Many people have enjoyed fascinating careers but proportionately few write about them in retirement. Former Police Sergeant Dudley Proctor is among those who have, and his book, ‘Breaking the Blue Code', is just out.

As with all strolls down memory lane, Mr. Proctor's recollections are a mixture of the pleasant and unpleasant, many of the latter the result of the spin-offs of discrimination which he experienced.

Because of those, and the fact that he says he was given no official send-off when he retired, it took him seven years to get to the point where he felt ready to begin writing.

What has emerged from his reams of handwritten material is a pastiche of memories, many of which are potentially fascinating but recorded mainly en passant.

Nonetheless, they do provide a sense of both the pride and prejudice he felt throughout his 25-year career.

If the reader is left with a feeling that, while the sores of injustice the author experienced have healed, the scars remain, that does not mean this is a tale of bitterness.

Rather, it is an insight into how, despite a career which began during segregation and included unwritten “rules” of questionable conformity, Mr. Proctor retained his professional focus and integrity throughout.

To Bermudian readers of all ages it will be further reminder of the struggle black people endured to overcome racial barriers and progress in today's world.

In terms of policing methods, it is a graphic reminder of the chasm which separates yesteryear's simplistic modus operandi from today's sophisticated and technological advances.

Wisely, the author avoids the hazards of libel by not naming names, although living former Police officers will doubtless recognise the characters anyway.

Born in 1930 and educated at West End schools, Mr. Proctor began his working life as a plumber apprentice at HM Dockyard while continuing his education through evening courses.

When the Dockyard closed in 1950, his uncle, first World War veteran Edwin Jack Bulford, encouraged him to “be of public service to the country”.

“I always admired his uniform and medals whenever he went on parade, so I decided to join the Police Force as it was then known, and signed up on December 17, 1950,” the former officer says.

Then, as now, Mr. Proctor was always bandbox smart in his appearance - thanks to having to learn as a youngster how to wash, iron and bake.

He was dedicated and conscientious, and while that counted for something, being black was not an advantage in segregated, colonial Bermuda, and certainly not in the Police Force during the early stages of his career.

Despite the initial indignities he suffered as a black Bermudian in an overwhelmingly white organisation, Mr. Proctor remained undeterred.

He saw the good, the bad and the ugly, and was on the scene during some of the most memorable events in the Island's history - everything from visits by world leaders to riots and the arrest of notorious murderers.

There were dead bodies to retrieve, green tickets to dispense, men to lead and admonish, and crimes to solve.

Along the way, there was a good deal of public relations work to be done, informers to nurture and reward, and, sadly, corrupt colleagues to expose.

In fact, it was the latter which gave the book its title. As was the custom, constables on the beat had to meet their duty sergeant at specific points during their shift and report any unusual circumstances.

On one occasion, when Sgt. Proctor met the two P.c.'s, they said they all was quiet, so he signed their notebooks and the station diary to that effect.

The next day, the radio stations reported that two youths had been assaulted, one of whom required hospital treatment. Sgt. Proctor was hauled before his superior officers and grilled repeatedly in an effort to make him say that the constables had, in fact, told him of the assault.

He steadfastly refused, and the two wound up being found guilty in the Supreme Court. Immediately afterwards, a senior officer told him: “You have told the truth but you will go no further on the Force.”

It was not the first, nor would it be the last, time he was supposed to “look the other way”.

He did not, however, look the other way when murderer ‘Buck' Burrows was captured and brought to the Hamilton Police Station. Mr. Proctor remembers him being “practically thrown” through the doors despite his hands and feet being cuffed, and once inside a West Indian officer beginning to punch him.

He quickly stepped in to stop it, reminding the man that this was unacceptable behaviour.

High spots of the Sergeant's career included four Commendations for outstanding police work, attending a detective's course at the Police Officers' Training College in Bramshill, England, and being seconded to the Supreme Court as deputy provost marshall general, where he says it was his duty to reorganise the department and train a civilian to take over the post.

Naturally, Mr. Proctor has a fund of anecdotes at his disposal, only some of which he has included in his book, but they make interesting reading.

There was, for example, a senior officer whose spelling was so sub-standard that he was famous for hauling suspects on to streets with short names which he could spell when filing his reports.

In fact, Mr. Proctor frequently found himself correcting the English and spelling of fellow officers' reports. Catching a constable on the beat chatting up a pretty tourist without a notebook in sight, Sgt. Proctor first asked him, tongue in cheek, if he had anything to report, and then advised the young man that, if he was trying to date someone in future, he must at least look as if he is working.

It took 15 years for Mr. Proctor to be promoted from constable to sergeant, and by the time he took voluntary retirement in 1975 he could look back on what he describes as a quarter-century of proud, conscientious and honourable service.

Yet it pains him still to recall that, despite having worked until the very last hour of his service, there was no farewell, informal or informal from his superior officers. Not even a handshake, he says. He simply drifted out into the night.

Life, however, was not over for this self-confessed ambitious Bermudian. There then followed a successful 13-year career at the Bermuda Commercial Bank, a change he describes as “very refreshing”.

In the early 1990s he opened his own business at the Clocktower Mall in Dockyard, selling national flags, nurses uniforms, military style clothing and accessories. Four and a half years later the West End Development Corporation raised the rent to such an extent that he was forced to close down what had become a flourishing business and enter into full retirement.

Today, Mr. Proctor continues to enjoy life in many ways. He still loves to bake, and says he is famous for his made-from-scratch gingerbread, which can be found at many a bake sale. He remains an active member of Bright Temple AME Church, which he helped to build; travels frequently, and is also taking Spanish lessons.

Looking in on today's Police Service, the former Sergeant is concerned about the number of cases being lost in the Supreme Court, which he attributes to officers not only mishandling the truth, but also who lack practical experience.

“If you are speaking the truth you don't need to refer to your notebooks,” he says. “Also, they may know the theory of police work but they don't have the practical experience. There is evidence that they are being promoted too quickly, because they are losing too many cases in Supreme Court.”

As to why he wrote his book, the author says the motive was to record his experiences for posterity. “I thought it was long overdue, and appropriate for the younger people. There was a lot of history that was being lost because former policemen who retired have not made public what really happened, and there is no point in my taking this information to the grave.

“It is a legacy to leave behind for the generations to come, and I would especially like to see some of these books put into the Education Department because a lot of young teachers today may not realise what happened. My sacrifices paved the way for the younger generation.”

‘Breaking the Blue Code' is sold at the Bermuda Book Store, the Bookmart, True Reflections, the Green Lantern restaurant, and Caesar's Pharmacy. The price is $25.