A police officer is to be recognised after his “astonishing” memory led to him identifying 130 criminals on the streets of Birmingham simply from memorising their faces in CCTV stills.
Dubbed by West Midlands Police the ‘memory man’ and by local press as the ‘human CCTV’, PCSO Andy Pope has been able to successfully identify sex offenders, violent criminals and thieves from their pictures alone.
In one exceptional case he even recognised a serial robber on a bus from pictures broadcast 12 months previously on the BBC’s Crimewatch.
PCSO Pope works with the Safer Travel team on some of the city’s busiest arterial routes.
He said: “A lot of offenders do pass through city at some point and, when they do, I want to be able to recognise them.
“I get into work 30 minutes before my shift starts and scan police systems to see if any new wanted faces have been added – and I’ll maybe have another look at lunch as a refresher.
“I don’t think I’ve got any special gift, just a knack for remembering faces.”
Not that this helps him much in his personal life. He goes on to say: “I may have a knack for remembering faces but my wife and friends will tell you I’m still more than capable of forgetting birthdays or anniversaries!”
PCSO Pope is due to receive the Joyce Campbell Award, recognising outstanding service by members of police support staff, from West Midlands Police Chief Constable Chris Sims tomorrow.
He remains most proud of his Crimewatch spot, however: “There had been several nasty robberies on the number 9 bus route and an image of the main suspect appeared on Crimewatch in 2010.
“About a year later I was walking in Colmore Row when I passed a man and thought ‘I know that face from somewhere’. I started chatting to him, took his details, and a few days later we made the arrest.”
PCSO Pope’s team have helped to reduce crime on public transport in the region by 65% in the last five years.
Safer Travel inspector Gareth Morris, said: “Andy has shown an astonishing ability in facial recognition and, as a direct result of his identifications, numerous prolific offenders have been brought to justice.
“He has a fantastic work ethic and commitment to Safer Travel; he’s so successful that he’s the first stop for many detectives hoping to identify offenders.
“He has made a great contribution to helping reduce crime on our transport networks – let’s see how many wanted people he can spot this year!”