Title:
Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, by Inspector Maureen Scollan.
Level: Category
Sound Archive
Level: Fonds
ESSEX POLICE: 'SWORN TO SERVE' ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEWS
Level: Series
Interviews by Maureen Scollan
Scope and Content:
TAPE 1: SIDE A - Joined the Southend Borough police force in 1954; joined CID, 1957; joined Regional Crime Squad, 1967; relations and antagonism between Regional Crime Squad and the borough force; recalls some of the officers he worked with in the squad; explains how the Regional Crime Squad worked; firearms qualifications and training; types of crime investigated by the Regional Crime Squad; why the squad was set up; recalls some investigations he was involved in - Wisbech [Cambridgeshire] murder enquiry (1967), investigation into the Richardson gang was just before he joined the squad and the squad missed out on the chance to investigate the Krays, the Tony Maffia murder, 1966, murder of a bank manager's wife and her mother at Hutton, a fortune teller who murdered her husband at Southend, armed robberies, supergrasses, in particular Charlie Lowe whom he accompanied when released from prison.

TAPE 1: SIDE B - more about Charlie Lowe - had tattoos removed and name changed, later was involved in further crimes, went on the run, and cheekily sent cards; describes Lowe's character; officers did things which senior officers would not have approved of, but they had to do them in order to keep the trust of the supergrass; talks more generally about undercover work, how they made their reports; he gave talks about undercover work to less experienced officers; describes an undercover operation at Oxford; discusses using money on undercover operations; giving money to informants.

TAPE 2: SIDE A - more about undercover work, including Oxford job where he pretended to be part of the Kray gang; told that he had to carry his warrant card so he kept it in his shoe; describes his bosses, Mr MacArthur and Joe Coffey; was asked to be one of the first officers to go undercover in a prison, it never happened but instead he toured Chelmsford Prison as a visitor; more about undercover work; story of an operation in Norwich [Norfolk] where they had to arrest the man and then ask him where the police station was; story of spending the night in a car snowed in near Ipswich; visits to Alf "Man Mountain" Deane in attempt to get information relating to the 'Barn Murder'.

TAPE 2: SIDE B - investigations into the 'Barn Murder'; more about fortune teller mentioned on Tape 1 Side A - a very frightening woman; limited numbers of women on Regional Crime Squad, many men thought it was a man's job; woman officer who went undercover to become the girlfriend of the main suspect; possible mistakes when undercover, ways in which one could be recognised as a police officer; story of an operation which resulted in the undercover officer's car being stolen.
Dates of Creation:
30 May 1991
Extent:
180 minutes
Creator Name:
Maureen Scollan
Admin History:
Jack Philip Bridge was born 3 October 1926.
Copyright:
Closed for 30 years. Interviewee and interviewer transferred their copyright to ESVA.
Physical Characteristics:
2 cassettes
Related Unit of Description:
A transcript of this recording is available. Reference: SA 25/1/2/3
Not Available:
Not to be produced. Enquiries should be sent to the Essex Record Office, Wharf Road, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 6YT

Key terms

TypeKey termsDescription
Subjects Crime Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991
Subjects Informers Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes dealings with supergrasses
Subjects Murders Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes murder investigations
Subjects Murders Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes murder investigations
Subjects Police Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991
Subjects Prisons Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, who was asked to go undercover in a prison
Subjects Women Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes discussion of women in police force
Personal Names Alf 'Man Mountain'
Deane 		Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes visits to Alf "Man Mountain" Deane
Personal Names Charlie
Lowe 		Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes dealings with Charlie Lowe, a supergrass
Personal Names Jack Philip
Bridge 		Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991
Personal Names Joe
Coffey 		Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, describes his superior, Joe Coffey
Personal Names Reggie
Kray 		Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, who pretended to be part of Kray gang for undercover operation
Personal Names Ronnie
Kray 		Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, who pretended to be part of Kray gang for undercover operation
Personal Names Tony
Maffia 		Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes mention of investigation into the Tony Maffia murder, 1966
Personal Names Mr
MacArthur 		Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, describes his superior, Mr MacArthur
Place Names Cambridgeshire, Wisbech Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes mention of Wisbech murder enquiry, 1967
Place Names Hutton Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes mention of murder at Hutton
Place Names Norfolk, Norwich Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes mention of undercover operation in Norwich
Place Names Oxfordshire, Oxford Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes details of undercover operation at Oxford
Place Names Southend-on-Sea Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes mention of murder at Southend
Place Names Suffolk, Ipswich Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991, includes story of spending the night in a car snowed in near Ipswich
Document Types Sound recording Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991
Institutions Chelmsford Prison Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991
Institutions Southend Borough Police Interview with Jack Bridge, former Detective Sergeant with Essex Police, 1991