Tributes for ‘exemplary officer’

John, who served almost 28 years of his total police career in the Ballymena area, was deservedly given a Mayoral reception last week in recognition of his service to the community and the PSNI.

A key figure in ongoing battles against scourges such as drugs and car crime, John Graffin was descrbed by his long-time colleague, Sergeant Davy Kirk as ‘the best policeman I’ve ever worked with.’

And this summation was echoed in the large number of tributes which were paid to constable Graffin by members of the judiciary, the general legal profession and associated agencies.

“No-one is more deserving of these accolades,” said Sgt, Kirk. “John Graffin worked tirelessly against all manner of criminality in this area. He was scrupulously fair in all his dealings and was respected by everyone he worked with - and that includes many of the criminals he caught.

“He was one of the founding members of the Ballymena car crime team back in the early 1990s with Sgt. Bob Fair. They had some great successes in that role before the establishment of the dedicated crime team which I joined in 1996. It was a period which saw a significant rise in the incidence of drug related crime in this area and for us it was very busy indeed. Despite all the pressures, John Graffin set an example to many young officers coming through the service by his industry and simple common sense,” added Sgt. Kirk.

“I would say that no police officer in the history of the PSNI or the RUC was involved in as many drugs searches as John Graffin. He knew the scene inside out and a considerable number of our successes in this field are down to him. The police service has lost a great servant but equally imnportantly, the Ballymena community will sorely miss the likes of John Graffin,” he concluded.

Inspector Pete Bouma of Ballymena PSNI said John’s retirement was “a loss to Ballymena policing and the community”.

He said: “John has been an exemplary officer in both his work ethic and results and was an example to others.

“During his long career he successfully worked on a wide range of policing issues such as drug crime and hopefully other officers have learned from his skills”.