Ascension : POLICE REPORT
Submitted by The Islander (Police Ascension) 14.05.2009 (Article Archived on 28.05.2009)

THE EMERGENCY NUMBER FOR THE POLICE IS: 6666 This number is staffed 24/7 if it is a genuine emergency please use it. Just because there is not a Police Officer in the Police Station it does not mean there are no officers on duty.

WELCOME TO PC PETER Mc MULLEN

Peter Mc Mullen has joined us from Scotland, and as written a few words to introduce himself:

CONSTABLE PETER McMULLEN

It is a pleasure to introduce myself to everyone on Ascension Island and I am looking forward to serving with the Police Department. I joined Strathclyde Police in Scotland in 1978 and served with them in various locations for 28 years and as such have a broad base of police experience. My first police posting was to Govan Police Office which is located on the west side of the city of Glasgow. Govan is famous for its ship building industry which until recently had declined a little. However, fortunes have turned and ships are once again being built for the various navies of the world. The other famous residents of Govan are Rangers Football Club. Most people in the world, even if they have never been to Glasgow, always seem to know that there are two big football clubs in Glasgow, Rangers and Celtic. The current manager of Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson was born in Govan and he played for Rangers before moving into football management.

After serving in Glasgow for 6 years in both uniform and plain clothes I moved to a posting in a more rural location in the town of Kilmarnock. If you are a whisky drinker then you may already know that one of the most popular brands of whisky in the world is produced there ‘Johnnie Walker’. Whilst serving in Kilmarnock I gained some valuable experience in policing some of the outlying small towns and villages. This then led to me being transferred in 1990 to the Island of Arran off the West Coast of Scotland. The island is about twice the size of Ascension and has a resident population of 4,500 people, which makes it similar to St. Helena in that respect. During the summer tourists from the mainland could swell the population to 20,000 people, so as a police officer you could be kept very busy. Resultantly I quickly learned how to adjust to the challenges of island policing and I am very hopeful that my experiences on Arran will stand me in good stead for the challenges ahead on Ascension.

On a personal front I am accompanied by my wife Margaret. We have two children who have stayed in Scotland. Dale 24, who is a Firefighter and Vicky 21, who is currently at University studying to become a Nurse. Now I must say a big hello to the children of Coylton Primary School back home. Prior to traveling out with me to Ascension, Margaret was a Classroom Assistant. Some of the pupils at her old school have decided to make Ascension Island their yearly topic. So Margaret will be busy keeping in touch with them from time to time concerning all aspects of Ascension life. We are both looking forward to our time here and I will introduce myself to people as I go about the island.

Dave SISMEY

Sergeant

Ascension Island Police