Former Surrey police officer Brian Simmons, who now lives in Storrington, has completely turned his life around after retiring from the force to become a successful writer and photographer.
Brian (74) enjoyed an interesting and diverse police career ranging from firearms squad to recruitment and training officer. He also spent time in the media relations office at Surrey Police HQ, Mount Browne in Guildford, where he developed a love of writing.
So with the guidance of a local writing group he set about the task of writing a memoir. He decided on the self-publishing route through Create Space, a subsidiary of Amazon which he said was really accessible and a fascinating experience.
His first book ‘Stepping out from Ashtead 1944 – 1964’ is a light hearted and enjoyable read about his childhood years. Brian’s second book, ‘Until the Lights Went Out’, covers the following thirty years of his colourful life. “It’s really about my life as a police officer in Surrey”, Brian explains.
It recounts some of life’s more serious stuff around bereavement, marriage and divorce, climbing the greasy career pole and an eventual breakdown which ended his career, hence the title “Until the Lights Went Out”. But despite this rather gloomy title, the book also includes a great number of laughs arising from his experiences in the police and also lifts the lid on many aspects of the service the public may be unaware of such as firearms training, rural policing, press and media relations, recruitment processes and more.
Purchase ‘Until The Lights Went Out’ on Amazon
