details re shinty. Played for Skye etc. Successful academically. Details. Background to joining Police 1982. Attitude to reading, Bible. Importance of music in childhood, now.
Tape 2 Side A: Explains importance of music in life, work. Sings in church choir, plays guitar. Explains impact of Head Teacher, Flora Reid. Describes her. Failed Eleven-Plus exam. Explains output of Broadford Secondary Modern School. Explains how came to go to Plockton College. Mentions later gaining law degree. Importance of encouraging self-confidence. Own attitude re this in police work. Feelings about support of Flora Reid, father. Recalls later visit to her. Mentions careers of others in class at school. Reference to wind-farms. Joined Police at age of 18. Feelings about leaving Skye. One sister studied midwifery, worked with Edinburgh then Medical Missionary Society in Israel. Recalls first days in Police training course, discipline. Describes first night on duty walking on the beat, attending a stabbing in Torry. Took job in stride. Explains. Made decision to go to university. Training period was two years. Recalls key influence of Stan Tennant, his experience, ability. He could talk people down, or up, identify trouble, had intuition. Explains. Importance of Tutor Constable to new recruit. Recalls early work, dealing with micro-issues. Feelings about making a difference, sense of calling to be a Police Officer. Mentions church life. Never had doubts about job. Explains conflicts for some Christians in Police, own attitude. Comments on swearing oaths in court. Explains importance of going by spirit of Bible, and the law when making interpretation.. Explains symbolism of parts of Bible. Only conflict in area of corroboration. Recalls early naive attitudes, attitudes in police to giving evidence, own situation as Christian, potentially conflicting loyalties. Hasn't come across many ethical dilemmas or conflicts of loyalty. Explains.
Tape 2 Side B: Key dates of appointments in Police. 1982 Two-year probation; 1985 Aberdeen City Centre Mobile Support Unit; 1987 Traffic Department; 1988 Training Department Instructor; 1990 Aberdeen University to study for LLB; 1993 Bucksburn Shift Sergeant; 1994 Training Department Sergeant; 1998 Ellon Operational Shifts Sergeant; 1999 Fraserburgh Inspector; 2000 Aberdeen Community Development Department Inspector; 2002 Oil Industry Liaison Officer, Operational Planning Department Chief Inspector. In 1985 worked in Torry, then with Mobile Squad Unit. Aware of drunken oilmen in city during day. Describes. Recalls struggling with big oilman, attempt to get handcuffs on big wrists. Feelings then about oil industry. Trained in minimal self-defence. Often knocked about. Explains gaining of street-credibility. Details re role of close-knit Mobile Support Unit sorting out confrontations etc. Feelings about physical conflict, working with team. Recalls drugs, knives. Describes key incidents, ways of dealing with situations. Explains need to leave unit. Changes to behaviour of oil people. Impact of American influx. Changes to oil workforce, age etc. Street-level reaction to oil industry. Brought up teetotal. Explains father's experience, own attitude to drink. Changes in Police culture re smoking, alcohol, diet, shift systems, exercise. Aberdeen publicans bore brunt of disturbances. Recalls seeing building of Ninian platform, Kishorn fabrication yard. Describes sight of platform moving. Children of oil industry incomers at local school. Lot of Skye men went to Kishorn, Ardersier fabrication yards or offshore because of good money. Recalls father's wage, hearing about unqualified oil workers' wages. Recalls buses taking workers to Kishorn. Impact of oil workers on Skye. Alcohol always big issue there. Recalls changes in friends' families at time of redundancies.
Tape 3 Side A: Mother ran B&B, earned more than father working on ferry. Father gathered whelks to sell for French market. Details re father's earnings. Neither he nor self considered working for oil industry. Details re own job handing out leaflets, earning more than parents. Comments on oil industry impact on Kishorn area. Change to Aberdeen's large fishing fleet. Impact of oil industry on crime early 1980s, increase in drug use. Compares effect of heroin, alcohol. Recalls riotous Northfield pub, The Dancing Cairns. Disturbances lessened with docile effect of heroin. Mentions times of drunken fishermen. Increase in drug deaths, acquisitive crime to finance heroin. Some on Ð400+-a-day habits. Demand created for Aberdeen couriers. Moved to Traffic Department 1987. Feelings about appointment. Reference to Training Department. Started law degree 1990. Details re Police exams for promotions. Details re soccer casualties, violence late 1980s, stopped through hard policing. Explains strategy, gathering intelligence. Comments on possible impact of oil industry, changes, situations for families with high incomes. Completed LLB 1993. Considered staying at university. Prevented from doing honours. Appointed to Bucksburn as Shift Sergeant. Recalls changes to area resulting from oil industry. Bucksburn a 'seeping sore'. Explains. Details re Police command areas, pockets of deprived areas. Describes type of crime in city, Bucksburn, Bridge of Don and other areas where lack of hope leads to crime. In recent crime trends other areas down, Bucksburn no change. Lot of industry workers in Bucksburn - effect of this. Recalls daytime champagne parties held by oil wives in Westhill. Increase in alcohol abuse by oil wives. Details. Domestic abuse always huge issue in Bucksburn area.
Tape 3 Side B: Returned to Training Department 1995. Details. Explains enjoyment of teaching. Strong training team. Redesigned role of Tutor Constable. Details re other course/project work, experiential learning. Not many in Police with law degrees. Mentions some who have. During briefings for new recruits, offshore industry highlighted, also Royal Family, airports etc. In Traffic Department at time of Piper Alpha disaster. Spent c15 hours on phone in Control Room. Explains casualty documentation at time, mistakes made, lack of safeguards. Details re management of information now, processes followed accounting for people. Reference to Lockerbie air disaster. Now responsible for every installation in UK waters. Some platforms well over their time. Grampian Police became experts in major disasters but many experienced people have now gone from Police. Explains way of dealing with Piper situation, approach as a Christian. Comments on why disaster happened, its impact on safety regimes. Explains request for appointment to Ellon as Operations Shift Sergeant 1998. Feelings about city police service, loss of beat, lack of quality service. Good service provided at Ellon. Married 1989. Details re wife, her family. Recalls meeting her on blind date. Details re children. Work in Ellon included road accidents, serious crime. Ellon and other towns expanded as result of oil industry, lost sense of community. Appointed to Fraserburgh, Inspector, 1999. Impact of industry there. Had sense of mission dealing with massive drug problem, heroin. Recalls murders, drug deaths. Feelings about situation as Christian. Recalls a key case. Organised gathering of churches, resulting in Interchurch Drugs Group. Details. Impact of industry on Fraserburgh. Mentions workers commuting from there to Aberdeen, St Fergus.
Tape 4 Side A: Fraserburgh (cont'd). Further details re oil workers commuting to Aberdeen. Describes own work cycle, long days, local problems. Worked up to twelve-hour, eight-day shifts, got tired. Details re family time with children, church, five-a-side football, running, keeping fit. Appointed to Community Development Department as Inspector, Aberdeen 2000. Given blank sheet of paper to establish youth crime philosophy of Grampian Police from non-enforcement perspective. Explains. Example of young housebreaker now off crime, drugs without going to prison. Dealt with youth crime, domestic abuse, victim issues, education unit. Details. Background to appointment as Chief Inspector, Oil Industry Liaison Unit, Deputy Head Operational Planning Department 2002. Mentions involvement at St Fergus re major incidents, counter-terrorism. Explains main brief, drugs, counter-terrorism, emergency response. Details re drugs situation offshore, e.g. cannabis on Claymore platform twenty years ago. Current example re Forties Field. Recent Apache test produced poor results. Details re another recent case. Oil Unit do presentations offshore re drugs. Drugs big problem in Aberdeen etc. Companies encouraged to have drug policies. Details. Mentions use of dogs. Mentions counter-terrorism work, links with Special Branch, Community Service, cascade system of trust.
Tape 4 Side B: Blank
Tape 5 Side A: Current job title Chief Inspector, Oil Industry Liaison Officer for Grampian Police. No equivalent in other police forces. Explains legal jurisdiction over oil installations around UK territorial waters in association with local police forces. Details re procedure at times of incidents. Example of recent Brent Bravo fatal incident where two men killed through gas leak, sequence of actions, passing of information, responsibility of Aberdeen Division, own involvement and responsibility. Time lapse between incident and getting information. Mentions new Bucksburn police call-centre, involvement of Coastguard. Explains application of Action Plans. Details re Police Liaison Officer's (PLO) role within companies' Emergency Response Group. Mentions media releases. Early role for Police after incidents to check for potential crime. Duties on platform including isolation, protection of area of incident. Brent Bravo situation complex because of need to remove victims for possible resuscitation. Details. Further details re procedures followed on Brent Bravo, danger to platform from gas. Whole field shut down. Compares situation with Piper Alpha. Details re police investigation carried out. Reference to RGIT (Robert Gordons Institute of Technology) survival course. Explains involvement of HSE (Health & Safety Executive), Procurator Fiscal. Constant testing of procedures. Prior to Piper Alpha, major incident knowledge related to onshore situations. Plans now in place for offshore. Explains earlier difficulty with telephony, missed calls. Development of link telephony. Details re links with other police forces, possibility of expanding communication net. Mentions accent difficulties. Importance of reconciliation of POB (persons on board) information. Comments on new offshore safety procedures since Piper Alpha; Brent Bravo example. Details re muster area procedures offshore. Mentions deterioration of installations.
Tape 5 Side B: Concern re aging structures offshore. Importance of emergency response being coordinated, weekly exercises. Details. Some companies new to North Sea buying oldest installations. Role of Police to liaise with them re safety etc. Concerned re safety culture of some new companies. Explains. Making progress. Mentions role of consultant companies, e.g. Logic. Emergency Planning Unit focuses onshore. Mentions counter-terrorism aspect of work, CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear) issues. No nuclear issues in Grampian. Long concern re platforms as targets but little terrorist activity. Explains. Compares with onshore threat. Reference to security contacts in oil companies. Advice, consultancy, information sharing on need-to-know basis. Strict confidentiality. Reference to Greenpeace Brent Spar occupation. Explains Police distinction between terrorism, environmental protest. No recent environmental issues since appointment to job. Significance of decommissioning of Maureen platform. Details. Clear guidelines re possible occupation of a platform. Biggest current issue is planned decommissioning of Frigg Field. Explains possibility of international incident. Has two officers involved in Royalty Planning. Details re responsibilities for coordination of Royal Visits to Deeside, royal residences, security of Prince William at St Andrews University. Need for emergency planning. Details. Implications of responsibility for royalty. Details re brief. As young police officer worked at Balmoral. Attitude to royalty. Royal Family member in Grampian area eight months of year. Mentions local building openings by royalty. Explains own Scottish, British identity. Feelings about devolution, independence. Initiatives taken by Scottish Executive. Reference to Scottish voice in Europe. Aspiration in Police to be operational chief inspector in command area, to prepare for role of superintendent. Uncertain about upper ranks which are political. |