Buzzword writers wanted...now hiring

It seems to me that attempts at furthering recruitment in the MET may not be hitting targets.

And we live in a world of hitting targets.

Maybe I am mistaken but rumour has it they are having to put out more media to try and up the enquiries than they originally anticipated.

The flood of would be PC's have not massed at the gates waiting to enter the brave new world of policing.

Where you

a. pay for your own training
b. face a longer working life on a less and less attractive wage  to earn a smaller pension that you pay more and more for
c. work for a government that despises you and a media happy to drip feed negativity about everyday work

My cynicism is attracted to two full page  advertisements in the Recruitment section of two London freebie papers.... the Metro for your morning commuter and the Evening Standard for the evening commuter.

I doubt the officers wrote the accompanying copy , but if they came up with some of the quotes I can guarantee they will soar in this organisation.

My favourite word bite has to be ' being a police officer is about meaningful engagement...it is about learning to talk to people and really understanding them and adapting to their needs'

I may a bit of a throw back, a knuckle dragging neanderthal,but to me the basic concept of policing is in itself very simple.

We patrol the streets, we enforce the law , we act to detect and prevent crime, we try and maintain the the queens peace and act to prevent loss of life or damage to property.

Lets go through actual possible reality of a coppers day to day life based on some of my observations of customer base interaction.

'meaningful engagement' 

' your drunk and becoming offensive, walk away now or you will get nicked'

'learning to talk to people'

 'No you dont pay my wages and I dont care if your dad knows the Superintendent'

'really understanding them'

 'I am not and never will be your mate or your friend ..and the reason you have been nicked is that you punched your girlfriend'

'adapting to their needs' 

'what the handcuffs are too tight?, stop headbutting and kicking the van door and we will see what we can do'

The vast majority of the law abiding public do not want talk of  

'engagement...talking...understanding ....needs'

They want police to be police.The rest follows from that.

The government should put out 'Citizens wanted' ads in the freebies aimed at our client/customer base extolling the virtues of just trying the best to live together, to obey the law, see others point of view and be tolerant of those around them.

The vast majority of the METs population just get along and never cross our radar. That is as it should be.

Myself and my colleagues are in a job because a minority cannot live by the above rules.

Full page advertisements are fine but are written by HR not by practitioners

Police are becoming the point of last resort for those who cannot or are not capable of living within set boundaries.

As other agencies withdraw we are the last man/woman standing to pick up the pieces.

HR just dont get it.