British Transport Police 1981- 2009:
I joined the British Transport Police on 27th April 1981, having decided not to pursue a career as a professional boxer. On my first day I was introduced to my Area Commander who said to me, ‘I understand that you are a boxer?’ I informed him that I had retired from boxing.
He then went on to say, ‘The European Police Championships are in two weeks and the BTP have never had anyone enter them before’.
I tried the reinforce the fact that I no longer wanted to be involved in competitive boxing, however he then went on to say, ‘PC Williamson you don’t seem to understand me you are going to box in the Police European Championships’.
I then heard what he said!
I boxed in the European Championships held at year at the Royal Albert Hall against boxers from all over Europe who had represented their respective countries internationally. The Albert Hall was packed with people wanting to see ‘Cops fighting each other’. I expected to lose as my opponents were National Champions of Italy and West Germany, but I won the Heavyweight category and it was the best start to my police career that I could have wished for.
Service History (Main Postings only)
- April 1981 to June 1988 – Police Constable London North:
Kings Cross
Liverpool Street
Stratford
The Mobile Support Unit
- June 1988 to June 1993 – Detective Constable London South General CID
- June 1993 to June 2000 – Detective Constable London North, Stratford CID
- June 2000 to November 2001 – Police Sergeant London North:
Duty PS at Kings Cross
Custody PS at Euston
PS for District Section
- November 2001 to July 2002 – Detective Sergeant ‘L’ Area. General CID
- July 2002 to May 2004 – Inspector ‘L’ Area Duly Officer
- May 2004 to June 2006 – Inspector Criminal Justice Unit
- July 2006 to January 2008 – Inspector – OIC Poplar Police Station
- January 2008 to January 2009 – ‘L’ Area OIC Area Training Unit
- January 2009 to April 2009 – OIC Finsbury Park
EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS
Called to the Bar of Middle Temple November 2002
Inns of Court School of Law Bar Vocational Course 2000-2002
City University, University of London 2000-2002
Postgraduate Diploma Legal Practice
Queen Mary and Westfield College,
University of London 1997-1999
LLM (Criminal Justice and Criminology)
LLB (Hons) 1996
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After the Police Olympics in 1988, I decided to retire from Amateur Boxing and concentrate on my police career focusing on career development in the BTP. I decided to seek an academic qualification prior to actively seeking promotion. I qualified as Barrister in 2002, in order to be able to contribute to the BTP in a more effective manner.
Chief Superintendent Steve Hotson and Chief Constable Sir Ian Johnson took a pioneering approach to try to put the BTP at the cutting edge of Criminal Justice within the Police Service and allowed me to undertake a 12 months Pupillage. It was a significant turning point in my career. This took me outside the police service for the first time in twenty-one years, expanding my knowledge landscape by introducing me to a ‘garden’ I would never have dared to enter if were not for the BTP. In attempting to unravel my career in the BTP I have looked back at various landmarks on the map of my police career, the most valuable are that I have many treasured memories and life-long friendships.
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Deputy Chairman and Legal Advisor British Transport Police Support Association for Minority Ethnic Staff: 2000-2008. – Founder member.
This was established to address prejudicial, discriminatory, and unequal treatment within the British Transport Police, to eradicate practices reflecting the supremacy of one group over another. Ensuring equality was firmly embedded in the governance of the BTP and their Policing Plan. Increasing the understanding of diversity in the BTP. The need to address diversity was an operational imperative.
We created a partnership founded on trust and mutual respect to become responsive to the needs of minority groups in order to get diversity right within the British Transport Police before we could go out to the community and provide reassurance. The goal was an equitable service for all. Putting people first ensured the BTP focussed on what really mattered.
By being Legal Advisor to ‘SAME’, I had an overview of a number of cases where there had been unfair treatment to BME staff, offering advice and arbitration, which saved the BTP from timely and expensive employment tribunals, due to my experience in the BTP and legal knowledge.
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Summary Boxing Career
- Port of London Authority Heavyweight Champion 1979.
- South East London ABA Heavyweight Champion 1981 and 1982.
- South East London ABA Super Heavyweight Champion 1983 and 1985.
- London ABA Super Heavyweight Champion 1983 and 1985.
- ABA national finalist Super Heavyweight 1983.
- ABA Super Heavyweight Champion 1985.
- Golden Bear Tournament, Berlin winner Superheavyweight 1984.
- Police Olympic Super heavyweight gold medallist 1984 Arizona, USA.
- Police Olympic Super Heavyweight Gold Medallist 1988, Sydney, Australia
- World Games for Police. Fire and Emergency Services World Championships 1985 Super heavyweight Gold Medal.
- European Police Heavyweight champion 1981.
- European Police Super Heavyweight champion 1988.
- Representative honours for England Amateur Boxing Association.
- Favourite venue – the Royal Albert Hall having boxed there successfully on six occasions.
- Favourite event – the Police Olympics held in Sydney Australia. This was a magnificently staged event. Having won the Gold medal at Super Heavyweight I decided to retire from boxing.
- Chief Coach to the British Police Boxing Team at the 1997 Police /Services World Championships Calgary Canada.
- Embodying the qualities, the Police needed to develop.
- Through my involvement with the British Olympic Committee in 1988, I was presented to Her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace in August 1988.
- Awarded the ‘Queens Police Medal’ in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2004, for exemplary leadership and outstanding conduct, Awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, 8th June 2019, for services to Boxing and the Community of London. (see Honours, Decorations & Medals table)
- Chairman of Fitzroy Lodge Amateur Boxing Club – Mentor for young people and aspiring amateur/professional athletes 2008.
- Legal Correspondent for Arise News (International TV Station).
- Legal Advisor to the British Boxing Board of Control.
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The Road to the 1985 ABA Final
The ABA finals are one of the highlights of the British Sporting calendar. I commenced my journey to winning the 1985 ABA title as soon as I lost in the Finals of the 1983 National ABA Championship at Wembley Arena in May 1983. I was the favourite to win the title in 1983. At the National Semi-Finals shown live on BBC 1, Commentator Des Lynam stated, ‘The only Boxer I have seen tonight who is guaranteed a place for the Olympics next year is Guy Williamson’. Unfortunately during this bout I tore the ligaments in my right shoulder. I had to have extensive rehabilitation at RAF Headley Court that hampered my preparation for the finals.
The 1983 ABA finals were held at a packed Wembley Arena and shown live on BBC 1. I was supported by a very large contingent of my peers in the BTP who made their presence known. I underperformed and lost on a majority decision. Harry Carpenter described my performance as that of an ‘Unexploded Bomb’. Losing in the 1983 ABA Super Heavyweight final was a very humbling experience causing me to feel humiliated, disappointed, angry, frustrated and worthless. I did not look at myself positively. I became disempowered. I had let my colleagues down. Feeling like a loser was a very scary and lonely place, I would be surrounded by people but be in isolation.
The only way to predict the future is to create it. I had to change the narrative. The emotional and physical side of redemption was enormous. I was injured and did not compete in the 1984 ABA championships. The pain of falling short in 1983 and missing out on life-changing opportunities in 1984, motivated me to return for the 1985 ABA Championships and commence my journey to redemption and vindication of two years of hurt and underperformance.
I have had to rebuild my life, past performance does not necessarily predict future performance I was not the same person I was in the 1983 ABA Finals. I returned to training in August 1984, turning my flabby bits into muscle amongst ‘oceans of sweat’ on the gym floor as the changes in my body emerged. I worked closely with Billy Webster and Howard Rainey in identifying my future development, training and appropriate action plans monitoring and evaluating the impact and value of training to improve my performance, double-checking and cross-referencing everything we did. Having to constantly work against a burden of doubt to prove myself, I focused on the positives and lived with small improvements each day.
Utilising the Gym I integrated new knowledge and behavioural routines when using my physical agility to incorporate a combination of tactics. Identifying skills gaps, improving and perfecting my knowledge and mastery of my ring-craft.
I lived and breathed boxing from November1984 to May 1985, in pursuit of my goal. I lived in the Gym six days a week with split-sessions of road work in mornings, I did strength and circuit training in the afternoons and skills, sparring in the evening. I was given keys to the gym as doing shift work made attending training sessions difficult and I trained on my own with the help of colleagues in the BTP who were incredible. I reached out to the management of BTP and the Police Federation and they offered support and assistance. I was critical and analytical of my performance in the eight contests I had prior to reaching the 1985 ABA Finals.
Fitzroy Lodge ABC established a culture where no excuses were tolerated. It formulated in my mind the will and perseverance to become a champion for the Lodge and the BTP as my peers inspired and provided me with motivation during the tough times – encouraging me to believe I could win the ABA’s. The culture at the ‘Lodge’ taught me how to learn that most valuable lesson of knowing how to deal with failure and to be gracious in victory. I developed in my mind that there was no substitute for hard work which became the foundation for my future success and enabled me to become disciplined, determined and dedicated in the pursuit of the 1985 ABA title. Gaining inspiration from the role-models I was exposed to as a young man in the 1980’s.
I returned to the 1985 Championships finals hungry and more importantly prepared Hannibal is famously quoted, ‘I will find a way , or I will make a way’. That was the level of determination I had that year. Nothing could stop me. The 1985 London ABA Finals of the ABA’s at the Royal Albert Hall gave me the opportunity to showcase my class as I won the bout against the 1984 Olympic Bronze Medallist with a unanimous decision. I steamrolled my way through the rest of qualifying with only one goal in mind. The feeling when my hand was raised at the end of those three rounds was a feeling like no other. An immense feeling of vindication and satisfaction came with conquering an obstacle that had been paid for by sweat, equity and hours in the gym.
I could not have achieved success in 1985 without my family at Fitzroy Lodge. Knowing that I had the support of the BTP helped me to become an ABA Champion in 1985. I owe the BTP an immeasurable emotional debt. I would not have succeeded in 1985 without the support of the BTP. The 1985 Boxing season was of invaluable benefit to my personal development.
Boxing is a sport that displays grace and power as an art form in the face of violence and skill – akin to a game of chess played in the face of danger. Unfortunately boxing suffers more than any other sport from misconceived perceptions concerning the intellectual capacity of boxers. The majority of people have no understanding or disregard the intelligence required to be a boxer, due to a lack of knowledge to dispel injudicious stereotyping and misconception encouraging the belief that boxers are ‘inarticulate brutes’ that can only express themselves through their fists.
A boxer learns to develop by being critical and analytical of their performance, encompassing self-assessment and looking at issues strategically. Boxing encourages an individual to become decisive and confident to trust their cultivated judgment. The culture in boxing gymnasiums promotes core values, encouraging the boxer to become hard working, ambitious, respectful, disciplined, determined, and dedicated to shape the lives they hope to live.
Exposure to boxing can sometimes be a humbling experience where you develop empathy and understanding of all echelons of society. Maintaining alternative outlooks on their socio-political and economic environmental issues. The boxing gym is a place where a boxer’s peers will inspire, encourage, and motivate each other to believe the difficult is achievable.
The sportsmanship and self-worth that I developed from boxing forced me to confront the demons of self-doubt. Being in the BTP helped develop pride, strength of character, resilience to step into the square ring and face an opponent one on one knowing that only one will emerge victorious. It has been a huge honour to represent Fitzroy Lodge, England, the British Transport Police, and the Police Service of the UK internationally.
Guy Williamson BEM QPM