Good idea or just a pillock?I have said before that I have worked in Neighbourhood Policing for many years and I am a big fan of local officers tackling the problem people and places and making neighbourhoods safer and nicer places to live and work in.
My teams clearly understand that I want the bad people arrested or prosecuted. I want them off the streets or towing the line on an ASBO or whatever it takes.
I get fed up, and quite frankly embarrassed, when I see some of the gimmicks that neighbourhood teams sometimes dream up to get a bit of publicity. Or is it someone trying to make a name for themselves when they put in for their promotion board?
Do you remember this stunt, where officers in East London were offering to follow people home from the cash point if they were worried about getting mugged. My question at the time was, if you have a mugging problem, what are you doing to catch the offenders? Why can't the neighbourhood teams be out visible deterring these offences anyway. If you don't have a mugging problem all you are doing is raising the fear of crime.
Now we have PCSO Vince Preston out on a BMX bike. He claims young people are more likely to talk to him and interact with him on a BMX rather than a normal bike. Vince, you don't know what you are talking about. I don't know who dreamt up this idea and you may just be the stooge for someone else's stupidity. You are not supposed to be regressing and becoming one of the youths that rides round on one of these things. You are supposed to be part of the police service and have the respect of the people you police. Riding around on a BMX just makes you open to ridicule and gains nothing.
Sorry to sound so negative but I wish we would just stick to the basics. In my experience the public just want us to be visible and enforce the law. That is our job, using discretion where appropriate. It is not to keep inventing ways of avoiding doing just that.
If you call a plumber you expect a qualified professional to arrive and the same for doctor, gas fitter, etc. and you wouldn't pay to see a dentist who hasn't qualified so why is it when we need 24/7 police we are fobbed off by stupid crook politicians with PCSOs. Time to arrest another 600 odd MPs for fraud, put them all on JobSeekers take away their driving licenses and give them all second hand BMXs.
ReplyDeleteWhen I went to school, all the teachers wore their academic gowns and we held them in respect. Over the years this was abandoned and they "dressed down", leading to loss of respect and today's chaos. The Police and PCSOs need to avoid falling into the same trap; being one of the boys doesn't help.
ReplyDeleteWe should get rid of every single PCSO in the country and replace them with real Police Officers who have real powers to deal with people who are breaking the law.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that each Force area’s PCSO have different power, so what do I do if stopped by one of the fake police who are as useful as a condom with a pin hole in it?
Get rid of ALL PCSO’s and recruit real Police, and if there are any PCSO’s of good standing and ability make them real Bobbies instead of having our Policing system become a Labour Government play thing that has to tread so carefully on political correctness, health and safety, sexual orientation, gender, ethnic, transgender issues.
You break the law, you get nicked simple as, and dealt with as anyone else no matter who you are or what you choose to do in with your private life.
I have just read the attached link. http://www.policeoracle.com/news/Fury-Over-Police-BMX-Bikes_23475.html
ReplyDeleteI am pleased to see that I am not the only one that wishes we dropped these stunts (sic) and concentrated on our jobs.
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