Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2014/January 2015 | Page 19

INTERVIEW

Floyd Higginson: A
man of conviction
Special report by Peter White

A

comprehensive review of how
police investigations are carried
out on the Isle of Wight has
recently been completed.
The pilot scheme, headed by Det. Insp.
Floyd Higginson, has proved so successful
during its seven-month trial that it will
soon be introduced across Hampshire.
Following inevitable Government cuts,
it was essential to make the Hampshire
and Isle of Wight Force ‘leaner and
meaner’. Det Insp Higginson was chosen
to head the pilot because of his 22 years
experience as a CID officer, with much of
his service centred on crime investigation.
He describes the Island as a ‘testing
ground’ for the way future police
investigations will be structured
elsewhere. He said: “Basically our
unit comprises not just CID, but also
uniformed officers and Police Staff
Investigators. It is a One Stop Shop for all
crime, which is good for the community,
good for the victim and good for the
development of Police Officers.”
So whether it’s car vandalism, shop
lifting, assaults or even homicide, the
Newport-based team will deal with any
incident ‘from cradle to grave’, providing
continuity across all fields of crime, with
the emphasis very much on ensuring
the safety and wellbeing of victims.
Det. Insp. Higginson underlined: “The
victim is paramount. All victims will be
treated according to their needs and
requirements at the time.
“My job was to come here and
amalgamate the resources, to make sure
we had sufficient numbers to do the job,
and ensure that if a job comes in we can
give a quality of service with the right
officer going to the victim at the right
time, focussing on the victim’s needs.
“For me at one time it was all about
getting someone to a conviction; the
whole mind set of the Force now is that

Picture by Jan Brayley/Hampshire Constabulary

“That threw up a lot
of big challenges,
because, for example,
you cannot approach
unexpected child
deaths like you would
a murder case.”
prosecution is secondary. Of course
we want to convict criminals, but some
people want to know that they are safe,
and our job now is to protect those who
cannot protect themselves.”
Born and raised in Wolverhampton,

Floyd Higginson moved south when he
was 16, spending six months Royal Navy
training on HMS Raleigh in Plymouth,
before arriving in Portsmouth to serve on
HMS Manchester as a sonar operator and
physical training instructor. He recalls: “I
got off the train at Portsmouth, and didn’t
really know where I was, because apart
from my spell in Plymouth, I had never
really been outside Wolverhampton.”
At 27 he reached a crossroads, knowing
he could stay in the military, or make a
life away from it. So after a variety of jobs
from selling vacuum cleaners to pension
schemes, he applied for the police force.
He said: “I filled my application form
out, and three months to the day I found
myself as a beat officer in Cosham.
“The local community were very
supportive in general, but there were
those who weren’t too keen to see me,
because I wore a uniform, and I have to
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