Credible Witness – Paranormal Police Stories by Andy Gilbert

When Andy first got in touch regarding his new book I was intrigued by the concept of a paranormal book which contained a collection of stories from what I consider to be one of the most reliable forms of evidence – Police Statements.

Andy’s book is a compilation of accounts from various people within the policing community, a profession considered to be observant, rational, trained to question and be sceptical of unusual situations. As anyone involved in paranormal research and investigation will know, witness statements are the first step in pulling together information and while ghost stories have a habit of changing with each retelling this book feels refreshingly frank and honest in its writing

Andy’s wide network has brought in accounts from around the UK (and Western Australia) – broken down into categories including; Foot Patrol, Mobile Patrol, Haunted Stations, Various locations, Incidents Attending, Unidentified Objects and Familiar Strangers. The accounts are fairly short and to the point – leaving the reader to follow up on anything that may be of interest to them.

Andy has included within the categories a good mix of experiences, starting off with the apparition of a young school boy while an officer was out on foot patrol which lead on to the discovery of a young boys remains a couple of days later. Other experiences include poltergeist activity, UFOs, malevolent spirits, orbs and strange noises.

Now I would think that rattling chains and balls wouldn’t be out of place in a Police Station but as some of the accounts go on to say, an empty station during night shift can be eerily quiet so when strange noises and footsteps are heard then it would be cause for concern. I particularly liked the account of the ghostly smoking copper and the rational reaction from the witness. Of course, later in the book we do get to an account including rattling chains and screams, possibly from a former prisoner?!

It’s interesting that quite a few of the witnesses mention that they don’t particularly believe in ghosts, and have kept quiet (sometimes for years) regarding their experiences, but the questioning nature of their work would lead them to wonder years later if others had shared a similar experience.

It just goes to show that Police Officers are human too and equally prone to strange experiences, just like the rest of us!

Overall, it’s a great little book, and an interesting one to have on the coffee table.