Last Monday, just as I was about to organise some arrest requests and do some real policing; the old fashioned (now frowned upon, not very customer friendly) type of policing where we actually go out of the Nick and arrest some criminals, when I was foiled again by a far more “important” incident.
I was breathlessly instructed by the new Chief Inspector In Charge Of Making The Public Feel Safe to rush immediately down to the The Swamp with as many Constables in yellow jackets as possible.
The Swamp is a quiet middle class residential estate on the edge of our Bypass, so-called because apparently the famous eco-warrior of the same name occupied a tree on the site during the bypass construction, over a decade ago.
A residential building on the Swamp private housing estate.
The breathless Chief Inspector told me that there is to be a “neighbourhood partnership walk-about” in the area next week. It is therefore vital that we start to visit The Swamp with high visibility foot patrols between now and that date. If any Swamp residents are stopped and asked about the visible police presence by their local MP during the walk-about, they will be able to truthfully report that all is well.
Besides, she lectured me, The Swamp is a “battleground” on Friday evenings at the moment. Having actually been on several real battlegrounds myself, I find the analogy reasonably insulting.
A residential building on a “battleground”.
A quick search on “the system” reveals no incidents in January and three incidents in February. One youth cautioned for a bit of personal cannabis at a bus stop on the edge of the Swamp, one game of ‘knock down ginger’ at Mrs Beasley’s house and a pint of milk stolen from the Baptist church. And each one on a Friday evening.
Not for the first time in recent years I start to question in my own mind; why we are deploying in such large numbers for what appears to be no reason whatever.
“Why aren’t we out catching murderers and rapists?” ask the Constables.
Sgt Dan is as wise as ever.
“The three incidents in February” he tells us without a hint of irony “represent a 300% increase in incidents of Anti Social Behaviour in The Swamp in just one month” “and that state of affairs” he says, proudly using his ‘phrase of the month’ “is unacceptable to the community”
Sergeant Dan is spookily getting the hang of this Neighbourhood Policing scam. I’m going to have to have a little word with him in private. Meanwhile, as instructed, we are off to The Swamp.
If you are waiting for a police officer to attend your burgled house across town, wait on…………
You’ve got to get on board ASAP.
this is called, out of the public and into public.
so, enjoy it.
sounds about right.
I have to take cops of response at the minute as the community insp wants them to patrol on foot. The re4ason for this? not to prevent crime or to deal with a problem!
just so the public can see them!
waste of time
Sorry IG, but I think your view on this is mistaken. If January has 0 incidents and Feb has 3, then there’s actually been an infinite increase in crime.
The community would indeed be concerned to learn of this extremely alarming statistic and it is quite right that highly visible policing should be a priority to reassure them.
Should March happen to have no incidents, you will of course give someone the chance to take credit for an initiative which led to an infinite decrease in crime. They’d certainly get my vote.
What an utterly obscene waste of Police resources! A 300% increase sounds shockingly bad (and with the same token a 300% decrease sounds like an excellent success) until one considers what the figures actually are – this is one of the major problems of statistics and in particular the use of statistics by the Government. You need to see the “bigger picture”
Sgt Dan, Chief Super of the future!
I wonder what it will take for a police officer above inspector rank to get charged with neglience or gross misconduct for making this kind of decision to allocate manpower in this way?
I’m seeing an undercurrent of stress (aside from the usual fustrations) in your posts nowadays IG – are the Sheep (sorry – upper management) finally wearing you down more than usual?
Didn’t realise you worked for that force either, good post just might want to amend it a bit to remove the key clue-in as to where you work.
TheBinerySurfer, in answer to your question when a MOP is killed or murdered as a direct result of an SMT decision going wrong . It is happening now but it is brushed under the carpet.
IG- either a) be a good Insp and quietly and efficiently get on with the directions given to you by superior officers OR
b) become a Chief Officer/ the Home Sec and change it.
unfortunately, I detect a strong tone of disilusionment and depression in your musings recently, and, having been there myself in the not too distant past, i would suggest course of action A.- I have finally crossed the bridge of trying to rationalise and agree with such mad decisions and now just get on with it. For the time being until i can sort out my new career……
Ermmm… I am not that strong on stats… but you cannot have an increase from a base of Zero by 300%. The increase of 3 is an absolute increase of… ermm… three… but not 300%…
A 300% increase on Zero is still ermmm… 0! 3×0=0…
On a different note… good post which shows the frustrations you have… sorry to hear that the people who run the show are somewhat illogical…
L.
Apologies to those who care:
should have read;
(0/100)x3=0
not 3×0 thought result is the same…
Today my control room Inspector insisted on sending a unit to a burglary, despite the victim being out. This was so we could say we attended within the 90 minute target set by the government.
The hapless Pc protested over the air and complained it was a waste of his time. He was swiftly put in his place and told to go.
Fecking waste of time.
Wallywombat – Isn’t that what our PCSO chums are meant to do? Or has someone sent them off on another meaningless task.
Morally corrupt government leads to morally corrupted police service. Remember the government lies over we all have 45 minutes to live and WMD. Well that is the same government that is spinning the police. Roll on retirement or redundancy, whatever comes first.
About the Maths; I know that the % is (strictly speaking) incorrect. Hence the “without a hint of irony” bit in:
“The three incidents in February” he tells us without a hint of irony “represent a 300% increase in incidents of Anti Social Behaviour in The Swamp in just one month”
I was trying to make the point about the nonsense involved in Government statistics etc with a bit of artistic licence.
Nothing new about all this, IG. I well remember receiving a delegation from HQ about my appalling rise in crime (up from 2 recordable offences a month to 9) while skipper of a small rural station. The fact that this was a result of a visiting gang of vehicle thieves (can’t call them “joyriders”!) in a single night was of no interest to HQ at all.
Mind you, when we caught two members of the gang and charged them the next month our detection rate soared!
I should have added, this was in the 1980s!
Ex RUC
I remember your colleagues from Springfield Road, Grosvenor Road, New Barnsley and XMG with respect! (also from the 80’s)
Hilarious! I can’t wait for the van loads of coppers in yellow jackets to appear next time someone does 32 mph through our village!
Agree this is the work of PCSOs, they should be doing this sort of stuff.
The “allowances for groups” considering promotion (@ no 12) sounds interesting! Who knows any more??
Meanwhile in my force a SIX MONTH jolly has just begun for senior officers and others looking into how best use can be made of resources and what the resourcing problems are.
Well here’s an idea. Just ask front line officers, sergeants and inspectors, and controllers who are trying to cover jobs that never used to have to actually be attended but currently have to be, and they’ll have their answers in one day – after all there are only so many ways one can state the obvious.
A little less conversation, a little more action please.
JOHN.MACBRAYNE @ 9.
I most definitely do not have SUPERIOR officers. Senior- yes, superior-No.
Well its the same up here. Being rushed round from one allegedly high priority to another. The horrid truth is that the streets, houses and faces do not change much from month to month.
Whether we are looking or not burglars will be burgling, thieves will be thieving and the local Kappa Sports Massif will be chillin’ round the corner from the off licence park looking for somebody to kick senseless. Better we look there than bother the grass smoking rebels and door knockers.
But then there is Politics. I wonder if there are many Key Community Stakeholders living on The Swamp? Bet there are.
Last month I got a rapist and a murderer. It was a very lucky month though.
http://nightjack.wordpress.com/
Gadget,
Our control room Insps are gods!!
I went to a MFH with one of my cops and decided it was one of our regular ferrel absconders and updated control room.
The response back was that the controlroom Insp stated an arse covering MFH report needed completing(about 20 pages of shite!), luckily I was there to say thet the real on the street Insp decided there wasnt a need for it……it all went very quiet!!
We too are having an HMI box ticking ‘meet your local officrs’ fortnight soon…..I cant wait!!
Am no longer sure what level of sarcasm is appropriate for comments.
The concept of division by zero didn’t need explaining to IG. Possibly to the seargent, poor fellow, but he’s being driven by a form of collective political delusion (the words police and politicians share the same Greek root, bloody well wish they didn’t sometimes).
The point is, of the many attempts to evaluate and improve police performance the only thing that matches their conceptual wrong-headedness is their cack-handed implementation.
They’ve ended up distorting police efforts into a parody of the job the police want, and for the most part Joe Public wants, the police to do.
Apart from normal day-to-day griping, this is pretty much the recurrent theme of unofficial police blogs.
Damn I meant Sergeant. I have Geek roots.
Percentage increase isn’t a quotient or a ratio anyway.
It’s a difference between two quantites.
For example a jump from 1 to 3 represents a difference of 2 – or a 200% increase.
Got it?
Hey Inspector, I ran across this link and thought you’d like to see it. The insanity is the same on both sides of the pond: NYPD Ignores Leap Day Crimes to Keep Stats Low (http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0812,nypd_ignores,381244,2.html)
Please keep up the great work, although the stories you tell are for the most part disappointing, the manner in which they’re told is fantastic.
Rich
Just a quick note to point out this one from the fed boys…
http://www.apple.com/uk/search/ipoditunes/?q=blue+serge+blues
Actually quite funny and raises cash for charity at the same time as highlighting the pay dispute.
“The song has now been produced and with the help of Greater Manchester Police Federation and the Met Inspectors professionally recorded by the above band (aged 14-19) and copies of the disc have been sent to every radio station in England and Wales. Also it has been launched on I-tunes, http://www.apple.com/uk/itunes and can be purchased for the small fee of £0.79. Of which £0.49 will come to us and in its entirety be evenly distributed to two charities, “Dreams Come True” http://www.dctc.org.uk which helps terminally ill children realise some of their dreams and the other is Help For Heroes http://www.helpforheroes.com which helps rehabilitate returning war veterans from all of the armed services. Both very worthy causes.”
JOHN.MCBRANE,
You know as well as I do what it takes to be a chief officer/Home secretary……..that is, the ability to lie and manipulate. Your comments are simplistic.
A police officer is meant to be independent of politics but the “service” has been hijacked by politicians and senior officers have now become politicians to enhance their promotion chances.
I for one still do it for the odd occasion I get thanked by a decent member of the public. Police officers are of the community, for the community. The sooner the politicians, managers,statisticians, health and safety experts, and lawyers realize this, the sooner we get back to proper policing.
[...] Why aren’t we out catching murderers and rapists? Last Monday, just as I was about to organise some arrest requests and do some real policing; the old fashioned (now […] [...]
Here in Aust, its pretty much the same.
A month ago, a complaint was made by one of the hotels about police not informing them of action taken against a patron, that was evicted. Action was taken, but they weren’t told quick enough. Result – all crews were to take up with manager and security, once during shift. Suddenly, there was an increase in crime in another part of division. Result all crews were to patrol that area and note on log. And just the other day, it was revealed we were below our target for the number of random breath tests we do on motorists. Result, all crews must do a mininium number per shift. As you can guess the other objectives had become old news. We aren’t supposes to be sitting around the station, but we will get in strife if paperwork is overdue. Obviously people you need to contact about statements, court documents etc, dont work at 10pm shifts, where you might get a chance at around 3am, when the pubs are shut to catch up on paperwork and no bosses around to chase you out of the station.
I’ve got an email telling me I have to attend Citizen Focus training. Can anyone enlighten me on what this is about? Ta!
Lee – It’s training about focusing on citizens.
Yet more multicultural diversity training. Do what i did – sign then sheet to say you attended, then leave.
Enjoy your afternoon.
This blog, and many other police blogs, are littered with the same old stuff (an observation, not a criticism).
Take this example of ‘being seen on the street’ simply to impress the HMI and politicians;
The PC’s know it’s shite. The Sgt’s know it’s shite. Decent governors like Insp Gadget know it’s shite…….yet the charade continues and our entire working lives are geared to keeping the bean counters happy.
We moan and groan….and do NOTHING about it.
Where is our backbone? Why don’t we have the collective guts to tell senior management that they can shove their performance targets?
I tell you why. It’s because we have mortgages to pay. Kids to feed. Pensions to look forward to.
I’ve got 27 months to go. When I (figuratively) look in the mirror I hate what I see. A once proud copper, who REALLY loved going to work and trying to make a positive difference to peoples lives. I used to love nicking thieves, burglars, drink-drivers etc. Okay, I know it sounds a bit corny, but weren’t we all like that when we started?
These days, I’m ashamed to be a copper. Ashamed of my attitude to the job, and can’t wait to get out. If I had any guts I’d resign today but I haven’t. I’m counting the days and keeping my head down. I keep quiet when I see obvious injustices or management practices/policies which are clearly politically driven.
It drives me to despair when the 82yr old lady gets burgled and the report is taken OVER THE PHONE but when an IC3 couple have a domestic, and he calls her a ‘black bitch’, it’s recorded as a racial incident, on an ‘immediate’ grade and we must tell the duty Insp AND get there within 12 minutes. Complete madness. I know it. Everyone knows it but we do….nothing.
My family have been recent victims too. Both kids have had mobile phones stolen at school. My son had his pushbike stolen off our driveway and local yoof, on the way home from the pub, kicked in two panels of my front garden fence.
On each occasion, a few weeks later, I received a call from the Crime Management Unit. Firstly they told me that there were no lines of enquiry to pursue. Fair enough – I’ve been in the job long enough to know whether we’ve got a cat in hells chance of solving a crime or not. The second part of the call has always been the most interesting (or disappointing) – am I SURE that my daughters phone REALLY was stolen, rather than just LOST? Am I SURE that the damage to my fence was deliberate, or could it just have been an accident? – the large trainer footprint on one of the panels, and the chip wrappers thrown into my garden suggest otherwise and no, SOCO weren’t interested. The bean counters were keen to skew the facts in order to make the figures look good, so that ACPO can go to the Govt and say ‘Look how good we are. Can we have some more money please?’
I’d like to point out that I’d become bitter and twisted long before these recent incidents.
If I had any sort of moral fibre or conscience I’d write out my resignation today….but I haven’t. I have to vent my frustration on blogs like this. I hate what I’ve become, both as a copper and the person underneath the uniform.
I’m too close to the pension jackpot so I guess I should just shut the f*ck up and go away.
Anyone else feel like this? or am I just suffering from typical ‘Old Copper’ syndrome?
Don’t worry about feeling like that, it happens to most decent people with your service. Why should you resign and chuck away your future too? MP’s don’t worry, local authority execs don’t worry, NHS senior managers don’t worry, ACPO parasites don’t worry and the feds and the rest of the govt sponsored separitist groups don’t worry. Remember with all the talk of gold plated public sector pensions you paid 11.5% of your salary for your lump sum and pension and it isn’t worth today what it used to be.
These private sector moaners all could have sorted out schemes when they were younger but didn’t – we on the other hand were made to sign up by some old fed rep who had the wisdom of age – thank God.
The rest of the fat cats have plundered pension funds EVEN our one eyed snot gobbling and incompetent AND unelected prime minister plundered pensions – so hang on for 27 months and get out AND DO SOMETHING UNCONNECTED WITH THE POLICE!
My last 4 years were unmitigated misery because I loathed all the bollox and when I left my chief inspector boss (top man) was the most senior to wish me bon voyage. To be honest I had never seen my chief soopah – too busy with outside the box blue sky every child matters community leaders crap meetings and diversity training.
Shame on them – so you’re not alone.
‘I tell you why. It’s because we have mortgages to pay. Kids to feed. Pensions to look forward to.’
As do we all. Thankfully neither of my 2 kids have shown any interest in joining and I would actively discourage them if they did. Something I NEVER thought I would say.
27 months is no time at all. I would say that you’ve earned a 9-5 Mon – Fri desk job. Get off the street and ease your way to retirement. Those of us in the know won’t criticise you for it. You’ve fought the good fight and now it’s time to think of yourself.
Thanks Stinky @ 33
I’m being dragged out on a Sunday morning for this!
Why don’t you spread a rumour that the ressies of the Swamp are very concerned about the high visibility policing and it’s affect on the property prices, as it is giving the area a very bad reputation?
There’s nothing like the threat of losing money to put the wind up folk, and the next thing you know, your Powers That Be will be getting snotty letters complaining about the unnecessary increase in police presence.
and I apologise for the dodgy apostrophe! I can’t belive I did that.
ExTrafficbiker 34 wrote “… When I (figuratively) look in the mirror I hate what I see. A once proud copper, who REALLY loved going to work and trying to make a positive difference to peoples lives. I used to love nicking thieves, burglars, drink-drivers etc. Okay, I know it sounds a bit corny, but weren’t we all like that when we started? …” Yes “we” were. We includes most occupations. Do you think that a journalist, politician or indeed any member of the Ruling Class can look themselves in the mirror, whilst being honest with themselves?
ExTrafficbiker 34 wrote “… These days, I’m ashamed to be a copper. Ashamed of my attitude to the job, and can’t wait to get out. If I had any guts I’d resign today but I haven’t. I’m counting the days and keeping my head down. I keep quiet when I see obvious injustices or management practices/policies which are clearly politically driven. …” Do you think that a journalist, politician or indeed any member of the Ruling Class who is being honest is not ashamed of themselves?
ExTrafficbiker 34 wrote “… If I had any sort of moral fibre or conscience I’d write out my resignation today….but I haven’t. I have to vent my frustration on blogs like this. I hate what I’ve become, both as a copper and the person underneath the uniform. …” If you hate what you have become then you have not become it, more likely you hate what you have to do to survive in your current environment and that you would not do it but for the politicised senior management of the Police Service who are there because of a ill-informed Electorate.
ExTrafficbiker 34 – On reflection I would say that you and your ilk are akin to “forced labour” with Vichy Cops and Vichy Politicians calling the shots.
If you are seen in a high visibilty jacket smartly dressed, including hat and tie!attending an incident in the nominated target time, then the police are doing a good job, (crime is down to its lowest level for 30 years G. Brown ,in the House of Commons) and there are record numbers of police.
It’s about appearance and statistic’s over substance, besides a Senior officer can evidence this at his/her next promotion board !
Keep up the good work, I’m a member of the public now, and like to feel safe.
Extrafficbiker@34
My name gives you a clue as to how I feel and that’s after ‘only’ twenty years. We all know how you feel. I call it ‘institutional collusion’, though I love the term ‘Vichy cop’ – quality. Don’t worry, nobody in the know thinks any less of you.
I have made the decision to leave the police and am actively looking elsewhere. If my plans go well I will be gone by 23yrs or at least by the time Ali Dizai makes commissioner (for when that happens we know it will have gone completely tits up).
When I do go I will fully explain my decision in a letter of resignation which will subsequently go to my MP and the press. Not that it will make any difference at all but I will feel better for getting it off my chest.
However, what I really do want is to go down in Police folklore –
“Do you remember that crusty old PC who resigned? He went into the Chief Supers office dressed in high heels; suspenders; a basque and his old tunic, did a big shit on the Chief Supers desk, shoved his resignation letter in the middle of it screamed “Yabba,Yabba, Doooo!!!” and walked out never to be seen again”
In the words of Kevin Keegan “I would LOVE it, just LOVE it!”
Any other resignation fantasies or is it just me????
Reading all of you, it is sad to realise that your own experiences chime with my own, decent people who, whilst proud to wear the blue have come to despise the ‘organisation’ that they work for. Let’s not forget that this is still, in so many ways, the best job in the world. You all did, and most of you still do (let’s face it you wouldn’t be reading Gadget if you didn’t care) enjoy the ‘roll around’, the good lock ups, and best of all the humour that we share. Please pass on the office of constable to those that follow us, in the best shape you can!
“Please pass on the office of constable to those that follow us, in the best shape you can!”
Sorry skipper – whilst I totally agree with your sentiments, I believe that that particular baton was dropped long ago with he introduction of targets and PCSO’s etc.
Whilst I wish those that follow me the best, I feel I don’t fit in any more. My moral compass is still true but I’m afraid the organisation’s has gone way off course and for that reason, sadly, I’m off as soon as I can.
Indeed, The CC of Humberside is to lose 300 officers and replace them with 350 civvies who will undertake ‘back office’ roles to free up officers for……blah, blah, blah.
They can’t help themselves – they talk like robots (or Hazel Blears).
Loved the comment re Alibaba Dizzy – you get Twining telling us he’s ‘under stress’ in a minute – Alibaba that is, not Twining.
Good luck in your new venture.
Cheers Ranter – like I said I still have to put up with this crap for a few years more whilst my plans for world domination take shape. In the meantime I will be moaning along with the best of them.
Saw this in the news of the world recently.
http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/1702_porncop.shtml
Thats one x cop getting on the job satisfaction!
I have been following this excellent ‘real world’ ‘blog for a while now, and am so very pleased that this is here, in public view. I too have been very concerned about the emphasis on presentation rather than in doing the job.
Three members of my family have been in the police (two in the Met’, one at the Port of London) including my famous (infamous?) Aunt Beryl-the-peril (who was once on TV in Nationwide) so I have learned much about real policing, long before I was elected as a local Councillor.
A specific area of concern was when our current Chief Constable was appointed, as his professed aim was (and this was all he was reported as being interested in) ‘to reduce the fear of crime’. Okay, that’s not a bad aim in itself, but I noticed that it had nothing to do with tackling crime. It looked like no more than a PR exercise.
Now, perhaps you professionals contributing to this site can reassure me that perhaps my interpretation is incomplete, or that the Chief Constable was selectively reported (very possible, I can accept), but many of my constituents have had a comparatively hard time of it in recent years and could do with some reassurance.
What can (and should) I tell them, do you think? I am to an extent in your hands here.
Firstly – Guv’nor, hope you don’t mind your blog being hijacked by us tired-of-it-all-but-don’t-have-long-to-go-so-are-keeping-schtum brigade? Good!
6 years left and am still on the street as I have always been in one shape or another. Now more than ever I’m trying to move mountains to help those who very rarely (if ever) call but really need us when they do and trying my utmost to bosh off the crap from the untermensch when I get to them. Still smiling, funnily enough. We all must!!
P.S. Extraffic – one of the finest posts I’ve ever read, mate.
P.P.S. Deborah Parr – and I can’t believe that you spelled believe “belive” :-0
P.P.P.S. WHERE’S THE FLIPPIN’ BOOK PLEASE?!
EXTB – I think comment 34 deserves a front page of it’s own; just say the word and I’ll publish it as the next IG post?
Ranter you might actually learn something if you just closed your mouth for one minute….Just once….AND LISTENED.
You are a strange chap Twining.
I really don’t think it is your place to tell me what to say or what NOT to say.
We still (just) have freedom of speech in the UK, which is more than can be said for a lot of the places people are leaving in droves to come to our tolerant shores (and then some want to recreate their old lands and cultures here).
Are you a little sensitive about someone or something?
And I thought you had a sense of humour. I believe in freedom of speech also; which IS WHY I AM COMMENTING HERE.
Like you, I think I understand the danger in trying to create a shore of England that is Indian or Eastern European even.
If you are trying to elude that I am sensitive to an issue or a person, namely Dizaie, then maybe I am.
The difference is that you keep having a go at him and appear to take some uncanny pride in this. Strangely, I might object to this. I am sorry that I appear strange to you. You don’t fancy a pint do you?
Point of order Ranter, just as my name is Twining and yours is Ranter, I thank you for gettimg my name correct; but his name is not Ali baba. I think Ali baba is a Saudi Arabian or something. Dizaie is Iranian. We can call him Ali if you like.
This must be about round 20 between Ranter and Twining I reckon. Ranters winning on points but from the last two comments, Twining is looking for a knock out punch!
Seconds away round 21……
I thought he liked being called ‘Doctor’ Dizaei?
You can call him ‘Ali’ I suppose if you know him that well.
I have a selection of names for him – as do very many others, some of whom are at his level in Acpo.
I am not alone in my distaste for him as a person let alone as a senior police officer.
Happy Easter!
Be safe – it’s a long weekend and Tesco are advertising beer and wine at half price!
Happy Easter Ranter. Did you say half price? Now, that’s a good deal. I wonder how Tesco are performing at half price?
Referee nice one.
Alas I must face defeat with good grace. Damn!
Post 34- the best I have read and sums up my feelings more eloquently than I could. I wish I had the moral courage to tell them to stick their demands to criminalise a 13 year old who has nicked a Mars bar rather than leaving me to deal with it as I see fit- as it happens, I do and have frequent arse kickings for so doing. However, we lower ranks can do absolutely nothing about it, and theres the rub!
TUPC’s comments are from the troll. Ignore them please.
I like the post IG and it is so relevant across every Force.
Fin it a bit depresing to think that people get to this point late in service. It strikes me that if you dont like doing what you are doing then you could change. If you are in the pension trap then thats understandable but for your own sanity please just get on with it and work proudly to the end.
I refuse to let the stuff get me down. Its not as much fun as it used to be but it still needs doing.
Re: Posting 48 by Anonymous
What a great job!! However, no way I could keep up with their performance targets. (according to mrs Hadenough)
Ex Traffic Biker wrote – “It drives me to despair when the 82yr old lady gets burgled and the report is taken OVER THE PHONE …”
Please please please tell me this is NOT how your force deal with such vulnerable people reporting this type of crime.
In my force that would be a ‘within the hour response’ unless it was very recent then it would be an immediate.
Despite my many moans about the job I am pleased to say the above example is the one job we can virtually guarantee a prompt police ATTENDANCE and QFI .
Ex traffic biker – admirable post.
I liked your post a lot Ex traffic biker.
really woukld like to talk more about it with you
Do you ever drive your nike past the van where me and my thwo chums spend most evenings together?
Boss @ 51,
Go ahead. Edit/post as you see fit.
Innercity @ 61 – good on yer mate. Wish I had the emotional strength to keep smiling. Failing that, can I have some of whatever medication you’re on!
Taz @ 63 – I’m afraid it’s true. Most burglary dwellings are ‘TIB’d – telephone investigation bureau. If your house has been completely trashed you might get SOCO, if you’re lucky. But unless it’s an aggravated burglary, or ‘intruders disturbed’, you’re not going to get an officer. The example I gave of the old lady versus arguing couple/’racist’ incident, is, unfortunately true. I couldn’t believe I was reading it on the screen.
An 82 year-old burgled and it’s dealt with by phone?
Four years ago a 38 year-old was burgled and within three hours of dialling the non-emergency number two police officers arrived and took prints.
Mind you, I was in living Germany and the not the United ‘third world’ Kingdom.
BTW the Polizei wear green uniforms and look like armed park attendants.
NPT/NST goes official all over the country on 1st April and a few forces are going to be insoected by HMIC on how is been implemented so all the bosses are running around and trying to sort out the mess that some forces have made of it all.
I am a NPT officer and was sold on the idea that we were going to be proactive and get in the faces of those doing wrong. If there was burglaries we were going to go out at night plain clothed on foot and bikes, if it was drug dealing we were getting warrants and smashing in doors and if it was purse dipping during the day out on foot stopping and searching criminals.
Sadly it wasnt to be, the bosses dont like the NPT working nights as we arent visible to the community (although we are to the criminal community) and we are currently fighting to keep our 3 am fininsh. We are expected to be consultants, going from one meeting to another identifying problems from the community, although we dont want police problems, we want the ones that can be passed to ‘partner agencies’ so then it looks like that we’ve resolved an identified communiy issue. God help us if any real POLICE issues are brought up as there wont be anyone out there to deal with it.
Up until now my bosses have been good as I get them lock ups and detections (yes I am really a NPT officer) so they have let me off with all the other stuff and got the PCSO’S to deal with it. I’ve now been told this cant go on any longer and I must get my head around Neighbourhood policing and that the PCSO’S must get back to being visible and gathering intelligence.
This is not the reason why I joined the police. I want to do a good job and put the bad guys in prison. Guess I picked the wroing job!
how sad is this ? today’s news
A member of the public reported a scene which showed a Gypsy woman trying to sell Basil Brush heather and pegs.
Northamptonshire Police received a complaint about the repeat episode of the children’s programme broadcast on digital channel CBBC.
Police said the complaint had been concluded without any arrests.
On Sunday, a Northamptonshire police spokesman, said: “The complaint was logged as an incident of a racist nature and our hate crimes unit is investigating.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/northamptonshire/7307828.stm
life on Mars perhaps or reality
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/northamptonshire/7307828.stm
Hurrah – the Fox is innocent!
If bird flu doesn’t get you this might:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=541110&in_page_id=1774
What a mad place this country is!
Ex Traffic Biker – Your Force should be named and shamed.
I’m not getting at the hard working people trying to provide a service to genuine victims of crime. But if they believe treating an 82 yr old victim of burglary to nothing more than a phone call is a service then I’m the Queen of Sheba. The policy makers who decided this need to be publicly embarassed – this is NOT a national directive or my force and every other force would be treating such victims in the same way – and we do not.
Perhaps I’m living in cloud cuckoo land and my force is one of the few that does treat such victims with the priority they deserve – maybe my force is in the minority – but I am truly shocked to learn what you have posted.