Sgt. June Ackland
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Sergeant June Ackland is a character in the long running ITV drama The Bill. She is played by Trudie Goodwin. June is the only remaining original character in the series having been in it since the pilot episode.
[edit] Early Career (1983 - 1995)
June Ackland was already part of the furniture at Sun Hill when the series began, and appears to have been posted there for some considerable time. She was one of three officers to take new probationary constable Jim Carver under their wing on his first day, and show him the ropes.
Ackland said she joined the police to make a difference. It seems clear in hindsight that her rape (and subsequent childbirth) in her teens might have had something to do with her decision. Although she put the child up for adoption, perhaps she felt that joining the police would serve as a confidence booster. Or perhaps she simply felt she needed to help others who might have gone through what she had.
Whatever her reasons, Ackland developed into a steadfast and dependable officer, who was firm in her belief that there was little difference between a male and female officer (remarking that the 'W' prefix in 'WPC' meant nothing because they were all police constables whether male or female). She is an instinctive copper and can easily get on with people from different walks of life. She's a natural leader and is respected by her colleagues and superiors - however she does underestimate herself.
In 1995, Ackland found herself at the centre of a murder attempt on her life. Her flat was broken into and set on fire, while an investigation into her own actions led to some in the police station ostracising her. In the end she no longer knew exactly who were her friends and who merely pretended to be. She was also very nearly killed during this period, but DS Jo Morgan took her place.
[edit] Sergeant Ackland (1996 - 2007)
June was promoted to the rank of Sergeant after being a constable for many years. A party thrown in her celebration by PC Dave Quinnan was ruined by her handbag being stolen by a dodgy taxi driver and she missed out on the meal in her honour. But there were few at Sun Hill who didn't believe her promotion was fully justified.
Ironically, her time as Sergeant became more and more linked with Jim Carver. Carver had been a Detective Constable with C.I.D. for many years, but found himself busted back to uniform under the rules governing tenure at the time (no-one was allowed to remain in a single position for more than ten years without having been approved for promotion).
Carver took the move personally, and as his Sergeant it was up to Ackland to remind him that he wasn't part of C.I.D. anymore. Uniform required a team approach, and Carver's attempts to remain a 'lone ranger' were not acceptable. Ackland reminded him of his first day on the beat back in 1983, when she had asked him if he'd ever want to join the detective branch: His response, she reminded him, was that he had no interest and that uniform division was where he wanted to be.
Despite her attempts Carver hit the bottle. After a stint in rehab he returned to the station sober, but shaky. Ackland found herself becoming Jim's guiding light, the one thing that kept him on the straight and narrow. One day during a riot situation he recklessly and against orders charged into a warehouse where June was being held by youths. The thought that she might come to harm led him to nearly throttle the young offender.
They grew closer. Sharing a kiss, they realised that they had taken it too far and chose not to follow up. But when Ackland became the operational head of the new C.S.U. division at Sun Hill Carver was quick to be transfered over. Although they kept their feelings bottled, they supported each other. Ackland was officially Jim's lifeline.
She was shattered when, in 2003 he married Marie Graham. All her feelings exploded to the surface, leading to a vote of no confidence in her professionalism and her removal from C.S.U. back to uniform branch (paralleling Jim's own situation). She watched silently as it became clear Jim was being abused by his new wife. She didn't need to read between the lines when she found him in hospital with head injuries, which he claimed he got from putting up some shelves that fell down on him. His divorce wasn't far away.
A year later she became his second wife. They married 21 years to the day after they first met. Feeling that she was now financially secure (she now owned her own house) she retired from the force. But she was forced to return to her old job after six months after Jim's alcohol addiction was replaced with a gambling addiction. He had taken the deed to their house and used it in collateral in an attempt to repay his own debts. Realising that June could not live her life while he still kept her chained down, Jim transfered. His departure left her shaken.
Since Jim left, June has faced several tribulations. Meeting her long lost son left her uncertain of herself, but ultimately led to her reformation as a person. In her long career June has taken many bumps along the way. But she's a survivor to the end.
[edit] June Ackland and love
One thing in which June has not been successful is love. Apart from her association with Jim Carver, she has often found herself on the wrong side of relationships.
Following Jim’s wake, June fell for PC Gabriel Kent who turned out to be the adoptive brother of the son she never knew. Kent strung Ackland along by making love to her then claiming to actually be her son, before revealling all and using his power over her to get her to cover up for some of his crimes. His death was no doubt a relief to her.
Earlier in her life she had gained a reputation (by her own admission) of being "spinster June", the woman who would never be found in a relationship with a man. She had a rocky on-off relationship with PC Dave Litten, which ended after he put his own career above her. And she was 'the other woman' in an affair with DCI Gordon Wray, an affair which led to his being expelled from Sun Hill after only a couple of months.
In recent months Ackland has settled down and even has a steady boyfriend. The character is to leave the series later in the year.
