James was happy recently to have a visit from a mate whose friendship goes back to childhood. Tom and James went to kindergarten together and they were the best of friends at primary school. James is in the bobby’s helmet in this photo from around 1991, but it’s Tom who went on to become a police officer.
Tom felt from a young age that he might go into the police force, and when James was assaulted that was all it took for Tom to sign up and aim towards making a positive difference. Mindless violence of the kind that James fell victim to occurs all too often, and we can all see just how devastating the consequences can be.
Tom and his colleagues are working hard to change attitudes and behaviour, and reduce the number of violent assaults that can result in such heartbreak. It’s a daily challenge, and James, his family and the JMB Foundation are proud of Tom for taking it on.
It’s great to see James and Tom side by side again.