Monthly Archive for June, 2009

A Legend In My Own Time

Published on June 30, 2009 in Police, Police Pledge, SNT and victims. Closed

written by Posse Galore from Travails across Safer Neighbour hoods

As a child my favourite reading material was a comic called ‘The Victor’, and it probably still would be if I could find it anywhere except EBay. For years I thought it was the full colour cover tales of heroism that had shaped my attitudes and career choices, but I now realize it was actually one of the inside stories that has counted in the long term . . . . . in difficult circumstances I find myself asking “What would Alf Tupper, Tough of The Track, do?”

To which the answer is no, not welding, but invariably THE RIGHT THING.

Scanning messages looking for the type of incident my team is interested in, something that we aren’t caught my eye – ‘theft of plant pots’.

Call Handler had done an excellent job, doing everything she could to bump up the priority . . . . message text stated the victim was ‘elderly’, ‘vulnerable’ and ‘upset’ and required a personal visit. So far so good.

And of course the new Police Pledge, advertised on bus stops and mail shots up and down the land, states “If you are vulnerable or upset (we) aim to be with you within 60 minutes.”

However, checking the duty sheet I could see that the local Safer Neighbourhood Team would not become aware of the message, let alone be able to do anything about it, until 14:00 the next day at the earliest . . . .

WWATTOTTD?

I rang the lady.

“Good morning Mrs xxxxx, this is Sandford Police. I’m ringing about the problem you had last night.”

“Yes dear, they promised me someone would call.” A promise made that we shall only keep because of a fluke and because it’s on my way home. A pledge made with no process, structure or organization to link it to the people responsible for honouring it.

I arrange an appointment with the lady for that evening, letting her know that I would not be in uniform (Asda £29 suit would have been too much detail) but would have a warrant card that she should check. I update the message with the appointment and visit her as arranged in my own time, travelling in the every-time-I-hit-5000-rpm-a-polar-bear-dies-mid-life-crisis-mobile. I drink tea, eat custard creams, reassure her and give home security advice. I leave a much happier lady than when I arrived.

‘Only’ plant pots, but stolen from an enclosed rear garden whilst the lady was at home alone, making her feel very vulnerable.

It was what the Duke of Wellington would have called a near run thing, that difference between one little old lady satisfied with the service she got from the Police, well, Service, and the alternative – yet another negative personal experience to reinforce the horror stories in the media.

Perhaps Alf Tupper would have welded up a surprise pergola for her, and probably punched out the lowlifes who stole her plant pots, but I think I did enough to share his fish and chips.

(Pledge - noun: a binding commitment to do or give or refrain from something).

The original post can be found http://prolege.blogspot.com/2009/06/legend-in-my-own-time.html

Just to re-assure those who worry.

Published on June 30, 2009 in Uncategorized. Closed

written by Constable Confused.com from Constableconfused.com

No picture, no grand speak or anything. If someone breaks into your house you can if necessary, do this no matter what human rights say. Here is another example if you don't believe me. The object that often causes problems is what is reasonable. These both were, and the outcome was positive.

All I can say is a good piece of "bobbying" from the officers who first attended. Well done and long may it continue!

The original post can be found http://constableconfused.blogspot.com/2009/06/just-to-re-assure-those-who-worry.html

Cool heads and kind hearts.

Published on June 30, 2009 in Uncategorized. Closed

written by whichendbites from WHICHENDBITES

The cool heads in the cool air conditioned offices of the elite leadership team of the CTCC have made a serious decision.

They have considered all the facts, they are highly paid to make important decisions like this,they have to consider the public and corporate image negative impact strategy as well as the fact that the weather has got rather warm of late. Despite being well into the morning towards lunchtime.

Will the troops look the part and still give the correct and professional corporate image ? What about those trendy designer sunglasses ?

OK then, they can take off their ties.

Great news.

For those who do not have the luxury of an air conditioned office or the comfort of an air conditioned car (when it is working) this is a small relief from the sticky and uncomfortable heat and an opportunity to remove the body armour for a while until the next call.

I feel sorry for the military in Iraq & Afghanistan where the wearing of life preserving equipment is essential and the temperature is considerably hotter.

Suddenly life doesn’t seem too bad.

The original post can be found http://whichendbites.wordpress.com/2009/06/30/cool-heads-and-kind-hearts/

Wanted On Warrant

Published on June 30, 2009 in burglary and drugs. Closed

written by Emily from The Thinking Policeman: A Police Officer's Blog

I'm back in the days of the good old Proactive Unit in Dystopia - a sergeant who had the luxury of patrolling with his officers and laying hands on criminals. We're tasked with arresting a Billy Burglar whose DNA has come back on a docket for an aggravated burglary. It was quite a nasty burglary too. Billy was found in the living room by the elderly victim and delivered a hit to the victim's head with a cosh. That wasn't the nasty bit, however. This elderly gentleman was a veteran of the Kenyan War against the Mau Mau. A hard nut, who later recounted the stories of the battles he fought. The veteran, after being hit, responded with a crack on Billy's head with his walking stick. Billy's blood was everywhere - a SOCO's dream - and he was soon marked as a wanted man.

We'd gone to Billy's address on two prior occassions. The first was at the usual warrant-enquiry time of 6 am. It's a good time to catch a Billy. Either they're in a drug induced sleep after spending the night burglarising homes to pay for their crack cocaine, or they're resting ready to wake at 10am in order to burglarise houses when decent people are at work. This time, there was no reply to our repeated knocking and gentle pushes against his door. I looked at his pre-pay electricity metre and saw that there was about 68 pence left. I lodged this in my memory in the knowledge we'd try again the following day.

Second try - again there is no response from Billy's address. We try to look through the curtains, but can't see a thing. I know Billy's inside. I can feel it. As we're leaving, I remember the electricity metre reading. I open the box and lo and behold, it now has over £20 in credit. Billy is in there, but without our seeing signs of life to suggest he is, we decide against forcing the door to search the premises. If he's not there, he'll know we're onto him and may go underground at a friend's address. We'd also have to spend at least an hour waiting for the boarding-up services to arrive, and we've other ne'er-do-wells to catch that day.

This requires a bit of cunning. Billy thinks he's smart, but he's not. We've dealt with many such low-lifes as him before, and we've caught the lot of them. Back at the station we resort to a tried and tested technique...

One of my officers puts on the luminous Royal Mail jacket and blue baseball cap, and grabs a clip board. He's attached an envelope to it. The plan is self-evident. He'll knock on Billy's door, Billy will see the trademark jacket, will ask what he wants, then open the door to sign for the letter. At that point we'll have our man.

This is what happens, it all goes exactly to plan. My officers handcuff Billy in his hallway and I go outside to radio for a van to take him back to the station. Suddenly I hear Billy shouting and screaming. What the hell is he trying to do? He's handcuffed. There's no way he can escape. I go inside and start calming Billy down.

"What the hell's wrong with you Billy?"

"Your f*cking officer, he's taking the p*ss".

I look at my officer who is in fits of laughter.

"What's going on?"

"Sarge, he asked what's inside the letter, so I showed him."

I see the scrumpled piece of paper on the floor and pick it up. I open it to read what my officer has written.

"You're nicked!"

Hobbesllian Footnote: I feel the need to point out that I severley chastised the officer for displaying his wholly unprofessional attitude towards Billy Burglar. It is imperative that we respect the rights of individuals who break into people's homes and are quite prepared to assault the elderly residents, having no regard to the injury this may cause.

The original post can be found http://thethinkingpoliceman.blogspot.com/2009/06/im-back-in-days-of-good-old-proactive.html

Public Service Broadcasting

Published on June 30, 2009 in Other Stuff. Closed

written by 200 from 200 Weeks

Nothing to do with police, crime, politics or any of the other things I usually blog about, but more a public service to my readers kind of thing.

The Telegraph & other sources are reporting a cock-up on the money-producing front which might see thousands of us with a little bit of a cash bonus.

The new 20p piece’s design changed a little while ago & in so doing the Royal Mint made a bit of a fopar.

The design change put a fragmented image of the Royal coat of arms on the tails side & a new portrait of the queen on the heads side. In order to accommodate the new design the date was moved from the heads side to the tails. The problem was that a batch of between 50,000 & 200,000 20p pieces were minted with the old front & the new back which missed off the date completely.

Numismatists (I had no idea either) said the last time the Royal Mint left a date off a coin was 1672.

These coins are set to become collectors’ pieces & a company is already offering £50 a pop. One site predicts the coins may be worth up to £250 each in ten years time. One site reports that in 1983 the Royal Mint issued a two-pence coin which said “New Pence” instead of “Two Pence” which now sell for up to £200 each.

I’m off to check the whisky bottle with all our loose change in it.

20pence

The original post can be found http://200weeks.police999.com/archives/1704

Through the looking glass…

Published on June 30, 2009 in Uncategorized. Closed

written by Sgt. Custerd from The Sarge's Desktop

One of the great aspects of the MP's expenses scandal and the credit crunch (TM, Robert Peston productions) is that the focus of 'publik opinon' has been away from the Police, and for that matter - social services, the NHS, dentists, doctors and so on.

But thanks to our dear friends in Westminster - guess what - the House of Commons Home Affairs committee has decided there were 'not enough trained Police at the G20'.

Check the BBC, it's all here folks - as apparently 35,000 demonstrators, 10,000 police and er... 4 complaints to the IPCC has led to th wise and learned to conclude - 'never again must untrained officers be placed in the front line of public protests' - as apparently 2 days per year of MAS/PSU etc.. training is not enough to drill into the front line cop... what exactly? Not to shove people from behind (if that is what happened to the late Ian Tomlinson) - not to slap mouthy people in the face? Not to refuse to give the demented your collar number? (You can have mine now.... I'm not bothered).

According to Keith Vaz, MP, 'What's acceptable, what's within the police rule book - the use of distraction tactics, for example, slapping or hitting people - shocked the public, therefore, they need to look again at these tactics and consult the public to decide whether or not such tactics can be used again."

Now, I could be wrong, but if I ask some of our parishioners as to whether use of force may be justified, what type of responses would I get?

Pete Krusti-Pantz (envioronmental protestor) 'Cops hitting me interferes with my right to demonstrate with a balaclava and scaffolding poles against the forces of captalism...'

Robert Whinjin-Krayon (Daily Mail reader) 'The police are just nu-labour fascist bully boys concerned with political correctness, they shouldn't even be allowed out of the station, lets have the troops home and on the streets now...'

Dean Benefitt-Chavscumm (unemployed) 'The five-o shouldn't be allowed to touch me, it messes up my grafting and how else can I sell my gear and score some green - my brief will sort them...'

So there you have it - G20 apparently was an unmitigated disaster - an MP is seriously questioning as to how police can defend themselves and others... do I expect to see OST (Officer Safety Training) courses delivered by the IPCC, or our local MP?

Proably not.

C.

The original post can be found http://ukpolicesergeant.blogspot.com/2009/06/through-looking-glass.html

Open Door Policy

Published on June 29, 2009 in The Job - General. Closed

written by 200 from 200 Weeks

Ahmed Daq, aged 32, is a failed asylum seeker from Somalia. He has been held in detention since 2006 pending his removal back to Somalia. He had 18 convictions between 1998 & 2004 for offences including robbery, assault & burglary - quite the sort of person the UK normally welcomes with open arms (except if you’re a Ghurka in which case they have to take the government to court, etc etc)

That was up until last week when Deputy High Court judge John Howell released him from detention - on bail - because the Home Office are taking too long to remove him from the UK. The judge said ‘There is plainly the risk of him reoffending, but the type of offence he may commit is not in my judgment of the most grave kind, though serious they undoubtedly are.‘

The judge accepted that there was a risk that Daq would commit further offences if he was freed.

I don’t know who is worse in this case; the government for taking so long to kick an undesirable out of the country, or the judge for putting the rights of a violent offender above the rights of his next victim.

The original post can be found http://200weeks.police999.com/archives/1701

Stress Free in Denmark, Part II

Published on June 29, 2009 in Police, denmark and diversity. Closed

written by Posse Galore from Travails across Safer Neighbour hoods

"I brought you some supper but if you'd prefer a lecture, I've a few very catchy ones prepped...sin and hellfire... one has lepers."

A comment in a recent edition of “Jane’s Police Review” wound me up. A bit. And then a bit more. Apparently, being a Jedi – which n% of Police in somewhereshire claimed to be - isn’t a “proper” religion because it was “made up”. As opposed to . . . . . ?

Anyway, not stressed now. Holiday. Denmark. Århus. “The Sherlock Holmes Pub”. Leather sofas, Fuller’s beer (but I’m sticking to Danish, albeit in sufficiently small quantities to avoid adverse impact on my sperm count), a recreation of Holmes and Watson’s study behind glass, and the walls lined with Victorian Police memorabilia. I gaze at photos of heroically mustachioed figures in blue pointy hats and feel a surge of pride to be part of that tradition. I feel good about what I do.

The Danish police look rather good too – crisp ‘n clean white new model Mondeos way upmarket of our rather saggy baggy Focuses (as for our terrifying space monkeys got loose heap of an LDV van, I’m not even going there). Good looking blokes and blokesses - what is it abound little blonde ponytails? - in pale blue shirts and no body armour. Police seem to be equally as thin on the ground as our very own drenge i blå, with the difference that you don’t even see and hear them blasting around on blues and twos from one end of their patch to the other.

To be fair, there seems to be zero crime in this, Denmark’s second largest city, apart from some blatant cannabis consumption and quite a lot of superior graffiti. And our very own two person crime wave, crossing the road whilst the red man is winking - at first, anyway. We’re trying to blend in now, waiting beside roads devoid of traffic for the green man. Probably one in fifty bicycles is actually locked up whilst unattended. Yes, Denmark at first sight seems the closest to perfection of any society I’ve visited . . . . . free, democratic, liberal, polite, well ordered, with marzipan icecream. The built environment – public space, social housing, offices – is DESIGNED with a capital everything, designed to be functional yet good looking, as opposed to being dysfunctional and shoddy as per Britain’s post war addiction to ‘how cheap can we build it?’ philosophy. I even peeked into the local police station and that was bright, airy and attractive. IKEA meets Heckler & Koch.

Two more days and I’ll be back at work. Three days work work, then on day four off for some training. To the astonishment of my colleagues, I’ve signed up for a voluntary Diversity Day (I’ve already done the two compulsory ones, because they were, well, compulsory), subject ‘Faith and Religion’. The optional ‘Sexuality’ sessions are, anecdotally and anecdotally, far more amusing and thus popular than ‘Faith and Religion’. Actually, it’s one of my current interests (I think I should hurriedly explain that that’s interest in the same way that the fact that Domestic Violence has for a long time been a particular interest does not imply that I have a propensity to torture loved ones).

Ooo, it’s going all hazy . . . must be a flashback . . .

There we were cruising between Cornetto stops, when Sooz-the-enthusiast spotted a car coming the other way. Well, obviously not “a car” as in any old car, because even in the 1970s theme park that occupies much of our force area the internal combustion engine isn’t THAT rare.

No, this car was a three dimensional training aid of moving traffic violations (violations . . . . violations . . . am I turning American?). This car was a three dimensional training aid of moving traffic offences, most of which escape me three months on but I do recall the female front seat passenger wearing a seat belt but with a baby on her lap. Sooz pulls a Dukes of Hazzard style one point turn, catches the car up and hits the blues.

Good stop. The gap between our Focus estate and the other vehicle is about three inches – textbook stuff, so if they slam it into reverse there is insufficient run up to do more than crack a number plate. We are about a metre further from the kerb than the stopped vehicle so that the space around his driver’s door is protected from speeding teenagers, distracted mums and sufferers of Age Related Macular Degeneration alike.

Sooz goes to have a word with the driver whilst I call up the PNC channel. It’s a hire car. Sooz comes back and says driver is a Saudi citizen.

“Resident here?” I ask.

“No, on holiday,” sez Sooz, “Anything we can do?”

“Nope,” sez I, “Telling off only”.

So Sooz strides back to the offending vehicle and proceeds to administer a full monty of a bollocking. He’s not going to like that. Which sets me thinking (with the Diversity thinking cap) . . .

TO BE CONTINUED

The original post can be found http://prolege.blogspot.com/2009/06/stress-free-in-denmark-part-ii.html

Hallelujah?

Published on June 29, 2009 in Uncategorized. Closed

written by Michael Pinkstone from Don't Mess With Me ... I'm From Luton

Maybe I’ve been here before,

I know this room; I’ve walked this floor,

I used to live alone before I knew you.

I’ve seen your flag on the Marble Arch

But love is not a victory march.

It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah…

So, interesting.

First things first.

It is perhaps not a good idea to try to get the attention of your mother-in-law by saying, ‘Harken to me, wench.’

Not that I have ever tried.

Anyway, Hallelujah.

Hallelujah for Britain and its ability to make excellent decisions based on pertinent facts; as well as utilise old-fashioned virtues such as common sense, appreciation of context, and a recognition that the current threat of worldwide annihilation is potentially not going to result from folk singers visiting the UK for a short musical tour.

Canadian songwriter Alison Crowe, along with her band, found herself detained, locked in a cell at Gatwick Airport and later ‘Barred From Entry’ to the UK, followed by a swift deportation. If you haven’t read the story, I strongly recommend clicking on the link above. Not only does it highlight insidious measures taken by the British Government to, well, control ‘immigration’ and ’terrorism’, but it suggests that the very same Government is completely unwilling and unable to admit from whence the real problem emanates. By clamping down on the arts and forcing venues to spend lots of money and jump through a billion hoops in order to promote worthwhile events featuring international artists, we can all sleep safe and sound in our beds at night and not have to fear those who would propagate acts of terrorism on British soil. Whoever they are. It could be anyone. Is it you?

Communist! He looks like a Communist!

After all, the Canadian Threat is huge. All those bloody New World terrorists with their guitars and beautiful voices. Perhaps that’s why Copperfield went to that country. Perhaps he’s a terrorist.

I can’t say that this debacle does much for international relations between two countries that enjoy such close and genuine connections. At the very least it is damaging the UK’s reputation for arts. At most, it is soul-destroying.

So, my thanks to two of the two most powerful buzzwords around at present, in whose name the Government can conjure up some of the most prohibitive and dictatorial measures imaginable. There were freedoms once enjoyed by the British citizenry. No more.

And my final thanks to Alison Crowe. Hallelujah.

(NB: Is it me, or does she look and sound distinctly like a terrorist…)

The original post can be found http://michaelpinkstone.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/hallelujah/

On the way home…

Published on June 29, 2009 in The Times, home office and off-duty. Closed

written by The Duty Sgt from The Duty Sgt

I havent written anything for a few weeks, I like many other Police bloggers pondered wether to keep writing or not after the incident with the times. Ive decided to keep going, Im not doing it for money or fame, just as a release. I dont mention any cases just in general terms, and dont give away any details of tactics or secrets but think people appreciate an inside look at what life is like as a Police Sgt.

It takes a certain type of person to be a Police officer, we run towards the fight as others are going the opposite way. I was on my way home after a late shift when the radio started to go haywire. By that I dont mean it wasnt working properley I mean the air was jammed with officers calling for urgent assistance and control room trying to find officers to cover this and go to other incidents.

I leave my radio on as I go home as I like to hear the updates for jobs my shift and I have been dealing with. I heard a report of an assault in progress and realised that I was passing the incident in about two minutes as it was on my way home.

As I passed I saw two officers I know from another shift struggling with a male covered in blood on the floor trying to handcuff him with two other members of the public trying to fight with them making three against two. I stopped and helped handcuff the arrested male. And then had a comical moment when one of the newer officers grabbed my wrist and tried to restrain me before realising who I was and apologising. The arrested male then proceeded to be sick over the back seat of the Police car whilst a witness collapsed having a panic attack and the two 'victims' tried to assault the arrested man. Luckily another off duty officer from another force was passing by and stopped to assist also. The arrested male then tried to wipe his sick on me and headbut me before being restrained on the floor and then having a alcohol induced fit of his own.

In all with Westland Ambulance being called to attend both collapsed persons this incident took up a considerable amount of emergency service time all for it to be dropped the next day as all parties were friends and had forgiven each other.

I made sure the other off duty officer got a good work email from me to their Sgt. If any MPs are concerned neither of us claimed the time we spent at the scene as overtime or time off we did it because we believed it was the right thing to do depsite the end result.

The original post can be found http://thedutysgt.blogspot.com/2009/06/on-way-home.html