Ten Years of Harper Shaw – Taking a Chance and Making It Work

Ten years in business. It's quite a milestone, and one that I thought deserved a little reflection on where we've come from, what we've achieved, and perhaps more importantly, where we're going next.

On the morning of 31 October 2016, I sat at my kitchen table having officially left West Yorkshire Police after almost 17 years of service. I had given up a career, a police pension, a regular salary and the security that came with it. I distinctly remember sitting there thinking: "What the hell have I done?"

It was a lonely morning. I'd spent most of my working life in public service, initially in local government (Leisure Management) and then policing. Leaving wasn't a decision I'd taken lightly. There were several factors influencing it at the time, enough for another blog entirely, but ultimately I felt I needed to make a change. I wanted the freedom to pursue my passion for investigations, particularly vehicle-related investigations. I wanted to explore ideas, develop new skills and have the flexibility to follow opportunities that weren't always possible within a large organisation. But wanting something and actually doing it are two very different things.

How's that going to work?

Back in 2016, leaving the police was still a fairly big deal. For many, it was a career for life. People didn't necessarily come and go as they do today.

I wasn't alone, though. Others were beginning to make similar decisions, and I owe a particular mention to my good friend and former colleague Andy Lister, who had left shortly before me. Seeing Andy make that transition gave me confidence that there was life beyond policing. Sometimes you need to see somebody else take that first step before you can convince yourself it's possible.

I also remember a conversation with a senior manager before I left. They asked what I intended to do, and I explained my plans to establish a consultancy specialising in vehicle-related investigations. The response was far from encouraging.

"Well, how's that going to work?"

I also remember speaking with an accountant about my plans. They asked another perfectly reasonable question: "And how are you going to fund this business?"

The truth? I didn't really know the answer to either question. I had an idea, a vision, a reasonable amount of experience and an enormous desire to make it work. What I didn't have was a guaranteed stream of clients, a fully worked-out financial plan or any certainty that somebody would actually pay for what we intended to offer. But I believed there was a need for it.

Looking back, both were reasonable questions to ask. But I think there's something important in that. You don't necessarily have to have every answer before you start. Sometimes you have to trust your own judgement, accept that there will be problems to solve and have the confidence that you'll find a way through them.

When we established Harper Shaw Investigation Consultants Ltd in October 2016, the name itself carried considerable meaning. It brought together my family name and that of my business partner, Carole Greaves. My grandfather had operated his own business under our family name, and that carried a certain responsibility for me. It meant something. By putting our family names into the business, I was determined to give it everything I had.

The business we started isn't quite the business we have today

Our original intention was to provide specialist consultancy in serious road collision investigations. Between us, we had considerable experience investigating some of the most complex and serious collisions in the UK. We believed there was a place for independent expertise supporting police forces, insurers, solicitors, fleet operators and others involved in serious collision investigations. And there was.

But even in those early days, we had one eye on something else. Vehicle data.

We were early adopters of Berla's iVe software and invested in Bosch Crash Data Retrieval equipment when vehicle data was still an emerging area of investigation in the UK. I've written recently about those early experiences, including the challenges we encountered when working with 3EF and the workarounds we explored.

Looking back, it was probably those challenges, and the satisfaction of finding solutions, that really sparked my interest in vehicle systems forensics. I became increasingly interested in what vehicles were recording, how we could access that information and, most importantly, what it actually meant in the context of an investigation. That interest gradually became something of an obsession. I spent countless hours researching vehicle systems, examining data, testing theories and trying to solve problems that didn't always have an obvious answer.

As the years passed, vehicle systems forensics became a much larger part of our work. We continued to support serious collision investigations, as we still do today, but our involvement became increasingly focused on the acquisition, analysis and interpretation of vehicle data rather than the wider collision investigation itself.

And that's an important lesson I've taken from the last ten years. If you're not adapting, you're not learning. And if you're not learning, eventually you'll stop moving forward.

Another turning point – 2021

Before anything else, we had managed to survive the COVID pandemic. Like so many businesses, we faced considerable uncertainty, and sadly, not every business made it through. Looking back, simply coming out the other side was an achievement in itself. But it also gave us an opportunity to reflect on where we were heading and what we wanted the business to become over the next few years.

Coming out of the COVID period, we made another significant decision. We'd spent five years building knowledge, researching systems and developing methods for accessing and interpreting vehicle data. But I was becoming increasingly conscious of something. There simply weren't enough people with the knowledge or capability to undertake this work. And I didn't want Harper Shaw to become a company that everybody had to rely upon whenever they encountered a difficult vehicle examination. I wanted investigators to become capable of doing it themselves. I wanted to share the knowledge.

So we began developing our Vehicle Systems Forensics training programme. What started as an idea to share our knowledge has grown into a structured training programme covering investigative planning, vehicle examinations, component examinations, data analysis and reporting. That, in turn, led to the creation of The Vehicle Network, our dedicated training and professional development application.

Neither of those things was in our business plan in October 2016. They developed because we continued to learn, listened to what people needed and weren't afraid to change direction. Today, training and professional development have become a significant part of what we do, and something I take enormous satisfaction from.

From serious investigations to people travelling from Alaska

Over the last decade, we've been fortunate to work on some exceptionally serious and complex investigations. I've now spent approximately 27 years, combining policing and private practice, investigating serious crime and road collisions. Some of the cases we've dealt with over that time have been of such magnitude that I've occasionally wondered what further challenges there could be in terms of seriousness or complexity.

But I've also come to realise that the next challenge doesn't necessarily have to be a bigger or more complex case. Sometimes the challenge is finding a new way to access data, understanding an unfamiliar system or helping somebody else develop the skills to solve their own problems. That's increasingly where I find my motivation.

We're now more selective about the casework we undertake, particularly where an examination offers opportunities for research, learning or addressing a difficult investigative problem. That doesn't mean we've lost interest in investigations. Far from it. It means we're choosing to invest more of our time in developing the capability of others.

And there's a rather nice illustration of how far we've come. This week, as we approached our tenth anniversary, it seemed rather fitting that we've had officers from the Alaska State Troopers travel all the way to Yorkshire to attend our three-day TPM and BitLocker training course.

Another example of how we've continued to adapt, develop new skills and take the business in directions we'd never originally considered. We're now delivering specialist training that enables investigators to overcome security protections and access data from Windows laptops. Something I certainly wouldn't have imagined we'd be doing when we started out investigating road collisions!

Think about that for a moment. Ten years ago, I was sitting at my kitchen table wondering how on earth we were going to make this little business work. I certainly didn't have laptop security exploitation or officers travelling from Alaska in the business plan! Today, people are travelling thousands of miles to learn specialist techniques from us. I wonder what that senior manager would make of it now.

I'm not suggesting we've built some enormous business empire. We haven't, and that's never really been the ambition. We're a small, specialist company operating in a very niche area. But we've built something that people value, and I'm proud of that.

The importance of simply turning up

People sometimes ask about starting their own business, particularly those considering leaving policing. I don't pretend to have all the answers. But I can tell you something from experience.

There will be difficult days. There will be quiet periods when the telephone doesn't ring, the enquiries dry up and you begin questioning every decision you've made. Even after ten years, we still experience them. July and August of this year were particularly quiet for us. Even on the training side, there are people and organisations who genuinely want to develop their skills but simply don't have the budgets available at that particular time.

That's the reality of running a small business. Work doesn't always arrive when you want it to, and experience doesn't make you immune to those quieter periods. You just have to manage them as best you can, keep doing what you believe in and trust that things will pick up again.

You'll wonder if you should have stayed where you were. You'll question your abilities, your ideas and occasionally your own sanity. I've been there. And there have been periods when the pressures of running a small business have affected my own mental health. But I've learned that those difficult periods generally pass.

You have to keep turning up. Keep doing the work. Keep learning. Keep building relationships. Keep believing that what you're doing has value.

And perhaps one of the biggest lessons I've learned is that you don't have to have everything figured out before you begin. When that senior manager asked how the business would work, and the accountant asked how we would fund it, I couldn't give either of them a convincing answer. Ten years later, I can. Not because I had some brilliant business plan tucked away, but because we kept finding solutions to the problems in front of us.

That's not to say you should ignore the risks or make reckless decisions. But sometimes waiting until you've got every answer is simply another way of never getting started. You have to trust yourself, back your own judgement and be prepared to work things out as you go and say yes many times.

I think some of that attitude comes from my family. My grandfather ran his own business, and I have recently read stories about the work ethic of him and his father. They'd be up at five in the morning, completing half a day's work before anyone else. Then, when everybody else had gone home, they'd carry on working until nine at night. I'm not suggesting that's a healthy or necessary way to run a business today! But the principle of hard work, responsibility and taking pride in what you do is certainly instilled in me.

I've always believed that if you put me in a room full of people, I might not be the cleverest person there, but I'll do my best to be one of the hardest working and never give up. That attitude has served me reasonably well.

Of course, hard work alone doesn't guarantee success. You need good judgement, support, opportunities and occasionally a little luck. But determination and consistency can take you a surprisingly long way.

Nobody builds anything entirely on their own

One thing I want to make absolutely clear is that none of this would have been possible without the people around me.

First and foremost, my business partner, Carole Greaves. We've shared the responsibility of building and running this business for ten years, through the good periods and the difficult ones. Carole has been a constant source of support, encouragement and, when necessary, a healthy dose of reality. I owe a debt of gratitude for her unwavering support of me in my police career and her development of me as an investigator.

My family and friends have also been incredibly supportive. Running a small business can be lonely. The people closest to you often see the pressures and uncertainties that nobody else does. Their support has meant an enormous amount.

I also want to acknowledge the trusted associates who have become an important part of Harper Shaw over the years. We now work alongside specialists from a range of disciplines, each bringing their own knowledge, experience and expertise to what we do. Most of these people weren't even on our radar when we started out in 2016, yet they've become part of the wider Harper Shaw family. Their contribution has allowed us to develop new capabilities, take on different challenges and achieve things we simply couldn't have done on our own. I'm genuinely grateful for the trust, commitment and friendship they've brought along the way.

I also want to thank the professional network we've developed over the years. Some people reached out to me almost immediately after I left policing, some I didn't know at the time. They offered advice, introductions, encouragement and opportunities when we were still finding our feet. Others have supported me personally during more difficult periods. Those gestures haven't been forgotten.

We're fortunate to work in a specialist community containing some exceptionally knowledgeable and generous people. I've learned a tremendous amount from them and continue to do so. There are too many people to mention individually, but those who've supported us over the last decade know who they are. Thank you.

So, what happens next?

I spent seven years working within West Yorkshire Police's Major Collision Enquiry Team. At the time, that felt like a substantial part of my working life in a dedicated specialism. It's quite strange to realise that I've now spent longer running Harper Shaw than I did working in that department.

What I also find quite remarkable is that I've now spent ten years working in vehicle systems forensics. To put that into perspective, some of the investigators attending our training courses hadn't even joined the police when we started this business in 2016. Some are now in fairly senior positions themselves! It's a slightly frightening thought that I've been working with vehicle data for longer than some of the people I'm teaching have been police officers, never mind working in this particular field. I suppose it's another reminder of just how quickly ten years can pass, and how much this area of investigation has developed during that time.

And while ten years sounds like a long time, in many respects it still feels like day one. We have no plans for any dramatic changes. We'll continue to undertake specialist investigations, particularly where we can contribute something meaningful or develop new knowledge. But I want to dedicate more of my time to research, training, mentoring and supporting the next generation of investigators.

We'll continue developing The Vehicle Network and making specialist knowledge more accessible to individuals, police forces and organisations that want to develop their own capability.

I also have some unfinished business. For the last couple of years, I've promised myself that we'd develop a dedicated serious collision investigation course. Having spent so much of my career investigating fatal collisions, I still believe there are areas where investigative standards can improve. People continue to lose their lives on our roads, and their families deserve thorough, professional investigations that establish what happened and why. That's something I remain passionate about.

I also want to do more coaching and mentoring, particularly helping investigators develop the confidence to think critically, question assumptions and understand the evidence they're working with. Because ultimately, the technology is only part of the equation. It's the investigator who has to make sense of it.

Ten years later

If I could go back to that kitchen table on 31 October 2016 and speak to the person sitting there wondering what he'd done, I'd probably tell him not to worry quite so much. Although I'm not sure he'd listen. I'd tell him that some days will be difficult, that things won't always go to plan and that the business will take him in directions he hasn't even considered yet. But I'd also tell him to trust his instincts, surround himself with good people and keep working at it. And perhaps I'd mention that, ten years down the line, police officers would be travelling from Alaska to Yorkshire to attend one of his training courses. I'm fairly certain he wouldn't believe that bit.

Ten years of Harper Shaw. Not bad for an idea that somebody once questioned would ever work.

I can imagine having that same conversation today, explaining some of my ideas for the future, and somebody asking exactly the same question. And perhaps that's human nature. We're naturally cautious, we look for security and often focus on everything that could go wrong rather than what might go right. But ten years have taught me to look at things a little differently. Instead of always asking, "What if it doesn't work?" perhaps we should spend a little more time asking, "But what if it does?"

Because sometimes the biggest risk isn't taking the chance. It's never finding out what might have been possible.

To everybody who has trusted us with an investigation, attended one of our courses, supported our research, shared their knowledge or simply offered a few words of encouragement along the way: Thank you. Here's to the next chapter.