SHARP DULLED
I’ve written just about every flavour of DDP obit in my first month. It’s tonally easy enough to praise a Poitier or to skewer a Russell Bishop, but hoo boy, now it’s time for the grey life… *cracks knuckles*
Top cop Leslie Sharp has died aged 85. After the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy in which 94 (later 97) died, Cumbria’s Constable Sharp was among those selected to investigate how culpable the police were for the disaster. The end result was the Taylor Report which officially blamed the police, but had a “the deaths were accidental” undertone shifting blame to the fans. Bereaved families refused to accept the verdict, and their persistence allowed for a new investigation in 2012. Sharp was among those scrutinised, and it was discovered that he had sent a favourable letter to South Yorkshire counterpart Peter Wright, who he had investigated and cleared in 1990, days before Wright retired. The stench of personal bias was indisputable. He is a figure that those affected by Hillsborough will never forgive, and rightly so.
With that in mind, one would expect his turn at a crime-ridden Strathclyde to be another corrupt disaster. It ended up surprisingly competent. Noting the high crime rates and omnipresence of gangs, Sharp trained his men while pursuing an aggressive anti-gun crime policy monickered “Operation Spur”, with his forces quizzing even the pettiest criminal if they knew where to obtain firearms. Crime rates plummeted as a result, and Strathclyde was left a better place. He was a force for nepotism in key career moments and yet a force for improvement in others. Scottish media praised him after his death, whereas Hillsborough-affected families must have exhaled a sigh of relief.
He was a unique pick for theme team IT’S A COP-OUT 2022.
Leslie Sharp
1936 – 18 January 2022, aged 85
💀💀💀💀💀💀 + 👻 = 10 POINTS