In the Watches of the Night
In the watches of the night
thus did policing time itself
Each hour, the Watch
Upon the night sky
deepest darkness abides
Each hour, the Watch
A flicker there, a movement here
Halt! Who goes there?
In this Watching Hour
The collar felt
Hands cuffed
In this safeguarding Watching hour
Kindly words
Ah yes, if you take first right, go carefully
In this reassuring Watching hour
Kenneth Thomas Webb
Liverpool
May 8, 2021
All Rights Reserved
United Kingdom - Austria - Germany - Australia - New Zealand - Canada - USA
© Kenneth Thomas Webb 2021
Author Note
As a 19 year old newly warranted constable back in 1972, of the four week shift-cycle we worked, the week of seven nights was my favourite. The world is different at night time. And even in our 24/7 Age, when city centres never close, I love to observe the vibrancy; I love to stand, as in former days, quietly watching, there but not there. That was, for me, the essence of policing, as well as being that person to whom the public had an absolute right to approach and to request assistance, or to have a chat, pass the time of night or day, a laugh, and then happily move on one’s way. This was the essence of British policing - the bobby on the beat - and I believe it is still with us.
I took great comfort from that one line of scripture from Psalm 63 that had caught my imagination at Sunday School a decade or more earlier … in the watches of the night … then learning from my father, a serving police officer, that yes, the night was indeed divided into ‘watches’.
It warms me to this day.
The banner image is licensed by Adobe Stock to IBM 2021 and depicts Constables 408 and 625 serving with the Northamptonshire Constabulary.
I will write further on this, in due course.
I love to stand, as in former days, quietly watching, there but not there. That was, for me, the essence of policing …
Ken Webb is a writer and proofreader. His website, kennwebb.com, showcases his work as a writer, blogger and podcaster, resting on his successive careers as a police officer, progressing to a junior lawyer in succession and trusts as a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives, a retired officer with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, and latterly, for three years, the owner and editor of two lifestyle magazines in Liverpool.
He also just handed over a successful two year chairmanship in Gloucestershire with Cheltenham Regency Probus.
Pandemic aside, he spends his time equally between his city, Liverpool, and the county of his birth, Gloucestershire.
In this fast-paced present age, proof-reading is essential. And this skill also occasionally leads to copy-editing writers’ manuscripts for submission to publishers and also student and post graduate dissertations.
