'Nearly three decades in uniform' - Fleetwood police inspector retires after illustrious career on Fylde coast

Last Friday was Inspector Richard Hurt’s final shift at Fleetwood Station, the same station he was first posted to after joining the police in 1992.

He said: “I stayed in uniform throughout all my career and I have finished in the same station I began at, although I am three ranks higher than I was back then.

“I had no aspirations to do investigative work, I always wanted to help people from a frontline perspective.”

Despite always being in uniform, 51-year-old Richard has had a detailed career and has been involved with a number of high-profile campaigns and operations.

He was first posted at Fleetwood and then went to Poulton before later moving to the force’s headquarters in Hutton, near Preston.

It was during this time he was sent to Stanworth Woods near Blackburn in 1995 where anti-road protesters were campaigning against the M65-extension.

He later returned to the Fylde coast in 1998 at Blackpool’s Bonny Street station as a licensing officer and he was promoted to Sergeant just two years later.

After briefly work at South Shore station’s custody suite he want back into licensing as a sergeant and in 2003 he introduced the ‘Nightsafe Initiative’ to Blackpool.

It was launched with the aim of reducing binge drinking and alcohol related violence in the resort, and the scheme highlighted the issue of widespread problems with alcohol on a national level and provoke open debate on the drinking habits of Brits.

Just over a year later it was launched nationwide by the then Labour Government.

Richard said it was his biggest achivement as a police officer.

He said: “ It was certainly the highlight of my career and something I am very proud of to have introduced to the resort.

“I worked on it at a force level, then a regional level and then for six months I worked with the Home Office so it could be introduced across the country.”

As well as the initiative, Richard brought in ‘ultra-strong’ plastic glasses across the resort to prevent violent attacks with glass ones. These projects were done in conjunction with Blackpool Council and Richard said he built a great partnership with the licensing trade team.

Richard said his most difficult time in the police was working on Preston New Road during the anti-fracking protests.

He said: “I was posted at Kirkham station for 18 months and it was very challenging but people do have a right to protest and we were there to oversee everything.”