My name is Donovan Gronkowski, but most people call me ‘Donny’. I’m a second generation Polish-American currently living in Brooklyn, New York. When my ‘Ma’ and ‘Pa’ moved here in the late 50’s they called it the ‘Golden age of capitalism’. America was the greatest country in the world, or so they were told, and to them anything was better than the iron fist of the Soviet Union. The details of how they got to the United States were never revealed to me as kid, but I do know that once they were here it wasn’t all they thought it would be. My Mom struggled to find work for the first year or so, and ended up becoming a cleaner in some downtown mall, meanwhile my father found work in the meatpacking district in one of the warehouses. From what I could grasp, neither of them learnt English very well so any better jobs were impossible to get. After 2 years in America, they brought me into the world. We all crammed into a 1 room apartment in Queens, and that’s about all I can remember from what my foster parents told me. When I was about a year old, my ‘Pa’ died. It turned out that the guys he’d been working for had ripped off the local Mob Boss, so he sent a car full of shooters to iron out the problem. My old man was caught in the cross fire.

Quickly after my dad’s passing my Mom spiralled out of control. From what I’ve been told she drank too much and ended up in relationships with some pretty unsavoury dudes. I think she must have realised that this was no life for a kid, so when I was two she put me up for adoption. Once I was in ‘the system’, I had to learn to be tough from a young age. Not only did I get beat, I eventually started dishing out the beatings. I dropped out school at 14 and found myself doing manual labour down at the docks. The work was hard. Blood, sweat and tears were common every single day, but through the hardships I became one tough son of bitch. After only seven or eight months I was in the best shape of my life. By the age of 15 I was bigger than some of the men that were almost twice my age. This was when my foster mom finally told me about what had happened to my real parents. I can remember the rage that I felt that night. I’d heard all about the gangs, or ‘wise guys’ as they people referred to them as, down in the meat packing district when I was working at the docks, heck I’d even met a few of them. Too think they could have been responsible for my parents deaths made me sick. For weeks after the news broke I contemplated my revenge, how could I get to the most untouchable of men without getting killed or arrested? That’s when it came to me. I’d become a cop.

Character study :
– My main character is a young (early 20’s) police officer who has just been forced to move from his new home.
– He doesn’t make much money and is forced to rent properties, like so many young people in London.
– He now lives in a deprived council estate in North London whilst he searches for somewhere else to live.
– Recently discovered that the reason he was forced to move is because a rich businessman bought the land where his old house was.
– He drives a second-hand car to work every morning, and it takes him over 2 hours to get through all the traffic.
– He did well at school and completed his A-levels but he did not continue into higher education.
– He lives with a room mate who he has known for quite some time.
– He fears that he might lose the little money he has left – Pride.
– Loss of pride triggers anger – his ambition is all gone.
– His goal is to find out how and why all the housing is inaccessible in London and seek justice for those who are affected.

Hunted – A short story by Archie Hall

The time was about 6 o’clock in the morning, mid-January, and as I gingerly shuffled out my bed, I was immediately greeted by the sound of rain pummelling against my window. Peeping through the protective shroud of my curtains, I observed the chaos occurring outside as gale force winds flung all matter of inanimate objects about the street. It seemed more of a war zone than a North London housing estate. Not to say the area I lived in was ever aesthetically pleasing, but this had certainly done it no favours and I immediately began to wish we’d never had move there. Some things are just out of our control.
After transforming out of my pyjamas and into my uniform, I made my way down my creaky, shoddy staircase in search of a morning coffee. Cars run on petrol – I run on coffee, it’s as simple as that. After that I was straight out of the front door and out into the modern day wild-west otherwise known as London.
Sitting in my car, the heater blasting in front of me, my mind yet again drifted back to the thought of why I had been forced to move to this somewhat unsavoury neighbourhood. I loved my old place, everything about it was perfect. Nice neighbours, peaceful area and above all a lovely house. I’d grafted for years to afford the rent and just as I was settling in it was all snatched away from me by some greedy, bloody millionaire. From what I’d heard, his name was David Hunt and he’d been buying up residential areas across the city for quite some time. He was said to be quite a dodgy fella, but people like him were well out of my league to go after. After slogging my way through the hordes of cars, I parked and made my way into the station, making sure to grab another cup of coffee on my way through. From there I went to lockup to see what new arrivals we had today. This was always a laugh because at this time in the morning all the drunks we’d pulled in would be sobering up and wondering where they were. “Morning,” I grunted as I wandered past the officer in charge of the cells. As it was a Tuesday, not all the cells were full as most people would be working instead of out drinking. Everyone I could spy through the gap in the doors was still asleep, apart from one ragged looking fella who was sat cross legged on the bed. As soon as he saw me, he just glared and muttered “Unless your here to let me out…Fuck off.”
It had been a quiet morning so far and we’d passed the time filling out the stacks of paperwork that come with being a police officer. Many incident reports later, we heard a commotion out near the interrogation rooms. “Give me my phone call!” yelled a tall man in a black trench coat. He was clearly very angry. The officers around him told him to calm down and that he’d be let out very soon. “Do you know who your messing with?” he demanded angrily. “We have all your details here sir,” one of the officers said as he tried to usher him into the interrogation room. As the small group of men disappeared into the room, the last thing I heard was “I’m David bloody Hunt you idiots, let me go or….”. And just like that there was silence as the soundproof door closed behind them. Or what I wondered. But then I realised who he was. The man I’d heard about on the news who was buying all the properties in Chelsea. The same man who’d bought my house! I waited outside the interrogation room for around an hour before one of the officers came out. I was eager to find out what had brought Mr Hunt into our custody and desperate to be part of the team who were trying to take him down. Upon asking this officer about what was going on, I was told that someone from inside Hunts organisation had tipped us off about a major weapons deal going down in a apartment complex owned by ‘Hunts properties limited’. Apparently, someone had slipped a note onto the windscreen of a parked police car, which meant we had no idea who our mystery informant was. Of course, Mr Hunt didn’t know that. The note simply read ’12 Barton lane, 10 o’clock, weapons deal’.
After the interrogation was complete, Mr Hunt quickly left. He stormed through the station shouting at the top of his lungs as he went. Waiting outside was a blacked-out range rover, which whisked him away as soon as he got into the back seat. Still determined to be part of this case, I ran upstairs to the chief’s office. He invited me in, clearly happy to be speaking to someone who wasn’t cussing at him with every word like our friend David Hunt. “Right kid,” he said, “As I’m pretty sure you noticed earlier that gentleman, we just interviewed is not our typical detainee. He’s a gangster, and ruthless one at that. He’s one hell of a clever fella though and makes millions from buying and selling houses”. Little did the chief know, I knew this all too well. He continued, “I know you’re still new to the game but some of the officers are too intimidated to go after him and I need men who aren’t fazed by this scumbag. Are you in?” I accepted in a heartbeat and promptly left the office. It was strange, with those words I was both happy and deeply scared. I knew I had the chance for revenge, the downside being it would be against the most dangerous man in London, and if they found out about my personal vendetta against him, I’d surely be pulled from the case…
Hunt was scheduled to be back for a second round of interviews in 2 days’ time, which meant I didn’t have long to brush up on my interrogation skills. That evening I was sat in bed writing out endless amounts of questions into my notebook, I had to find something that would make him trip up and expose himself. After mulling through the list of questions in my brain, I came up with an idea. What if I could convince him that we knew someone in his organisation, and they were us information? We might be able to rattle him enough into making a crucial mistake that we could use as evidence in his prosecution. The next day I was sent out on routine patrol, but I continued to practice the interrogation in my head. Every detail had to be perfect if we were to get our man. It was all or nothing.
The day had arrived. I got to the station early that morning in order to prepare for what could kick-start my policing career. Before Hunt arrived, I made sure to undertake the obvious precautions for dealing with a man who could supposedly make men like me disappear. I removed my badge number and anything else that could be used to identify me and agreed with the other officer in the room that we would not refer to each other by name in his presence. The last thing I needed was a mafia style hit on my head. From what I’d heard it was rumoured that the last 2 officers who had investigated Hunt both had attempts made on their lives. The interview was scheduled for 11:45 but as that time came around, he did not show. I tried hard not to show how scared I really was, but my brow was constantly damp with a cold sweat. Eventually, about 45 minutes late, a blacked-out Mercedes rolled up outside the main entrance. Out stepped Hunt, who was clad in designer clothes from head to toe. He was flanked by two men who both wore suits and shades. His thugs I presumed. He made his way up the steps and stopped. Looking me up and down like a lion sizing up its prey, he snarled “Right you, let’s get this over and done with.” I smiled, “Just this way sir,” and gestured for him to follow. As we made our way to interrogation room number 4, I instructed his men to take a seat in the waiting area nearby. My words seemed to fall upon deaf ears until their boss nodded and they obeyed. It was obvious to me at that point the power that this man held; he need not tell these two huge men what to do as they simply followed his lead.
After arriving at the interrogation room, the officer in charge of that wing of the building unlocked the door for us and we all went inside. The room itself was covered in soundproof panels and was set up with a metal table and 3 chairs. In the far corner was the flickering light of a camera which was recording for our own safety. The officer who accompanied me opened the discussion by pressing play on the tape recorder. He then read out loud “Interview number 2. Subject is Mr David Hunt and time is 12:20 AM.” It was now over to me. “So, Mr Hunt,” I began, I sensed his confidence through his wry grin, “Someone close to you has been giving us all kinds of interesting information about you.” His grin disappeared. “I have nothing to hide,” he said, “people say things about me all the time, it comes with being so widely known.” I folded my arms and laid back into my chair trying to act as confident as possible. “Well our source doesn’t seem to like how you’re running part of your business. Tell us what you know about the weapons deal that went down last week.” “Nothing!” he snapped back. “I’m a legitimate businessman who’s just trying to make his way in the world. Naturally some people don’t like some of the stuff that I do, and they want to tarnish my good name.” It was obvious to us that Hunt was well versed in dodging our questions. He wasn’t letting a thing slip and I was starting to get agitated “We know you are involved in this Mr Hunt! You better start helping yourself now because at this rate you won’t be seeing daylight for a very long time.” Hunt’s jaw dropped at my sudden outburst and it took him a few seconds to compose himself. “Unless you’ve got any proof officer, you can threaten me all you want.” I took a little while to think of a response. He was right after all, without any evidence there was nothing we could do.
I took a short glance at my colleague, and the glazed expression in his eyes told me he’d given in to the pressure. I had to think of a response fast. “Surveillance photos clearly show you arriving through the rear entrance of the apartment in question.” I was lying through my teeth, but I was willing to try anything to get a confession. “Explain that to us then!” I demanded. Hunt looked at the floor and I noticed him playing with the buttons on his coat. He was rocked. All through the interview he had been firing back with quick responses and now he had sunk back into a protective shell of silence. “Erm, well, I think I was visiting one of my tenants,” he stuttered. ‘Bingo’! The sense of unease in his voice was obvious and it was time to go in for the kill. “Ah well that’s strange,” said the other officer, who until now had been sat silently by my side observing the conversation. “Considering that apartment block has been vacant for about 6 months, I’d say that’s complete nonsense!” That was all we needed. He had admitted to being at the location when the deal was going down. “I want to speak to my lawyer now!” demanded Hunt. I chuckled sarcastically. “You most certainly will Mr Hunt. You’re under arrest for the trafficking and distribution of illegal weapons. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if not mentioned when questioned, something which you will later rely on in court.” And just like that my part was over. The other officer slapped on the handcuffs and Mr Hunt was not so graciously dragged off, kicking and screaming to a cell to await his date in court. Justice had been served. Not only was a dangerous weapons dealer off the streets, but many low-income families had been saved from losing their homes, just like what happened to me.

 

 

Introduction – 

In my research report, I hope to answer the question of what makes the ideal crime story? Policing and criminology is something that really interests me, hence why I am pursuing it as a career and in this project. I think the basis of my interest in this topic stems from watching police programs on television from a young age. I would say that as a young person I looked up to police officers as I was always taught that they were good people. As I’ve got older I have continued to take an active interest in the police, especially what happens in the news and the stories behind it. I have taken an interest in American policing as well, as they do the job in a completely different way. Since joining a creative media course at college, I have been given the opportunity to write a lot of criminology related stories and informational materials. I have studied what makes a good crime story by looking at examples of industry standard work, and analysed them for my own benefit. I have also taken a step into the unknown by using the radio studio to create a criminology related podcast. This required me to do much research in order to get my facts right. I listened to a few podcasts to get an idea of what it should sound like and was quite pleased with my finished product.

What will be incorporated in my research report?

In this report I will begin by walking you through the processes I undertook in coming up with my hypothesis. I will explain why I chose this question and what benefit I think it will have to my wider project.

After this I will move onto the various forms of research I undertook in order to answer my question and gather more information on my topic. These include :

-My use of mind maps to decipher what it takes to make an ideal crime story. I used this method to break down my question into lots of smaller parts.

-My analysis of 3 industry examples which I have studied in great depth to see what other authors and film makes do to make a great story or possibly a not so great one.

-An interview with an ex police officer to give me insight into the thought process of a real life officer with first hand experience. This gave me access to the actual procedure behind modern policing.

All of my work will be formed into a structured form to allow for it to be easily read and understood. I will go into detail as to why I have chosen each of these research methods, and how they will help me form an intelligent answer to my question. Finally I will write my conclusion which will include the final answer to my hypothesis.

 

Methodology – 

Primary Research:

To begin with I decided to analyse 3 industry examples which I thought could benefit me in helping answer my question. The beauty of having thousands of industry examples to chose from is that there are endless different styles of work to analyse and learn from. I believe that by simply choosing 3 of them I have expanded my knowledge exponentially and developed new ideas that I otherwise would not have thought of. Here are my 3 analytical reviews of different crime pieces –

 

The Big Sleep – Raymond Chandler

‘The Big Sleep’ is a crime/ detective novel written by Raymond Chandler. Set in a 1930’s Los Angeles, the novel is narrated by the main character Philip Marlowe. Marlowe is a private detective who has been hired to investigate a blackmail case relating to the death of a famous pornographer. His death has caused many other deaths. This is the first of two major conflicts throughout the novel. In the second half of the novel, the detective is concerned with the disappearance of another character. At the end of the novel, the detective is confronted by someone trying to kill him in an abandoned oil field. He uses this experience to put the pieces of the mystery together and solve the second major conflict. The main suspect is forced to confess and the mystery is solved. The entire novel is based around the theme of corruption and self-interest in 1930’s America. The novel is an example of a ‘hard-boiled’ detective novel. A ‘hard-boiled’ detective is someone that shows more masculine qualities than others. They can be compared to knights due to their motivation being personal honour and lack of respect for state justice. This is evident in the novel when Marlowe talks negatively about the police. According to online sources, “Often, critics compare the detective of hard-boiled fiction to a questing knight. Think of King Arthur’s knights, for example, who go on quests to find valuable objects (like the Holy Grail) or to slay a villain. The Holy Grail in hard-boiled fiction is usually the truth.” The story is told from the perspective of the main character, Philip Marlowe, who is a private detective. Chandler deliberately gets into the mindset of a detective when writing this piece so that he can portray a believable character. The way in which minor details are analysed throughout clearly shows the reader that the narrator, a detective, is actively trying to solve the case whilst they’re reading.

 

My sources :
SparkNotes: The Big Sleep: Key Facts. 2020. SparkNotes: The Big Sleep: Key Facts. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/bigsleep/facts/. [Accessed 05 March 2020].
Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2020. The Big Sleep | Introduction & Summary | Britannica. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Big-Sleep-novel-by-Chandler. [Accessed 05 March 2020].
Study.com. 2020. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler: Summary & Analysis | Study.com. [ONLINE] Available at: https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-big-sleep-by-raymond-chandler-summary-analysis.htm [Accessed 06 March 2020].

Real Detective – Netflix Documentary (Ep 1)

Reliving the hunt for a serial murderer in Seattle, Washington in 1997, Real detective uses dramatic depictions of events to hook the viewer and reel them in to what they are watching. The narrator is the detective who worked the case and therefore is able to give the viewer inside information. The recreations are filmed using actors who seem to follow police procedure throughout, allowing the viewer to become immersed in what is going on in front of them. I believe that the narrator is the key to this being an effective documentary as we as viewers are able to respect his opinion a lot more in comparison to if it was just a random voice telling the story. The detective deliberately goes through the questions he was asking himself at the time, which gets the audience thinking. He doesn’t always answer the questions straight away which again hooks you and reels you in as you’re constantly thinking about what the answer to the question would be.
In terms of police procedure, the filming begins with the detective and other officers cordoning off the area in which the body has been found. The examine the body for obvious clues and make preliminary presumptions about what has happened. They then question potential witnesses at the scene before the footage cuts to the detective at the medical examiners office. Here, the medical officer reveals the name of the victim through the use of finger prints and they discuss how the person died and what injuries were caused. The next step of the journey takes us to see the victims grieving family. The detective and his partner question the boyfriend and mother of the victim to try and establish some clues, and to try and see if either of them might have been involved. The detective tells us “I think my partner and I developed a relationship with Denice (The victim)”, which I think is very interesting. Through investigating every aspect of this woman’s life, they have got to know her almost as well as if she were still alive. I think this is lacking in many fictional crime stories in which the detective is commonly very detached from the victim. One of my favourite parts about this program is that it constantly takes us back to the detectives office and shows the discussions between the him and his partner. It shows that he is not alone in solving this case and relies on the ideas and theories of others to help him.
Finally, the prison interview in which the detective finds out who the killer is absolutely perfect. The person who plays the criminal gives off the perfect vibe of a shifty individual who knows more than he lets on. The acting throughout is great and puts us very much in the moment that this is all happening. The ending is shocking and we finally get to answer the questions that the detective was asking himself from the beginning.
When it comes to writing my own pieces I definitely think I will use aspects of this documentary in my writing. I like the fact that the detective works closely with a partner who he can bounce ideas off of, therefore not making himself seem like the sole hero. I think I will also use a scene like the one where he is visiting someone who is already locked in prison. The mental battle between the detective and the criminal trying to play each other is fascinating as it is completely unpredictable and makes the viewer want to keep watching in order to see who comes out on top.

 

Real Crime – Diamond Geezers (2008) – Tom Whitter 
“In an attempted heist worthy of a Hollywood film, a cadre of criminals sets out to steal the worlds largest perfect diamond from a London landmark”.
Based on a real event that made headlines around the world, this documentary uses exclusive police footage and dramatic reconstructions to tell the story of one of the worlds largest attempted heists. Along with a primary narrator who tells us what is going on throughout, this program makes great use of eye witness statements and interviews to give us inside knowledge of what really happened. The chief officer in charge of the police operation is one of the most informative witnesses used. He tells us all about how they caught wind of what was happening and demonstrates some of the police procedure used at the time. This information all contributes towards one key factor. Trust. When a viewer trusts the reliability of the sources used in a production then they are far more likely to read or watch on. For someone like myself who wants to know that what I’m watching is realistic and minimally staged, it is great to see.
There are many aspects of this documentary that I may add to my writing, The use of the police planning board in which they are putting pins in order to try and plan where the next robbery may be is a great scene. I think that I could use this to create a great image for my readers in which my character and his partner are trying to solve a case. It would really put my audience in the room with the detective and they could try and solve the problem at the same time.

 

 

 

Interview with an ex-police officer –

As one of my research methods I chose to send out some questions to an ex police officer. I believe that interviews are a very important form of research as they allow me to get inside the mind of an actual person who has experience in the field of what I am going to write about. Here is what he said –

As an ex police officer, would you say your career was as action filled as books and television series make it out to be?

“In the last half of my career yes I would. This is because I was an Armed Police Officer on the Kent Police Armed Response Unit.”
Walk me through a typical case, how is it solved and who is involved in doing so?
“Depending on the severity of the case, generally you would have an initial response from the patrol officers. If an offender gets arrested then they would be taken into custody where they would be dealt with by a Custody Sergeant. Whilst there they will have their fingerprints and DNA.
They would then be interviewed, possibly by a Detective. If there is any types of forensic evidence, the then the CSI would be involved.
If they are charged they will then be charged and given a court date. If the offence is serious the offender may wait in custody and have to be taken straight to court. This is done by an independent company called Serco.
Once at court, they will be delivered to the cells where they will be handed to the court custody staff.
They will then be taken into court and put before a Judge or Magistrate.
A lot of this will be determined by the severity of the crime that has been committed.”
Do you think the public would find how a crime is actually solved interesting, or do the more action filled interpretations do a better job?
“I think that the public would prefer the action filled interpretations.”
What is the most interesting crime you have ever been involved in?
“The most interesting crime(s) I have been involved with have been shootings and County or National organised crime.”
Do you think the media portray the police in a fair way?
“No not really. I think that the Police are given a bad reputation.”
Do you watch or read any particular crime series that you think are realistic?
“I do like to watch true crime documentaries on the television.”
From the questions I have asked, I feel I have gained some insight into the mind of a police officer. This will come in use when I am writing my final pieces as I can use the information I have learned to make my characters and scenes more realistic. Being taken through the process of a typical case is very useful as I feel it will add realism to my story. The element of police procedure will enhance my writing, and hopefully be a benefit to my readers.

 

Previous work  for a crime podcast –

Above is an extract from my script which I wrote for a crime podcast. I researched the subject of this podcast online using a variety of different websites in order to build up an understanding of who my subject was.

 

 

Findings – 

Throughout this project I have aimed to answer my hypothesis which is “what makes the ideal crime story?” I believe that by doing my research I have uncovered a wealth of information that will help me to firstly answer this question, and secondly help me when I am creating my own crime stories. Through looking at a combination of fictional stories, documentaries and interviews I have been fascinated to discover that there are so many different ways I can set up a story. I have been particularly pleased with what I have learned about modern police procedure as it is something that I am interested in incorporating into my own work. Hearing all about it from a real police officer makes my information as accurate as it can possibly be which will really enhance the realism of my writing.

I also particulaly enjoyed the dialogue used in the making of the documanteries which I studied. The interaction between fellow police officers and the officers and criminals is something I would like to perfect when it comes to my own writing. I think getting to hear the tone which the actors spoke in gave me some great ideas for how my own characters will speak and interact. I will be able to expand on these ideas given to me by the dialogue, through the use of character studies in order to perfect my characters.

Looking back through my research, I have identified some key differences between older crime novels and modern police procedure. I think the lack of realism in past novels wouldn’t hold up in todays market where everyone has access to what the police actually do. From this discovery, I am now certain that my final piece will focus on police procedure in order to tap into todays market.

 

Conclusion- 

From my research I believe that I have conclusive evidence as to what makes the ideal crime story. I have found that there are multiple ways of making great stories, all of which bring fantastic ideas to the table. From the documentaries that I have analysed, I became obvious to me the importance of police procedure in more modern crime stories. In the world we live in now, information is so easy to come by and people expect what they are reading to be factually correct. I will use this information  I have found to influence my own writing as I will try to add in all of the core aspects of police procedure. My knowledge of this was further reinforced through my interview with a former police officer. His first hand experience of how a case is solved has given me new ideas on how my character will use the rest of his team to help solve the crime. Continuing on the aspect of team work, my research made it obvious to me that a lot of the older crime novels were written with a distinct lack of it in mind. “Old generation” detectives such as the one in “The Big Sleep”, were far more solo participants in their mysteries and played a more “knight in shining armour” role in the story. Although I have decided this is not a route I wish to take in my work, it was still useful research to partake in as I have taken some inspiration from the detectives personality within the book. I like his somewhat emotionally damaged personality as I think it plays an underlying role in how he goes about his work. It is very much something that I would like to apply to my own character, as I think that an internal conflict would make for some interesting twists and turns in my own writing.

From my overall research I think there are a variety of strengths and weaknesses. One of the first major strengths that I would point out is the level of detail to which I have analysed my 3 industry examples of work. I meticulously worked through each piece in order to see how it would help me with my own work and what aspects of each I would like to avoid. I also think that the combination of documentaries and novel has given me a wider understanding of the crime genre. Not only have I been able to read how another author structures and crafts his own ideal crime story, I have also been able to watch how police officers go about their job. All of this I feel will culminate in more well rounded piece of writing that takes aspects of both mediums into consideration. I would also like to point out the strength of having an interview as part of my research. I think that it is all well and good taking information from the internet, but hearing from someone with first hand experience really puts the job into perspective. How the police officer described solving a case has given me a lot of inspiration as to how my own character will attempt to do the same.

Continuing on the subject of my interview, I must bring up one of the negative aspects of my research. Whilst the answers I received from my source were satisfactory, I cant help but think he could have gone into more detail on some of the questions I asked. A few of them were somewhat vague answers which I could not gather much information from. In the future I would ideally ask the same questions to a few more police officers if I could find them. This would give me a wider pool of information to work with, and maybe give me a few more ideas to develop. Another small downfall of my research was the lack of information I could find about the previous bit of crime research I had done. Some time ago, I created a podcast on David Hunt and did a lot of research to see what he did and what sort of person he was. I think this research would have been another great example to add to my portfolio of research, however I seem to have misplaced this work. Finally, I did attempt to make a questioner to see what other people thought made the ideal crime story. I posted it onto quiz monkey and have currently got not replies. This would have been good information to have as it would have enabled me to further tailor my work towards what my audience wants. If I were to do it again, I would try and put my quiz out on a platform with a wider audience in order to gather more information.

 

Specialist study in creative media and production

My specialism is criminology and crime writing

 

Aim and purpose –

Designed for students to take greater control of their learning through independent research and presenting an investigation – This is key in relation to criminology.

 

What sort of research do we do currently?

As writers everything we do is a form of primary research as we are always learning new things. We use secondary research as we often write down information given to us directly from the internet.

 

 

• What interests you most about the subject – This can be related to professional life and what motivates you to do it

 

 

• Have SMART targets that aren’t too big and aren’t too narrow. Make them achievable.

 

 

The do’s of this project –

• Manage your time
• Utilise questionnaires effectively – even if they don’t work as planned
• Use a wide range of sources – ensure that Harvard referencing is used
• Structure your answers around your main findings

 

 

 

• Make sure the person that is reading your work knows what you are talking about. Structure the work effectively using headers and explanations as to what you are talking about.

 

 

• Every time you do research ensure you talk about the strengths and the weaknesses of that research.

 

 

Why do we research? 

• To find things out
• To help tailor your own style – seeing what others have done to make ours unique
• To make our work authentic – readers will see through it

 

How do we research?

• Primary research – asking questions, questioners, polls, surveys, your own experiences. Where have you been? Who have you talked to? What do they know?
• Secondary research – The information other people have found and put out to the public via books and the internet.
• Quantative – Facts and figures
• Qualitative – The reasons behind the statistics

 

Why do writers do research?

Writers do research in order to find out information about what they want to write about. In a world where the internet makes information so accessible to everyone, a writer must have his facts straight and to the point to avoid cross examination. Sometimes a writer may simply write down things they see when going about their daily lives as it gives them inspiration for what they’re about to write.

 

How do creatives in general research? 

Creatives in general use all the tools available to them to do research. With access to the internet comes and infinite amount of information which requires careful examination to get what you want. Creatives will often cross-examine themselves to ensure they have the correct data. When out and about creatives will take note of things they see that interest and inspire them. Sometimes simple things they see in the street will spark an idea that can lead to a great story.

 

How do we measure these?

Success – different people measure success in different ways, whether it’s having a happy, healthy family or lots of money

Pain – people in hospital are often asked to rate pain, but people have different pain tolerances so this is never accurate

 

 

The creative brain –

 

What different examples of creativity does the documentary identify?

 

What are the three key obstacles to creativity?

 

What can you do to overcome these obstacles?

 

 

What parts of the creative processes resonate with you?

I think the aspect of using failure as a springboard for success is my favorite aspect of the creative process. This is because it is something to relate to as not all my ideas work out.

 

Were you inspired in any way: how and why?

I enjoyed the director / prison teachers creative process of giving people a chance to express themselves, even when most people just define them by the crime they have committed. I also liked how the animator used a scrap book to inspire his creativity. I think this is a great idea as it gives an infinite source of ideas.

 

 

My Ideas of what I’m going to write – 

Crime short stories –

• 1960’s gangsters
• 1980’s football hooligans
• corruption
• Audio book

 

 

 

You!

What has shaped you as a person?

There are a vast number of things that have shaped me as a person. I would say that my day to day experiences have shaped me as I’ve gone and will continue to do so. My parents have played a big part in making me who I am as I’m with them everyday, so I think some of their personalities have rubbed off on me. My passion for sport has had a profound impact on my life as it has enabled me to develop my social skills and make friends I would not have met without it. I have been able to become and integral member of a team and demonstrated leadership skills on a variety of occasions. Education has also shaped who I am today. Through school and college I have learned a vast array of key life skills that I will carry with me forever and met yet more friends who I see on a regular basis. Education has also helped guide me down the path to study at university which is huge step in young life. Finally, I think my current career in retail has had a big impact on me due to the demanding nature of the industry. I have improved my timings and developed a higher level of social skills to communicate with a variety of people. My tolerance of people has also got better and I am more accepting of some people who I would not have associated myself with before hand.

 

What influenced you and/ or has always influenced you?

I think travel is something that has always influenced me from a young age. As far back as I can remember, we’d always travel to other countries at least twice a year so I have experienced other cultures from a young age. Seeing how other people live and what’s the ‘norm’ in other places has had a profound impact on my life as it’s meant I’ve seen some amazing things that some people could only dream of seeing. Going to New York and seeing the lights and hearing the sounds will stick with me forever. Through all the glamour and money it was shocking to see the inequality between races in America. I witnessed an unacceptable amount of poverty for such a rich country which made me realize how fortunate we are in the UK. My appreciation for the world around me really stems from the time I went scuba diving in Egypt. I saw fish that I’d only ever seen on television and encountered an 10 ft long stingray that simply wowed me. For my future career in the police, I would say that crime documentaries have certainly influenced me as I took an interest in them from a young age. I enjoyed actively trying to solve the crimes along with the detectives and this has continued to where I am now.

 

Where can we look to find answers to questions? The art of noticing.

We can look to both the world around us and other people’s research to find answers to our questions. By exploring the world through travel and real life investigation we can find answers to things that other people do not know about. The internet and other reading resources are treasure-troves of information that are very easily accessible to most people. There are not many things that are not written about somewhere on the internet.

 

 What primary methods of research are available to us and how do they help us create?

There are many useful forms of primary research. Internet surveys allow us to reach a wide amount of different people from around the world. From these surveys we can gather vast amounts of factual and statistical data which can be used as a basis for our creations. For example, if our hypothesis was ‘How often do teenagers spend on their phones per day?’, we could gather information via a survey and use it as a form of research to answer the hypothesis. Focus groups are another good form of primary research for discussing ideas and questions in small groups. Sometimes people might give you information or ask you questions you’ve never thought of before, so this could be highly influential when it comes to being creative.

 

Find something that interests you and ask: How did it get this way?

Policing and criminology is something that really interests me, hence why I am pursuing it as a career. I think the basis of my interest in this topic stems from watching police programs on television from a young age. I would say that as a young person I looked up to police officers as I was always taught that they were good people. As I’ve got older I have continued to take an active interest in the police, especially what happens in the news and the stories behind it. I have taken an interest in american policing as well, as they do the job in a completely different way. Since joining a creative media course at college, I have been given the opportunity to write a lot of criminology related stories and informational materials. I have studied what makes a good crime story by looking at examples of industry standard work, and analysed them for my own benefit. I have also taken a step into the unknown by using the radio studio to create a criminology related podcast. This required me to do much research in order to get my facts right. I listened to a few podcasts to get an idea of what it should sound like and was quite pleased with my finished product.

 

Question Brainstorm – 

In this part of my research I will be listing down possible questions I could use for my hypothesis. (Red highlights are my favorite questions)

• How has crime writing changed over the past 100 years?

 

• How did ‘Sherlock Holmes’ change how crime novels are written?

 

• What makes the ideal crime story?

 

• What impact have crime documentaries had on crime writing in general?

 

• Are pre-television (documentary) crime pieces still viable in today’s market?

 

• What are the differences between 20th and 21st century crime pieces?

 

• How does police procedure influence modern crime writing?

 

•  Do people still enjoy the ‘lone detective’ style of crime writing?

 

• How do modern crime writers tailor their work to today’s audience?

 

From this brainstorming session I have decided to use ‘What makes the ideal crime story’ as my hypothesis for this research project. I think my question can act as an umbrella to incorporate most of the above questions as well. Bringing them all together should give me a huge pool of research to use and make writing my pieces far easier. 

 

 

My mind map

 

Analysis of 3 or more industry examples

 

The Big Sleep – Raymond Chandler

‘The Big Sleep’ is a crime/ detective novel written by Raymond Chandler. Set in a 1930’s Los Angeles, the novel is narrated by the main character Philip Marlowe. Marlowe is a private detective who has been hired to investigate a blackmail case relating to the death of a famous pornographer. His death has caused many other deaths. This is the first of two major conflicts throughout the novel. In the second half of the novel, the detective is concerned with the disappearance of another character. At the end of the novel, the detective is confronted by someone trying to kill him in an abandoned oil field. He uses this experience to put the pieces of the mystery together and solve the second major conflict. The main suspect is forced to confess and the mystery is solved. The entire novel is based around the theme of corruption and self-interest in 1930’s America. The novel is an example of a ‘hard-boiled’ detective novel. A ‘hard-boiled’ detective is someone that shows more masculine qualities than others. They can be compared to knights due to their motivation being personal honour and lack of respect for state justice. This is evident in the novel when Marlowe talks negatively about the police. According to online sources, “Often, critics compare the detective of hard-boiled fiction to a questing knight. Think of King Arthur’s knights, for example, who go on quests to find valuable objects (like the Holy Grail) or to slay a villain. The Holy Grail in hard-boiled fiction is usually the truth.”

 

Date of publication –

1939

 

Narrator –

The story is told from the perspective of the main character, Philip Marlowe, who is a private detective. Chandler deliberately gets into the mindset of a detective when writing this piece so that he can portray a believable character. The way in which minor details are analysed throughout clearly shows the reader that the narrator, a detective, is actively trying to solve the case whilst they’re reading.

 

Tone – 

The entire piece has an underlying tone of darkness running throughout.

 

Tense –

Immediate past

 

 

My sources :

SparkNotes: The Big Sleep: Key Facts. 2020. SparkNotes: The Big Sleep: Key Facts. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/bigsleep/facts/. [Accessed 05 March 2020].

Encyclopedia Britannica. 2020. The Big Sleep | Introduction & Summary | Britannica. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Big-Sleep-novel-by-Chandler. [Accessed 05 March 2020].

Study.com. 2020. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler: Summary & Analysis | Study.com. [ONLINE] Available at: https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-big-sleep-by-raymond-chandler-summary-analysis.htm [Accessed 06 March 2020].

 

 

 

Real Detective documentary  – Episode 1 (Netflix)

Reliving the hunt for a serial murderer in Seattle, Washington in 1997, Real detective uses dramatic depictions of events to hook the viewer and reel them in to what they are watching. The narrator is the detective who worked the case and therefore is able to give the viewer inside information. The recreations are filmed using actors who seem to follow police procedure throughout, allowing the viewer to become immersed in what is going on in front of them. I believe that the narrator is the key to this being an effective documentary as we as viewers are able to respect his opinion a lot more in comparison to if it was just a random voice telling the story. The detective deliberately goes through the questions he was asking himself at the time, which gets the audience thinking. He doesn’t always answer the questions straight away which again hooks you and reels you in as you’re constantly thinking about what the answer to the question would be.

In terms of police procedure, the filming begins with the detective and other officers cordoning off the area in which the body has been found. The examine the body for obvious clues and make preliminary presumptions about what has happened. They then question potential witnesses at the scene before the footage cuts to the detective at the medical examiners office. Here, the medical officer reveals the name of the victim through the use of finger prints and they discuss how the person died and what injuries were caused. The next step of the journey takes us to see the victims grieving family. The detective and his partner question the boyfriend and mother of the victim to try and establish some clues, and to try and see if either of them might have been involved. The detective tells us “I think my partner and I developed a relationship with Denice (The victim)”, which I think is very interesting. Through investigating every aspect of this woman’s life, they have got to know her almost as well as if she were still alive. I think this is lacking in many fictional crime stories in which the detective is commonly very detatched from the victim. One of my favourite parts about this program is that it constantly takes us back to the detectives office and shows the discussions between the him and his partner. It shows that he is not alone in solving this case and relies on the ideas and theories of others to help him.

Finally, the prison interview in which the detective finds out who the killer is is absolutely perfect. The person who plays the criminal gives off the perfect vibe of a shifty individual who knows more than he lets on. The acting throughout is great and puts us very much in the moment that this is all happening. The ending is shocking and we finally get to answer the questions that the detective was asking himself from the beginning.

When it comes to writing my own pieces I definitely think I will use aspects of this documentary in my writing. I like the fact that the detective works closely with a partner who he can bounce ideas off of, therefore not making himself seem like the sole hero. I think I will also use a scene like the one where he is visiting someone who is already locked in prison. The mental battle between the detective and the criminal trying to play each other is fascinating as it is completely unpredictable and makes the viewer want to keep watching in order to see who comes out on top.

 

Real Crime – Diamond Geezers (2008)

Producer – Tom Whitter

 

“In an attempted heist worthy of a Hollywood film, a cadre of criminals sets out to steal the worlds largest perfect diamond from a London landmark”.

Based on a real event that made headlines around the world, this documentary uses exclusive police footage and dramatic reconstructions to tell the story of one of the worlds largest attempted heists. Along with a primary narrator who tells us what is going on throughout, this program makes great use of eye witness statements and interviews to give us inside knowledge of what really happened. The chief officer in charge of the police operation is one of the most informative witnesses used. He tells us all about how they caught wind of what was happening and demonstrates some of the police procedure used at the time. This information all contributes towards one key factor. Trust. When a viewer trusts the reliability of the sources used in a production then they are far more likely to read or watch on. For someone like myself who wants to know that what I’m watching is realistic and minimally staged, it is great to see.

There are many aspects of this documentary that I may add to my writing, The use of the police planning board in which they are putting pins in order to try and plan where the next robbery may be is a great scene. I think that I could use this to create a great image for my readers in which my character and his partner are trying to solve a case. It would really put my audience in the room with the detective and they could try and solve the problem at the same time.

 

 

 

My Interview attempt with an Ex Police officer –

As one of my research methods I chose to send out some questions to an ex police officer. I believe that interviews are a very important form of research as they allow me to get inside the mind of an actual person who has experience in the field of what I am going to write about. Here is what he said –

 

As an ex police officer, would you say your career was as action filled as books and television series make it out to be?

In the last half of my career yes I would. This is because I was an Armed Police Officer on the Kent Police Armed Response Unit.

Walk me through a typical case, how is it solved and who is involved in doing so?

Depending on the severity of the case, generally you would have an initial response from the patrol officers. If an offender gets arrested then they would be taken into custody where they would be dealt with by a Custody Sergeant. Whilst there they will have their fingerprints and DNA.

They would then be interviewed, possibly by a Detective. If there is any types of forensic evidence, the then the CSI would be involved.

If they are charged they will then be charged and given a court date. If the offence is serious the offender may wait in custody and have to be taken straight to court. This is done by an independent company called Serco.

Once at court, they will be delivered to the cells where they will be handed to the court custody staff.

They will then be taken into court and put before a Judge or Magistrate. 

A lot of this will be determined by the severity of the crime that has been committed.

Do you think the public would find how a crime is actually solved interesting, or do the more action filled interpretations do a better job?

I think that the public would prefer the action filled interpretations.

What is the most interesting crime you have ever been involved in?

The most interesting crime(s) I have been involved with have been shootings and County or National organised crime.

Do you think the media portray the police in a fair way?

No not really. I think that the Police are given a bad reputation. 

Do you watch or read any particular crime series that you think are realistic?

I do like to watch true crime documentaries on the television.

From the questions I have asked, I feel I have gained some insight into the mind of a police officer. This will come in use when I am writing my final pieces as I can use the information I have learned to make my characters and scenes more realistic. Being taken through the process of a typical case is very useful as I feel it will add realism to my story. The element of police procedure will enhance my writing, and hopefully be a benefit to my readers.

 

 

The aim of this project was to create a magazine or leaflet about a chosen topic. We were tasked with researching a target audience and pitching our idea before creating at least two pieces of writing that would go into our magazine.

I the process of deciding what subject my magazine would be about by creating a mind map on an A3 piece of paper. I branched off in many different directions and eventually came to the broad topic of technology. Considering this is a widely discussed topic, I wanted to find an aspect of technology that is not often talked about. I continued to branch off in other directions from technology and eventually came up with bionic limbs. From that point I decided that my piece would be based on bionic limbs and showing all the benefits they give to people and how they are still being developed. I feel that the mind map strategy was very useful in coming up with an idea that I could use as it brought me to topics I would never usually think of.

After mind mapping and coming up with my final topic, I was tasked with creating a power point and doing research to come up with my target audience. I used a site called ‘Acorn’ to do my research on my target audience. I went into major detail in order to find out everything about the people that my magazine is meant for, including where they live, how much they earn, what car they drive and what sort of house they have. I also found that my target demographic would be considered ‘thinkers’ as they are the sort of people who are interested in technology.  I feel that overall the planning stage of my magazine went well as I was given access to a lot of material by my course tutors. The material I was shown was very useful as I had not seen any of the information before hand, so it taught me something new.

For my unit 9 project I have created a radio piece and a short story. The genre of my pieces were the social cleansing of young people in London who are unable to survive on their limited income . I attempted to link my two pieces through the use of one key character. David Hunt. He was the catalyst in proving my point of how young people are being bought out of their homes across London.

I chose the mediums of radio and short story as I wanted to do something I had never tried before, and another that I had experience in doing. I researched the characteristics in each of these mediums before I began production as it is important to know what is typically expected from each piece. I discovered that a short story is usually between 2000 and 3000 words and has one main theme. There is less build up than your typical novel as you have less words to play with, so most short stories are often straight to the point. I chose these mediums for my theme as I felt that I could easily tie them together on the basis of my theme. Focusing on the subject of my short story, I was able to create an effective radio documentary to give more of an insight into who David Hunt is, and how he is responsible for the social cleansing of young people.

I chose the theme of social cleansing of young people as it ties into a particular London based criminal who I have taken an interest in. My tutor had told me about David Hunt and I was fascinated to find out more about him. I therefore used this project to both expand my knowledge on him, whilst also fulfilling the academic criteria. Mr Hunt heavily contributes to the social cleansing of young people through his role in buying properties, which was therefore the topic I decided to cover.

I believe my project has many strengths, but also a few weaknesses that I would like to iron out in the future. Starting with a strength, I believe that my project fits the brief I was given very well. I have used two completely different mediums to discuss a singular theme, and I believe I have gone a step further by combining both my pieces. I think my pieces clearly convey the issue of social cleansing amongst the younger population, allowing my audience to both see the impacts from a human perspective in my short story and from a narrative overview in the radio documentary. Making these pieces did not come without issue though as I had to do 4 different takes of my radio piece before I was satisfied with the end product. My first take was distorted and it was really difficult to hear what was being said. The next two takes were also discarded on the recommendation of one of tutors. I was informed that I was reading too fast. On the fourth try I felt satisfied with what had been created. I had even managed to incorporate an extra voice, something which I had not planned to do. I was disappointed that I was unable to edit in the extra voice to my piece. I tried chopping and changing my file, however I was unsuccessful and ended up leaving my work as it was. If I were to do this again in the future I would like to develop my editing skills before I began recording. I think the podcast would have sounded a lot better if it were complete.

The comments I received from my tutor throughout this project have greatly impacted what I have created as it gave me many new ideas to think of. The most prominent example of this is in my creative writing piece where I changed most of language I was using in my dialogue due to my tutor saying the existing language didn’t suit my character, as my police officer sounded far too well educated to be from a deprived district of London. After reading back though my work I acknowledged this, and I feel it made a really positive impact on my work. Another comment I received at the beginning of my project was to create a character study. I was really struggling to create a convincing character and I had not thought of doing a character study before. Within 30 minutes of doing a quick character study I was back on track and I feel I created a truly realistic character who my readers can connect with. Many of my other comments relate to the timing in which I was posting my work. Reading back through these comments I now realize that in the future I must keep on top of my work as universities will not be so forgiving.

I feel I have developed many key skills whilst doing this project. When writing and recording my radio piece I was able to practice using the recording studio and my script writing. I was shown how to lay out a script for radio so that it was easy to read. The script also helped me with my timings as I could see when different sounds and lines came into effect. I was also able to take advice on board when reading out my script in relation to how quickly and what tone I was reading in. I would now say I am far more confident using the radio room than I was before. Through doing this project I also feel that I have improved my short story writing as I have done some research to further my knowledge of how a good short story should be written. This research includes a short story being between 2000-3000 words and not dwelling on a single event for more than a few lines.

When comparing my pieces to industry examples I can see the clear similarities between them. Another example of a crime themed short story is ‘A good man’ by J.B Stevens, and although the crime I not like the one featured in my story, it is still structured in the same way. It is immediately evident to the reader that both short stories are far more direct and to the point than your typical novel. Neither story dwells on a single event for more than a few lines, which makes the pace of the story quick and therefore exiting. ‘A good man’ is very heavily focused on dialogue which is something that I feel I have done very well in piece. In my opinion dialogue gives the reader the best chance of understanding the character in a short story as we can find out a lot by the way someone talks. Accents and specific word choices allow the reader to decipher where a character comes from and what they do.

An example of another crime radio station is ‘Case file true crime’ which tells stories of real crimes through the use of a narrator talking from an outside perspective. This is very similar to my work as I have a main narrator who reads out the story. In my opinion I think that my piece gives the listener far more factual information than the example I have used, which I think concentrates more on the storytelling. I think that my use of a second voice when reading quotes really adds another dimension to my work. It breaks up the long passages where we just hear the narrator and makes it easier for the listener to distinguish when something is being quoted from a source.

 

 

 

Bionic limbs are a marvel of human engineering. Drawing from our hundreds of years of experience using basic prosthetic limbs, we have managed to combine micro-electronics with current and past designs to create independently moving bionics. Whilst we are still some way off the bionics we see in some movies, these imaginary designs are becoming more and more realistic. It is only a matter of time before we can not only use bionics to replace limbs, but also existing ones through the use of so called exo-skeletons.

Visual bionics, also known as bionic eyes, are microelectronics that can be implanted in the eye. They are able to restore vision to people suffering from partial and total blindness. These pieces of equipment are extremely complex to manufacture and expensive to buy. Surgery is required to implant most of these devices into the eye, which in countries without free public healthcare, is very expensive and inaccessible to a majority of the population. Despite all these challenges, the ‘Alliance of advanced biomedical engineering’ says “the vision bionics market segment is teeming with device prototypes and some commercialised products.” According to the same source, one of the most popular companies is ‘Second sight medical products’, based out of California. Their design consists of an implant that is put into the eye, a camera and a device that is able to process the images captured by the camera. The processing unit is able to transmit the image directly to the implant which then works to stimulate the retinal cells. Similar designs are being developed by companies in France, Germany and Australia.

Auditory bionics fall into three main classes; cochlear implants, auditory brainstem implants and auditory midbrain implants. These devices help to transmit sound to the brain in cases where the body cannot do it by itself. According to ‘Alliance of advanced biomedical engineering’, the market for auditory bionics is far more established than that of visuals. Companies from all around the world are vying to sell their products with varying degrees of success.

Bionic limbs such as arms, legs, knees and feet are some of the most sought after forms of bionic technology as people often lose limbs in accidents, conflict or are simply born without. Scientists around the world have developed many designs that function in a variety of different ways. For example a scientist called Dr Todd Kuiken from the rehabilitation institute of Chicago has developed a bionic arm that is controlled by the users brain. The new arm is connected to the brain via surviving motor nerves which used to connect to the old arm. When the person decides they want to move their arm, the brain sends an electrical signal down these existing nerves, which is then picked up by electrodes inside the bionic arm. Dr Kuiken is now working to build on the design and give it more functions. There are plans to allow the arm to feel pressure and heat, which would be a major advancement in creating a life-like bionic arm. A bionic knee developed my MIT has been given the ability to think for itself. Unlike previous bionic knees which have to be programmed to the exact specifications of the user, this new knee has the ability to program itself to provide a comfortable and realistic range of motion. According to the designers, the main purpose of this technology is to make walking with a prosthetic leg easier.

The future of bionics looks bright as many multi-million pound companies battle it out to create ever more advanced designs. With the advances in nano-tech growing year on year, realistic bionic human limbs are not too far away. When we watch movies like  the old star wars, and see what people during that time thought bionics would look like in the future, it’s amazing to think that technology is now just around the corner. For example ‘Luke Sky walkers’ bionic arm is very similar to the one we have discussed previously. The parts needed for producing bionics are becoming ever cheaper as they become less specialised and more common. We are starting to see smaller start up companies trial their designs with fascinating innovations. As strange as it may seem, a world where mechanoid like human beings exist is closer than we may think. Forget Arnold Swarzenegar’s terminator, this could be the future. There may soon come a time when bionic limbs function better than existing human limbs which will leave a real dilemma. Will people simply choose to replace their limbs with bionics to enhance their performance or will bionics be kept especially for those who really need them? Only time will tell.

 

The topic of bionics is not something you will see coming up in the news very often. We hear all about the heroes and those killed in the various wars fought around the world, but often little attention is paid to the survivors who are put out of action by injuries sustained in combat. This weeks issue of Robotico is looking into the incredible advances in bionic limbs which are being pioneered by engineers and scientists around the world.

The first prosthetic limb is believed to have been created some time around 300 B.C. It was uncovered in Capri, Italy and was a simple design made of Copper. These simple, one piece designs were used all the way from this time until around 1529 when French physician Ambroise Pare began to scientifically develop improved prosthetic’s for soldiers who had lost limbs in war. There was no shortage of test subjects for him to experiment with, as during this time Europe was almost constantly at war, and due to simplicity of the periods medicine amputation was a common practise. Many years later in 1898 a doctor called Vanghetti designed a prosthetic limb which could move via muscle contractions.

After World war 1 many doctors and engineers begun to design many unique prosthetics in order to improve the quality of life for veterans who were wounded in the trenches. Much like during the era of Ambroise Pare, there were hundreds of thousands of wounded men in need of replacement limbs as the brutal nature of 20th Century combat had caused devastating injuries. It wasn’t till post-world war 2 that medical advancements allowed for the development of significantly improved artificial limbs. In 1945, the national academy of science created a program called the ‘artificial limb program’ to improve the lives of veterans who had been wounded in service to their country.

Fast forward to 1993 and the worlds first bionic limb was fitted to and used by a Scottish man named Robert Campbell Aired. This piece of equipment could rotate at the shoulder and wrist, bend at the elbow and grip with the fingers. Around this time the world of artificial limbs really took a leap forward in terms of the materials being used. Metal alloys, carbon fibre and plastics were at the fore-front of materials being used as they were very durable and much more hygienic than the wood that was previously used.  In 2007 the worlds first fully bionic hand with individually working fingers was put on the market for all to use, and in 2013 smartphone compatible bionics were also introduced.

 Character study :

• My main character is a young (early 20’s) police officer who has just been forced to move from his new home.
• He doesn’t make much money and is forced to rent properties, like so many young people in London.
• He now lives in a deprived council estate in North London whilst he searches for somewhere else to live.
• Recently discovered that the reason he was forced to move is because a rich businessman bought the land where his old house was.
• He drives a second-hand car to work every morning, and it takes him over 2 hours to get through all the traffic.
• He did well at school and completed his A-levels but he did not continue into higher education.
• He lives with a room mate who he has known for quite some time.
• He fears that he might lose the little money he has left – Pride.
• Loss of pride triggers anger – his ambition is all gone.
• His goal is to find out how and why all the housing is inaccessible in London and seek justice for those who are affected.

 

 

Hunted – A short story by Archie Hall

 

The time was about 6 o’clock in the morning, mid-January, and as I gingerly shuffled out my bed, I was immediately greeted by the sound of rain pummelling against my window. Peeping through the protective shroud of my curtains, I observed the chaos occurring outside as gale force winds flung all matter of inanimate objects about the street. It seemed more of a war zone than a North London housing estate. Not to say the area I lived in was ever aesthetically pleasing, but this had certainly done it no favours and I immediately began to wish we’d never had move there. Some things are just out of our control.

After transforming out of my pyjamas and into my uniform, I made my way down my creaky, shoddy staircase in search of a morning coffee. Cars need petrol – I need coffee, it’s as simple as that. After that I was straight out of the front door and out into the modern day wild-west otherwise known as London.
Sitting in my car, the heater blasting in front of me, my mind yet again drifted back to the thought of why I had been forced to move to this somewhat unsavoury neighbourhood. I loved my old place, everything about it was perfect. Nice neighbours, peaceful area and above all a lovely house. I’d grafted for years to afford the rent and just as I was settling in it was all snatched away from me by some greedy, bloody millionaire. From what I’d heard, his name was David Hunt and he’d been buying up residential areas across the city for quite some time. He was said to be quite a dodgy fella, but people like him were well out of my league to go after. After slogging my way through the hordes of cars, I parked and made my way into the station, making sure to grab another cup of coffee on my way through. From there I went to lockup to see what new arrivals we had today. This was always a laugh because as this time in the morning all the drunks we’d pulled in would be sobering up and wondering where they were. “Morning,” I grunted as I wandered past the officer in charge of the cells. As it was a Tuesday, not all the cells were full as most people would be working instead of out drinking. Everyone I could spy through the gap in the doors was still asleep, apart from one ragged looking man who was sat cross legged on the bed. As soon as he saw me, he just glared and muttered “Unless your here to let me out…Fuck off.”
It had been a quiet morning so far and we’d passed the time filling out the stacks of paperwork that come with being a police officer. Many incident reports later, we heard a commotion out near the interrogation rooms. “Give me my phone call!” yelled a tall man in a black trench coat. He was clearly very angry. The officers around him told him to calm down and that he’d be let out very soon. “Do you know who your messing with?” he demanded angrily. “We have all your details here sir,” one of the officers said as he tried to usher him into the interrogation room. As the small group of men disappeared into the room, the last thing I heard was “I’m David bloody Hunt you idiots, let me go or….”. And just like that there was silence as the soundproof door closed behind them. Or what I wondered. But then I realised who he was. The man I’d heard about on the news who was buying all the properties in Chelsea. The same man who’d bought my house! I waited outside the interrogation room for around an hour before one of the officers came out. I was eager to find out what had brought Mr Hunt into our custody and desperate to be part of the team who were trying to take him down. Upon asking this officer about what was going on, I was told that someone from inside Hunts organisation had tipped us off about a major weapons deal going down in a apartment complex owned by ‘Hunts properties limited’. Apparently, someone had slipped a note onto the windscreen of a parked police car, which meant we had no idea who our mystery informant was. Of course, Mr Hunt didn’t know that. The note simply read ’12 Barton lane, 10 o’clock, weapons deal’.
After the interrogation was complete, Mr Hunt quickly left. He stormed through the station shouting at the top of his lungs as he went. Waiting outside was a blacked-out range rover, which whisked him away as soon as he got into the back seat. Still determined to be part of this case, I ran upstairs to the chief’s office. He invited me in, clearly happy to be speaking to someone who wasn’t cussing at him with every word like our friend David Hunt. “Right kid,” he said, “As I’m pretty sure you noticed earlier that gentleman, we just interviewed is not our typical detainee. He’s a gangster, and ruthless one at that. He’s one hell of a clever fella though and makes millions from buying and selling houses”. Little did the chief know, I knew this all too well. He continued, “I know you’re still new to the game but some of the officers are too intimidated to go after him and I need men who aren’t fazed by this scumbag. Are you in?” I accepted in a heartbeat and promptly left the office. It was strange, with those words I was both happy and deeply scared. I knew I had the chance for revenge, the downside being it would be against the most dangerous man in London, and if they found out about my personal vendetta against him, I’d surely be pulled from the case…
Hunt was scheduled to be back for a second round of interviews in 2 days’ time, which meant I didn’t have long to brush up on my interrogation skills. That evening I was sat in bed writing out endless amounts of questions into my notebook, I had to find something that would make him trip up and expose himself. After mulling through the list of questions in my brain, I came up with an idea. What if I could convince him that we knew someone in his organisation, and they were us information? We might be able to rattle him enough into making a crucial mistake that we could use as evidence in his prosecution. The next day I was sent out on routine patrol, but I continued to practice the interrogation in my head. Every detail had to be perfect if we were to get our man. It was all or nothing.
The day had arrived. I got to the station early that morning in order to prepare for what could kick-start my policing career. Before Hunt arrived, I made sure to undertake the obvious precautions for dealing with a man who could supposedly make men like me disappear. I removed my badge number and anything else that could be used to identify me and agreed with the other officer in the room that we would not refer to each other by name in his presence. The last thing I needed was a mafia style hit on my head. From what I’d heard it was rumoured that the last 2 officers who had investigated Hunt both had attempts made on their lives. The interview was scheduled for 11:45 but as that time came around, he did not show. I tried hard not to show how scared I really was, but my brow was constantly damp with a cold sweat. Eventually, about 45 minutes late, a blacked-out Mercedes rolled up outside the main entrance. Out stepped Hunt, who was clad in designer clothes from head to toe. He was flanked by two men who both wore suits and shades. His thugs I presumed. He made his way up the steps and stopped. Looking me up and down like a lion sizing up its prey, he snarled “Right you, let’s get this over and done with.” I smiled, “Just this way sir,” and gestured for him to follow. As we made our way to interrogation room number 4, I instructed his men to take a seat in the waiting area nearby. My words seemed to fall upon deaf ears until their boss nodded and they obeyed. It was obvious to me at that point the power that this man held; he need not tell these two huge men what to do as they simply followed his lead.
After arriving at the interrogation room, the officer in charge of that wing of the building unlocked the door for us and we all went inside. The room itself was covered in soundproof panels and was set up with a metal table and 3 chairs. In the far corner was the flickering light of a camera which was recording for our own safety. The officer who accompanied me opened the discussion by pressing play on the tape recorder. He then read out loud “Interview number 2. Subject is Mr David Hunt and time is 12:20 AM.” It was now over to me. “So, Mr Hunt,” I began, I sensed his confidence through his wry grin, “Someone close to you has been giving us all kinds of interesting information about you.” His grin disappeared. “I have nothing to hide,” he said, “people say things about me all the time, it comes with being so widely known.” I folded my arms and laid back into my chair trying to act as confident as possible. “Well our source doesn’t seem to like how you’re running part of your business. Tell us what you know about the weapons deal that went down last week.” “Nothing!” he snapped back. “I’m a legitimate businessman who’s just trying to make his way in the world. Naturally some people don’t like some of the stuff that I do, and they want to tarnish my good name.” It was obvious to us that Hunt was well versed in dodging our questions. He wasn’t letting a thing slip and I was starting to get agitated “We know you are involved in this Mr Hunt! You better start helping yourself now because at this rate you won’t be seeing daylight for a very long time.” Hunt’s jaw dropped at my sudden outburst and it took him a few seconds to compose himself. “Unless you’ve got any proof officer, you can threaten me all you want.” I took a little while to think of a response. He was right after all, without any evidence there was nothing we could do.
I took a short glance at my colleague, and the glazed expression in his eyes told me he’d given in to the pressure. I had to think of a response fast. “Surveillance photos clearly show you arriving through the rear entrance of the apartment in question.” I was lying through my teeth, but I was willing to try anything to get a confession. “Explain that to us then!” I demanded. Hunt looked at the floor and I noticed him playing with the buttons on his coat. He was rocked. All through the interview he had been firing back with quick responses and now he had sunk back into a protective shell of silence. “Erm, well, I think I was visiting one of my tenants,” he stuttered. ‘Bingo’! The sense of unease in his voice was obvious and it was time to go in for the kill. “Ah well that’s strange,” said the other officer, who until now had been sat silently by my side observing the conversation. “Considering that apartment block has been vacant for about 6 months, I’d say that’s complete nonsense!” That was all we needed. He had admitted to being at the location when the deal was going down. “I want to speak to my lawyer now!” demanded Hunt. I chuckled sarcastically. “You most certainly will Mr Hunt. You’re under arrest for the trafficking and distribution of illegal weapons. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if not mentioned when questioned, something which you will later rely on in court.” And just like that my part was over. The other officer slapped on the handcuffs and Mr Hunt was not so graciously dragged off, kicking and screaming to a cell to await his date in court. Justice had been served. Not only was a dangerous weapons dealer off the streets, but many low-income families had been saved from losing their homes, just like what happened to me.

 

 

 

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