Awards for Spence police team

James Kell • Published 17 Jun 2009 16:00 0 Comments

THE POLICE team which dealt with the 'chaotic' aftermath of the fatal stabbing of teenager Robert "Junior" Spence have received an award.

Inspector Mike Graham lead the team which preserved vital evidence at the scene, spoke to witnesses and dealt with drunken onlookers and the angry family and friends of the dead 17-year-old.

The team of 22 officers received a commendation from area commander Chief Supt Richard Bennett for their handling of the initial investigation, which led to murder convictions for three men in April.

Speaking to the Chronicle, Inspector Graham said he had never known a night like May 2 last year in his entire policing career.

He said: 'My shift had started already and the first reports we had were that three men had been attacked in town and had turned up at the Royal Berks.

'So then it was a case of sending troops to both locations. Getting people where they wanted to go, but also to sort out who were witnesses, who were potential suspects, and we had to preserve the scene as much as possible. In terms of resources, at that time of the morning, you have what you have but once that vital evidence is lost, it"s lost.

'There"s a lot of anger and confusion, so officers have to be professional and you"ve got to stay calm and do your job. But they are very difficult circumstances for everyone involved.

'I"m doing the co-ordinating of who goes where but if your officers don"t do their job, whether it"s just maintaining a cordon or whatever, it all falls apart, but in this force we"ve got a very good response to major incidents and everyone really pulled together.

'It"s difficult receiving a commendation when someone"s died, with an investigation like this we know that if you get things wrong there will be a big impact on the community.'

Acting Superintendent Paul Hayles added: 'When Robert and two others arrived at the Royal Berks, there was a lot of anger towards police and it was a hostile environment in which to work, and the chance of a successful prosecution depends on what happens at this stage.

'No-one let the team down and we were able to get justice for Robert Spence.'

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