Published at 13:41, Sunday, 03 February 2013

A POLICEMAN who dreamed of a career in the force rose to the top of his profession – despite initially being told he was too short.

RESPECTED Former Barrow police superintendent Alan Ford, who died this week at his homesubmitted

The family of Alan Ford, of Yarlside Road, Roose, paid tribute to the former Barrow police superintendent who died, aged 88, at home on Sunday following a long illness.

The granddad of four and great-grandfather of two served his time as a fitter and turner in Barrow shipyard and later took a job at Sellafield.

But his appetite for a career in the force had been whetted when he served as a police cadet during the war.

Spurred on by his wife Freda, Mr Ford pursued a career change with the police.

But he fell less than an inch short of the old 5ft 10ins height restriction and was unable to join the former Barrow borough force.

Instead, he pursued his ambition by approaching the old Lancashire county force, who, he was told, were less strict on height.

He was taken on and moved to work the beat in Morecambe before he was re-located to Brierfield in Lancashire.

After the couple struggled to settle, he was able to return home and switch to the Barrow force, where he rose to superintendent.

He was at the centre of high-profile murder investigations, such as the killing of two five-year-old girls found dead in York Street in 1958.

Mr Ford did a lot of his own prosecuting in court, often without notes, to the amazement of solicitors, said Mrs Ford, his wife of almost 64 years.

“I think his boss said to him before he came to Barrow that he wouldn’t do any good there, that he wouldn’t be able to progress,” said Mrs Ford.

“But I think that made him more determined that he would do.

“He studied a lot at his job, passed every exam he sat, and made it right through.”

Mr Ford retired early following two heart attacks which resulted in him undergoing a heart by-pass.

He and Mrs Ford loved bowling, sequence dancing and shared treasured memories of holidays abroad.

Daughter Carol Massicks said: “He was the old-style policeman – strict and firm, but very fair and a lot of people in the town had a lot of time for him.”

Daughter Pauline Mellors said: “The two things in his life he lived for were his family and his career.

“He would be the one we all went to if any of us had a problem because somehow he seemed to sort everything out.”

l A funeral for Mr Ford is due to take place on Tuesday, at 1pm at St Mary’s Church, Dalton.

Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk