Colin Potts' autobiography begins with an account of family life during the Second World War for a mother widowed in 1941 and her six children. Colin was one of those children, and from poverty he progressed to become one of the country's top cops. He describes encounters with unlikely yet influential people, near-death situations and inexplicable incidents.
During thirty-five years spent amidst hurly-burly scenes of policing, Colin was in the front line of many different aspects of police work. His colleagues vented their true feelings in times of extreme stress together with their ever-present humour, and examples of their human touches bring colour to an otherwise black-and-white world within a disciplined public service. After leaving the police service, working in the NHS exposed him to a debilitating nineteenth century management regime, about which he is critical.
The central thread throughout Colin's life has been the importance of belief in others, and face-to-face social contacts. His story demonstrates the importance of proximity and the transformative effect of personal interactions, all of which combine to nurture and improve quality of life. Throughout his career he took these issues into Parish Policing with remarkable success.