Stuart McMillan, a former police officer, has been unveiled as RoSPA’s new chief examiner for advanced driving and motorcycling.
Stuart, who succeeds Bob Smalley as chief examiner, joined West Mercia Police in 1979. In 1983 he gained the Class 1 advanced motorcycle qualification and became a motorcycle patrol officer. Two years later, he also gained his Class 1 driver qualification.
He transferred to the West Mercia Police Driving School in 1990 and became a police motorcycle instructor the following year. He went on to head up driver training for West Mercia Police until 1998, before retiring from uniform and joining the force’s support staff in 2008.
Stuart is more than familiar with RoSPA’s network of advanced drivers and riders. In 2010, he achieved a gold award in the RoSPA Advanced Motorcycling Test and became a member of Shropshire and Powys Advanced Riders.
He has since gone on to take RoADAR’s Advanced Tutor Test, subsequently becoming training officer for Shropshire and Powys Advanced Riders. Earlier this year, he gained RoSPA’s Diploma in Advanced Riding Instruction. He is also a RoSPA examiner for cars and motorcycles.
Stuart said: “Advanced training is the one thing that you can do, a qualification that you can get, that not only safeguards you but, more importantly, your family and ultimately everybody else around you.
“By developing your skills, you are also learning to make allowances for the errors of others and to spot those errors before they become significant for you.”
Click here to read the full RoSPA news release.
What I question is…. can a person who has received maybe only 10 or even 20 or so hours tuition be considered an Advanced Driver or Rider, be it bronze, silver or gold?
It takes a police officer many, many weeks of specific and constant training to achieve such a high level as to allow him or her to become a police motorcyclists and advanced rider and yet a civilian can apparently be that good in such a short space of time.
I know some may say that after the training the lessons actually begin but also many leave after receiving the award and obtaining the insurance reduction.
bob craven Lancs
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Welcome Stuart. Someone who has come through the ranks and has aquired vast experience and knowledge. What one has to be careful of is the policeman attitude. One which a police officer develops over a number of years and has to shed to become a normal person again. Every police officer has to go through that period. I wish you well.
bob craven Lancs
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