To think policing is pretty poor in this country?

[EasyPleasey]

I'm sure there are lots of excellent and well meaning individual police officers. However, my dealings with them in the past decade have been:

1. Reported a sexual assault. CCTV available, public area. Case closed not investigated.

2. Reported a burglary. Very likely suspect told to them, they didnt investigate, they didnt have time, case closed.

3. Spent ages writing to them about suspected fraud on a now deceased person. Never followed up by police.

4. Reported a fraudulent car sale/theft complete with names and addresses, nothing done.

5. Reported regular criminal damage to private property, some teenagers smashing outdoor lights and garden furniture in my road, £1000s of damage. Police said it's worse in other areas and did nothing.

But now I see police loitering round Tesco enforcing that one puts 'non essential' socks in their trolley, harassing people for using their front garden, I think where did they find all this time? Maybe a lot actually enjoy having the power to order people around, but solving crimes isnt a passion for many of them?

I’ve never met a devastated police officer.

you work in counselling do you?

We obviously know different officers then I can only speak for the exceptionally brave, hardworking, intelligent, decent people I know. Of course I don’t speak for all of them, but neither do you. I would not want to do their job, I really wouldn’t. DH was badly assaulted on the job and he’s not the only one. But he goes in every day prepared to put himself at risk because he’s a decent fucking human being.

I lost all respect for the police after my partner was assaulted outside our local shops, the police when they finally turned up didn't have to do much, we had asked the shop owner to keep the cctv, we told him where the man lived, they tried to talk my partner out of giving a statement because there could be repercussions & told us it was "the law of the jungle" where we lived, we also told them he was dealing drugs out of his car, they could have cleared 2 crimes up for the price of one.

I haven’t read the full thread but what I’ve read, makes me sad.

I’m a police officer and I joined the job because I want to do something meaningful and help people.

I can count on one hand the number of jobs
I’ve been to this year where I felt I could actually do that.

Some of that is red tape, some of that is the sheer volume of stuff we deal with that
Isn’t a policing matter. I find it frustrating and sometimes genuinely upsetting when I can’t get a positive outcome to a crime because the evidence isn’t strong enough for CPS to run with it.

On the other hand, I’ve lost track of the number of times myself or my colleagues have been assaulted, abused etc. Only a couple of weeks ago, one of my colleagues was seriously assaulted and we all had to listen to him desperately gasping for air over the radio whilst we rushed out to him. He’s fine luckily but we know from last summer, that isn’t always the case. Just for doing his job.
Right now I’m hundreds of miles away from my partner who is having a really difficult time. I can’t see her because I’ve sworn to serve the public and she’s high risk so it wouldn’t be safe for me to see her. It’s massively affecting my mental health but as always with this job, I have to put myself
Last.

Reading this genuinely makes me sad. I can’t speak for every police officer, and of course there are bad ones as well as good. Every single one of my colleagues will put their lives on the line to protect a member of the public. Stay hours late at the end of a 10 hour shift to ensure a job gets done as well as possible. I spent 40 minutes on the phone to one of the victims I’m dealing with today whilst I’m on my day off.

@BubblesBuddy do you think an under 20k per year starting salary is appropriate for risking your life?

Well I think you do a bloody amazing job. Hope you get some rest before your next shift x

Well I can truly say the police have never been there for me. I don’t believe all of them are in life and death situations all the time either. At the moment NHS and caring staff have overtaken any police deaths this century I would imagine. Plus most of the last century too.

Salaries and allowances are as attached. So that info wasn’t right either.

Easypleasy

Join the police and make a difference.
I did it for 6 yrs and came across all of your examples if how things ad happened but didn't go to court or appear to get investigated.
Having been the police officer I know why and it's not because we did a crap job. I also came across many people who had a very unrealistic view on what the police could or should do that even when it was explained to them fully why it wasn't happening the way they expected they still didn't understand.
The only way you can fully understand the outcomes of your post is to fully understand the police officers role, many don't at all, nor do they understand how much evidence is actually needed and how the whole process works.
There were shite coppers yes, but they weren't so shite that it would explain one person experiencing all the issues you described. There will be isolated incidents yes but the rest dealt with properly by good people, the difference being is that the 'complainant' may not like the outcome, not understand or just not accept why it hasn't gone the way they expect and just put it down to the police being shite.

Join up op see it for what it is and you will see that most of the time it's not because it wasn't investigated or that police are shite, there is actually a very valid reason that just clashes with the complainants expectations.

However so many crimes need brains as well as police expertise.

Yes, but you don't need a degree to have those brains. I did see some who had said degrees, there were two on my intake. Both left, why? They had the brains, yes but they didn't have the skills to deal with volitile situations, disturbing situations and or the skills to see through the volitile smoke screens to get to the facts. No graduate can avoid the front line, all the brains in the world can't give you these skills. Those who do have them can learn to use their brains. There are some skills that can't be taught.

People saying ', join the force and change it' as if a few people can change years of unwritten rules within such a large institution. Especially the 'protect your own' rule, even if the officer is guilty.

Maybe high calibre grads shouldn’t be in the front line? Maybe they need a different route and investigate crime as opposed to policing the streets. I don’t see them as the same job and shouldn’t be linked. It’s pointless and that’s why no one wants to join who can work successfully elsewhere. Why would you stay when the existing police officers are resentful of you and not welcoming? Most people would get out in that toxic atmosphere.

Why would you stay when the existing police officers are resentful of you and not welcoming?
It isn't always the existing police that's the problem though is it? It's sometimes the fact that the graduates are in such a rush to get to where they need to be, that they don't get to see what the front line policing is about. Its a vital part of the role, even for those who are destined for more graduate appropriate roles.
There are many police officers who Do not want those roles as its not what they joined for but, their front line work often gets overlooked by graduate schemes despite the fact that what they see and hear being a very important part of any investigation or decision made from up above.
Unless its experienced in depth by graduates they run the risk of completely overlooking the bigger picture. Spending time to see how the ground level works is important and when graduates overlook this yes the others become resentful. Spend time learning ground level stuff before you start rattling through the ranks will make you much more productive and build valuable bridges.

Existing officers know this, new graduates don't always see it.

There needs to be change. I really don’t see how investigating fraud has anything to do with front line policing. It has little in common. It’s a bit like comparing serving in a shop with the the shop’s accountants. They are not the same role and require different skills and can certainly be separated. The Police need to do the same.

I couldn’t agree more!

Posters on here getting there back up, we’ve been wronged are we not allowed to be angry? Some police just don’t like doing paper work, simple.

I had my car crashed into by a moped, window smashed, dented door etc. Caught on cctv the police never investigated it as ‘no one got hurt’ literately I was livid.

They have forever lost a little respect for me, I was well brought up, by a police officer actually!! So I’ll never be rude but I can never trust them in the same way.

This wasn’t the only let down I’ve had with them either.

You are correct Scardot. Paperwork and investigation isn’t what they want to do.

Actually to be fair, my DD is a barrister and finds most police to be good in her area of work. However they don’t really need to have done “front line” duties for a couple of years either. I think “front line” is a levelling exercise, bonding and indoctrination into the ways of the police. Certainly not a celebration of individual thought or expertise.

"Disabled woman in tears after police issue fine threat for having too
many visitors"

www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/coronavirus-scotland-disabled-woman-tears-21880586

A “shielded” disabled woman’s family say she has been crying all week
after police warned they might have to fine her for having too many visits from people caring for her.

Officers who arrived at the woman’s Edinburgh sheltered housing complex told her son there had been an anonymous complaint, and they might be forced to issue a fine if they received another one.

The son said: “Mum cannot leave the house for 12 weeks. My sister and I deliver shopping and stand in the garden, observing social distancing. A relative attends daily to walk the dog. Nobody goes in.

“The officers themselves seemed fine but I was shocked when they said they could be forced to issue a fine. Mum has been in tears all week since it happened. She is worried that nobody is allowed to come and help her now.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-52313646

The children of a woman murdered by her abusive ex-partner have been given a five-figure payout over police errors before her death.

Jacqueline Oakes, 51, was killed by Marcus Musgrove at her flat in Edgbaston, Birmingham, in 2014 and he was later jailed for life.

Nineteen West Midlands Police officers and staff faced misconduct proceedings over the handling of the case.

.
.
.

Of the 19 people found to have a case to answer for misconduct, none lost their job as a result.

Yeah from my experience they're quick to demand respect but do very little to actually earn it.

I suspect theres a culture of piss taking towards those who actually want to do a job. And people are right, where the hell where the police before all this? couldn't get down to an estate for weeks when they're crawling over it now? being brave isn't enough frankly, theres a job that needs doing and its not being done. The general public arnt being paid to do that job either.

It's absolutely crap compared to countries like Japan. It's not the fault of police officers though.

It is the fault of leadership and they were police officers before they became senior police leaders. They need to embrace change.

Glad to see Humberside get a mention. The force who let Ian Huntley work as a school caretaker after he spent years raping in Barton.

Who let a black man bleed to death on their cell floors whilst they made monkey noises.

Had a word with Harry Miller for his thought crimes.

And just the other month, had a senior officer convicted for stealing a wallet from a victim and another drugs squad officer investigated for using prostitutes.

How can a lack of resources explain this, and why are they rushing trainees forward and cancelling leave to police shopping and sunbathing? use the time to root out the useless, corrupt and nasty. Can see how many of them react to criticism on here. I wouldn't be surprised if my IP address is in their sights considering their previous shenanigans.

The reason for the police muscling in on Covid breaches at the moment is that there is nothing else going on. Can't burgle any houses, everyone's at home. Can't do car key theft, everyone's at home watching their cars. Can't get into a punch up outside the pub because everyone's at home.

However, my local police are ONLY getting reports of Covid breaches at the moment. Hyacinth's reporting that their neighbour has left the house twice in one day.

They're damned if they do and damned if they don't.

And just the other month, had a senior officer convicted for stealing a wallet from a victim and another drugs squad officer investigated for using prostitutes.

I bet they weren't sacked.

You're right, Professor. Saw him just the other day handing a tenner to our local beggar in fact.

www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/coronavirus-scotland-disabled-woman-tears-21880586

Disabled woman in tears after police issue fine threat for having too many visitors
Officers arrived at the woman's sheltered housing complex and told her son they might be forced to issue a fine if they received another anonymous complaint over family visits.