In my first post I said this blog would be a kind of therapy. Sometimes I need to vent, I can’t moan to those below me, partly because they have their own issues and to be honest it’s unprofessional and I don’t want some of them knowing my own personal issues. Ive had it thrown back at me when dealing with people. They heave replied “WELL, SGT X DID THE SAME LAST WEEK!” Or “I CANT APPLY FOR THAT JOB COS OF MY SICKNESS? WHAT ABOUT THE INSPECTORS SHE HAS MORE THAN ME!” The problem is I agree with them but can’t say so. My Inspector changes every six months and the current one takes as much time off as possible so we end up with other Inspectors who have been dragged out of offices covering us. They don’t care about the shift and are generally in office based jobs for a reason and just want to get back in doors as soon as possible. I’m the only real continuity the shift has and to be honest it’s wearing a bit thin.
Due to the state of the economy central government has tightened up the purse strings to bail the banks out and pay for MPs expenses. Chains of command, BCU (Basic Command Units) and shift patterns have been changed to try and do more with less, morale has plummeted. Anyone that can is trying to get off response and onto another department. The gaps are being filled with problem children that have been kicked off their own departments or new probationers. It feels like Nazi Germany with Hitler moving divisions around on a map and everyone is too scared to tell him that they don’t exist anymore. You speak out and tell your superiors that the new plan isn’t working and you’re a trouble maker and adverse to change with the implied criticism that you’re an old fashioned Police officer which the inference your corrupt, racist and sexist. The reply I keep hearing people being given at the moment is, “AT LEAST YOU HAVE A JOB.” For me its not just a job it’s a way of life, maybe that’s why things are the way they are at the moment in the Police service, too many people view it as ‘A JOB’
When I had my diversity training at training school one of the definitions we had to learn and recite was the responses to racism, one of these was acquiescence which means submission or acceptance. At the moment I'm in the acquiescence stage I want promotion and still have a vain hope that it will all work out and someone up top actually knows what they are doing.
In response to my last comment it does appear someone somewhere knows what they are doing. I’m glad to hear that four MPs have been charged with fraud offences relating to expenses claims and will follow their cases in the media with interest, I wonder what will happen to them and if it will be commensurate with what happens to Police Officers caught doing similar things? After all both are holders of offices and have trust put in them by the public to carry out their duties in the correct manner. A certain senior Met Officer has finally got his just deserts. Ive read his book, various newspaper articles and followed the story in the news. Thankfully he will no longer be able to call himelf a Constable and abuse his position for his own ends. Im sure there will be an appeal, the Met and the rest of the Police will be called racist. Personally Im not racist I just hate bullies and criminals no matter what colour their skin is or what they do for a living.
I wrote last month about that charlatan Ali Dizaei and hoped to God he would at last be seen for what he is. The trouble with jury's is, you never know which way they may go, especially when the likes of Michael Mansfield are throwing up smokescreens of epic proportions. I hope he was working on a no win, no fee basis.
I hope
his conviction marks a turning point where there will be less use of the race card and spineless managers will grow a backbone and stand up to egotistical, bullying, incompetent thugs like Dizaei.
I am disappointed to hear that some of the Black Police Association are still maintaining that Dizaei was a victim of a race hate campaign. I am pleased to hear that others have acknowledged that he is a crook and disgrace to the BPA.
This is a good day for British justice. Make the most of it, it does not happen very often!
You knew, that as it was your first time, you wouldn't enjoy it. With that in your mind you prepared yourself, but what you didn't know, was that whilst you were in the worst place you have ever been to, you would meet a person so beautiful, cute, caring, kind, sexy, stunning and vivacious.
It wasn't exactly a normal day, you'd had about three hours sleep in forty eight hours and you were close to falling asleep while you were still standing up. Suddenly something woke you up, you felt a hand on your shoulder, and heard the words: 'Yes, sweetheart' in your ear. You turned around and saw someone who, was so cute and so beautifully petite. The first thing you noticed about her was that she wasn't wearing any make up, and still she looked so beautiful, she was also so tiny, she looked so fragile, her next attribute that took your attention was her eyes, under her sexy glasses, they looked so innocent, immediately you wanted to find out about her.
During the next few weeks you found the time to listen to her, she told you about her life, the things she had been through, the things she had done, and regretted. You won't admit to having any feelings for her, or about what she said, but if you did, or could, you would say how surprised and emotionally moved you were, that even at such a young age she had experienced so much heartache, yet she still found the strength, the courage, the bravery to look on the bright side of life, to admit her mistakes and to smile.
You don't usually quote songs, but IYAZ understands where you are coming from:
'That girl, like somethin off a poster
That girl, is a dime they say
That girl, is a gun to my holster
She's runnin through my mind all day.'
One thing that you never got the opportunity to tell her, that you wish you had, is that her hips are almost as sexy as her feet.........
'My gift from God is that he gave me a kind heart, I feel what other people feel, so I can help them.'
The Rough Diamond
Strange that I use a footballing term for someone so opposed to the professional football game, but I’m so made up by the latest news, I’ll let my personal ethics slip for a while.
Or perhaps I can just say, “Result!”
Perhaps it is time to make some comment about the Ali Dizaie case. We have known Ali for a good few years. He has always been flamboyant but somewhere along the line he lost control. For the threats that Dizaie had made to his ex, there are plenty of other serving colleagues that have never been dealt with like Ali was. Some matters involving other colleagues perhaps have probably not even been recorded.
The cost of “helios” was horrendous; the scrutiny disproportionate. Dizaie made mistakes here but was he ever guilty of anything more than malicious communications the first time round? Yet he was pursued and pursued and pursued. The proportionality of operation “Helios” is very questionable.
On this occasion it appears that Dizaie made false allegations against a member of the public and attempted to pervert the course of justice. Just what drives a very senior officer to do this? A Jury found him unanimously guilty.
No doubt Dizaie has been pushed to the limits and a string of ex Metropolitan police officers are coming out at the sight of a “kill” now. Hayman of all people, someone who has no credibility in our opinion from the De Menezes case, not that he misled anyone of course, needs to be about right about himself before firing shots.
Ex D/I David Michael has also now come out to suggest this was a long time coming but here we believe that people will now bring forth their own agendas in an attempt to rubbish Dizaie’s view on institutional racism and policing.
Dizaie may well be guilty of misconduct and perverting the course of justice, but his views on racism are a different matter and should remain acknowledged. We feel we as a service should not lose sight of some of what Dizaie has said about racism in the community and terrorism. However, it will be interesting to see just what the NBPA come out with.
A crook in uniform is as much a crook as one that breaks into your house late at night to nick your tv, if not more so.
Commander Dizaei has at last been found guilty, for Assault, Perverting the Course of Justice, and Wrongful arrest.
He's a shameful example of how appallingly a small minority of officers behave - and a reminder that rank doesn't always equate to a good person, let alone a good copper.
The
Black Police Association were hugely verbal throughout, stating that Dizaei was innocent, and accusing the Police of racism for charging soon to be ex-Commander Dizaei.
This despite the victim also being from an ethnic minority.
Disgraceful behaviour on his part. When you "accidently" delete the texts that apparently were sent to you, and are believed by doctors to have self harmed in order to set someone up... I'm just glad that he no longer wears the uniform that I do.
As a final aside, listen to his 999 call,
HEREAgain, embarassing. Firstly, his shout for 'Urgent Assistance.' This is a Golden phrase, and when used EVERY copper on duty will run - firstly from your area and neighbouring areas, then central units, then potentially met wide. If a Police Officer is in dire straits and is about to get seriously hurt, we will do anything including putting ourselves at risk to get to you.
He used this assistance call for his own lies - and listening to the tape, even if the arrest had been justified and truthful, there is no way that he is in an urgent assistance situation. He is calmly talking to the detained male (who was by the way in handcuffs) and frankly I'd be hard pushed to understand a brand new probationer calling for urgent assistance in those circs, let alone a supposedly experienced officer.
He also used bullying tactics and ordered the operator to let him speak to "Chief Inspector IR" - Chief Inspector Information Room. Whether he thought this implicit threat would help, or that he was entitled to special service because of his rank, who knows... I'm sure that if I called 999 and demanded to speak to Chief Inspector IR I'd be given deservedly short shrift.
And lets not even get into the hows and whys of him being in uniform, off duty, in a cafe, conducting private business deals, with handcuffs to hand.
Actually, why hasn't this been dealt with?
The boys and girls from the OP HELIOS team might be down the pub tonight!
Suggested reading for those at a loose end for the next few years. I thank you.
Many of our colleagues from Metrocity will feel the need to rant over this one. I think we should let them do so in the comments section.
The title of my book seems strangely relevent today.
One other thing today; I heard Harriet Harman speaking about MP’s trying to use Parliamentary Privilege to avoid fraud charges thus; “Nobody should ever be under the illusion that MP’s are above the law”. I thought; does this include careless driving while using a mobile phone?
Gadget Note: Mr Dizaei – when you win your appeal on the grounds that the judge, legal teams and jury were all institutionally racist and return as Police Commissioner of the World, I would like to point out that I supported you all along Luv. OK?
Ali Dizaei was today convicted at Southwark Crown Court, in relation to an incident where it was alleged that he had threatened and falsely arrested a man, after an argument in a restaurant.
For the full story follow these links.
I find it odd that a high-ranking Police Officer wears his uniform whilst off duty. I see no other reason than to announce your profession, and I would argue, attempt to obtain preferential treatment from that fact. The articles explain how he also carried handcuffs on him, whilst he ate. Who takes handcuffs to a restaurant? I get rolled-eyes and a shaked head if I even mention the Job when I take Mrs Peebee out.
Dizaei’s career was previously marred by criminal investigation, and the Scotland Yard Commander finds himself the highest ranking Officer to face charges, in modern Britain. After being suspended since 2008, on full pay, Dizaei faces certain dismissal from the force. He will be sentenced later today. I wonder if his punishment is a nod towards what we can expect for Carry On Croucher?
What the hell is going on?
Am I the only good one left?
EDIT – Dizaei has been sentenced to FOUR YEARS imprisonment. That’s quite a long time.
FURTHER EDIT – Listen to his bogus 999 call here. Chuckle as the operator has no clue who he is, and gets him to spell his surname.
I was originally going to call this post something to do with Cerberus; he’s bad tempered, slobbery, hairy and has three faces. I then realised I didn’t know enough about mythology and that it was a tad too dramatic for the point I am trying to get across. In the current political climate, which seems to have stopped trying to hide the fact that we are little more than ballot papers to be won, I feel a massive confusion with regards to the Police. With new targets on public confidence, politicians burning bridges like it’s going out of fashion and radical legislation popping up every week it seems, I don’t know who the Police are any more. It’s become startlingly clear from the media and spin, that I should be paid triple-time for every tour I complete, as I essentially have three jobs; the one the public want me to do, the one the public think I do and the one I end up doing.
As a member of the public myself, I think I can speak objectively enough about the job I want Police to do. I want them to take legitimate reports of crime, gather any evidence, arrest the suspect and present the case before the CPS. When the Police are not doing that, I want them to take reasonable steps to prevent crime; stop and search, warrants and high-visibility Policing in areas that require it. If I am told that this is happening, I will be confident in the Police. I do not need to see an Officer walking the streets to know that they are; their word is enough.
My second job is hard to distance myself from. Thanks to Jack, the public think that I sit in a warm Police Station, drinking tea and eating biscuits, and moaning whenever a job comes in that requires me to leave the nick. Thanks to the media, they think I murder, rape and deal drugs yet take the moral high ground as soon as I strap on a vest. Thanks to the courts, they must think that I do such a terrible job of investigation, that the court has no power to impose meaningful sentences.
And finally there is the third job. The job I end up doing. After the meetings, and the charts, and the figures, and the technology, and the forms, and the evaluations … there is just me. When people ask for help, I give it to them. It doesn’t matter if I think they deserve it; it is my job to provide it. I find missing children, I catch thieves red-handed and I sweep up glass after crashes. I run into burning buildings, crush people’s lives with news they never wanted to hear and have literally been the last thing somebody saw before they died.
So, if the next time you speak with an Officer, they seem a little slow to react, forgive them; they’re just trying to work out who you want them to be.
Note – 1,000 pageviews apparently. Thanks for reading what I get off my chest.
