Published: Friday, 15th August, 2008 11:46
RAF Police baton honour for Lynn
By David O'Leary
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A local girl has aimed for the sky and recently completed her training with the RAF police force.
Lynn Pearson, 29, also received the prestigious Provost Marshal’s RAF baton, which is awarded to the most outstanding trainee on the Royal Air Force Police course.
The former Priorsford and Peebles High School pupil graduated at RAF Lyneham in Portsmouth in front of her proud mother, Angela, sisters, Hayley and Joanne, and nephew, Jack.
Lynn joined the air force last November and began her initial training at RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire, before completing her training at the Defence Police College at Southwick Park near Portsmouth.
She said: “It came as a complete shock to be awarded the baton. Out of the eighteen in my class I thought I might be in the top four, so it really shocked me when my name was read out. It was fantastic in front of my family.”
Her mother, Angela, said: “I’m so proud of her because she has worked so hard for this. It was a nice shock to get and I’m so glad for her.”
Members of the RAF Police are distinguished by their white-topped caps, which gives rise to their nickname of ‘Snowdrops’, and black/red/black flashes worn below their rank slides, known as "Mars Bars".
Apart from their basic policing duties, the RAF police also fulfil’s the RAF’s counter intelligence role, providing specialist counter-intelligence and computer security support. Unlike their Army Intelligence Corps counterparts, who tend to specialise in a particular area, RAF Police specialists are trained in all aspects of the counter-intelligence field.
Lynn said: “It was some very intensive but invaluable training. The hardest part for me was the Greens phase, which involves camping out in camouflage gear for a week and a half, eating only ration packs. On the other hand, my favourite part was the Enviro’s phase, which is where all your theory and practical training come together and you have to deal with live role-plays.
“I joined the RAF police because it was either that or civilian police in my mind; the fact I’d travel and see the world drew me towards the RAF. My first posting however is at RAF Lossiemouth in Moray but one day hopefully I might get to Gibraltar or Cyprus.”
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