I'm a cop. Ame.

[coppercolouredtop]

For a very limited time then will name change. Response cop for 10 years. AMA. I'll try and tell you if it won't get me sacked.

Do you think that there needs to be more police out on the beet? as I rarely see that anymore. And criminal behaviour seems to be more and more a problem especially vandalism and anti social behaviour. Councils are putting up council tax and services and police nhs seem to be going downhill. I feel sorry for people on the frontline of them services as it must be tough when you are spread thinly.

Cop? UK or US?

Ever done a brothel raid? What was the outcome?

If you had a significant budget increase for policing what would be your priorities for allocating it?

What other services are needed to support the police - earlier interventions for chaotic families from social services? Mental health provision? Drug/alcohol treatments? Or something else?

Have the police quietly decided to turn a blind eye towards smoking weed? London is now full of people openly smoking on the streets, in broad daylight. Nobody seems to be the slightest bit concerned they might get caught. I'm sick of smelling it.

Blue eyed Bengal

That is a definite yes. I've seen numbers more than halved on a normal group. No one has any time now to be proactive- it is now purely a response role which is rubbish really as it's very much trying to bolt the stable door after the horse has long buggered off. Stress and sickness is very high. It's very frustrating.

Halfwitpicker

Uk

Hirples

Nope....that kind of thing would be intelligence led and pre planned so probably not my dept.

Assinatedbeauty

All those and then some . Probably more so mental health services. So much of my work is now mental health related.

Same here, Shoving. I seem to smell weed in my local town centre more often than standard fags. Revolting.

Shoving

Less a conscious decision more probably that resources are so stretched it's a bit of a losing battle.

It's a case of priorities really. When there are just a few of you available do you go to the burglary, the domestic incident, or spend a shift dealing with someone who smoked a joint?

If you make an arrest now that pretty much writes off your entire shift and maybe you still get to pass your prisoner in to the next shift depending in how complex or whether it needs cps advice.

Cannabis warnings are quick and easy but you can only give so many before you have to lock up. It's so prevalent that if I were to arrest for everyone who I found a bit of weed on I'd be dealing with that day in and out and nothing else sadly.

I also hate the smell of it and have no idea how anyone can smoke the stuff....just the smell gives me a headache.

Thanks for your reply. :)

Thanks for your reply, it makes sense, and I can see why scanty resources are prioritised in this way.

However, I am finding it appears to
be creating a general atmosphere of 'anything goes', which is encouraging other petty (and not so petty) crime to rise. Cops used to be visible on the streets, but our local station closed, and you never see so much as a PCSO on the street these days. Crime has increased noticeably as a result, including violent crimes. I witnessed one in broad daylight in the summer that was really frightening. Of course none of this is the fault of officers such as yourself.

I was never a fan of Giuliani's zero tolerance policy, regarding it as draconian, but I am starting to wonder.

Thank you for your reply. i sadly thought that was the case.

Most individuals I know who are police men ( not women) have been quite arrogant and sexist and I have felt the need to vacate their company quite quickly. Have you found this to be the case? Does this occupation attract a ‘type’ or have I just been unlucky?

What is your opinion on independent custody visitors? Pain in the arse or good way of monitoring everyone's health and safety?

Have you seen racist attitudes among your colleagues?

Do you end up doing a lot of over time being out on cases and staying passed your finishing/hand over time?
Do you do a debrief or do you just go home?
Do you ever have someone timing your response from the moment you get dispatched to getting the incident? Or is it a get there when you can kind of thing? If you do get timed, does this give incentive and/or do you get rewards because of it?
Do you think there will be a time where you won’t have local police stations in the future and it’ll all be headquarters in or near big cities only?
Given you respond to some awful things, do you have a mental health team to talk to?
If you wanted to be in the mounted branch or other specialist branches of the police, do you have to work for the police already or can you just join them like you would a police offer for the first time?

What do police officers really think about the paedophile hunting groups? Help or hindrance?

Loveweekends

Not my experience at all and mostly the opposite ime. There was only 1 I couldn't abide being in the company of and he is just an arse because he is an arse (was a professional sportsman prior to the job and thinks he is something else due to the extremely minor sleb status)
Most of those across the duty groups at my station are lovely, funny , helpful, just a good set of fellas and some real comedians (you have to have a sense of humour or you'd be continually depressed I think).

Andninefor

All welcome as far as I'm concerned. They're there for a reason. Usually to advocate for someone who needs it . The more open and transparent the better for me.

Claraschu

Luckily I can hand in heart say that is something I have never ever come across. no one I work alongside is in anyway racist. We're a diverse bunch ourselves really .

Do police have a duty to confidentiality as medics do? (I have an acquaintance who's a policeman who has told me lots of things about people in the neighbourhood)

Are you married/ have kids? If you do you find the hours difficult around your family life?

cheesenacho.

it depends on overtime - CID do way more than me because there is no one to hand over to in those departments so 20 hour days are not uncommon and a friend in CID regularly works 12 - 15 hours over a week. on response there is always the next group to hand something over to so in that im quite lucky. i am often a few hours late off a week but it goes in fits and starts - on week i might be on time every day and another seem to be late off all week.
there is no debrief. you just go home.
yes we are timed - response times. if its an immediate incident you have 10 mins to get there. if its not immediate then its meant to be within the hour and then there are appointments for less urgent things. the response times vary from force to force and where in the country you are.
some of our stations have already closed and are centralising so yes i see a time when the small stations are gone or are multi use and shared with other services
there is not really anyone to talk to after traumatic incidents - unless you refer yourself to occy health and tbh - we just dont - you just tend to get on with it unless something breaks sadly
for other depts - in my force you do the first two years at lease on response to get your education really and to do the diploma. after that theoretically you can move but there in reality is a lot less opportunity to move around now, most departments have been reduced or done away with all together where i am. opportunity to move is scarce and you have to apply/interview for any new role.