A Suffolk man who spent a long, and at times dangerous career protecting UK borders from crooks and drug smugglers, has published a book detailing his most daring cases and escapes.
Jim Jarvie from Pettistree near Wickham Market is the author of My Life in UK Customs, which looks back at his 40-year career in customs and border force.
Those 40 years include an OBE, the Queen’s Bravery Award, posts in Lisbon and South America, and many high-scale drugs busting operations.
Mr Jarvie, 70, became a commissioned officer for HM customs and excise in 1973. After three years working in Norwich, he applied to join the investigations division, and was accepted into the drugs investigation team based in Fleet Street, London, where his investigative career began.
Mr Jarvie said that his ‘watershed moment’ occurred in 1979, when a container with cannabis on board arrived in Felixstowe.
Mr Jarvie and his team knew that cannabis was concealed in the floor of the container, meaning that they couldn’t remove it initially.
Instead, they tailed its driver for 24 hours.
“It culminated in a stop in Commercial Road in London, when we realised the lorry driver had noticed one of the surveillance team,” he said.
“We were told to arrest the driver. As I ran along the road, I saw what I thought was an old age pensioner who had been knocked over, and two policemen struggling with a guy on the pavement.
“I piled in as well and pinned his arms down.”
During the struggle, he heard one of the policemen say, he’s got a gun, and another say that someone had been shot.
“I looked back about 30 yards, and some of my colleagues were trying to resuscitate Peter Bennett, a 33-year-old colleague of mine, who unfortunately died within about 20 seconds,” Mr Jarvie said.
The assailant was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, and Mr Jarvie was awarded the Queen’s Medal for Bravery.
“It was definitely a watershed moment for me,” he said. “That was when it hit me that we were dealing with some really nasty people.”
The biggest case he worked on involved a shipment of cannabis imported by the infamous 'Mr Nice', AKA Howard Marks, who was said to be the biggest cannabis smuggler in the world.
In 2003, Mr Jarvie’s team intercepted a ship containing cat litter at Felixstowe. Concealed amongst the cat litter was 400 kg of heroin.
He also remembers tailing a suspect who gave him the slip in London – only to encounter him by chance later that day, when he and his colleague stopped for breakfast in a café.
Mr Jarvie said he is pleased to have compiled his memories in the book for his family.
You get a real buzz when you find something,” he said. “For those 30 minutes, it’s the most exciting job in the world.”
Mr Jarvie retired in 2012, the same year he was awarded an OBE for his 40 years of service.
To buy the book, click here
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