The new centralised Force Control Room has to be one of the biggest, and probably most expensive arse covering exercises ever known to man.Emasculated by crippling political correctness, stripped of power by numerous oversight committees, fearful of dismissal and loss of pension and slaves to various Government inspired targets, the so called ‘Decision Makers’ are basically just a bunch of scardey cats.
I’m not talking about the excellent staff (usually female) who take all the abuse and stress for so little pay. They are marvelous. If the current Mrs Gadget ever booted me out, I could quickly become fond of some of them. But that’s a different story.
Ruralshire’s sheep know for sure that they are not living in South Central LA, but does the Force Control Room?
If I could say one thing to my fellow Inspectors in the Control Room it would be this;“We police in Ruralshire. It is a rural area. People go shooting in the countyside at night. It’s not an Al Queada terrorist cell. It’s the local farm lads out looking for game. Please don’t waste the time of our heavily armed firearms officers by sending them to my Division just because some city-dweller who has just moved to their third home in the country, hears a few shots in the forest”.
The Germans bombed our chip shop. Grandma was not impressed.
I admit that Ruralshire has been bombed in the past. The German Luftwaffe used to drop any surplus explosive on this County, on the way back from bombing the docks near Metrocity. Even Hitler only bombed us by default.
And yardie gangs from Metrocity are not about to choose the woods near Yew Tree Farm to start a turf war over drugs and bitches or whatever it is they fight over.My final message on this subject? “It’s OK to shoot woodpigeon with air pellets (unless you are a woodpigeon) in the countryside. Everyone has to eat. Grow up, look around you and stop declaring World War III just to cover your arse everytime some idiot picks up the phone”.Rant over.
They normally send one of us unarmed frontline in first on my patch!! If I come out alive and well they stand the armed guys down.
God only knows what they would do if I got shot or called it in as a real firearms job!
On another point can I hijack your blog?
See this!! http://pcsouthwest.wordpress.com/2008/01/25/what-a-complete-tool/#comment-1789
You’ve obviously got a bee in your bonnet about this because you posted this a few months ago. As a current control room inspector and previous rural section inspector (who lives in the country) I’ve got experience of this issue at both ends and I have to say I think you’re making a bit of a mountain out of a molehill here. The suggestion that control room inspectors authorise the deployment of armed officers on the basis of a phone call from ‘a townie unaware that people in the country shoot at night’ is, I’m afraid, nonsense. I take great care to determine whether I should authorise - I’m perfectly aware of nocturnal rural activities such as lamping and if I consider that the circumstances suggest the lawful use of firearms I’ll pass the matter to the division to deal with. Rural cops are much more likely, in my experience, to accept this, however there are circumstances where I’ll err or the side of safety and despatch an ARV to remain in the area while the local cops deal with the matter. It remains extremely rare to authorise issue in the country, compared to the city. The idea that Pheasant shooters and deer stalkers are being regularly intercepted by armed officers is just not the case I’m afraid. Rant over.
Yes, but I’m in Ruralshire Constabulary, where it DOES happen, even if not in your force. In Ruralshire, the ARV’s have nothing to do since the Tories left power (no close protection duties) and the Inspectors are at the Comms Centre because of….. how can I say this…. an “unwillingness” to engage with the rain? cold? detection target pressure? etc etc some of my best friends are Comms, but in my County it’s this way. I’m glad you have more sense. The Scots forces usually have.
Whatever happened to the good old fashioned ‘look and withdraw’ method. I honestly believe that we are in serious danger of risk managing ourselves out of a job. You cannot remove risk. It is inherent in everything that we do. I fully appreciate that no one wants to be responsible for sending an unarmed officer to get shot but the reality is that the ultimate risk assessment has to be made by the officer on scene - the ground commander - and not micro managed by control room staff. For example, I have recently dealt with a female threatening to jump from the top of a tower block. 10 minutes after the call being allocated I have arrived and am leaving with the female via the front door to be met by the firebrigade, swathes of uniform and I am advised that the ASU and negotiator on on route. None of these have been requested. If I had wanted them then I would have called them.
I can’t comment on firearm deployment in the Counties as I have no idea what rules and policies are in place. It is probably much easier for me in the Met as there are probably 3 crews never more than 10 minutes away ready to deploy directly from heir vehicle. All I have to do is ask, but that is a key point…..’I have to ask’ it is my decision. I am the firearms commander. I will take advice from them but the utimate tactical deployment is mine and not someone sitting in a control room at Hendon, Lambeth or Bow.
IG I agree with your comment as to why some/many/most of our uniformed colleagues work in these environments, but at least most of them still work shifts!
Not to draw away from the serious point Gadget, but these excellent female staff you’re fond of? I dont suppose any of them would be intrested ina slightly balding Security Guard?
Thought not!
The response to shots in the night is still pretty sane here in Countryshire although like everyone else we have increasingly risk averse management and deployment practices.
This is how firearms job work where i am:
Call comes in from person who saw “thing” or heard a “gun shot like on TV” (More than once it was actually the TV from one of the numerous 52″ Flat Screen Cinemas with Big Fat Stereo speakers that everyone seems to have on our council estates)
Balloon Goes up, ARV are deployed
ARV’s spend several minutes agreeing on RV point
Ambulance sent to RV point
ARV’s try find RV point
ARV’s get lost and radio for direction to RV point
ARV’s cant make sense of directions as they dont know where they are to follow directions from
Meanwhile:
Plod in their panda get sent to have a look, decide its all bollocks again and go to another job.
Then
ARV’s arrive at the RV point, lights and sirens screaming only told to go to another RV point for another call.
Basically by the time our ARV’s arrive and deploy the incident is either over or the Police and public have all been shot and the gun man gone home for some horlicks.
Someone suggested that we have ARV per area but that cost too much and they arent allowed to deploy only in PAIRS. The single crewed panda pusher of course doesnt have such restrictions.
Notellin - you must be in 45!
XTP, I couldnt possibly say either because i dont understand what that means or i do.
Its not the ARV lads and lasses fault though its the bloody control room supervisors who have this insane check list of procedures they go through every time without fail regardless.
These procedures are so risk averse that its insane and when they have no choice but to actually send someone in to check the risk its never the ARV’s. I often feel the procedures are actually designed not to deploy the ARV’s in case they actually have to shoot someone which causes a big mess. Its as though they feel its far better for to risk getting someone shot than to risk having to shoot someone. I know it annoys the crap out of ARV crews as well and i also know that on one occasion that they ignored the control room they lost their firearms authorities for 6 months.
It seems that different forces have different issues either with over deployment or under deployment but it also seems all forces have the same issues with managing risk and procedural induced professional myopia.
Whilst i am ranting ill mention the increasing trend of cancelling foot chases on safety grounds which is happening more and more since some recent incorrectly reported stories.
So now you cant chase them on foot, cant chase them in a car, cant confront them with firearms officers and a whole host of other things as well.
I’m a control room inspector prior to which I’ve spent 23 years on exclusively uniformed operational duties, including response, support unit and AFO duties, so please spare me the digs about wanting out of the rain (or, in my case just now, the snow).
I’ve never cancelled a foot chase in my puff and am unaware of that ever happening in my force. I know a copper died in London after falling through a roof but the decision to carry on or abandon must rest with the officer him/herself. As far as vehicle pursuits go, I’d personally rather some wee turd gets away with driving with no insurance or nicking a £300 Nova than a child, adult or police officer gets killed or maimed in the pursuit. That said, I’ve yet to instruct an abandonment. As far as the comment by Notellin above goes though, what ‘insane check list of procedures’ are you talking about?
It’s really quite simple. If I think officers may face an armed individual involved in criminality and that person may pose a threat to unarmed officers, I’ll deploy the ARV. And I’ll always err on the side of officer safety in coming to that decision. I do it far less in the counties than in the city because, as I’ve suggested above, I (and my colleagues both in the control room and in the counties) am perfectly aware that lads out with air rifles and lurchers may be up to no good but they’re unlikely to shoot the cop that comes to tell them to sling their hooks. Unlike the wee prick in the city that’s just held up the local bookies with his Russian 8mm,
As far as an ARV crew ignoring the control room, if it were in my force they’d be looking for a new job, not getting a six-month ban.
Teofilio Cubilas:
Actually i think that was the reaction of the control room supervisor, well it was until they appealed anyway and it turned out they were right all along, and my comments still stand. Perhaps your more experienced than our rain dodgers in our force control room but i fear your attitude is far to risky for you to be allowed in our force. I mean letting Officers use their judgement thats unheard of these days.
To b e honest i dont know what motivates people to work as control room supervisors. I mean your dammed if you do dammed if you don’t.
Either you have people like me, who, admittedly, only know one (biased) side of the story ranting / winging at you for your decisions or the wheel comes off and your getting screwed.
Must be the worst job in the Police stuck between the rock of not making a bad decision and the hard place of your supervision pushing you to make force resources go as far as you can. I am surprised you all don’t have breakdowns.
Teofilio Cubilas - I’m with notellin; you would NOT be allowed in the Ruralshire Control Room because your experience and positive attitude would just get you into trouble the whole time, and you would upset everyone. The CC Inspectors in this force would HATE an experienced operational officer in the same room as them.
Just had to share this:-
School 1977 vs. School 2007
Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school.
1977 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up mates.
2007 - Police are called, Armed Response Unit arrives and arrests Johnny and Mark. Mobiles with video of fight confiscated as evidence. They are charged with assault, ASBOs are taken out and both are suspended even though Johnny started it. Diversionary conferences and parent meetings conducted. Video shown on 6 internet sites.
Scenario: Jeffrey won’t sit still in class, disrupts other students.
1977 - Jeffrey is sent to the principal’s office and given 6 of the best. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2007 - Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin. Counselled to death. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADD. School gets extra funding because Jeffrey has a disability. Drops out of school.
Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbour’s car and his Dad gives him the slipper.
1977 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2007 - Billy’s dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy is removed to foster care and joins a gang. Psychologist tells Billy’s sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy’s mum has an affair with the psychologist. Psychologist gets a promotion.
Scenario: Mark, a college student, brings cigarettes to school .
1977 - Mark shares a smoke with the school principal out on the smoking area.
2007 - Police are called and Mark is expelled from School for drug possession. His car is searched for drugs and weapons.
Scenario: Abdul fails high school English.
1977 - Abdul retakes his exam, passes and goes to college.
2007 - Abdul’s cause is taken up by local human rights group. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that making English a requirement for graduation is racist. Civil Liberties Association files class action lawsuit against state school system and his English teacher. English is banned from core curriculum. Abdul is given his qualification anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.
Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers, puts them in a model plane paint bottle and blows up an anthill.
1977 - Ants die.
2007 - MI5 and police are called and Johnny is charged with perpetrating acts of terrorism. Teams investigate parents, siblings are removed from the home, computers are confiscated, and Johnny’s dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly with American Carriers ever again.
Scenario: Johnny falls during break and scrapes his knee. His teacher, Mary, finds him crying, and gives him a hug to comfort him.
1977 - Johnny soon feels better and goes back to playing.
2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces three years in prison. Johnny undergoes five years of therapy. Becomes gay.
notpcnorjob
0.0 thats spot on, have a go at 2037, if we can get that far…
Notellin wrote … These procedures are so risk averse that its insane … I often feel the procedures are actually designed not to deploy the ARV’s in case they actually have to shoot someone which causes a big mess. Its as though they feel its far better for to risk getting someone shot than to risk having to shoot someone. … it also seems all forces have the same issues with managing risk and procedural induced professional myopia. …
What are the career blight/demotion statistics for those in charge when civilians, especially minorities, are seriously injured/inconvenienced, versus Police Officers?
What are the compensation statistics for Police Incidents when civilians, especially minorities, are seriously injured/inconvenienced, versus Police Officers?
A well researched description of the way British soldiers are being sacrificed in Afghanistan is presented by Richard North at Defence of the Realm. The conclusion that the Ruling Class let British soldiers die so as to preserve politically inspired long-term procurement plans and furthermore that soldiers are even more expendable than police, is hard to avoid.
I was once an AFO. At the start we were deployed as and when needed and the tatics we used were left for us to decide (as the majority of Ops room Insp wouldn’t know the which end the round came out of). It gradually changed and reached the point where authority to arm was never given, whatever the threat. Iit was clear that we were being prevented from ever being in a position of possible having to shoot someone, with all the ramifications that entailed.
I know see other ludicrous panics whenever Mispers are reported. The usual local dollys, who disappear every night till 2am, to see their beloved chav and have a quiet drink of White Lightning. All the local officers know she’ll turn up when she’s been suitably ‘loved’. However, duty inspector goes into ‘arse covering’ mode. Demands that all four (if we’re lucky) response officers drop everything they’re doing and commence instant search for this ‘vulnerable juvenile’. Next four hours is spent chasing her friends round, ringing her mobile etc etc. Amazingly, she always materialises when she wants a lift home.
Still, while the unresourced ‘real’ work is piling up, at least the Duty Insp knows he/she won’t have to worry .
I came across a poacher crossing our main field in the dark this morning while out feeding the pigs. I’d heard a soft whistle, had a quick look around and couldn’t see anything. I dropped down low and there he was silhouetted against the skyline, with a rifle slung over his shoulder (I could see the bulbous shape of the sound moderator, it was more bulky than an air rifle and they poach deer around here).
I shouted a few times and he legged it through our field, across a road, down through another field and away with his dog. I followed, but cautiously and with lots of noise.
Later, people asked why I hadn’t called the police.
1. If I had and it had been treated as poaching, it would have been days at best before anyone came out to have a chat for “intel purposes”. So, no point.
2. If I had and it had been treated as a firearms incident, I would have had ARVs plus support, probably deploying out of Aberdeen (45 minutes away) which has more need of them than I do.
3. Even if I did get a response car locally (not likely in this neck of the woods), the poacher would have been long gone by the time it got here.
So, much better just to wait, put the word around with the neighbours and put a call in to the Wildlife Officer at a decent hour. And move the electric fences every few nights…