Commander of the International Space Police Force

**Commander of the International Space Police Force** was a rank used by the ISPF to denote the person at the top of the command structure.

### New leadership

In 2027, Nathan Spring was forced into the role of Commander against his will. This was due to the British police force wanting a Brit in a position of power in space. (TV: *An Instinct for Murder*) Commanders handed out the cases to the officers they deemed most suitable for the job. Early in his career, he put his Chief Superintendent David Theroux in charge of the Daedalus case, whilst he was busy mourning the death of his girlfriend. (TV: *Conversations with the Dead*)

### Forging a team

Spring found himself in the position to investigate his own officers and deal punishment as he deemed fit. Not entirely trusting his new team, Spring launched an investigation into rumours of corrupt and dishonest officers. This led to him uncovering the disturbing truth behind officer Pal Kenzy, who had been blackmailing and bribing others for her own financial gain. It led to herself and officer Kirk Hubble being dismissed. (TV: *Intelligent Listening for Beginners*)

Similarly, Spring was able to hand out jobs to those who he thought showed qualities of an ISPF officer. One such person was Colin Devis. Devis was the Earthside detective given the job of investigating the murder of Spring's girlfriend, Lee Jones. His brash, rude and uncaring nature caused Spring to gain an instant dislike for him. Having not seen the British spy in his own team, who was responsible for Jones' death, Devis gave up his position in order to foil a greater plot set into motion by the spy, Corman. Recognising his bravery and strong sense of morality, in spite of his attitude and offensive nature, Spring offered him a position as officer on the ISPF. (TV: *Conversations with the Dead*)

### Negative attitudes towards the ISPF

Attitudes towards to the ISPF, or "Star Cops" as they were often referred to, sometimes in jest, whereas sometimes as to mock, was something regularly dealt with by the Commanders of the ISPF. They reguarly found themselves struggling to gain recognition among their peers. Spring found it difficult to have the ISPF recognised by the US space station, the Ronald Regan, having to solve the strange case of the missing Dr Harvey Goodman before the ISPF could allow one of their officers to be stationed there. (TV: *Trivial Games and Paranoid Pursuits*) But sometimes, the criticism and pessimism came from Moonbase itself. During the Moonbase Killings, Moonbase Coordinator Ashikir Ahmed made his anti-ISPF stance very much known, by publically belittling them during their investigations, as well as giving away their plans "accidentally". It wasn't until it was too late, and he was at the hands of the killer, that he realised just how lucky he was to have the ISPF on his base. (AUDIO: *Sins of the Father*)

### Period of uncertainty

After the Moonbase Killings, it became clear that the position of Moonbase Coordinator was not a popular one. Some even saw it as cursed, with many having left the position, and some even having been killed in action. (AUDIO: *Hostage*) This unwanted job was handed to Nathan Spring, who had to balance both of his jobs. This came at an unfortunate time as the criminal organisation known as the Collective had started to raise its head and silence those who would help the ISPF take them down. As the Commander, Spring faced these threats with a cool demeanour and relied heavily on the unwavering committment of his team members, having them investigate while he kept the Moonbase running smoothly. (AUDIO: *Dead Air* et al)