Tales from the Metropolis

New year... no changes

2012-01-03T18:16:00.000-08:00

The old Police bashing continues unabated as we swing into the first week of 2012.

Her Majesties media would have us thinking that perhaps the tragic events in County Durham could well be linked to a failure to act by Police years ago.

I am thinking of personally asking for the CC of Durham to explain why the 3 Pre Cogs lying in suspended animation in the basement of Durham Constabulary HQ didn't pick it up and send a Minority Report to the firearms licensing team to sort it out.

I am not trying to trivialise the deaths in Peterlee.. that is horrific. It is just the banal nonsense peddled by the media to fill newsprint.

Another thing on that.

Is it just me or where Sky 'No news' peddling one of the names of the victims of the shooting based on 'local' information very early on.Any consideration there if any family had been informed beforehand?

They are on our backs because of our alleged failures following the shooting in Salford!

And if you believe the hacks, the Police Service and Constabularies are awash with criminals,highwaymen,footpads and 'near do wells'.

Dammit, we may as well sod the recruitment stuff and throw a bag of High Viz jackets and a few radios into the nearest crack den and have done.

Still the Met can stand tall and stare down any of this nonsense.
History is history.You are who you are.Wait and see.Whats done is done.

As an organisation we have Commander Ali Dezaei on paid gardening leave whilst he awaits retrial on substantive criminal matters regarding public office.

Just saying......

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T18:51:00.000-08:00

I somehow managed (obviously not caught Duties office eye this year) to avoid being dragged into policing Central London's 'festivities'.Having dealt with it for most of my Met life I know exactly what the officers on the ground are having to put up with.

For those working out there get home safe.

A (hopefully) safe and steady New Year ahead of us despite the efforts of Ms May and the Home office.

Look after yourselves, colleagues and family

In these difficult times its who we rely on.

Life and all that it is worth

2011-12-08T17:45:00.000-08:00

The concept of 'worth' in terms of someones life is hard to quantify. Is some drug addled criminal who has spent their years causing misery to others feeding their habit worth the same as say someone who has say dedicated their life to charity or has worked tirelessly to solve or eradicate disease?

Stepping back and looking at it it is a difficult call as everyone clearly has different ideas of 'worth' and say another vague concept of 'value' to society
(another concept marginalised by the 'me me me' word we live in)

As a Police officer it is reasonable to believe that I have strong ideas on what is right and wrong,punishment and its deterrent effects on those that offend.

I am not an advocate of capital punishment although I believe the notion of 'life' imprisonment for a number of certain offences should be what is said on the tin. Either you are carried out the back door in the wooden box with the padre sprinkling some water having spent your years behind four walls or spent such time inside when you are released you are not a danger to anyone( unless your zimmer fame has a sharp edge and you catch someone in the queue at the post office collecting your over 75 heating allowance )

This does not detract that if someone murders someone ( malice aforethought and all that) be it that life is some violent smack head or a Nobel Prize winner you should be treated any different in the eyes of the law.

There is much talk by those high up in the legal profession of some form of grading of offences,the taking of someones life should be graded according to circumstance.
The life sentence tariff is a nonsense anyway in the courts as 'mitigation' plays such a part in what time is actually served.

What disturbs me and is prompted by this article
is the notion that Tariffs should be effectively doubled because the victim is say Transgender (as in this article).
Ken seems to believe that Hate crime should be dealt with appropriately and this sends out a message.
Amen to that.
But isn't Murder, no matter who or what you are a 'Hate crime' in itself?

Ken if we kept with and maintained this enhanced Tariff for anyone who decides to murder somebody no matter what sex, age, sexuality, disability or race then you wouldn't need to make political soundbites to try and make some form of point that the Criminal Justice system is on message.

And again...

2011-11-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

Ms May has put out the standard blurb regarding the officers injured on Saturday. When I say her I mean one of her aides cut and pasted something from the last time an officer was injured doing their duty.

About as genuine, heartfelt and useful as phrases such as ‘the cheque’s in the post’ or ‘care in the community’ which incidentally is were my money is regarding the background of the male in custody.

Still we must be grateful that they put the effort in. It must be tiring and time consuming work at the Home office ripping up the pension arrangements for thousands of police officers.

Police and law enforcement officers around the world will again be shaking their heads and wondering why we keep on doing what we do with the little we have.

The biggest weapon we have is not the collapsible metal stick or the tin of spray they send us out with it’s the courage, determination and sheer bloody mindedness of the officers on the street to do the job no matter what.

Will this change anything? Will BHH be signing off an order on Monday to roll out a useful number of Tazers to the front line troops? Will this bring about a sea change in opinion amongst the politicians and media….’ Support our police’ you can hear them cry.

Nah…..

The incident on Saturday is already media old news (although they would have kept it running if the suspect had been the one in intensive care…..cut to tearful family huddled on a sofa telling everyone he was a good boy…)

The Home Office has cranked out its mealy mouthed words of praise. They wouldn’t want our reputation as an unarmed service to be compromised would they. All those officers walking around with gun type things in holsters!! We don’t want to put off the punters coming to see the sprinters and pole vaulter’s in Stratford next year.

And the Federation?….I don’t think they are capable of organising a few pints at St James Gate Dublin.

Best wishes and a speedy recovery to my colleagues in Harrow.

You have done your job. Its time other people did theirs.

Hucking funbelievable

2011-09-30T11:17:00.000-07:00

News filtered through the office this afternoon that Ali Dizaei had been reinstated (then 'suspended') but now back on his full pay despite a pending retrial on the matter in which he spent OVER A YEAR! in jail.

Jaws dropped....Gobsmacked ....'you are ******* joking'.. summed up the mood.

If Mr Dizaei is under any impression that his rehabilitation into the Met is received with ANY sympathy or there is ANY groundswell of opinion that he is AGAIN the unlucky persecuted subject of some prolonged campaign by the MET he is sadly mistaken.

I haven't seen any members of the Black Police officers Association step up with a quote....yet.

At some point this organisation (and those that oversee it) are going to have to strap on a pair.

This decision has seriously affected what morale we have left..

Comments usually started with ....'if that was me....'

I need a liquid cosh now.....'landlord!!!!'

New news is no news.

2011-09-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

Apparently Bernard Hogan-Howe is the new Comish.....

Hogan-who? Indifference was probably the best emotive response from those at work today.

Same uniform....different face.

As I have stated in my previous posts the new incumbent of this 'role' will not in any way affect what I do or what I joined to do.I can only assume that,as ever, there will be a new personal 'on message ' pushed through via enforced collective meetings,video and posters over the next 12 months.

Just a personal view ...don't bother .. we just get on with the stuff no matter what.

Them and us

2011-08-04T15:41:00.000-07:00

Best wishes for a speedy recovery to the officer shot this evening in Tottenham.The hindsight heroes, also known as IPCC, are as ever 'all over it'. Lets hope its a speedy resolution to a decision and not leave the unfortunate officer(s) who pulled the trigger swinging for any longer than necessary.

I haven't seen any SMT trollied out for a quote yet....but I am sure I could pencil in about 3/4's of the content before they start.

On another thread I notice that a number of firearms officers from Merseysides Matrix team have been sacked because of an inappropriate photo( according to the Telegraph)whilst turning over some 'customers' house.

As a comparison we have Cleveland's CC and deputy nicked for fraud and corruption and I assume suspended on full pay whilst the likely investigation continues for some considerable time. I don't see any summary quick turn around dismissals there.

Keep calm and carry on

2011-07-18T14:14:00.000-07:00

There seems to be some misconception amongst the press that the MET is in some form of meltdown...NO.

So the Commish has gone..now Yates of the Yard has followed

In work today ...phones still ringing same old grief on the box..nothing changes.

There are entire tranches of SMT that could be done away with and the basic everyday stuff that the public expect will continue.

Loads of speculation as to who is going to replace who..who cares?

Just don't feed me the usual sh*t about them being 'a coppers copper'.Neither I or anyone I know who I consider to be decent copper was ever asked...ever!!! for the last few.

I doubt,STRONGLY!!!!! they will be any improvement on the last.

In that famous creek.....no-one paddling!

2011-07-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

Just heard the Commish has thrown his cards in.....I wonder who else at the high table is going to fold?

As Kenny Rogers once said

'You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em.Know when to walk away know when to run....

Could be an interesting few weeks at the dream factory.

The show must go on!

2011-07-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

These are difficult times for the Met and all the other police services out there.

Cutbacks, changes to pay, conditions of service and pensions... just general doom and gloom.

This ,all added into the mix, that apparently a number of Met officers took money from the sh**e-hounds that form part of Her Majesty’s press. Hell...... its backs to the wall. We need something to cheer us up, a Vera Lynn moment, a show ,something to put a song in our heart and a spring in our step ,help us forget our troubles.....

Well folks I bring you ........the MPS Diversity Awards......

Brought to you via the red carpet (can be changed to a neutral pastel if anybody objects) by the Citizen Focus Directorate

I tremble as I write this, reaching for the spare bottle of Ventolin, but there are five categories in the mix.

1.Leadership : Excellence in leading diversity and equality improvements

2.Fair and responsive services: work that has enabled the delivery of efficient and effective policing services that are fair and clearly responsive to the diverse needs of the people that we serve.

3.Community engagement: work that has enabled enhanced engagement with all communities listening and responding to their needs.

4.Workforce and culture: Work that has enabled the building and development of a talented workforce and working culture promoting mutual respect and teamwork in the MPS. This can be at corporate or local level

And last but not least........

5.Performance and governance:This award focuses on a different theme each year

This year’s theme will focus on work undertaken by MPS Boroughs departments and business groups in implementing and delivering the key area of the Equality Standard for the Police Service.

Nominations are being taken now ..............presentations in October

I have ordered my Tux already.............bids put in for front row .

I hope I have more success with tickets than I did with my two attempts for the woman's beach volleyball at the Olympics

Roll on October and bring it on.......

A HR too far

2011-04-28T15:22:00.000-07:00

It would appear that our head of HR Mr Tiplady has decided to move on

The article suggests that Mr T was Number 4 in the most influential HR posts in er...the HR world ...whatever that may be.

The Commish gives his announcement in two lines.TWO LINES!!! for someone who apparently gave 9 years of his craft to the MET

I don't feel the loss there...maybe I am wrong.

There are some other issues with the media discussing his inappropriate behaviour with another MET linked worker...who knows?

Personal opinion

HR in the Met is a now a complete shambles.It has been centralised (on his watch)

Not that I had any great opinions of the local HR on borough before( the tail wagging the dog often cropped up in my mind) but to move to some form of centralisation seems to have fallen off the scale.

1.It places a big burden on local supervisors who now process stuff and pass on in the 'not so friendly' HR self service page.
2. It has a a call centre set up to deal with queries but no one can can get an answer during the day other than waiting at least 10-20 for an advisor to pick up the phone.
3.At its most basic,it has replaced the very simple and working system of local Borough Training units giving out dates for 'COMPULSORY' courses like OST and FIRST AID with a complicated and laborious system of putting a bid in via the HR web page and hopefully receiving an acknowledgement from your supervisor if its ok....For venues which can be at the other end of the MET from where you work.

Shambles is the politest I can come up with.

Mr Tiplady, bye bye..That's also the best I can come up with.

2011-04-02T18:23:00.000-07:00

Old post revisited

2011-03-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

Re one of my now very infrequent posts dated November 2nd 2010.

Tucked away on page 12 of the Mail on Sunday is one of those mealy mouthed 'sorry buts'... its about the firearms officers AZ12 and AZ14 who allegedly quoted some song lyrics in their evidence in the inquest of Mark Saunders,the barrister shot at his Chelsea home.

IPCC have found no evidence to suggest that the officers did do such a thing and the MoS apologises 'for any distress caused'

Has the Evening 'below' Standard followed?

In the article for the Standard it was suggested the Commish himself was 'outraged' Misquoted? I don't recall anyone from the Commish's office challenging it. Will the Commish or his office offer words of polite reconciliation to the officers maligned?

I await and see.

I don't know why I still buy the Daily Wail. Once I have enough tokens for the Cornish Holiday Home competition to send off they can poke it! Lets face it, the way things are going with pay and pensions you have to make some provision for your future.I am not sure the blandness of the Fed circulations re-assure me on top of the complete silence on the issues from SMT at New Scotland Yard.

Any chance of the Commish being outraged about this?

New year.... just like the old year.

2010-12-31T23:27:00.000-08:00

A season of goodwill to all men?

Haven't seen much 'love of your fellow man' out there over our so called festive season.Working New Years Eve in particular was a tour of blue taped cordons and a mix of blood spattered fast food outlets and public footways.The initial inhabitants of these scenes were to be found in a variety of A&E.One A&E in particular,just South of the river looked like a forward reception area in a war zone.

Skimming through the news sites this morning,the arrest figures released seem small compared to the numbers in Central London last night. But they only relate to a defined area and not the rest(or its immediate outskirts)

I also dislike the generic word 'revellers' used to describe those who attend this every year.Like they are a bunch of happy go lucky folk from all corners of our Metropolis who might get a bit 'squiffy' and occasionally push their luck when they are here.

No.

A good number of citizenry turn up to thieve,sexually molest,assault and intimidate by numbers.

Still,considering what the officers on the ground had to deal with I have not heard of any serious injury to any on duty so that's a result,full stop.

Aside from the numbers required for Aid 'up town' it was basic minimum staffing for the surrounding areas.As ever the teams make it work somehow.They always do.

Currently sipping on a large glass of good scotch(with a couple of bottles of Stella as a chaser)and I would like to raise my glass to all those who were on duty tonight and over the Christmas and New Year.

The assaults on the officers in Ealing recently remind me of how dangerous and unpredictable this job can be.

Stay safe,look after yourselves,colleagues and family and have a good 2011.

Timing is everything

2010-12-03T19:49:00.000-08:00

Saw this early mornng and thought that that is one set of cajones on behalf of the off duty Madrid officer

Words

2010-11-02T16:24:00.000-07:00

My usual journey home on the Tube was enlightened by a front page headline from the Evening Standard. For those outside of London this was once a functioning full time newspaper but is now a freebie and distributed at every available transport outlet from about 4pm onwards. When it did claim to be Londons Evening Newspaper its editorial stance made the Daily Wail look like a watered down version of the Job.So I wasn't surprised when I looked through this story on the front page.

Now if officer AZ8 did think it some form of clever word game and decide that they needed to include a few song line quotes in evidence, they need to be seriously brought to task as this particular job has grief and politics written all over it, besides natural issues on sensitivity for the family involved. The Coroners court has decided that officers actions were not unlawful and this just adds fuel to a dwindling fire.
The Standards 'investigation' seems to have uncovered numerous links to assorted songs.Lets face it any standard rock song does not push the barriers on expression and if you look closely at anybodies day to day conversation such bland phrases which the Standard seem to have 'uncovered' are not unusual.

Whats actually happened behind the scenes is still unclear. Lets hope its the Evening 'Below Standard' which are wrong on this

A fool and our money

2010-07-18T05:41:00.000-07:00

I was reading an item in a magazine the other week about the worlds most expensive foods.Apparently,if true,there is a type of coffee called Kopi Luwak, currently trading at £53.38 for 25 grams. It would seem that the raw red coffees beans are eaten, partially digested and excreted by the Indonesian civet cat before being gently roasted, packaged as sold. Now if some mug punter wants to enjoy a cup of coffee that passed through the bowels of some large feral cat and pay serious money for it then more fool they. I must admit it did make me check the small print on the label of my jar of Gold Blend just in case this is an industry thing.

Austerity in the MET, as everywhere now, is hammering on the door in my little section of paradise. Every hour of OT is scrutinised, things are now routinely handed on. The budgets f****d we are told. Ok I think it was paraphrased a bit differently in the office meeting but essentially everything is being scrutinised, savings...efficiency, efficiency efficiency...

Then I read this article in the Daily Rant

I can only assume that the sales team behind the purveyors of Kopi Luwak worked the same magic on the mandarins at the Home office who approved this...

A police spokesperson said

2010-05-04T18:16:00.000-07:00

Residents and local businesses in an area of Central London have reported a number of occurrences where small bundles of blank but stamped envelopes have been turning up unexpectedly outside their doors causing consternation within the community.

Police said they were aware of their concerns and were addressing them.

Yeah, yeah ok.... but as an organisation we just keep on putting this sort of blandness out.

How many other vague non offensive sound bites do we come out with...?

Now if Heineken did press releases...........
‘Following a review of workload on reported Crime on the Borough it has been recommended that 15% of victims be sent a letter advising enrolment in a Life skills course or alternatively if they are passing a Life shop they pop in and get one’

Doors closing.... now shut up

2010-04-19T16:59:00.000-07:00

I was visiting someone in the University College Hospital in Central London recently. It was in the evening. The main wards are based on one tower block and I get myself into the lift.As the door closed we were greeted by the lift voice 'please refrain from discussing personal information whilst in the lift...' This repeated for about 7 floors as we wended our way to the top.There were no medical staff at any point in that journey. We all looked at each other at every call at each floor.At one point I felt like blurting out 'at least Mr Jones hemorrhoids are responding to treatment'...just to break the tension.

I assume at some point someone complained or became aware of patient details being discussed by members of the medical staff whilst sharing a trip between floors with members of the public...a complaint..meetings..more meetings...and now we have an interminable voice over in the lift at every floor level in the UCH all day every day.

Could this lesson from a centrally controlled government monolith find itself our way? ie another centrally controlled......

I suppose the station canteen is probably the most likely public arena for possible indiscretions 'careless talk cost wives' and all that. Certainly the lifts at stations I have worked at have either been regularly out of service or so slow most people take the stairs anyway.Station canteens themselves are not the exclusive reserve of officers and office support staff as a number of functions have been outsourced to private contractors.It all boils down to a bit of common sense really and a sense of proportion. Not that that has ever really counted for much in the jobs reaction to things.

Moving on....

2010-03-30T17:34:00.000-07:00

I think it was the article in the papers about the PCSO’s wearing the step counters and how many miles they walked that tipped me over the edge. I was mulling this over and thought if they recently ever strapped one on my leg and checked a week later they would probably call in an FME to check for signs of life. I realised I had become very disillusioned with what I was currently doing and the way it was run. Things had become far too quiet and there was a lot of talk about doing things, but not actually doing it.

Anyway a couple of weeks later I was back in the real world again and it was like I had never been away.Volume crime,lots of it and never enough people to keep the workloads manageable. Still it keeps the brain active as I keep a number of plates spinning, hoping the plate that falls off won’t cost me my job.Its been a bit hectic whilst I find my ‘sea legs’ again which is my excuse for missing January and February and most of March

I was quickly reminded that a good day when you are rostered dealing with prisoners is to find one who is an adult,speaks English,is deemed without mental health issues,does not require a solicitor and has provided an address suitable for bail.
I had also forgotten how long it takes to actually book one in. The list of questions asked of our poor customer contains enquiries on many issues including their dietary needs and is their detention today going to affect any child care issues.

'I shouldn't go out and commit crime so these questions would not be needed officer'

This response would be a start but sadly we get requests for a number of diets and of course there often seems to be a young one or three awaiting the return of the parent home from the day of toil to provide and care for their loved ones.
Unfortunately diligent store detectives and security often get in the way of such parenting, but somehow its become the custody staff's issue to resolve it!

Mustn't grumble...means to an end... unless that plate falls off..mmmmm must dash

A tale for the New Year

2009-12-26T09:03:00.000-08:00

It’s been a while since I updated the blog. I don’t usually miss at least one post in a month but November fell by the wayside. Things are in a bit of a pre season lull at the moment in my place and I am feeling like a spare tic at a neurologists wedding. I have been away from the fray of the usual day to day grind for over a year now and strangely I am missing it. At some point I will probably make a move back in to the field and kick start my aspirations to step a rank up before retirement rears its head.
We have lost a number of colleagues over the last year, both in the UK and also colleagues elsewhere such as America whose loss has been eloquently dealt with by other bloggers.
2010 is going to be the first of a few difficult years for police and the public sector generally. What with the handwringing following the G20 and the potential social unrest if the economy nosedives. The very least we are going to face is radical cutbacks in public expenditure.

Any way I thought I’d try a Festive posting to see the year off

The Three Wise Men

The streets of the city were thronged and the taverns bulged with the masses as they converged to celebrate the worship of false gods. The open places spilled with the numbers drawn from afar.....

The shepherd is called in with many others from the outlying hills to assist in watching the flock and to deter the beasts who prey and run amok.

And from those streets he doth catch a beast who roared and brayed and spat and spoketh with the foulest of tongue and it was dragged to the citadel and whilst awaiting admission at the Gate it doth spill green bile upon the floor.

And it was bad.

And the shepherd having cleaned this up he spoke with the guardian on the desk by the Gate and was told to seek refuge to put his words to paper.

But the citadel is full and at each room as he was turned away as there was no more space.

But then he seeketh the third floor where liveth the 9-5 tribe who lock their rooms to prevent those shepherds from knowing what they do. But a door remained unlocked and he sought sanctuary and it was safe and warm and quiet.

He sat with his fourth cup of broth and began to write and tell his tale of his dealing with the beast. He knew he had to put his words in great detail so that the soothsayers at the Temple shall not mock and tear it asunder.

His eyes were drawn to the night sky and a there was a light so bright that it filled the room. He looked but then it was gone. He thought it must be that flying angel that doth watch the crowds from above, that seeketh the beasts and chaseth them from above and along their roads to hell.

He settled and began to write again.

But the air fell silent briefly and then he heard a knock at the door and in strode
3 men whose shoulders bore so many stars that they blazed in the night lights.The shepherd was tired and rubbed his eyes . Could it be the wise men that Shepherds had talked of for millennia. Leaders that shall lead him and his fellow shepherds and provide actions that will be bold, show common sense and be fair?........

The one who’s shoulders bore the most stars approached him.

‘We bring words and instruction from afar to be brought to your table and those of others. This is for your consumption, but there shall be no alternative and thou all shall eat’

‘What words would they be Sir?’ asked the shepherd

‘They are called the 5 p’s so take time and listen to me....’

‘The first shall be called Presence. It has been decreed that shepherds are getting too comfortable and are walking the hills in pairs and that there are now more flock to watch and there are more beasts who stalk, so thou shalt walk alone. Though the sages have considered the fears that in some hills the beast doth roam in packs thou shall be allowed to walk either side of the valley and be able to call for help and pray that the beast doth not prevail before help arrives. The sages did try to bring in Community Shepherds but the beast doth mock and they can only call to the sky for help and wait. ‘

‘The second is shall be called Performance. It has been decreed that shepherds whilst walking the valleys and the hills shall bring as many beasts to the Citadel as they can. Those numbers will be awarded tokens which shalt bring reward to others. ‘

‘The third shall be Productivity. It has been decreed that the shepherds will do more with less . This will mean changes . Such that though the shepherds shall seek regular respite in the arms of their family thou can be called back to the hills again, with little succour ‘

‘The fourth and fifth words are Pride and professionalism......’

‘But Sir I bear these words with me every day .....and we shepherds walk the hills and wallow in the filth of others......’

But the man continued.....

‘It has been decreed and so it shall be done...... for if not followed there shall be further thunder from the NSY and there will be more paper adorning the walls of each citadel’

The mans eyes blazed and his cheeks glowed as he spoke with fervour and the others behind him swayed and clasped their hands in rapture for they knew that to fail to believe in these words would mean the golden ladders in the house of the Kingdom would fall away and they would be left without.

The shepherd sighed as he knew his words were lost and unheeded and as the man continued with his sermon he drifted of as it continued . And like much else that doth bellow from above it soundeth like the trumpet of Gabriel pressed against the orifice to which the Testaments do not refer.

The shepherd shook his head and realised the three men had gone .He sighed again and completed his work.

As he walked the corridors of the Citadel to present his words to the keeper of the Gate he considered the coming year. He knew that when the hordes bay at the gate of the City, he and his fellow shepherds would stand firm, though their words and deeds shall come under scrutiny, the beast shall not prevail.

As he squares his shoulders and prepares to face the night again He mutters to himself ‘ There will be no Gold, I cant make ‘f**g sense of it’ and it will be a nightmare’

And so it was said.

NB: All Beasts shalt be considered without sin until proven Guilty at the Temple.

To those who dip into my Blog and any others passing through have a Good Christmas, New Year and 2010. Stay safe and watch out for your family, friends and colleagues.

I thought you told him?

2009-10-29T16:29:00.000-07:00

Apparently the Comish was not kept in the loop.

I find it kind of hard to believe no one put a word in to the Commissioners office to let him know what they planned to do.Its not as if I am against thinking for yourself in this job. Lets face it any decision that requires some form of contentious action requires a number of Gold strategy meetings or a series of hastily convened community outreach workshops etc.....

If someone thought it a good idea to try and ensure the ones openly and regularly carrying guns on the areas where gun crime and its affects are rife are trained police officers seems to be a good one to me.

Apparently the great and the good don't feel this is right and would rather the streets are left to the gangs on the Estates.

And apparently the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) weren't consulted... so there you go. All proactive actions in relation to serious ongoing crime trends to be put on hold then.

Still the Commissioner may have been distracted. I am informed he has been actively out and about challenging anyone not patrolling singly and associated dress codes.

Still early days for 5 P's....but it would now appear someone forgot to Pass the armed Patrol decision on.

Again?

2009-10-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

I have been away from the Metropolis for a week or so now,unfortunately this latest 'storming of Parliament' by Greenpeace catches my eye.

If I am honest I am not really driven by the thought of the safety of the incumbents of this hallowed House on the Thames,shuffling back after the 'Summer?'recess. However the latest incursion on what is apparently a secure site is an embarrassment for the Met.

A personal opinion is that we either do this properly ie 24/7, in your face type of stuff and no-one gets near or we just accept the fact that if someone really wants to they can get in/on the Parliament roof/Big Ben etc and publicise/unfurl whatever banner they want.

If we are going to accept that fact then lets just organise it properly. A list, say every other Wednesday and Friday with Health and Safety organising the walkways and banner attachments on the roof. A small fee to cover costs perhaps.

The problem is that, it would appear, at current arrangements, at some point those breaching that 'line' will not be an irritating but well intentioned member of the public with a cause, but someone with far worse intentions.

Damned for whatever..its the new Blue.

2009-09-28T12:56:00.000-07:00

I think the articles in the Mail today are telling in that we as Police, whatever the failings of the entire criminal justice system, if it goes 'belly up ' it always seems to be portrayed as our fault.We just cant get it right.

We do get it right,week after week, but that doesn't make news.

The Rachel Nickell enquiry is,in one way,an example.
The job is apparently likely to be sued because we failed to deal with the paranoid schizophrenic 3 years earlier prior to his attack in 1992.Our man at the Yard Mr Yates states that 'more could and should have been done' Again some 16 years after the event these hindsight goggles are as sharp as ever.

Now this job was so long ago and I don't have access to all the details of what was and wasn't done at the time (and the Mail is as vague on detail) but whatever the officers did they clearly didn't have access to the team crystal ball during that period.

That sounds flippant and I don't intend it to,as a number of innocent people have either lost their lives or have been badly affected by this individuals actions.

But at that time 3 years prior to Rachel Nickel being murdered did the police have 'sufficient information' to arrest, interview, demand DNA from this individual? Was the 'information' in a form that could be used without identifying the informant? The venue was not clearly identified. Back in 1989 was there the forensic advances to assist with this? Was the victim,if identified, willing to pursue the allegation? At that time, what was his previous history?

If we had willing witnesses,victim, scene, good forensic( the sort of stuff CPS still demand today) and we STILL failed to act then we can throw ourselves on our sword.

I am not saying the shambles regarding the 'honey trap' and STAGG does us credit but it was done, based on research, with the best intention and with the approval of the CPS who,as ever, never seem to be subject to public vitriol when a case goes wrong.

The next article is regards the fatal shooting of Clare Nernal back in 2005. She was brutally shot, at short range, in Harvey Nicolls store by an ex boyfriend.The whole tone of this article is that it somehow remains the fault of the police.I recall at the time that the Courts were blamed for giving him Bail but that clearly doesn't suit this article

Background: The Harassment Act 1997 was designed to deal with Stalkers like this.

However it has become a catch all piece of legislation that everything from 'he looked at me the wrong way' to 'he held a knife at my throat and threatened to gut me' gets reported under this Act. Borough units are plagued by low level 'Harassment' a lot of which is usually dealt with by telling some people to grow up or get a life... suitably phrased naturally. However amongst the dross are cases that require more attention. Even amongst the other cases it can be hard, without omniscience, a degree in clinical psychology to get it right every time. In this case he was arrested and 'warned' He breached this and was arrested. The background MUST have been sufficient for police to recommend his remand in custody. That is OUR recommendation and not CPS at first hearing,for a spell in Belmarsh to result.That he is then given bail,returns home,returns,pleads guilty and then does this act of senseless violence CANNOT be blamed on police or OIC.

Again if we had that Team Crystal ball hooked up in the office things could be different. We don't and it wasn't.

We shovel a lot of...stuff... day in and out. Those that actually sign for and investigate are low in numbers compared to the volume that comes in. When the wheel comes off I would like other aspects of the system to be put under scrutiny. We always seem to be the default position for criticism.

I am not saying we are always right or correct but we are a damn sight better than we are portrayed.

The TV on the wall is reading your fate.

2009-08-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

Its been a bit mad lately with work. I have been gadding about all over the place.

However I was back in a Central London nick on one of those 'hurry up and wait' type jobs and after gorging on fried food and tea I found myself stuck for something to read. I discovered a copy of one of the local freebie newspapers and was intrigued by the headlines 'Fast-track justice is virtually ridiculous...

Reading on.. it appears that a good chunk of the local solicitors are boycotting the 'virtual courts'. The reason being they are not happy to sit next to the 'accused' in a room whilst they are sentenced via video link as they fear for their personal safety if the dispensed justice causes their client to react violently....

ha ha ha ha ha ...yeah right!

I found a web page later with the link

I have spent hours and hours and hours over the years waiting for the Reps in assorted police stations to finish with their clients.They are more than happy to sit for hours with the less than er...'respectable citizen' alone in a room whilst they concoct..sorry that may be considered ill judged..whilst they discuss their clients options.The first thirty minutes are usually down to completing the legal aid forms any way!

I am not sure if the 'virtual court system' will ever really alleviate the backlog at Courts but I am sure the reasons for the local Solicitors to boycott it are not down to personal safety fears but more a realisation that a one visit 'all done and dusted in a session' scenario affects the repeat fees as it drags through the courts

Cynical?.. yeah damn straight.... but I think a fair spin on it!

Danger..minefield ahead.

2009-07-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

A Parliamentary report headed by Kieth Vaz has concluded that police are still 'institutionally racist' This release coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Macpherson enquiry findings.
Basically it appears that despite the 'conclusions' made by Macpherson we are actually stopping and searching more black people than 1999!

This report was cranked out prior to the Honourable members taking the best part of a 3 month break so details are sketchy but my issues are this.

The article on the report does not clarify if the stops were justified or not. The fact that the numbers are skewed towards black people does not explain why the stops were made, under what circumstances,whether the individuals are known to police and form part of a local proactive campaign to disrupt certain crime trends.

If the Honourable members are suggesting that, based on the stats, police are actively targeting blacks and ignoring criminals or crimes committed by white/Asian/other then lets call for a full public enquiry to establish the true facts behind the figures.

No calls for that in the article.

Mr Vaz talks of the disproportionate imbalance of DNA of black people held on the database. If DNA is held on the database then it is because people have been arrested and brought into custody for offences.

If the Honourable members are suggesting that, based on the stats, that police are actively targeting black people and either ignoring criminals or crimes committed by white/Asian/other or even 'fitting up' said black people to skew the figures then lets call for a full public enquiry to establish the true facts behind the figures.

No calls for that in the article.

It was Paul Condon who,years ago, as Commissioner, stated that black youth were over represented in certain types of crime.The usual furore which followed was that he was actually stating that all black people are (or were potentially) criminals which was and IS utter nonsense.He was simply stating stats on certain crimes.

10 years after Macpherson and the police have undergone major internal reform. We have been educated,informed,re-aligned in our views and yet we are apparently still stopping and searching more black people than white/Asian /other.

I don't believe we are doing this because we are really unreformed unrepentant misfits of a bygone age. We are doing this because we are reacting to what we are dealing with,real time,on the streets. That the figures don't skew to some perceived acceptable norm is beyond our control.

This brief article on the report is about figures and their interpretation.What better soundbite than to give a dig at the police again on the 10th anniversary of the utterances of the sage Macpherson without clarifying detail.

Then again according to the Telegraph Mr Vaz is not so hot on figures anyway.

Talent,Tapping up and Team Met

2009-07-16T16:07:00.000-07:00

Loads of stuff in the papers recently regarding remuneration for the very senior ranks in the job. Retention packages, security, even subsidised fees for the CC's kids.Probably not hard for this to come to light since the Trough on the Thames gave Her Majesties press a feeding frenzy with the Telegraphs drip feeding of revelation by revelation.

These extras apparently are about TALENT. Its Recruitment, its Retention and the ability to Renegotiate' should other 'offers' be made. If they had agents I am sure the three R's would be the basis for negotiation at the top table.

The MET appear to be up front in seeking out such possible stars.
This notion of Talent in the senior ranks is what drove me to write this post.
A recent internal Met post indicates we are actively requesting referrals for 'graduates' from staff.

So what is talent in a senior officer who aspires to that rank?

Talent sought by Police Authorities bears NOTHING in relation to what I consider to be the fundamentals of police work.

You do NOT get to be a 'High flyer' (Accelerated promotion scheme for Graduates ) by spending any length of time, in any unit,grinding out enquiries.

Anything (realistically past Inspector/Chief Inspector) in this job is a manager.Actual police work is secondary.Politics and figures are everything and it is driven top down. Common sense and discretion, the old bywords of day to day policing are gone

There are some who fight and try and maintain that old equilibrium. They do not progress.

We do NOT need any more bright young things with degrees in Anthropology and Politics from the University of Somewhere to be fast tracked and merely graze briefly on the lush green fields of criminality before finding themselves sitting in an office and deciding that for the next rank they will ignore that age old adage 'if it 'ain't broke don't fix it'.

We need bright young keen recruits willing to spend some serious time shoveling sh*t before they move on.

That doesn't sound good as a soundbite though.

The basic test for me is 'what if'

What if ?.... the senior officer and all his deputies and assistants decided en- masse to take a year Sabbatical. What would happen?

In regard to basic day to day policing............sod all. It would just go on as normal.

What if ?....Response,SNT,CID decided to take a years Sabbatical.What would happen.....Chaos and Anarchy.

I think the point I am trying to make is this. The higher up the slippery pole you are the less 'essential' value you become to the organisation which pays your wage.

Talent?................

Some Sundays...

2009-06-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

I went into Central London on Sunday to display my gratitude to these men and women
It is probably the last time they will parade at this venue. It was a typically simple,understated occasion that the MET police throughout the year.Not a large crowd for a central London event but even the curious throngs of camera snapping tourists held their peace as the service progressed.

Simple low key policing and assisted by the diligent and resourceful St Johns tending to the hot,tired and weary.

As they marched back into the Whitehall side street from the service parade it was good to see all the veterans cheered and clapped by those who watched.
I think one of the biggest cheers was to Albert Rogers who was, gently, to the triumphant music of the assembled army band, assisted to the rendezvous by a parading police officer.

Some Sundays it is worthwhile getting your backside out of the house.

The TIMES they are a changing

2009-06-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

Catching up through the other blogs on this and the enforced 'outing' of Nightjack
I wonder what this paper really achieved,or wanted to achieve on this.

What purpose did it serve? It would appear that its journalist decided to establish if the writings within the posts were that of an actual police officer. I am not sure by what means of 'deduction' this was done but a name was arrived at and it was established it was in fact a serving officer.

Having arrived at this point why then decide to 'out' him?

Nightjack deservedly won an Orwell award for his posts over the previous period and by this likely raised his head over the parapet a bit too much for some.

Blogging by police oficers has become a natural vent to let off steam at the way a vitally important public body has allowed itself to become.

We have no 'official' channels for dissent. The Word is the Word.

There used to be a Q and A section in the old internal rag (sadly still in existence)called 'The Job'. Disgruntled officers would write in and then recieve a smug, patronising response from Chief Inspector 9-5 at Department 'Ticky box to the next rank'. I think there may now be a similar on line forum called 'Ask the SMT' or such like. I doubt the responses to concerned 'colleagues' have changed.

I blog,admittedly not as frequently as I would like, to bay and howl at that big, round, complacent 'We ARE one happy extended police family' moon.

This decision will, and has, affected other bloggers. MetCountymounty, as an example, another very readable blogger, has posted that he will call it a day for a period.

As he has been named, but in NO way shamed, I would like to thank Dc Richard Horton of Lancashire CID for his posts. I have enjoyed every last one.

Take care and I look forward to the book.

As for this Blog? I could probably print off the entire back catalogue and shove it under the Commissioners office door and get no more than a 'Dibble who?'

Should that EVER change I will start to rethink.

A Teflon shoulder moment?

2009-05-19T15:05:00.000-07:00

This

Commander Broadhurst appears to suggest that the problems associated with the G20 were down to lack of training of the officers involved.

The bulk of officers dealing with G20 where indeed,what is called, Level 2 public order trained.They are Borough officers who volunteer to undertake this duty above and beyond their normal duties. This invariably means a work/home environment where you do not know in advance for any period whether you will be able to have a day off on their rostered rest day.

The fact that they get a chance to train and keep their public order ticket twice a year in training is a policy in place for some years now. Why has this issue of lack of training become an issue now? Or is the whole media driven furore getting to senior ranks?

The plethora of public order that occurs over the year in the MET is covered by Level 2 officers. The Tamils in Parliament square is such an ongoing event now.

He offers words like 'admiring restraint' 'superb performance.. blah' but also uses words such as 'fear might drive inappropriate behaviour' and 'areas of concern which are rightly being investigated'

He talks of 'softer' crowd control options and lack of 'communication' with the 'crowd'

I am getting feelings of 'its down to the actions of junior officers on the ground'

The Met had loads of flak a few years ago, when there was issue over the Met seizing flags when the Chinese president? came over. Junior ranks got the blame.

Like the Level 1 and 2 on that day gave a s**t whether the protesters were carrying flags or not!

This G20 was dealt with by way of tactics dictated from above and planned before hand. Tactics implemented by the loyal officers on the ground.

There is a 'rowing for shore' about this article which worries me.

Quotes and votes

2009-05-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

Quotes?

"We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."

George Orwell.

Now in today's day and age in our risk averse,hand wringing,all inclusive,don't dare upset ANYONE! world ...it would probably read

We sleep safe in our beds because rough (a term which is under review and awaits a decision from the Champions lead on 'Challenging words which may indicate suggestion that police work may occasionally involve laying hands on people' Board) men ( All those employed by the police service, extended police family or those who work on a voluntary basis no matter what perceived sex or sexual orientation ) stand ready in the night (a term which does not suggest that those who wish to gain or remain in employment within the police service have to work hours which are normally considered extended or incompatible with family life) to visit violence ( a term which has negative implications and 'visiting' has to be fully justified and open to full public scrutiny) on those who would do us harm ( all harm doers are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law)....the reverse being true in the case of police officers on You Tube!

What has driven me to this ramble?......is this

Some considerable years ago,when my knees were up to it, I was a member of this Met unit.I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the TSG. I worked with a lot of good professional officers. We were motivated and up for anything that came our way. And it could be anything..from house to house following an incident,to full on public order...

TSG take no s**t..it should be a motto but that is unlikely to be approved...and they don't.

When its going t*ts up and the Reserve are arriving they do not spill out of the carrier set up stalls and distribute leaflets or seek to find 'community leaders' on speed dial.Intervention is swift and those who decide to continue with the behaviour after arrival are dealt with by way of arrest and placing before the local custody sergeant.

Some within Boroughs in the Met (squads and CID were the worst) used to occasionally sneer....but still called us in when the doors in.. hands on stuff was required.
Since moving on I have had various reasons to request TSG assistance.
The motivation and professionalism of those officers remain the same.

The MET need the TSG as a first response and I doubt the bleating of those in the link will be listened to.

Votes?

200 weeks mentions his idea of a Support our TSG' group in his post of 'Too many kettlers'....put me down for that.

Untitled

2009-04-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

Skimming through blogs and news sites this evening I realised that PC Gary Toms has died from his injuries following the incident on the 11th in East London.

I had Sky news on in the background TV whilst surfing. I had been bored senseless and occasionally infuriated with the lurid account's of police brutality at the G20.It occupied large chunks of their regular 15 minute news 'updates'

Whilst I was writing this, the presenter mentioned Gary's death.I think the slot lasted 15 seconds...if that.

Says it all.

THIS side of the fence we know what matters.

Thoughts to Gary's family, friends and colleagues.

Caught on camera?

2009-04-10T17:02:00.000-07:00

Fair play to Bob Quick to throw his cards in the next day after his gaffe.

Compared to leaving laptops and files on trains, the back seats of cars and occasional landfill, a brief glimpse (only magnified and brought to public prominence by the awaiting press photogs as he stepped out of his car) his moment of indiscretion left him with a swift and honourable falling on sword the next day.

Cant see the political elite above him following his example.

Will the media driven frenzy allow a measured and even handed response to the investigation into the G20 death? Snippets of mobile/CCTV/camera footage have developed into a fomenting 'lets not bother with the basics ..hang him now'

Nah.......

Views and issues.

2009-03-22T12:42:00.000-07:00

Another post driven by thoughts kicking around my head and also discussed and outlined eloquently on the sites of 200 and Pc Pinkstone.

The alleged 'outing' and subsequent sacking of PC Bettley

The whole saga dates back to a time when ACPO (plc) decided that,in a grand political gesture that any serving member of the police service, if found to be a member of the BNP would be dismissed.

I was never entirely sure of the legality of this posturing at the time as the BNP (despite whatever you may think of their views) are a legitimate non proscribed political party.

My opinion is this.If you took the stance that individuals are to be dismissed by being members of legitimate political parties then you must include association with Labour, Conservative, Lib Dem etc..

Not,apparently a stance taken from ACPO. What do you think the reaction from ACPO or the assorted Professional Standards Departments would be if serving officers were found to be badge wearing, placard waving, Labour party?...........tumbleweed I expect.

There is no suggestion that Pc Bettley EVER in his career made decisions in his role as constable which were biased against those of different race, religion or treated people differently because of this.

His mere association with one particular political group has ended his career

I fully understand Pc Pinkstones bemusement as to why the BPA ( Black Police Officers Association) and the local advisory group were consulted throughout this...Why?

This is an internal disciplinary enquiry involving what would appear to be a straight forward breach of an ACPO (plc) directive.Why have a deep seated and ongoing discussion with the onlookers?

Meanwhile back at the Holiday Express Inn in
Chingford a bunch of smug, self promoting, zealots are discussing in an open forum the legitimacy of stoning to death Homosexuals.

Any strident harrumphing from ACPO (plc) regarding such opinions? A determination to knock on the door of this meeting and call time or challenge debate?

No.

The best we can do is 'If someone makes a complaint we will look into it'

Even if someone complains, by the time the hurriedly convened GOLD community cohesive discussion group has formed and has reached out to all perceived interest groups the room will have been let to next weeks Rotary group meeting.

This is not some form of apologist rant for the Far Right but if we are to avoid society seriously dividing across issues we have to be seen to be level and fair across the board.

If we except that the bunch in Chingford has a right to their opinion, then EVERY other group, be it far left, far right, christian, muslim ,Hindu etc.. has a right to an opinion

That includes any alleged or perceived members of the BNP who may be in service,

If ACPO (plc).. and their political masters want to bring hell fire on opinion then it has to be across the spectrum of opinion and society.

Anything else will only be taken as political tokenism and recognised as such.

For a balanced society it is not healthy.

I have just realised this is my 100th post. I wish it was more positive.

Alone again..naturally?

2009-03-18T16:20:00.000-07:00

The latest from Paul Stephenson is the unveiling of his belief that officers should patrol singly and not in pairs. This is really part of the notion of Presence

One of the five P's that he is 'benchmarking' during his tour of duty as Commissioner.

A number of other blogs have chewed this over.This is my particular 10 pence worth on it.

Single or double patrol?

Duties wise it is an idea that has been kicked around for years.Some Borough commanders have tried single patrols (coming up with such ideas as 'the control room is your back up'. I was never happy with that at the time,although when control rooms were Borough based at least you had knowledgeable staff at hand if it all went belly up as they knew where you where. We now have 3 mega sites for control for the entire MET.So much for local knowledge.

I started off my career in parts of the estate wastelands of North London and did find myself out by myself dealing with all kinds of s**t. We had much bigger Teams (or Reliefs) then so 'back up' was usually close to hand.

But there is a psychological advantage to having two on a stop on a call. Another set of eyes and ears,someone watching your back.

I find it amusing that Mr Stephenson says he and the blah blah blah cant understand why we patrol in pairs. People who have never had to do it.

I am not saying that in certain areas ( read: the far less cosmopolitan and vibrant)that single patrolling isn't an option but this 'direction' would appear to be all encompassing and I think flawed.

To finish, I see this as a tacit admission that the 'uniform presence' of PCSOs out there has not been a success and the spreading of a limited number of trained warranted officers in the single patrol concept is one way of clawing back 'the streets'

Lets see.

Strong words.No news.No change.

2009-02-24T16:30:00.000-08:00

On my way home last night I passed my local newsagent.The Evening Standard flyer board..not usually my paper of choice...caught my eye and made me stop and backtrack.

'Met rocked by Apartheid Row'.

apartheid?

Now I know the 10th anniversary of the McPherson Report has caused a 'review of progress'(or lack) depending on who is talking...of how the Met has 'moved on'.

I was never convinced we had a serious position to move on from but that is a bye the bye for this particular ramble.

I had to call in and buy a copy to establish exactly what we had been up to generate such a comment.Had we been deliberately segregating as an organisation Whites and Non Whites. Where there separate queues in the canteen,separate entrances at police stations,different offices? a large swathe of indefensible activities in our not inconsiderable estate?

Actually no.. this is about a group of PCSO's working out of a Central London station. The article is as basic on details as is its header and is based on 'submissions' given by one PCSO about a number of others in a Tribunal concerning events at this ONE station. A sorry tale all round by the sounds and the actual truth is still in the mix.

Met rocked by Apartheid?...

I think Mr Stephenson has it right when he says 'pockets'....and very small pockets at that. Nothing worth picking in there.

Apart from my small change buying this paper to read this trash.

I'll have a P please Paul

2009-02-13T16:27:00.000-08:00

Its certainly the consonant of the moment.

The new Comish Paul Stephenson has laid his stall out in a 'direction of travel' speech to staff earlier this week. Every incoming boss has a signature 'stamp' to mark his first days in office and his is the 5 P's

Presence
Performance
Productivity
Professionalism
Pride

Nothing flashy but suitably similar in tone to the governments Policing Pledge so as not to sound too 'off message'.A measured Piece of Product Placement you might say.

I am sure the 5 P's will appear in Posters in our stations over the next month or so.

There are always Posters.

But I am hoping we don't get the warrant card sized insert handouts. If I kept every one of those I have been issued with over the years my warrant card holder would be the size of a house brick.

I have read through Mr Stephenson's speech and basically I believe what he is trying to say is that what we do is in itself a very simple concept and I have to agree. Policing in its Purest form is keeping the Queens peace and the Prevention and detection of crime.

He does get a bit Preachy at a few points and is vague on issues such as Productivity and Performance. Measurability in these area is difficult and a Plethora of Police blogs testify to the corrosive effect of targets and its effects on Public Perception and morale.

There is an almost evangelical zeal in some parts but he must realise,and he admits that he has some considerable time in the job, that he has to convince the muttering/chattering blue masses that this is not a case of 'same horse different jockey'

The one P he doesn't refer to is Politics.

Our independence as an organisation has become P**s P**r.

How he deals with the infighting and demands of the Mayor of London's office, London Assembly and the Home office will,I think,define his tenure.

This speech was Pitched as a 'direction of travel'. As a Passenger on the team bus I hope he gets it right.

Van man

2009-01-31T06:58:00.000-08:00

Been a bit busy since the New Year kicked in.

I have to admit that for the first time for a considerable number of months I am actually starting to enjoy work again.
I am out and about, not tied to the 'box' for hours an hours and pretty much left to my own devices once I have been given a job to do.

Since breaking free from being office bound I have even spent assorted shifts in the back of an OP van.I did a fair amount of this sort of stuff earlier in my career and despite comments from my younger colleagues such as 'oh no..we'll have to get one with a ramp' or 'make sure its fitted out with extra grab handles' it's the same as I remember it.

Unfortunately the TV might give the wrong impression of what the inside of an OP van looks like.It is not fitted out with the latest computers,flat screens or high tech imaging or listening equipment. The average van contains, if you are lucky, a chair (usually a dodgy one pinched from the office) and...er....thats about it.
You bring the rest with you, warm clothing, a radio and a plastic bottle in case the bladder doesn't hold out until you get relieved.

In fact the only difference that I can see about OP vans is the amount of paperwork and hoops you now have to jump through to get one authorised.

Sexy it ain't, but I'd rather be doing this than batting off weary E mails,getting mauled over 7 day supervision and VCOP figures or not hitting whatever target SMT were looking at this month.

I am now off to M and S to get a new set of thermals as my old ones don't fit anymore......oh dear.... maybe I am getting old.

Up for air.

2008-12-30T17:03:00.000-08:00

Managed to get a post in before end 2008.

Chez Dibble has been in some turmoil over the last 6 weeks due to circumstances beyond our control.This,coupled with a change of jobs, has left blogging on the back burner.
I'd had enough of my last role and put in a bid for something else and managed to get away from the not so 'merry go round' I was on. I needed a change,even if its only for a year or so and I have no regrets over that side of it.But I do miss my team that I left behind.We shovelled some sh*t and dealt with some weariness.Despite all this,it was a good bunch who managed to have some laughs despite it all.Their 'lets get on with it' professionalism made this old duffer look good and I thank them sincerely for it.

I will get back into the blogging frame of mind in 2009

To all those out there,take care of yourselves,those close to you and stay safe.

All the best for 2009

Up close and Personnel

2008-11-02T14:40:00.000-08:00

It would appear that there is some delay in advertising for the up and coming vacancy for Commissioner.

To assist I would like to put forward a Pro forma for HR to consider if they are in doubt as to what to do. It contains in essence what I would consider to be abilities and qualities which might assist those who aspire to take on the job.

Post: Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police
Vacancies: One
Salary: Circa 250,000
Tenure: Usually 5 years but apparently now not so negotiable.

Desirable Abilities/qualities

1.Flexibility. As from Day one they will be torn between the Office of the Mayor of London and London Assembly and the Home Office

2.A grasp of politics worthy of Machiavelli.

3.Eyes in the back of their head.

4.Omniscience. However it is accepted that candidates are unlikely to possess the ability to foresee all possible consequences and ramifications in the future of police day to day actions and may require the ability to give evidence under cross examination in court.

The Metropolitan Police Service IS an equal opportunities employer.

Selection will be based on ABILITY and SUITABILITY for the post.

For all those applying I wish them the best of luck. They may need it.

*The list is not exhaustive,any thoughts on qualities expected on the new Commissioner are welcome*

The plot...someone? ...its out there somewhere..

2008-10-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

Another stop forming part of the ride to the rocky road to hell that we are all heading towards.

I cant help thinking there is a crew of hard nosed, no nonsense, hands in pockets coppers who take call on call wondering what happened to their 'Ride'

Get this nonsense back to what its supposed to be.. and lets not pretend that this will in any way detract those youths who are intent on killing and maiming in the cause of 'not losing face' 'dis-respect' or 'incursions on local turf'

Apparently I've signed up.

2008-10-15T16:29:00.000-07:00

Did I miss a weary FED E mail circulation or some form of mass meeting?
I heard this afternoon that the Fed have tied us into a 3 year pay deal.
The last harrumphing from the Surbiton warriors was about going to Europe to argue and enshrine our 'right to strike' A very expensive and long winded exercise which the majority of police officers,including myself,would not take up any way.

The next thing I know, it seems the Fed is rolling on its back and getting its tummy tickled and saying we have got the best Public sector agreement to date.With real inflation running at over 5% I suggest the Fed do the Maths...

And then J.Smith come out with 'I have the highest regard for the police and the tireless work they do to protect and serve the public," I gagged over my post shift pint of Guinness.Wasn't the Fed calling for her resignation this year?

This 'best deal' confirms to me the FED are an utter and complete waste of space as a Representative body. Can I re-negotiate my subscriptions just to cover the legal stuff if the police/public interface gets too weary?

Request Stop

2008-10-08T04:48:00.000-07:00

Blimey,I was just thinking how long I had been waiting since the last enquiry into the treatment of minority ethnic officers within the Police Service when two come along at once!
Boris and Jacqui are vying for passengers on this particular route.Its basically a shuttle service between two buildings on the Thames at the moment but who knows where it may end up.

A brave new world.

2008-10-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

I noticed a snippet in the freebie METRO newspaper on the way to work yesterday.
Apparently a Health and Safety officer with Lancashire Constabulary has taken umbrage with the wording on police Bravery awards.They believe there are health and safety fears that it may encourage others to take risks. The wording reads 'with no thought to his or her safety' but wants it to read 'fully recognising the risks to their own safety'

Mmmm...thinking back if I ever sat down and thought about what I had got myself involved in over the years and all possible consequences I would have even less hair than I have now.But half the fun was getting stuck in and getting out the other side in one piece.That was the result.

If this mentality takes hold the next awards ceremony for Lancs finest could prove a very controlled affair.

The scene is set...

Lancs SMT would take to the stage(which of course would have been checked for height from the ground,ramp availability and lighting)

"Thank you all for coming here today to honour these officers.... but before I continue I must remind you that the fire exits are to the left and rear and assembly is in the car park opposite.There will be a buffet after this but I would remind all that unless you specified any allergies in the five page pro-forma document that came with the invitation we can take no responsibility for adverse reactions. Anyway to begin we have...

Naturally there would have been a half day rehearsal to cover any eventualities in the short walk to the 'shake and greet'.
Instructions would have been given to no more than a brief handshake with the CC(to avoid any chance of repetitive strain injury)

The Certificates might read afterwards....'acceptance of this medal indemnifies Lancashire Constabulary from any post traumatic incidents and complications through injuries or injuries resulting from any subsequent actions as the holder has clearly demonstrated a preference to get involved in incidents which may or may not have been risk assessed'

No 'ice in Pol just 'itical.

2008-10-02T14:49:00.000-07:00

Well that's it then, the Comish has called it a day.I find it hard to believe that an indirect failure by Boris to fully support his police chief tipped him over the edge. He has faced far worse over his term than a curmudgeonly 'failure to support' from our blond haired bluffer of a mayor.

At that level its politics.Basic policing doesn't come into it.

A personal opinion is one of disappointment. There are big issues banging at the door of the MET at the moment be it the Menezes enquiry or the wailings of the BPA and the treatment of its high profile members.

If calling it a day was on his mind then I would have liked him to have seen these issues through and then walk away.

What we have now is a vacuum just waiting to be filled by those with issues to say 'I told you so..no smoke without fire..'you can see the headlines/editorials/sound bites now and the hardly concealed smirks on the faces of those who still remain in a job.

At ground floor its academic really....the sh*t still gets shovelled....but it still grates.

OT and me....a personal view.

2008-09-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

There is a bit of a furore in Thames Valley following the investigation into Op Overt. An E-mail by a skipper at TV has apparently surfaced and horror of horrors might suggest that the Old Bill do OT for reasons such as paying off bills, mortgage,helping towards savings,holidays..! other than a selfless all driven need to stand for hours and hours at a scene for the....hell of it.

I have done this job for a long time now. I work hard and still believe in what I do despite all the nonsense that surrounds policing these days. I am also one of those officers who will stay on a spare shift and top and tail a job and not put an OT request in.

However when a call comes in,be it ET or LT when I am going to incur(OT)
I expect that as a matter of fact.

I do not do this job for love.

I am professional and hardworking but if they want me to 'stay on' I expect to get paid for it.

I have heard all the talk over the years from those who say this 'this is the best job in the world and I would do it for free'....I have also not known any of these do any other than a straight eight hour without putting a claim in.

Similarly on our Rest Days (which shift working staff will see as the light at the end of that particular weeks tunnel)if I am cancelled then I expect payment. Sometimes we get 'stiffed' and the cancellation is 'plus 15 days notice' otherwise the Job 'incurs'

The Sgt in TV is (in my reading of this) trying to get volunteers to 'bite' at taking their precious leave at a premium rate.

He is being honest,creative. He has probably been given a list of dates to fill during this OP. This job has probably been running for a while and the wise and the weary are not taking the bait. He should be praised for this. He is speaking honestly.He is appealing to the 'market'.Are we not now a business driven 'model'

Why this 'leaked' memo should cause Ma'am TVP and Mr Hayman such indignation is beyond me

Unless of course this just a media taster for an onslaught on the notion of police OT generally.

The Govt have made clear that our yearly wage negotiations are in their hands..is OT on the endangered list?

The End is not Nigh.

2008-09-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

It was in some way reassuring that my Wednesday shift had not been engulfed by a Cosmic Cataclysm when the Techs at CERN turned on the switch at 8am.Though I did harbour a vague hope that a small spin off 'black hole' might appear under my desk and devour the paperwork awaiting File on Division and Exhibits awaiting return to stores.

How's that for an excuse to the snotty E mail on property..'Sorry, a randomly generated black hole from CERN sucked it all up into a place as yet unknown'.

I have actually been quite interested in the build up to this CERN experiment.

It is clear that those in charge of overseeing the contracts for building this experiment have never employed any firm that the MET have given their hard tendered cash to.

I have never...ever.. ever.. known a construction /revamp job at a station be completed on time.For example there would be the usual 'Custody at XXXXX will be closed for a period of 5 weeks and re-open on the 23rd of XXXX. The old suite at XXXX will be re-opened and cover over this period.

This declaration would often lead to a 'Book' being formed and bets placed as to the ACTUAL date that the suite would open.The optimists would go for 2-3 weeks after the said deadline.The grizzled veterans would not put a date any earlier than 5-10 weeks. To make it interesting we would put a side bet on how long it would take AFTER the re-opening for it to be closed again because of 'unforeseen problems'

Usually worth at least a two or three week side bet.

The technology a CERN can send beams at near the speed of light.

I spent an evening recently awaiting an E mail with an MG3 attachment from CPS Direct. I was on the phone and the reviewing lawyer said 'I have sent it over now'
It took 25 minutes from sending to appear in my inbox.

He works in BRADFORD!!!

CERN are looking to unravel the innermost secrets of the Universe.

I would settle for knowing what Team, shift and place of work I am going to be working on over the next year.

Phew!

2008-08-31T12:39:00.001-07:00

Just finished the end of a weary best part of a month and realised how long it is since the last entry.I thought it best to get a few lines in so at least there is one August entry. I have been preoccupied with trying to nail a group of 'yoot' who have been taking the pi** more often than an Olympics drug testing Team. Still short a couple but enquiries are in hand as they say.

Things have cropped up which I was going to post on but shift hours got in the way.The issues surrounding the release of the killer of Nina Mackay for instance

I thought the comments from Nina's Dad were particularly poignant 'The opportunity for her to visit us for five hours per month would be overwhelming. That is not going to happen and our sentence continues unabated'

The storms washing around the Yard and its Brass who are turning on themselves is getting interesting.......lets see who is still standing in the New Year.
I have no real interest in the winners really as it wont affect me and my colleagues scratching around in the rock pool at low tide when the Storm dies down.

I am hoping the internal strife will filter down and put on hold any new 'big ideas' by those below the 'war(of words)zone' and settle for some stability for a few months.

Probably asking for too much with that though

Leading from the front

2008-07-21T14:37:00.000-07:00

There would appear to be concerns regarding a 'fact finding mission' by senior management and our 2012 responsibilities.
I am not to sure how the Chinese approach to public order over this 'sporty festive period' can be applied to the UK's view of 'how to'

Still,we have our finest lined up to visit and to 'suss' things out.

Realistically, you could argue that you could probably get as much 'fact finding' by linking a bulk of the feedback on a video conferencing facility, courtesy of the Business suite at the Holiday Inn on the North Circular.

Anyway,this isn't some comment about how the Brass get the best 'jollys'

Personally if someone gave me a sniff of a trip away courtesy of the Job I would bite their hand off.I think the farthest flung place the Job has ever sent me is on a prisoner collection run to Haverfordwest.

Judith Chalmers can rest easy

Ticket to anywhere?

2008-07-06T18:45:00.000-07:00

The IR words(Institutional Racism) have recently re-emerged and has been laid against the ranks of the MET. Demonised,it causes alarm amongst the ranks of the politically correct. A form of 'Blue bird Flu' to be tackled quickly,quarantined and put out of its misery.

However it is not levelled at those of junior level who's canteen culture(whatever that was) apparently proved a fermenting ground for such thoughts.

No,the latest reincarnation of IR is at a higher table and has been muttered in the background of the case involving promotion or lack of it

Now,as a grumpy, disillusioned, middle ag.. er mature, non ethnic officer who has spent all of his time in the job working shifts in some form or another and dealing hands on with the crap that comes in through the back door, my opportunities for griping at being KB'd* are very limited.

I could take my case to a Tribunal, walk through the door with my little pile of grievance papers.'Don't even bother Dibble'..'Yes, thank you Mr Chairman I will get my coat'....

You reach a certain point in your career when you are either in or out. Ultimately at that level opportunities upward are down to a very limited number of positions.

I do NOT believe in this day and age,in this organisation,that people are overlooked PURELY because of their ethnicity...

Fact is,on a short list there may be better candidates than you.. maybe they did a better interview... it happens.

At the factory end these things are academic,but as we observe those above pushing and pushing and seeming to get their way on what would appear to be a Race card ticket,cynicism becomes further embedded.

*KB'd ...knocked back.

We are all God's children

2008-06-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

I was given a timely reminder last week by the Director of our Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate that June was indeed the first Gypsy Roma Traveller History month.
I was informed it was a time to celebrate their history,culture,and their addition to the rich tapestry of Britain's diversity.This declaration further extolled that 'through such celebrations and events we can all develop a better understanding of different communities which enables us to improve our service across London'

There is even a website http://www.grthm.co.uk

The METS Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate is a shaker and mover in our new vision for London so I shall say no more...

Whats in a name.

2008-06-14T15:52:00.000-07:00

I tagged along to a series of talks by specialist departments recently.
Fairly informative stuff if a little repetitive. One thing that started to jar was the use of the word 'Responders' in the talks. I wondered if it was just one speaker but a number used it.I realised that they were using the word Responder instead of the usual Emergency services.For a number of separate speakers to come up with the same term,I can only assume this is the latest 'buzz word management speak' from those in the clouds.

So why are we now 'Responders' and not 'Emergency services'.

Is the word 'Emergency' now deemed by those above to be too alarmist to the public. To suggest there are Emergencies going on might suggest the Authorities are not in control.
We would now appear to 'respond' to....situations 'requiring immediate action'.
I am sure this change will assist in easing the fears of those dialling 999.

'I need 'Responders' here now!'

Or is it that the term 'Emergency services' are just not 'inclusive' enough. Sadly I am too old fashioned to assume there are more than 4 Emergency services, Police, Fire ,Ambulance and Coastguard.

However thinking this through,it is obviously clear that at a scene others do arrive and assist.It could be the Support services putting in barriers,tents,lighting,vehicle removal or even the staff from the Borough who turn up and hose down the 'blood and gore' afterwards.
Has someone somewhere said these efforts are not being recognised and they are indeed 'Responders' as well.

These sort of Buzz words tend to take hold in other area of Government life.
Say if the NHS takes its lead from the Home Office.
Accident and Emergency may have to be renamed 'Unfortunate harmful event and condition in need in immediate treatment' Department.

Salad days for sign writers.

Lets hear it one more time Petronious...

2008-06-05T02:28:00.000-07:00

This is by far the longest break in posts I have has since I started this blog.
I mean I usually get at least one in a month! However things at work coupled with the Internet connection going down and my old faithful Packard Bell giving up the ghost means I am way behind in occasional ramblings.

As indicated in my previous post things at work are not at their best. There have been further tinkerings and changes and essentially all this micromanagement means there are less people doing about twice the workload. Not too sure were efficiency comes into that but as the wise man said 'the droppings of the Gods shall always fall amongst the common people' or something like that.

All these changes remind me of the old favourite Petronious Arbiter, who's quote has adorned many an office and parade room over the years and has been mentioned on other blogs....

'We trained hard but it seemed every time we were beginning to form into teams we would be reorganised. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganising and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralisation'

Petronious apparently did exist and was around at the time of Nero.
The quote is probably considered to be a 70's creation and Petronius was given the cred for it.

Wise words nonetheless.

I prefer to think it was Petronious.I have this image of a couple of old grumpy centurions sitting around the table with a jug of wine grumbling about how the 'Legions f****d'

Ultimately nothing changes over the centuries once you get new management involved,things just go around and around.

A force of one

2008-04-25T01:02:00.000-07:00

The office was empty the other day but I found my attention being drawn continuously to the door of the boss. It was open a little bit wider than usual, often an indication that he wanted to know who was passing and my spidey senses were getting twitchy, detecting a strong strand of Weariness coming from within. He had been in conversation with those who live on the upper floors and an orange docket was on his desk.Not a good combination.

Unfortunately,today I was the only chicken in the coop.

One of the reason's my backwater was so bereft of officers is due to the fact that my part of the Metropolis had undergone a number of 'Strategic changes and ongoing evaluations' They turned out to be so 'ongoing' that morale had dropped lower than an Estate agents bonus prospects. People were avoiding the place, turning up briefly to collect paperwork and doing their enquiries on the hoof so to speak.
Moves off were discussed regularly but HR have been huffing and puffing about manpower staffing levels,'priority borough' policy and looking to 'avoid' people moving off.

Change in the Metropolis is invariably down to 3 factors once you whittle away the management speak.
1.New in post. Needs to make his /her mark
2.Been in post a fair bit....promotion board /SPP or equivalent bonus coming up
3.Reaction to statistics (usually flawed and out of date)which decrees that resources are not being applied properly.

Factor 3 often turns up in factors 1 and 2.

Two of the lads in the Team behind me talk so much about various and ingenuous ways to get over the wall that I have mentally named them the 'Tunnel kings'.

Any way,enough of my musings.I realise the boss was on his mobile to an old mate of his and he had walked to the far window to look out over the station Yard.

Time to make my move.

I grabbed my jacket and notebook and slipped quietly towards the corridor.
I glanced across. Still by the window? I was on my way....

'Dibble step in a minute and take a seat'
'D'oh' How did he do that?
Clearly his spidey senses were on heightened levels as well.

I turned back and sat down in the hot seat.He handed me the docket 'Those above want this looked at'
I flicked through..'Ahh eh...come on Guv I have only just kicked into touch the other pile of ..er..the other job gave me'
'Your the man for the job Dibble' he said holding my gaze long enough for me to know 'discussion' was over.

I trudged back to my desk and flicked through the file again.
Still,I thought to myself,you have got to stay positive. It could have been the Congolese old Bill asking for help with the British connection for this job

Flame grilled?

2008-04-08T15:28:00.000-07:00

Good to see the lads and lasses of the MET getting stuck in over the decidedly long haul of the Olympic Torch via the streets of London to its destination...er .. Downing Street?
Fair play to the teams keeping up with the torch itself. I would be pulling up for a cough and a spit after about 4 miles myself.
For those on duty that would be a helluva haul.

Sadly despite our best efforts to keep the flame alive, it ends up the other side of the channel and apparently gets extinguished three times.

A previous post makes positive about French old bill response to disorder

However despite my disquiet I would like to point out that this has nothing to do with the protest. This is purely a French response to a European Commission directive 612233456A which dictates that there should not be a naked flame of this size if the surrounding crowd capacity exceeds the average of 32.7 Kilogramme per cubic metre.
OK, I cant be sure ...it might be Directive 612233456B

Fortunately the rank and file in MET don't care about such things and when we are given a job to do it gets done(Aka 'That's my flame fella don't try it').

The media are in a bit of a turmoil at the moment.Are we again the heavy handed foot soldiers of the oppressive state?

Was it the visit from China last time when there was such a furore over the police tactics that there was an enquiry? It was decided it was down to 'over zealous' actions of the junior ranks.....This was from those sitting on the summit of Mount Teflon.
I hope that the conclusions from this event are that those on the ground did what they had to do try and make this Government sponsored 'spectacular' work

We'll see.

Unbreakable?

2008-03-28T10:33:00.000-07:00

I do really start to despair as to the general lack of fibre of our 'customers'
Some of the nonsense they report as crime to police has to be seen to be believed.
Incapable of sorting their own lives out or having some sense of 'c'est la vie' they turn to the police.The Harassment Act for instance has to one of the most abused pieces of legislation going. I spent another recent chunk of my shift giving advice on someone who was screaming about a racial incident. Turns out that this individual had had a spat with someone and although no evenly remotely racial thing was said. they insisted they could tell because it was in their 'tone of voice'.

On the last set of Lates there was so much crap on the 'box'(police parlance for the computer at which we spend so much of our time) that I had to make a cup of tea and wander outside of the nick.This was firstly to get a breath of fresh air and secondly to check our traditional blue lamp was still in place and had not been replaced by some joker with a sign saying 'Reporting centre for the socially inadequate'

There's not much in the other 'box' when I get home either to cheer me up.
The last set of 'Ashes to Ashes' went out last night and I have to wait another year before I get another wave of nostalgia from the 'Gene genie'.

There was a good scene in last nights episode when DCI Hunt went 'into one' at Lord Scarman. Basically he was saying that despite whatever the government or the anguished ranks of the liberal elite try to do to us we would be unbreakable.

Stirring words but I wonder in this day and age are we? This Government is certainly trying to finish the job.

I recall ages ago, in my first few years in, it had been a particularly heavy snowfall and only myself, another PC and a skipper had managed to make it in for the 6am Early's.The skipper looked at us as we had our first cuppa and sorted our postings out. He said 'Do you know what lads, if at least one PC turns up for the start of the shift, no matter what,the job will eventually get done.He nodded up to the next floor where the senior management lived.....'it doesn't really matter whether they turn up or not'

I thought they were wise words then and they are wise words now. Unbreakable still? I'd like to think so.

Kiplings rules.

2008-03-11T17:44:00.000-07:00

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.”

from The Elephant’s Child, Just So Stories

I have found myself being involved in dealing with a number of suicides over the years and the Why? of the six above is the most problematic.
Why? Why Here? Why now?
The recent publicised 'suicide's of Ian Hardwick, Richard Fuller and apparently now Michael Todd have made my internal concerns resurface.This is not because they are Job as such,although we always tend to feel a greater sense of loss if it is one of our own, but simply why? and why now?.

As coppers we want answers, we want reasons. Some of those that take their lives give us one, sometimes they don't.Sometimes we can put together the reasons from background history sometimes we cant.

The worst thing about suicides is dealing with the family afterwards

They are in shock, grieving and wanting answers and a lot of the time I cant give them any.They go through the emotions from deep,grieving sorrow, to anger,to blame.

At the scene the only thing I do know is that the person who could give me any answers is lying broken in front of me.
I have experienced deep sadness for the person who has reached that level of despair that they felt it necessary to take that action.
But my greater sympathy always lies with the family and friends they have left behind.

That sixth honest serving man Why? stands alone unheard and unanswered.

La differance!

2008-02-23T16:10:00.003-08:00

We may not see eye to eye with our French partners but when they want to they can have a firm approach to dealing with a problem.
This sort of action seems to me to be something a little lacking in our approach to those on our estates who occasionally give us major public disorder.
Can you imagine any politician in this country ordering that sort of response?

I recall the last spate of street disturbances being dealt with by much public handshaking with community leaders by politicians with an eye on their constituency majority....partnership..working together ..blah blah.

Early raids.. doors being put in?.. don't think so.

Critics say Sarkozy is just putting up a 'security show' with an eye on keeping the electorate happy. Good luck to him.

And coming up with a quote such as a 'war without mercy' on crime?
That sounds far too confrontational for the mealy-mouthed wasters who run this country.
If we want a response to a crime problem we get a media push of reheated never going to work initiatives.. actually physically doing something..nah!

And a special 'bulletproof and fireproof anti gang car'..! I bet there would be a few pushing and shoving in the parade room on that briefing to get the keys and a chance to drive that baby.

Advice? Not me.

2008-02-18T15:51:00.000-08:00

I've been a bit pre-occupied at work recently.

The file it 'W for Weary' side of my desk is getting a bit top heavy.I need a few A for 'Actually a decent job'files to balance the other side of the desk but they have been a bit thin on the ground of late.

The capacity for apparently intelligent,educated people to part with their hard earned cash to a con merchant still makes me shake my head despondently

I sat in a side room the other day with a victim of crime.We had an array of E-mails and assorted correspondence on the desk between us.
I looked up and said 'In all honesty I have to say you have been quite naive in this'
The man who was a self employed business consultant positively bridled at the suggestion.
He'd have bridled even more if I had been brutally honest and said 'Listen boss,lets face it you have been plain f****ng stupid and they saw you coming'

Anyway musn't grumble, there is always something to bring a smile to your face in this job.

I was in the locker room a few days ago getting ready for the earlies and I heard the door being opened and the sounds of someone in a rush. There was the rattle of a locker door being shook and the sounds of muttered swearing.
A face appeared around the corner and said 'Have you got a key,any small key?.
I had a search in my locker and came up with a couple of old keys on a ring.
'Thanks' he said.
A quick jiggle later and the lock and hasp were open.He grabbed what he was after and closed it again. He handed the keys back to me.
'Not much of a lock that' I said.
He stood and looked at it for a few seconds and said 'Yeah.. keep on meaning to get it changed..' Then he was off, out of the door.

What made me chuckle for the rest of the shift was that he is one of our Crime prevention officers.

Flatpacks,flashbacks and getting a job done

2008-01-28T15:25:00.000-08:00

I spent a good slice of the Saturday of my weekend off putting together a piece of IKEA furniture.I have delved into the magic that is IKEA flat pack furniture on several occasions and had come prepared.
I had, to hand, a good ratchet screwdriver with assorted bits,a small tub of wood glue, a mixture of odd spare screws and essentially the Collins book of Anglo Saxon swearwords when I was occasionally looking for a bit of variety at my lowest moments.

It did take me longer than anticipated but eventually it all came together.

I think it might have been the mixture of stewed tea and wood glue fumes but it all started to remind me of a recent Aid I had been on.

The OP order was pretty much like the instructions and diagram you get with the flat pack. It obviously meant something to the person who wrote it but didn't make much sense to anyone else.It had detail in abundance, times, venues..down to the call signs of and radio channels used by units I had never heard of. But like a lot of the bits that came with the flat pack there always seems to be a bit missing.
Unfortunately the bit missing was what we were actually supposed to do to make our end of it work.

A uniformed inspector did turn up at some point to peruse our array of confused faces.

I realised as I looked at him that I was getting very much past it in the age stakes. He looked so young and fresh faced with a uniform that didn't quite seem to fit that I thought he may be part of some Youth 'be an Inspector for the day'Scheme.
However I realised he was likely to go far when he parried our questions with phrases like 'you need to work together to define the details' and he was there to provide 'overall administrative support'

Like any other time in the job we all shrugged,sat down amongst ourselves, came up with a working plan and got on with it.

Which made me think again about this job and flat pack furniture.. you can carefully package and write about something all you like but you only get it to function if you get hands on and work at it for an end result..

Which is what the rank and file do in this organisation everyday....

Blues and chews.....

2008-01-18T16:57:00.000-08:00

The Daily Mail seems to have far too many pages to fill these days.

Its well gone Midnight and you are catching up on some paperwork.That comfort choc is at hand.If you are working a busy Late Late or a Night shift then sometimes only a choc bar will do to keep you going (My personal late shift sugar rush is a Crunchie bar dipped in a hot cup of tea)and you find yourself called to a fight outside a club.
You turn up and actually its not a fight but an airhead Z lister having a spat with another clubber.You step in and deal,like a thousand other times we deal with idiots across this capital over 24 hours.

Then you find yourself near to a full page spread in the Mail.

I don't know who you are officer but take no notice of the sneery hack who wrote the article and the 'razzi' who's only skill is to stand outside a drinking establishment with a camera for hours with a hope of some form of picture...

You are out there, early hours, dealing with useless wasters..

Enjoy your Twix.

A bridge too fur...

2008-01-11T16:34:00.000-08:00

According to this article as our Europeanisation continues we are now buying in hairy land sharks from over the Channel.I find it hard to believe we cant produce sufficient on our own shores but I am sure there is a lovingly prepared report by some well paid procurement advisor somewhere arguing cost efficiency.

The second paragraph of the article made me laugh. It conjured up this image of a scene in some Derbyshire court as Derbyshire police ended up glaring across the dock at a team of Berlin police dogs whilst a pair of well paid counsel argue over points of paw.( yeah OK but couldn't resist that one)

This article read like a spoof but sadly it may well be true that they had to teach the handlers to speak a few phrases to make themselves understood to the dogs they employ.
You can imagine the scene.. suspects on...area contained.. await arrival of Dog unit.. and interpreter.
Sadly I think the enthusiasm of the imported dogs may well be blunted as they adapt to our sharing,caring Police Service ways.
Indeed the Derbyshire dog handler may well be right when the dog looks surprised when he says 'let go' since some forces are so worried about the dogs actually biting some miscreant.

I hope disillusionment doesn't set in too early and at some point in the next few years we hear stories of ex-police dogs desperately trying to get back over the Channel so they can be allowed to do what they were trained to do.

It's behind me .Hooray!

2008-01-04T15:52:00.000-08:00

I hate New Year.

I was deftly out manoeuvred by my seasoned peers and found myself having to cover at another station over the New Year 'Celebrations'

This time of year always reminds me of the Panto season. We always seem to get the stock characters brought through the players entrance.

There was Prince Charming. He had walked down a line of young ladies waiting to get into a club and had grabbed at what he could. He took exception to one of the girls pushing him off and he had punched her.He lost Round 2 to the officer who saw this and was dragged in.

We had Cinderella. She had lost both her shoes around midnight and ended up getting arrested as she was continually abusive to her 'coach' driver(aka mini-cab)and the officers who tried to help.
The ugly sisters turned up later at the front counter and were giving the reception staff grief demanding she be released.

A notable mention was Jack. His particular Beanstalk was climbing on pedestrian barriers and would not see reason and was 'fee-fi-fo-fumd' and thrown in the van.

Then there was Aladdin.Unfortunately it wasn't his lamp he was rubbing when police turned up

Ok,we didn't have the Forty Thieves but there must have been approaching that number of simple drunken idiots.
One recurring theme with the officers who brought them in was the efforts made to tell them to be quiet and move on and avoid arrest.It started with'Ok move on,have a good night' to 'This is the 'F**k off pill' take it. And still they wouldn't take the hint.

And Sleeping Beauty.. that was me having had about 5 hours sleep in about 60 odd hours!

And so 2008 is here..not such a good start with incidents like in Lancashire and Swindon

Anyway to fellow Bloggers and those who take the time to dip into this blog(well at least 99.99 percent of them)Have a good, safe 2008. take care and in the words of the late,great Dave Allen 'may your God go with you'

Sympathy and an ......

2007-12-27T12:25:00.000-08:00

Another officer will not see 2008 due to just trying to do his job

The MET officer has been named as Chris Roberts a father of three.

My sympathy and best wishes goes out to his family,friends and colleagues at this time.

An opinion.

The MET/MEDIA seem very keen to stress that his death was due to natural causes.According to the Mail article a Scotland yard spokesman seemed keen to stress that although Chris was involved in 'effecting the arrest' of this individual he was not assaulted by him.

Heaven forbid there may be any aspersions on the ex-partner involved

I have been involved in 'effecting the arrest' of a number of people over the years. Whilst in some I could never claim to be directly assaulted I was left like others,tired,out of breath with adrenaline pumping as they are detained.

Early days in a tragic loss...I know the investigating officers will look at all options concerning the individual concerned. What happens to him is out of our hands.

Again, best wishes to those close to this brave officer

Just wrap it up...

2007-12-21T14:52:00.000-08:00

...And label it 'being tough'.

The latest initiative peddled is the threat to drivers using mobile phones.

Mmmmmm...

Those that commit murder and serious assaults are threatened with 'life imprisonment' but seem to be o/s the walls of HMP prior to their natural demise.
This particular example is one of a number of 'jail jail jail' yet we have no places. We are setting people free early to make more space.
This is not belittling the offence of driving whilst on the mobile etc.. but they could be dealt with by strict enforcement leading to fines/penalty points /disqualification ...leaving the possibility of available spaces being left for people I would want to be off the streets for at least some time.

Another media soundbite to be placed under the festive Criminal Justice tree with the rest

Barricades on standby

2007-12-13T15:52:00.000-08:00

Well that's it then. The Federations finest have assembled in Bunker London for Operation 'Storm the Gates' After hours of hothousing detailed plans in how to deal with the situation they emerge angry, belligerent and er...
Call for the immediate resignation of the Home Secretary and talk of a ballot about the right to strike.

On hearing this, I believe the howls of Ms Smith echoed around the halls of Westminster as she bemoaned her fate.

Well that leaves me with trying to find ideas as to how to make up a few extra quid next year.

I am thinking about putting in a bid for a place on the next Big Brother.I mean its pretty much like a lot of stuff I've seen and done over the years in the job...

Turning up at some place I've never been to before to be fed and watered...
Talking b*****ks for hours on end to keep amused waiting for something to happen...
Been given pointless tasks to do with no apparent reason...
Get the feeling I am constantly being watched...
Being called regularly into a small room by management for a chat..

yep.. worth a run.

This will take years off you..!

2007-11-23T13:03:00.001-08:00

Oil of Ulay?...Yoga?...Ginseng?...No its the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and its associated Codes of Practice.(known in short as PACE)

In my humble patch of vibrant Cosmopolitanism, the open Europe policy has provided a significant success story.The emergence of a young, bright,keen and articulate wave of Police listed interpreters.
They are very good and help me and my colleagues ever so much. Some are such regular visitor's they are on first name terms with most of the staff and know their way around the station better than I do.
A fairly common ploy at the moment is to arrive through the back door of the nick and announce to the Custody sergeant that you are a Juvenile despite every visual appearance to the contrary.
Sadly our hands are tied and if he/she in fact persists with this nonsense then PACE says we treat them as Juveniles until proven otherwise.

There are various Codes of Practice to PACE to say which way we should deal with things. The codes run from A to H.
Unfortunately there is, as yet, no code P. This would set out the requirements for not taking the P**S.

As we treat him/her as a Juvenile we tick into the weary world of appropriate adults.
Strangely,the extended families of those detained do not seem keen to attend the police station and assist and addresses are always vague.So its Social services.. blah blah blah.
If they want representation it adds a further layer of problems because the appropriate adult supplied will not turn up unless the other is there or on their way and vice versa.The interpreter is invariably the only consistent part in this merry go round and turns up when requested.

Eventually we all sit in a small room and I look across at our 'Juvenile' with a voice deeper than mine and a bristling 'nine o'clock shadow' and ask my questions.
We have got to the stage where we now seek professional opinion as to their age. This usually involves calling out someone and the examination of the teeth.

The whole charade is a senseless waste of resources.
But we have to be seen to be fair.

When PACE was brought in,it was to set and maintain a balance between the powers of the police and the rights of the public.
Now we employ people who may offer an opinion on dental age, just to be fair and balanced.
I always feel the need to wash my hands before I leave the station after a shift and this is one of the reasons why.

Complaints R Us

2007-11-15T17:37:00.000-08:00

Things like this and this

I have to admit I am old fashioned. Probably a bit set in my ways but despite this still willing to live and learn.
With regards to the complaints procedure against police my advice always was ..if you wish to complain and are not satisfied with the way I or another officer has dealt with this matter then my advice would be to go to a police station and request the attendance of the duty officer, who will log your complaint and pass it on to the necessary department.

Not unsurprisingly, I have had little urge to delve into the PCC website (Police Complaints Commission) but have recently ( on a quest for knowledge) tapped in their Dets on Google.

It has to be said its informative.

If you want to complain against someone, this is a top site. Not only the old bill but also HM Revenue and Excise and SOCA. There is even a side link on how to complain against the PCC itself(although its not exactly clear if the said complaint can be heard in a public forum)

What I now know is that you don't even have to leave the comfort of your own seat. There is an online form to fill in and send....

It is a site that says ... 'feed me'....

As an organisation that exists to process complaints, would it be cynical to suggest the design/layout might tempt more people to complain?

The majority of the complaints would appear to be those for rudeness and incivility.
Sadly there is no equivalent for police officers to complain against rude uncivil members of the public who come into contact with the police (and fail to tick a box under Statute or Common law..) I fear it would be inundated.

This, at no point, is a rambling rant that suggests Police should not be subject to scrutiny in the job we do.
But the majority of allegations against the police are found to be unproven.
However I suppose if you increase the volume of complaints then statistically you will 'up your average'

Its a Stats driven world.

It must be us then.

2007-11-07T16:10:00.000-08:00

I read this article the other day and despite every intention of ignoring it for the nonsense that it is, I had to comment.

What is the Archbish on?

This 'lets raise the age of Criminal Responsibility' pops up every now and then and thankfully has been ignored.
Basically as I read it..it would appear to be our fault for arresting them and putting them in the system, thereby criminalising them.

It's not their fault!

If we left them alone they would revert to be polite, well mannered, respectful little citizens and a blessing to the society that surrounds them.

Nonsense.

They know exactly what they are doing. The difference between right and wrong is not Rocket Science. They choose to ignore it.
OK you can say poor parenting, lack of cohesive family life, exposure to violent imagery be it music or video, general lack of values in Society....to me.. not good enough.

We need sanctions.I know that sanctions are laughable for juveniles and it can be a merry go round of this that and the other.For a juvenile to be placed in some form of proper Custodial is only at the end of a track history that would make your eyes water.

So to raise the age of Criminal Responsibility to say 14 or 16.. Will it make Society a safer place?.....will it ****!

I know as Law enforcement our hands are tied in dealing with our misunderstood youth but at least we can actively deal with them and get them in the system.

Being a fully paid up,card carrying cynic does this argument have any benefits for Government. They have naturally distanced themselves from these comments.

But...juveniles are responsible for a good chunk of countable Recorded Crime.... if you raise the bar at which they are allowed to affect the Figures...?

Surely not.

A view from the Basement.

2007-11-03T17:28:00.000-07:00

The finding at the recent trial would appear to have generated further media vitriol at the incumbent Commissioner.

As the person keen on the notion of the brand TEAM MET he finds himself in that unfortunate position of Team manager.That following adverse results he has the the 'open' support of the Board. But for how long?

Some of the media footage has been quite personal such as the Daily Mails 'a man without honour' front page.

I find it wryly amusing that there are politicians calling for his resignation.
A breed who have to be prized away like a clam when their Departments are found at fault.
The media play on this 'Crisis of confidence'. Certainly internally I do not know of any officer who believes that the Commissioner is lacking integrity or is dragging the service down in that respect.
Realistically at my level in the organisation it does not matter who is at the head of the Table. It does not affect my daily work.The tide of the MET may rise and fall but I know I am still going to be in the rock pool at low tide and getting on with my job and scratching a living.

We are in a world were someone,ultimately has to be blamed.The Commissioner is at that level were Politics take over.He must surely know the risks playing at that altitude.
The smart money seems to be awaiting the report from the PCC(I have dropped the word Independent as I believe that it might contravene some form of Descriptions Act)
A severe thumbs down might just make that 'wall of support' wither away.

That's Politics.

The decision in this Trial brought under Health and Safety Regs has major ramifications on all Emergency Services and how they deal with incidents.
There will be a cascading down of Standard Operating Procedures,checklists etc.. This ultimately will be a musical chairs as to who takes the blame when the music stops.

Tragically we have Fire fighters losing their lives dealing with major fires,we have officers mowed down by vehicles attempting to make arrests.
Are we to be subject to Health and safety 'inquests' at the highest level in months to come when that gorged corpulent beast of Hindsight blusters into the court arena

Despite all this,I know the Emergency Services at front line level will still turn up and get on with the job despite the Politics at the top.

We make it work.

I suppose someones got to care.

2007-10-30T18:57:00.001-07:00

This officer warns of the dangers of stereotyping

Indeed I am sure the diligent hardworking taxpaying majority at the site must have been appalled at the nefarious activities of those within their midst who dragged their reputation in the mud.

An awareness course might well assist those, like myself, who may have slipped and allowed repeated experience to cloud and sour my judgement.Indeed I am sure Leicestershires finest are causing the Duties phone at HQ to become incandescent as they willingly cancel their leave days to get a place.

Who's that over there?

2007-10-16T00:33:00.000-07:00

Just a view on this

It is not made clear exactly how the force in question has phrased its requests for information. However I doubt it was along the lines of a leaflet drop by chopper to Wagners Ride of the Valkyries.

Information on jobs like these rely on outside agencies like landlords/estate agents.
What are we to do? Do we ignore the fact that there is a strong tie to Vietnamese gangs and look to target accordingly. Or do we blather and make every request for information so bland and phrase it 'information is required from every nationality from A-Z' to avoid possibly offending someone.Quality of information will be lost/smothered up in that approach.

This job has found itself avoiding issues over the years in relation to all forms of Crime. There are some big old Elephants sitting in the corner of rooms at HQ's across the country.
I think its time we at least nodded in their direction when we walk through that door.

Shift then drift.

2007-10-08T14:08:00.000-07:00

I would like to say that my larger than normal breaks from posting recently are due to my engaging in the saving of the habitat of the Leatherneck turtle or fronting out some loggers somewhere at a patch of virgin rain forest.
However in my patch of the Metropolis my small team of Customer focused operatives have inadvertently tapped into a seam of weariness and time to sit and muse has been tight.
It is a matter of police fact that in every nick there is always the grief team. You walk in some mornings and wince when you hear what they dealt with on the previous shift.It always seems to be them.

I feared recently that there had been a wind change and it had drifted in our direction but now think that was a blip on the grief Radar.
However, the garlands,incense and offerings currently around my computer screen will remain for the time being.

I have noticed that I have drifted into the 60's in my posts.

I started, like many others,inspired by the one and only Coppersblog.
DC has now come out of the shadows and shown his true identity.

Like everyone I had my own image of DC.

I imagined him in his thirties/forties.He once made reference in a post to a chat he had with some 'yoot' He said it was like a conversation between John Le Mesurier and Snoop Doggy Dog.That image stuck since and DC, god bless him was a lot younger than I had in mind when I saw his photo.

He has set a ball rolling and long may it do so.

I Blog and hope to continue to Blog as a means of just getting things of my chest. As I have said before it is a Cyberspace moon to howl at.

Premiership Blogs like DC's, Bloggsy and Gadget have or are moving into print.
Good luck to them.

For the record its not that I lack ambition myself. In fact I have negotiated a column with the Old Curmudgeons (a lesser known North London League Team) on their fortnightly News sheet.

OK, the deal includes washing the away kit every other week but you have got to start somewhere.

Justice PLC..its all about product placement.

2007-09-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

I noticed this article in one of the London Free papers over a pint.The BEEB also carries a piece on it.Fortunately the BEEB didnt hold a phone in on it as the Editor might have called it 'New key worker flats unveiled'

I can understand, perhaps,the thinking behind it.But it is at best naive.
Naive to believe that those who carry weapons such as guns and knives with intent to maim and kill will be unduly worried by a transparent cell placed in a High Street.

Why? Firstly because the likelihood of them reaching that point is one that will have been hinted, cajoled and threatened by the System without ever occurring. When that 'Custodial Sentence' does utter from the Judges lips it ends up being so watered down by the System and they serve little time behind bars anyway.

What is different inside for them? They spend most of their day in bed. They get three squares and basic health care courtesy of the State and are allowed to mix with those of a similar mindset They know that there is a more than a reasonable end in sight.

I would like a series of advertisements,backed up by the law, along the lines of 'Before and After'. Pictures at the Gate of HMP as you enter and then as you leave......20 years later!

No Tags,No Community Service,No leniency for guilty plea...just straight time.

A few through the system under that regime will do more than any glorified Perspex boxes dotted around 'Hotspots'

Quality?.. or is it just about control?

2007-09-09T16:21:00.000-07:00

There is apparently going to be a roll out of the 'Quality call back process'
Its function is to understand what it is like to be a customer of the MPS.
There have been Quality Assurance supervisors for some time now. They occupy offices dotted around the MET.What they do exactly is usually subject of more speculation than whats in Hanger 18.
This call back involves Supervisors calling victims, witnesses and other service users.They will ask a series of questions about services received. They must follow the Quality of Service Principles.
I have no problems with these as they are, in the main,just basic common sense and manners.You tell people who you are, explain what is going to happen next, keep people updated.
The main problem is that one of the principles is 'you find out what people want and provide it.
I know what victims want.
They want their crimes solved, their property back, the suspects caught and brought before a court and severely punished.Despite my best efforts I cant usually provide it.
I might be lucky to drag a number of jobs kicking and screaming to court but what they get at the end is out of my hands.

Quality control 'call backs' will not improve the end result for victims and witnesses.

It is a gimmick in the long running pretence that what we provide is something akin to Marks and Spencer.

I am sure the 'Quality Call back' roll out has kept legions busy in some Directorate somewhere.
It will be a matter of time I am sure before it is considered too expensive and a waste of limited resources. Perhaps a further suggestion that we farm it out to a call centre overseas.As belts are being tightened, budgets squeezed why not seek some form of private finance 'partnership'.
The conversation could run sonething like ... 'Thank you for taking the time in our questions into how Dibble dealt with your case. Now can I interest you in our sponsors latest offer?'

A sad case of Finger Buffet yobbery

2007-08-22T23:42:00.000-07:00

News-lite lately? Well what about this space filler.

Apparently on arrest he was found to be in possession of a slice of Quiche and a chicken drumstick. CPS decided to let this remain on file(which sounds very unhygienic)

A little news snackette to generate a bit of 'typical Police nowadays haven't they got better things to do'

However lets take a little closer look at the content of the item and I will try and get some insight into the plight of this little darling.

With my cynical goggles firmly perched on the end of my nose....

Firstly it would appear that, as a 12 year old he is prescribed sleeping pills.
This,to me, means he has been seen by an array of simpering social workers and child psychologists who will have decided that he has a variety of 'issues ' to explain his unsocial behavior.It is not his fault.

He will have been diagnosed with everything from ADD (which is attention deficit disorder) to DHL (which is... er... guaranteed next day delivery)
He will roam the streets of his neighborhood with similarly afflicted 'yoot' and any criticism of his behavior will be met by an array of 'pack' mums saying things like 'he's not bad, just mischievous' or 'he's like any boy his age'.

Mum aims to tug at our hearts as she explains his plight of being taken away in the police van,processed at the police station and placed in a cell.

Then we hear he has been the subject of three Reprimands.

He is likely to know the procedure inside out and be on first name terms with the Custody Sergeant.

It would appear that the presiding 'judge' has tut tutted over the prosecution decision. Unfortunately Police management ( a term which can look uncomfortable when seen in the same sentence) have done the public and the organisation NO favours by continually describing behaviour such as this as 'low level' crime.

This comes across as just simply 'patronising'.

To me this means it is only 'low level' if you don't have to put up with it day in day out

Good on you GMP....no reviews on this .. the right decision.

Personal Ads

2007-08-12T02:03:00.000-07:00

Lonely Hearts

Grumpy,disillusioned 'mature' copper seeks Home Secretary with like interests.

No Liars, Time Wasters or Snake Oil 'salespersons' please.

With stories like this and this and this and this........showing what a complete shambles this country has become.....

I could be a wallflower for a very long time.

Do you think anyone will notice?

2007-07-29T16:26:00.000-07:00

TUPC has already Posted on the Mail on Sundays 'expose' of Met personnel placing picture's/Vids on the new Facebook phenomenon.

My 10 pence worth.

Why? I know we are, by the very nature of our jobs, not the shy and retiring types and we do play about. We are human,laugh,prank and joke amongst ourselves.

However, said antics/comments placed on a public accessed site are not wise.
We have Media...like the Mail now harrumphing that officers in high crime boroughs are posing whilst the public are left waiting.

Our job is difficult enough without giving our management and the press another stick to beat us with.

Dibbles captured Facebook pose..... leaning against the custody wall, looking bored with a blue case file in one hand and polystyrene cup of tea in the other, awaiting the end of consultation has apparently attracted few hits.

Pah..!... they said they wanted some reality...

Bordering on the ridiculous.

2007-07-25T11:37:00.000-07:00

Our new leader Mr Brown has promised a new Border 'Force'.

For some reason the Media seem to churn on the notion that Mr Brown will be the new broom ..... Same horse, different jockey as far as I am concerned.
We have an amalgamation of Immigration,Customs and Excise and Visa application staff. Possibly uniformed?

Formidable.

Especially if the devious foreign miscreant tries to get in the country before 6pm.

Anyway Dibble still finds himself as supervisor. The boss called me into the office and said 'Keep it up Dibble your doing well'
'Cheers boss' I say.
As I close the door I hear him say 'No-one else would do it'
I stopped.'Sorry Guv?'

He paused. " Ernie Els..British Open..couldnt do it"
I shrugged.
As I closed the door he also said something about being a complete 'putter'

I didnt know he was a Golf fan.

Heavy Shoulders

2007-07-04T14:16:00.000-07:00

I have not posted recently due to my finding myself in a temporary 'supervisory capacity'
Having been called into the office several weeks ago,the boss gave the usual 'we need someone with experience to oversee things during this period'
I nodded and smiled,knowing that the better qualified were either sick,on leave,on a course or had turned the job down.

It has been an interesting experience.

There are a number things I have learned about being a supervisor.

1.Not only am I responsible for my own apparent faults (as decided by others) I am also personally responsible for everyone else's.
2.A Supervisory role apparently gives you an aura of omniscient knowledge.I have fielded more questions over the last few weeks on such a variety of subjects that I am starting to get hate mail off the Oracle of Delphi.
3.From a man who was quite happy being a Metropolitan 'Z lister' I have been CC'd into more E mails and memos from people I have never heard of than in the previous 6 months

I went out for a beer with an old drinking partner to grizzle on this. As we guided our way through the huddled throng of smokers outside the pub I saw a local newspaper flyer outside the next door newsagents. It said 'Savage dog chews mans testicles'.

I could be worse off in the scheme of things I suppose.

Last one out please...

2007-06-19T13:31:00.000-07:00

Having given myself a break from typing out my third TIU request of the day.
I know its going to be prepay but I have to tick that box!
I took a look at Corporate News.
Header 'Lights out in London'

I almost cheered up..flashbacks..one of my favourite Albums of the 70's.
A time when I had hair and a passably interesting social life.

Had the Met embraced the classic rockers UFO to promote something?
No,its the MET making an environmental statement.We are joining a list of organisations who on the 21st June will be switching off the lights between 9-10pm.
However Health and Safety considerations and Operational requirements have to be considered.So basically thats going to mean the floor containing Admin, FandR, Duties and Senior management.
It gets very quiet up there past 6pm.

Apparently as a city we are trying to beat Sydneys record.
I can feel my pulse racing already.

I always thought the Met had a head start on this over the years with the selling off,limiting opening hours or mothballing the smaller sub stations on Borough.
Sorry,I am not thinking that one through.That comes under Rationalisation/Efficiency.

As we are now all carbon footprints and trying to save the planet I will try and reach out to my inner self.On the 21st I will find myself in some quiet dark room between 9-10 on the upper floors, I will kick my shoes off and sit cross-legged on the nicely carpeted floor.. meditate.. looking for that inner truth....something simple to sum up the way we are...wait its coming.. I can hear it now.. Phil Mogg belting out those lines..

Heaven help those who help themselves
That's the way it goes
The frightening thoughts of whats been taught
And now it shows.

Zen.

Untitled

2007-06-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

Another brave officer lost....I really worry that this is happening too often.
That we try and keep the lid on a 'pressure cooker' of a society that those 'in charge' dont take responsibilty for and those that do lose their lives in the attempt.

RIP Jon Henry.
Thoughts to his wife,daughter and family.

Another day......

2007-06-07T03:15:00.000-07:00

...........another apology

Imagine.. a dimly lit room,only a light over the table in the middle. Two sides face each other over the table each holding a set of cards.Official side breaks the silence.

'Sir I have four Aces'
The other side does not blink
'Sir I have the Race card'

Official side folds.

I have tried to avoid comment on the subject of Mr Dizaei.
The whole issue tends to send me reaching for the packet of Setlers in the bathroom cabinet.

The MBPA seems to want to extract every last ounce out of this issue. The careful wording in the article would suggest some wrangling behind the scenes to come out with some form of statement which could be deemed 'acceptable' to both sides.

This post is not meant to be a tirade against the MBPA. However it appears to me that it comes across as an organisation that treats any criticism of its members as racially motivated rather than the motivation of genuinely held concerns as to the behaviour of that member.

There would appear to be a number of things unearthed during Operation Helios that do not do Mr Dizaei any credit at all.

How things have developed since has left a lot of officers out there thinking 'If that was me I would have been nailed to the wall'

This is not healthy

The Drawbridge slowly rises...

2007-05-29T04:03:00.000-07:00

Interesting article

here

Our Leaders are clearly worried that there might be those out there in the populace who have the potential to cause them harm.

I often find it amusing when there are reports in the Media that a 'team' of officers are investigating an offence.
Usually it is lone officer, armed with a computer (shared ),a phone and (if they are on a good day) the use of the pool car for a few hours.
There is also,usually,about 10 + files looking at them saying 'what about me'?

'Stalking' jobs are usually dealt with at Borough level.
I am talking proper stalking jobs (not the he did/she did stuff that demeans the intention of the legislation)

Of those that I have dealt with one in particular had me worried. Their behaviour was becoming more bizarre and irrational. It took some time to track them down. There was no resources thrown at it,no squad formed.It was just me and occasional assistance from colleagues who spared some time from their own jobs.

There have been some 'Stalker' jobs which have ended tragically.The aftermath is picked apart,various agencies pushed to the front for castigation and usually (as we are at the bottom of the pile) blame often ends with us, the police.

I doubt,strongly,that in those circumstances that led to tragedy there was any indifference or negligence involved. Just a DS, DC or PC trying their best, amongst other demands on their time, with what they had.

Now a whiff of potential threat to those in power and resources are thrown at it.

Like when the transparency of the Freedom of Information Act became a little too open they quickly rushed through an opt out for themselves.

They are so far out of touch with those that voted them in, that they may as well be behind the walls of that Castle on the Hill.

If the Team of Psychiatrists staffing this unit are looking for signs in people of a desire to scream, shout and run after an MP they might find themselves a tad busy.

The thin Blue picket line?

2007-05-18T00:51:00.000-07:00

Strong words at the POLICE FED conference.Jan Berry the Chairperson talking about the 'Right to Strike'
It doesn't sit well with me.
I know we are in a unique situation which, it is becoming clear, the Government want to exploit in their drive to 'curtail' Public expenditure.
But 'one out all out'?

My contempt for Politicians and politics has probably exacerbated the hardening of my arteries by several years but I cannot accept the fact that we, as Police, can at some point say..'I am withdrawing my Labour and not turning up to cover my shift'

With Health and Safety and Risk Assessments being the official 'by-laws' for our day to day activities, we could, if we want, bring this system to a complete halt by just following to the letter the legislation and 'a**e' covering Regs that officers face now.
The thing is that Officers who deal with the day to day stuff out there (or deal with it when it gets brought in) make things work.

They make the system work.

This is despite all the potential pitfalls and detritus that comes with trying to do the Job.

The media pays great attention to the 'mistakes' made by police if something goes wrong.
The 6-12 month Hindsight goggles get put on at Court and the officers find their every actions picked apart.
Yet despite all this, officers throughout the country pitch up for their shift and deal as normal.Are we dedicated professionals or simply 'suckers for punishment'?

I can understand Jan Berry's concerns.These are very uncertain times for Police pay and conditions...or just Police work generally...

There are No easy answers on this issue.

If it ever came to it, would I refuse to do my shift if the 'One out all out' was announced?

Personally No.
Things are bad enough out there without that.

I think the majority of my colleagues would be the same.

The Government would probably play on this but as I have said there are other ways to make a point using their own trumpeted legislation.

Green... its the new Blue (Recycled)

2007-05-14T15:25:00.000-07:00

I have 'huffed and puffed' on this subject before but as an organisation have we just completely lost our way?

The Metropolitan Police Service now have an Environment Team.
A group of people employed to check on our excesses.. to advise...to educate.
I am sure they are decent,earnest,people but in essence what does their job really
do to assist our 'CORE ROLE'..ie what,as an organisation,the public expect us to do.

Like any creation within our Modern day service, once it is given life it looks to create its own Empire.

As an example...For some considerable time there has been a yearly competition amongst police stations for the best presented garden/frontage.In the old days it tended to be fought out amongst the old timers at those particular 'Nicks' with a passion for gardening....healthy competition and uplifting.

Now the MPS Environment Team get involved and its about 'working in partnership' and to encourage 'sponsorship'.

They now have 'Open' Days talking about 'car share and cycling to work'
A concern with the 'carbon footprint' left by the MPS rather than the forensic footprints left by the 'customers' we chase.

The Met have toyed with the ideas of Recycling off and on for some years now.
It has previously taken the form of Scrap metal collections in the form of 'Gun and Knife Amnesties'.They serve no other purpose.

I suppose the Environment Team is the next Bureaucracy level up..

I would like a member of the Environment Team to sit in with a meeting with the CPS and evaluate their demands for a virtually 'full file (and all CCTV in viewable format)' for jobs that can only be a full hands up 'guilty' at the first appearance.

Have we so run out of ideas to deal with our Core Roles.. which are not difficult to grasp.. Keeping the Queens Peace.. Detection and Apprehension of offenders.. that we have to be seen to be 'busying' ourselves with the Governments latest thing.....!

To quote the philosopher and commentator on the Human condition M.E Atloaf

..in this organisation... 'Nothing really rocks and nothing really rolls and nothing's ever worth the cost'

Untitled

2007-05-07T16:17:00.000-07:00

Following the recent loss of a colleague in West Mercia this weekend I find it difficult to post on stuff going through my head.

I cant raise any enthusiasm at the moment to sit, scratch, bark and 'holler' at my own particular Cyberspace moon.

In my current role I tend to spend far more time at a desk than out and about.

Events like this remind me of where I came from and the risks that fellow officers face responding to day to day calls like this.

Heartfelt respect and condolences to Pc Gray, his family, friends and colleagues.

Brief memoirs from the Front........office.

2007-04-27T17:54:00.000-07:00

The MET have apparently developed a Front Counters Project Team and it is currently advertising an Open day for PCSO's to learn about the new career development opportunities etc...to act as Police Station community support officers!

Other Bloggers have commented on this but the Met plan to replace Front office civilian staff with PCSO's.

A decision made by Senior management who have obviously not had the 'if it 'aint broke don't fix it' course at Bramshill.

I have a strong admiration for our Civilian Front office Staff.Even,at its most basic,is the fact that because of them I managed to get away from that forsaken job.

Whilst young in Service and not a driver (and avoiding any CAD courses that would have left me stuck for weeks in the CAD/Control Room) I often found myself posted 'Front office'

During the Day it was 'Death by HORTI ( remember the old 'producers'! in a time when we seemed to actively care if someone had Insurance and an MOT )...and all sorts of other boring stuff
Of a Night it was boredom sustained only by visits from our regular 'people with mental health issues' who were drawn to us mainly by the fact that we were open 24 hours a day and they could usually get a conversation out of you.

I was regaled on all sorts of subjects.One thought that God had an office on the second floor.Another advised me regularly as to the benefits of encasing the TV in tin foil.By and large they were invariably polite and often more erudite than my regular customers.

I think Civilian Front office staff came into the Met around the the early 90's.
I thought they were great.In my particular Borough at the time the two female Front office staff were excellent and it meant I was released back out into the world.

They have managed to revamp most Station Front offices these days.

Though the customers seem to be the same.

In some of my old Boroughs the average queue looked like an audition for 'Lord of the Rings'

Front Office work is a weary old job.You have the basic Bail to returns and their Reps, the Signing ons, the endless 'I've lost my purse/phone it must have been stolen'..Monitoring the Station office property cupboard.. a job in itself!...Is PC/DC in?.. No I didn't have an appointment!..

Hats off to Front office staff!

Whether our PCSO's can fill their shoes remains to be seen.

In my particular neck of the woods,apparently not, as police officers seem to be filling the gaps

Anyway I will leave the last word with the Front Counters Project Team

'Front counters presents a 'Shop window' for the MPS'

Well if that means it shows a bunch of frustrated,bored,grumpy people waiting for someone to listen to them, then they may have a point.

..and that means both sides of the counter!

Take me to your Leader

2007-04-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

For some reason I was thinking today what would happen if I was sat in the office and a Ray gun toting Alien appeared and said those immortal words 'Take me to your leader'.. What would I do?

Would I look at the three suckered tentacles twitching around the weapon and think..

Could be time to announce a 'Met-wide Ray gun amnesty'?

Would I be even more forward looking and talk and suggest he might enjoy working for one of the largest employers in London?
You cant trump being behind an application from someone outside the Solar system on your latest PDR.

Back to the question.. Take me to your leader..

Police now have Line Managers previously known as Sergeants and Inspectors.
Most want to lead and the majority still do.. but those above want them to 'manage'.
You don't manage people through difficult situations and jobs..you lead.

So do I set my sights further up the system.

My Borough boss leads with Stats blazing.I tend to switch off after line two of the E mail.

Lets not bother with the ranks in between.

ACPO. The Association of Chief Police Officers.

I have to stress this is a personal opinion but they do not fill me with confidence.
For instance the latest from the CC of Merseyside

So we have an idea that I cant see being workable. You are going to threaten victims of gun Crime(who have reasonable cause to fear the gunman rather than the mighty sword of the UK Judicial system)
What are you going to do? Threaten them with non-existent Jail places for failing to divulge the person who tried to shoot them or others in the first place.

A bizarre idea and not even original as he quotes previous Australian legislation.

Sergeants Says examines the latest utterances from ACPO on his post

Back to the original question...What would I do...?

I would try the usual. 'Listen fella put that down, we will walk over the road and I'll have a word in your Bugle like..'

The Adventures of 'Admin man'

2007-04-13T12:37:00.000-07:00

It was heading towards late afternoon.

A lone police officer was tapping away at his computer anxious to finish the paperwork before the end of his shift.

He glanced at the clock..nearly there. The long weekend was coming.

Then the noise.The Red alert E mail from CJU central at Haventgothem City.
He groaned and opened the attachment. A memo from the CPS forwarded by the case clerk. He checked,it was dated two weeks ago.A demand made today to be completed by..er ...Today.

He groaned and held his head in his hands. He knew that these requests had been done or covered ages ago.Was it worth trying to E mail and phone around to ask people to check the files again? NO..it was a good job.He didn't want to jeopardise it by arguing the point.Anyway the buck always stops with the officer.
He sighed.It was the sigh of the Weary but also of the Just.

He walked to the quiet dark corner by the Photocopying machine. A place he knew so well. He glanced around. With one twirl he was 'Admin man'.
He strode purposefully back to his desk pulled out the file. His fingers were a blur as he typed out the Exhibit list again (30 items).He had checked but it hadn't been saved from that time so many months before.

He reprinted the Disclosure schedules and added a further Information Report covering those same old questions. He photocopied (again) the three Witness statements that he had personally delivered to the clerk last month.

He glanced at the clock, getting close to that time.With one bound he leaped from his desk and made his way to CJU Central.

He walked into the office, glancing to left and right, a slight bead of sweat on his furrowed brow.
'Is .. here I have some urgent paperwork for the Case of....'

One glanced up from his desk.'He is around somewhere just leave it on his desk'.
Admin man had been in this situation before.
From his utility belt he produced the bright Post-it Note of 'Attention please' and the Red 'pen of urgency'.
Placing the file and the note in a carefully judged position on the desk he smiled. He looked around again, and said 'Sorry can't wait, I have a meeting with Dr Guinness.We need to discuss saving the World'

Square of jaw and Steely of eye he swept from the room.

As he left he heard one of the Clerks say.
'Who was that masked stranger?'

As the door closed I heard another say ..

'I am not sure..anyway he will probably get an E mail next week when we lose this paperwork under some other pile'

Admin man didn't break step as he strode away.He knew his place in the Universe.
He answered the incoming call 'Dr Guinness.. I am on my way.. same place and time'

Trolley,madly,deeply....

2007-04-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

Bereft of anything, even remotely interesting, passing before my eyes when I log on at the start of my shift I sought sanctuary elsewhere.

We MUST be up to something..thinking outside the box..going into places no Service has feared to tread, forward looking..politically correct.. Health and Safety conscious.. anxious 'not to offend anyone' type of organisation that we are.

I Googled 'the Met' and came up with this

Mmmmmm..Personnel News.I did check to make sure it wasnt dated 1st April.

As a dip into any police blog will tell you..in the world of UK law enforcement Truth is nearly always more bizarre than Fiction

According to the Journalists beavering away at this particular magazine, parts of Basic training at that Hallowed ground in Hendon is being hived off to?...Asda..Tesco..Waitrose..

So those skills and knowledge that will come to so much use later on the street are being developed and honed between Tills 1-30 at whatever venue gets the bid.

So when I wander into the custody, nursing my first cup of tea of the day and ask the probationer what have you got for me?... and then read the very sparse handover package.. what do I do? Say something or give them a bit of leeway because they could tell me which aisle has the Frozen Peas or the best of the 'Buy one Get one free' offers.

In my humblest opinion this is likely to be just the start of privatising Police training away from established and respected training centres.

Neurotic?.. well maybe I am... but Hendon occupies a prime site covering many acres in a reasonable area.. close to all amenities and transport links.. blah blah blah.

Why not come out with it? Just admit at some stage they are going to carve,if not all, large chunks of it off.

Will it come to the stage were we are reduced to training our upcoming Police officers by Correspondence.. notes and DVDs by post?.. very family friendly.

Perhaps a Tutorial day, every two weeks, with your Tutor constable. Bit like the 'Open University' but with High Viz jackets.

Policing in this country is being farmed out.

Its now just a matter of who runs the Farm.

Keys to the Kingdom

2007-03-26T16:51:00.000-07:00

I have become somewhat numbed by the stories emerging from the Home Office and its agencies.
More often, reality overtakes parody with what the 'think tanks' and 'blue skies thinking' policy units come up with.

However even I was a little taken aback by this

I always thought that within HMP, the procedure of 'Lock Up' was not optional.
Sadly, another misbegotten belief of mine falls by the wayside.

The decision to issue keys to certain inmates is around 'respect' and a need to protect their personal space and belongings.

Unfortunately if their behaviour outside the walls of HMP had been so considered then they may not have been so 'unfortunate' as to find themselves inside.

I wasn't intending to pop into my local this evening but....needs must.

Untitled

2007-03-21T16:45:00.000-07:00

I have been away for a break and on return due to shifts,courses and prisoners have had little time to do much other than dip into my regular route of favourite blogs.

One that stopped me in my tracks was that of Totally Un PC."I've seen death" A powerful piece of writing.
In part,this recollection of tragic events he has encountered,dealt with and still pitches up at the start of his shift reminds me of why..despite our assorted critics...I think this job is so important.

Big Fella also had a particularly bad weekend.

Any disillusionment or cynicism I may display in my posts relate to the system,the Job and the way the country and its institutions have become such a shambles.

However, it is the company of the people I work with that have generated the best memories over the years. The situations we have dealt with...got into and got out of ..mostly in one piece..talked and laughed about.

They make it bearable.

Inspector Gadget has generated much comment recently on the Dan Coffill case.

The experiences of an Anonymous juror in the original trial as posted on the

Praguetory site has caused even further heated debate.

That persons experiences from that perspective of a Juror at Crown Court are sadly not new to me or other officers who spend their time wandering the Court complexes(be it Crown or Magistrates) with a blue case file.

Public areas are often no more than a zoo.

The differences between them and the occupants of an actual Zoo are that the actual Zoos have better behaved occupants (and actually do spend time behind bars.)

Bystander has been subject to some vilification.

However(whilst having on a number of occasions been at the back of a court, clutching my case file and glaring balefully at the Bench over some decision they have made) his responses have always been measured.

Bystander says 'police officers have a fierce, almost Tribal loyalty'

Yes we do.

I know, having done this job for the years I have, that when I am out on a job..when it all goes wrong...the only people I can RELY on for back up are those carrying the badge and wearing the same uniform as me.

Finally,like Bystander, I will be sending my cheque to the family of Dan Coffill.

Details on the Inspector Gadget post.

Whatever the rights..wrongs..decisions or small print of the legislation or guidelines...they are still living with the consequences of that night.

Premium service

2007-03-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

Well the Big Brother investigation is over,it barely made page 29 of the Mail.

It was decided the behaviour was 'offensive not racist'. A sensible conclusion but sensible does not sell papers.

On the issue of trying to sell papers....here

The Mail On Sunday did decide to put a double page spread on the latest 'innocent' alleging poor treatment by the police down in Norwich.
This is more of a news editor stoking the fire of an old story with whatever fresh kindling they can find.. anywhere.
Again a carefully sanitized story in terms of the victim.Lets see how this one develops. It certainly doesn't tick the Race card, so the usual following pack might be short of a few numbers.

Sorry back to the point I was trying to make.

At its height,the Big Brother furore was mentioned in the House. I understand the latest matter of national importance to be debated was the 'abuse' regarding the premium phone line call-ins to so called Quiz shows on TV

I mean the country is going to hell in a bucket in so many different ways and this is all they can talk about!

Sorry wandering again...

You know the type of Shows I mean
They usually start by pitching a Question to gain access to the show. Its hardly a 'filtering exercise' with questions like

An hour is divided into 60 parts. What is each part called?
a.Minute
b Minime
c Minnie Mouse

Actually I might have set the bar a bit too high with that one... but you get the idea.

Its purpose is to sucker as many people as possible,to call premium rate lines and keep them on the 'hook' for as long as possible to gain maximum revenue.
The chances of winning, whilst vaguely there, is slight and the prizes not exactly life enhancing.

The whole edifice of these type of shows is now crumbling.. hurrah you might think. Sadly for the police there is a possibility we might have to step in and try and establish if there was some form of 'criminal intent/fraudulent intent/conspiracy...

On the off-chance I find myself caught up in dealing with the potential rush of aggrieved punters.... as a contingency.... I am developing my own strategy to deal with a Premium rate Quiz line allegation.

In the interests of making them feel at ease with the complaint I am drafting my own screening Question.

One of the 'proper' functions of the Police is to
1. Prevent and detect crime
2. Be a 24 hour 'life coach'
3. Be an on call relationship counsellor

That should filter out quite a few.

Those that remain will be invited in to the Station.

I will then greet them, take them to a side room and promptly ask for their name address and a day/evening phone number.

I would then go up to the canteen and have a cup of tea and wait for twenty minutes.

I would then return, take a very brief statement and offer a cheery, positive opinion that they have every chance of getting through to the next round.

After enquiries, I then call them in two weeks and say that they have been unsuccessful. The Editors (CPS ) decision is final.

Customer focused.. its the way forward.

Its got Form.

2007-03-06T16:41:00.000-08:00

I have come to the conclusion that observations of the apparently insignificant,small,whirrings of the machine throws more light on its health than the big flashing lights on its front.

The Police service like any other 'arm' of Government has become gorged,to a point of obesity,with targets, monitoring and statistics.

Lip service is paid by politicians/senior officers when this issue periodically hits the headlines.The need to cut red tape,free front line staff from the burden of paperwork..mooting the creation of some form of Bureaucracy Tzar.

Actually what really happens, when the soundbites are forgotten, is ...approved by the Home office, ACPO. and the Police Federation....let me introduce... drum roll.. lights...the National Bureaucracy Awards Scheme.

This baby has the potential to cut huge swathes through the fields of bureaucracy like a possessed Combine Harvester....Bean counters in little offices will feel its mighty hand...faceless 'auditors' will quake in their...

Yeah ok...its only in its third year but,like anything else in an organisation like this, the thought is in there somewhere.

Its aim is to BEAT bureaucracy, SOLVE national problems.

And....if your idea wins, not only do you win the lifelong admiration of colleagues by unburdening them of the yoke of paperwork... you also get a FRAMED certificate!! and a cheque for £1000 to be sent to a charity of your choice.

With the Pot on the table raised so high I am working on my own 'Big Idea'.

The problem is that nearly every week when I check my E mails I find that someone, somewhere has introduced a new 'Pilot scheme' or compulsory E form covering our everyday activities.

The worst hit area seems to be the 'booking in' procedure. The number of boxes you now have to tick after bringing in your prisoner through the back door seems to get longer and longer.

In fact my 'Big idea' may be an introduction of another award..'Please let the Left hand know what the Right hand is doing Award'.. those coordinating policies efficiently without contradicting each other get the prize!

It has got to be in with a chance

My certificate could then be proudly displayed on the wall and I would send my cheque to the little known research group calling themselves LOB (an independent review of the more unusual reasons why the public call police and make reports)

I also now understand that we have an Anti-Bureaucracy Unit!

Though its rumoured that to get a response requires two Proformas and a confirmation Fax.

Sadly my 'hunches' on awards such as these do not seem to bear fruition.

In a previous post .. 'And the winner is'.. my favourite,Bromleys offering, did not even get into the top three!

This does not bode well for my long odds double, at around the same time, on Britney Spears becoming the face of Wella 2007 and Bernard Matthews and Jamie Oliver fronting a cable TV programme on Food preparation.

A land fit for ..lawyers?

2007-03-01T03:53:00.000-08:00

If you haven't already,please read this post from the Blog of Inspector Gadget
here

Oh my Early Turn blues

2007-02-22T18:05:00.000-08:00

I was wandering through the office clutching my first cup of tea of the day when I was summonsed by the boss to attend his office.

I was informed that Senior Management had received a letter from a member of the local 'community' and had requested that I look at this matter again. I was handed a docket.
My heart sank.I hadn't even logged on for the day and grief had landed on my lap.
As soon as the words 'Senior Management and 'member of the local community' are put in the same sentence I knew I was in for one of those shifts.

As I went to my desk and opened up the docket..my mind started to drift.
I began to get nostalgic. One of my all time favourite Cop shows had recently come to an end. NYPD Blue with the great Dennis Franz as Detective Sipowicz. I had followed the adventures of the 15th Precinct since they came to TV in the Nineties.

The life in the 15th appealed to me so much.
Everything that came through that door was quality Crime....serious stuff... the sort I joined the job to deal with.
Not once did I see the 15th team deal with a pony Threats to Kill or a moody Harassment job.
Witnesses and suspects were always traceable and available.

There was always a room available when victims/witnesses turned up.

If you had a suspect you could have a 'chat' and leave him in the company of the italian looking bloke or the bald black guy who were always there to keep an eye on your prisoner whilst you made enquiries.

Everything was done by phone.DNA,Prints and mobile phone enquiries all came back within a tour of duty.I never saw any member of the 15th use a fax or kick a printer in exasperation.
The Duty prosecutor was always available for advice and even turned up at the station to speak with you.

Yeah..... I know....its a made for TV fiction.But a man can dream.

I started to flick through the docket and began to remember the job. I thought I had put it to bed some months ago.

My victim a 'leading figure'(his words) within this community had complained to police about another person in the same circles. After I had chipped away at the surrounding background and petty grievances I reached my conclusions.
Very politely I explained to the informant that a belief that 'merely looking at someone in a 'bad way' when you cross paths' does not tick any boxes in terms of either Common or Statute Law. My informant did not seem to agree but I held my ground and thought that that was the end of the matter.

Clearly not and this eventual aggrieved letter to my SMT had naturally cascaded downwards.

I started to drift off again to the 15th Precinct

Sipowicz in the last couple of episodes had made Squad leader.
In the last ever episode he followed his instincts and stuck with a job and backed his men all the way. This is despite the Chief of Detectives,in no uncertain terms berating him.He held his ground and emerged the moral victor.

I have been a fan of Dennis Franz since Hill Street Blues.As I recall in the last ever episode of that, as the character Lt Norman Buntz, he chins the smug, self serving Chief on live TV.

That's what I really need.Some form of SMT who will look at a job and say, despite the aggrieved's protests... 'sorry this is nonsense don't bother us'.

But that would require a decision. So why not 'cascade' it back to the lap of the poor sod who signed for the job in the first place.

Apparently my informant has 'further information'. Perhaps my suspect has cleared his throat in an 'aggressive manner'.

I take a large slurp of my tea .. reach for the phone..'Ding Ding'.. Round 2.

*****************Disclaimer**********************************
In relation to actions by Lt Norman Buntz

1.This blog does NOT advocate junior ranks resorting to violence against members of ACPO
2. The use of the words 'smug and self serving' do not NECESSARILY reflect the Blogs authors opinions as to serving/retired members of that organisation.
3.Phew!.............
***************************************************************

Common Sense R.I.P?

2007-02-20T15:56:00.000-08:00

A lament brought to the fore again by PC Southwest.

Noddy was one of the earlier mourners,Totally Un Pc and Busybizzie have signed the book of condolence.

I may be in denial.. but I just can't accept he has gone.

He may have been slipped the piece of Kryptonite by the Lex Luthor of Political Correctness but I believe he is out there listening,watching,waiting....

In this day and age I can offer no scientific proof of his existence..it becomes a matter of faith.

I have to believe in his return.... Without that benchmark to work from?....well..

Sign here...and here..

2007-02-17T14:38:00.000-08:00

The MET are currently floating the idea of 'Refer a friend'.

Its purpose is very simple...to target and recruit experienced PC's,PS's,DC's and DS's from other forces.
The sweetener is that those who do successfully get someone to sign up get themselves £200.
This does raise the ante a little when compared to the usual 'Parker pen, M and S vouchers or a moody electronic Personal Organiser'.

Will it succeed in its aim?

The MET have been looking to actively recruit from other Forces for some time.
All Forces look to supplement establishments by recruiting elsewhere as it is naturally cost effective to have trained,experienced officers pitch up rather than have to start from scratch with a recruit.

This £200 'bounty' seems like a little step up in activity however.

I believe the Met have had some success with previous campaigns but this suggests numbers are tailing off and they have probably already hoovered up the majority of restless souls in the Home Counties.

If this fails what next?

To try and maintain numbers are we to see undercover teams,like modern day Press Gangs infiltrating Job 'drink ups' throughout the South,plying the unsuspecting with Rum and whispering in their ear about the merits of life within the Met?

Imagine the scene..the unsuspecting targets waking up the next day with a sore head and thinking 'that was a session and a half'... and then wondering why a Welcome pack arrives on the doormat shortly afterwards with an invitation to parade at Peckham, a fortnight Monday at 10 am.

Full fluorescent Jacket

2007-02-10T20:34:00.000-08:00

Before I ramble on have a read of.......
this item
I know that we don't get a full background to events but this officer seems to have been nailed to the wall by the system.
The officer had attended an incident and made an arrest.On leading him to the van the prisoner made off and on being found hiding in a doorway the officer aimed a kick at the male as he feared he may be reaching for something in his sock.

The male had no injury from the kick and yet the officer finds himself 'gripping the rail'

The judges decision is strange in that even whilst commenting in his summing up that....'he was dealing with a man of violence with blood on his clothes and Pc Turner genuinely feared that in the circumstances he might have some form of weapon on his person' and yet finds him guilty of excessive force.
This officer remains suspended with his life/career in the balance.

This item to me sums up how hamstrung we are as Police officers.Or more to the point how hamstrung we have been allowed to become by the Political elite.

We are expected to pitch up at incidents and deal with violent individuals more often fuelled by drink/drugs who have little or no respect for authority who do not live or act by any reasonable rules.Yet our actions are apparently prescribed by 'protocols' whilst we strive to restore order and stay in one piece.

Other bloggers have made a point regarding arming the police.
Pc Southwest brings up in a recent post the incident on the recent Crimewatch in which a chasing van crew had to endure being approached by two males with sawn offs. He is very true in saying that they would have not have been so cocky if they knew that the crew had a couple of Glocks to hand.

Personally I am not comfortable with the notion of carrying a handgun on my hip on a full time basis.In my particular case, having had some small arms training,I am more likely to hit someone by running up and clubbing them over the head with it.

The issue with Tazers have also been mooted in Blogs recently.
I believe they are a way forward in certain circumstances.
The effectiveness of a Tazer can be seen in a Big Fella blog dated 25th Jan.
Again however,I doubt we have the political will (be it Government or Senior ranks) to bring in widespread issue.

Another sore point is that whatever the Home office issue us with there will always be some 'pressure group' bleating about it.

Some huffed and puffed over the issue of CS/Pepper spray.

If they issued us with two foot Ken Dodd tickling sticks,there would be some group somewhere quoting stats that there would be a 1:100000 chance of someone suffering anaphylactic shock from the feathers.

To regain control of the streets we need a major overhaul of our approach to the way we deal with incidents,rules of engagement etc.
A need to be more robust and less apologetic for instance.I am not advocating throwing away checks and balances on Police actions.

However the article at the top of this post tells me that we have completely lost our way.