{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/63565ff61fc1700013a97f66/6ad757c98b2ae9105f096d67?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Steve H -Who Would Have Thought! ","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/63565ff61fc1700013a97f66/1792497523519-1fe82b7d-e6e6-445f-8233-ceadfb4bfa07.jpeg?height=200","description":"<h2>Podcast Précis</h2><p>This episode of <em>Ex-Job Downloaded</em> features host Paul Maleary interviewing Steve H, a former undercover officer who served with the Metropolitan Police and Essex Police. The conversation traces Steve’s life and law enforcement career, blending rich historical context with colourful personal anecdotes from policing in London and Essex. </p><p><br></p><h3>Early Life and Family History</h3><ul><li>Steve was born in 1955 at the City of London Maternity Hospital in-and-out of Bartholomew&#39;s Hospital, growing up as a &quot;city person&quot; with deep ancestral roots stretching back generations. </li></ul><p><br></p><ul><li>He shares fascinating historical insights about his family, including ancestors who were Huguenot refugees, bookies&#39; runners, wigmakers (<em>peruke</em> makers), and community figures in London and surrounding areas. </li></ul><p><br></p><ul><li>Steve recounts the colourful characters in his family tree, such as a grandfather who was a bookie&#39;s runner and rumoured to have severed his own finger to avoid World War I, and a grandmother who was continually pregnant between 1905 and 1927, giving birth to 21 children. </li></ul><p><br></p><h3>Entering the Police Service</h3><ul><li>Steve initially joined the police force out of sheer boredom, triggered by a recruitment poster featuring a copper pointing and declaring &quot;Dull, it isn&#39;t&quot;. </li></ul><p><br></p><ul><li>Before joining the Met, he worked various jobs, including in a butcher&#39;s shop in Murray Grove, Islington, where he crossed paths with colorful local figures like Bobby Leonard, an art thief and furniture handler. </li></ul><p><br></p><ul><li>He joined the Metropolitan Police at 19 years and six days old, navigating early training days at Hendon, dealing with strict routines, and encountering legendary characters and rigorous testing systems like &quot;knowledge and reasonings&quot;. </li></ul><p><br></p><h3>Undercover Work and Specialised Roles</h3><ul><li>Steve discusses his transition into specialized squads, moving from local policing beats to working undercover and intelligence-gathering roles. </li></ul><p><br></p><ul><li>He shares vivid stories of dealing with notorious local elements, neighbourhood dynamics, and the unique realities of policing during eras marked by intense social changes, gang cultures, and East End characters. </li></ul><p><br></p><ul><li>The episode highlights his later service moving up through postings in Edmonton, where he worked alongside pre-war cop veterans, handled complex investigations, and encountered extraordinary administrative and operational hurdles within the force. </li></ul><p><br></p><h2>Hashtags</h2><h2>#ExJobDownloaded #TrueCrime #PoliceHistory #UndercoverPolice #MetropolitanPolice #EssexPolice #PolicePodcast #TrueCrimeCommunity #LawEnforcementHistory #LondonHistory</h2><h2></h2>","author_name":"Paul Maleary"}