Special Operations Unit in 1976
Joan Mascek was murdered in a house on Douglas Road Nottingham in July 1976. Pictured on Douglas Road are 'B' Section of the S.O.U (Special Operations Unit) HQ(CID), now known as Force Support. The Scenes of Crime Officer came along just as the Section were about to begin a search of gardens and dustbins of the houses in the road and he offered to take this photo. (Click on the photo for a larger image and caption) In 1976 the Special Ops Unit consisted of one Inspector and two sections of seven PCs with one Sergeant to each section. The only equipment issued to do such dirty jobs was a blue boiler suit each and a wooden staff especially for the occasion. Brian Davy was 'A' Section Sergeant and we never did find out where the rest of his section had gone without him. The murder was undetected for over twenty-five years, finally being put down to a local pub landlord who was convicted of the crime. Apart from Public Order and Football Match duties. SOU were extra men, when needed to investigate serious crimes. They were all firearms trained and authorised to carry the same on duty.
