 An officer asleep on the job inspired Mr Brunstrom to join the force |
The chief constable of North Wales Police Richard Brustrom has said he intends to retire "and disappear" by Christmas 2009. In a programme broadcast on BBC Radio Wales on Monday, Mr Brunstrom said he wanted to buy a boat and sail with his wife when his contract ends. Renowned for his outspoken views, he says it was right for public servants to speak out on controversial subjects. He also said there was a debate to be had on increasing police powers.  |
 You will not find me re-emerging as an aspiring politician or in any other field
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Speaking on the Value Judgements programme about his 30-year police career, Mr Brunstrom says: "I have got to stop - everybody has got to stop." He adds: "My wife and I intend to retire, sell up, buy a boat and go sailing. That is while we are still young and fit enough to do so." "I have a contract which goes until Christmas next year and I suspect by that time I will simply retire and simply disappear. "You will not find me re-emerging as an aspiring politician or in any other field. "I hope to be extremely quiet and hopefully a long way away, taking the sun on a coral atoll." The officer, who was last year criticised for using a photograph of a decapitated biker in a press briefing without the family's permission, has regularly courted controversy and made headlines across Britain. In September 2007 he subjected himself to a 50,000 volt taser to test the effects. In December he reportedly broke into his own Colwyn Bay headquarters to test security, but it recently emerged he may have had a faulty key fob. He is also known for his support for the decriminalisation of heroin. But, speaking in the programme, he says: "There is a real need for more public debate on topics of importance that politicians can listen to to formulate better policies." Police state Mr Brunstrom spoke about the future of policing in a devolved Wales, and calls for a debate on whether increasing police powers further will lead to a police state. He also reveals how he was attracted to the force by a bobby sleeping on the job. Recalling how he had just been dumped by a girlfriend and was cycling in the rain past a police car, he says: "As I cycled past in the rain thinking I wasn't enjoying my life much I saw there was a police officer in the car. "And he was lying flat on the driver's seat with his hat over his eyes clearly fast asleep...and I though 'I can do that job,' just like that literally, there and then."
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