Member Monday 25th Anniversary Feature - Billy Brown MBE

It is with great pleasure we present our first story from Billy Brown MBE, former Vice President, Harp and Crown Credit Union. 

"Having been asked by Elaine to write a few lines about the Harp and Crown Credit Union I have the greatest pleasure to commend our own Credit Union to the wider Police Family. 

I joined the R.U.C. in February 1970 in ‘C’ Squad and most of my career was in Counties Fermanagh, Tyrone, Belfast, Armagh and Down.  I would like to make it clear that I had a wonderful career in my tour around our Province, and met the most decent honourable people one could wish to meet.  I never went to work any day feeling I would have preferred to stay at home.  I got on well with people and worked as a Liaison Officer for the R.U.C. Reserve and Border Liaison at a later stage in my career. 

I was involved at an early stage with both the Credit Union and the PRRT both of which gave me great satisfaction to look back on with pride. 

The Police Federation of Northern Ireland (PFNI) which came into being just after I joined the R.U.C. and was my first attempt at representing the Chief Inspectors and Inspectors in Fermanagh and Tyrone where the work of the PFNI Chairman and Secretary was an enormous task given the ‘Troubles’ and the many demands on the senior members of that organisation.  Dick Wright stands out as a foundation member who made a great impact in the representation of the members.  I later, as Secretary of the Superintendents’ Association had again close liaison with the Police Federation in many of its projects two of which were the Credit Union and PRRT.   

During a weekend in March 1998 we met at the PFNI conference room at Garnerville, for a training and admin session to arrange the necessary procedures to enable the Credit Union to get established.  We had a discussion about a suitable name and I suggested the Harp and Crown Credit Union which in that period was the crest of the Royal Irish Constabulary, Royal Ulster Constabulary and its Reserve RUCR also the Ulster Special Constabulary and would be a representation in the future of the former police organisations which policed Ireland and Northern Ireland.  The symbolism of the Harp & Crown was something of which we were immensely proud.  The main PFNI personalities present were Les Rodgers, Jimmy Spratt, David McClurg and Leslie Nixon.  We spent the weekend getting the administration completed, committees organised and so the Harp and Crown Credit Union was born.  Of the ‘Originals’, Fred Boyd now President, John Stratton now Vice President are still in office and they with the other Directors are doing an excellent job. 

The move to Newforge was made in January 2019 and now the Harp and Crown have a new office at the front of Newforge with easy parking and parking for the less abled members.  At one period there were 10,500 members which is testament to its support which caters to a diverse range of people from the students in the PSNI to the retired members RUC and PSNI, many are borrowers, others are savers, with very advantageous loans and also a good dividend each year, more than comparable with other financial institutions.  From the borrowers viewpoint the service is excellent with easy access personally, all IT methods and telephone, with financial decisions being made speedily. 

I feel that the development of the Credit Union has given a great opportunity to thousands of the Uniformed, Civilian Staff, their partners and their sons, daughters and grandchildren, to be part of one of the great financial successes of the PFNI, which I can without hesitation recommend.  Some of the advantages are:

• Your money is safe

• Shared common bond

• Not for profit

• Community driven

• Encourages saving for you and your family’s future 

• Ethical Borrowing with lower loan interest rates (NO Bank of England increases here!)

• …AND it’s a HUMAN WAY to get a loan with staff who are so willing to help and discuss the members financial needs.

Many congratulations to the Harp and Crown Credit Union on its 25th anniversary."

Billy Brown MBE

Former Vice President

Harp and Crown Credit Union