Friday 24 April 2009

Further entanglement within the policies...

This post is in direct response to comments on my last post. Thought that perhaps I could clarify things even further.

I really, really like the phrase "Unresponse car". It makes me laugh. I must remember to use it in polite conversation at work. So here goes..

I'll award 10 points for using it with colleagues.
I'll award 15 points for using it in conversation with a sergeant.
I'll award 25 points for using it in conversation with Inspectors or above...
And of course, 500 points if it can be used on the radio!

Go on, I dare ya!! I'll listen out on my radio channel for anyone resulting a job with the Unresponse Car bit added in.. ;-)

Pursuit policy is one of the funniest, or is that one of the saddest things we have???

Basically.. as an non Area Car driver, once you activate your blue lights, if the car that you are trying to stop fails to do so and actively attempts to make off from you then you are basically stuffed... If you are very lucky and the area car isn't 25 miles away getting a tyre changed, or at workshops having a piece of reflective striping and 3 panels replaced after a pheasant took out a wing mirror then you might be lucky and someone with the ability to pursue the vehicle may turn up before you have lost sight of it (yeah, right!)

If you are very, very lucky a Traffic car might be nearby. Be nice if it was Pat & Carl, they'd just ram it off the road right? Not in Southernshire. We might scratch a police car... So the Traffic car gets STINGER authorised (that's the spike strip thingy right). But strangely, he's the only person able to use STINGER and he's BEHIND the chase.. fat lot of good that is!
Long before he gets close the control room will stand the chase down because it went more than double the local speed limits and as such could endanger lives..

What if the offending vehicle is a motorcycle? Not even allowed to attempt to pursue it! Not even the Traffic car can do that!!!!!! WTF?

Criminal Scum use cars. It's a fact. We all know it.. that's why the roads are so heavily policed in this country. Because criminals use them! That's why we have things like ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) fitted on big posts around the countryside on major roads, also fitted in to random police cars etc, etc.. soo.... all the criminal scum have to do is drive fast, drive wild.. and the police won't be able to get them, we might know what they are driving, but we can't get them to stop...

Police are subjected to more and more restrictions with every year that passes by.

It is a terrible tragedy when a member of the public (MoP) is injured or heaven forbid killed by a police vehicle which is actively attempting to carry out it's lawful duty. It is definitely right that an investigation should be carried out to make sure that the officer was acting in the correct manner and carrying out his lawful duty, and hat he should have his lights/sirens active if appropriate etc so as to warn the public as best possible, but to restrict the police to not being able to bring criminals to justice is more criminal than the people we are trying to stop.

I swore an oath to uphold the law, yet by following policies I am then breaking that law because I am in direct dereliction of duty right?? after all a criminal is being allowed to get away.

NOW a Scenario.. we all LOVE Scenarios right?
What would you do if........?

........ you were driving down the road and you saw Mr Mugger Senior take a handbag from an old lady, hit her around the head with a baseball bat, push her to the ground, jump in to a sports car and race off................

A. Follow force policies - stop to help the old lady and call in the details of the offending vehicle as it's driving off in to the sunset.
B. Call for an ambulance to attend the scene of the old lady as you can see some MoPs are helping her out and sitting her up, try to follow the offending vehicle and adhering to force policies while it makes off in to the sunset.
C. As per "B" but with one difference. You see the offending vehicle. You are in a fully marked police vehicle and you have seen someone commit a serious arrestable offence, read indictable offence for post 2005. You hit the button for lights and sirens and live out Pat & Carls day time adventures as you chase down Mr Mugger Senior in his sports car, at the very least calling out for a pursuit type vehicle to take over, but at least you are getting his direction of travel and relaying it to those officers to catch up and intercept..
D. Stop, get out, sit in the gutter and cry because it's all too much to comprehend and it's far too complicated as you might have to consider force policies, and is the pension really worth all this hassle?
E. Get up from your desk and say "sorry, what was that on the radio?" Get ignored and go back to your computer account and forever more be known as the Station Cat because you never leave the station.. "well after all, I'm going off duty in 2 hours, I have to de-kit!"

So which do you do?
A, B, C, D, E?

12 comments:

  1. "a pheasant took out a wing mirror"

    There are some "services" which would dream of such problems!!! Not seen many pheasants in Metrocity, but perhaps we could get a few points for including the word in a result. Or pheasant could take on a new meaning. But what?!

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  2. "E" of course.

    And I agree with SC above.

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  3. There are many benefits to being the one uk that has all officers carrying a Glock 17. If I saw muggins I would then introduce him to the business end of said glock and ask him to get on his knees. The sooner all UK police follow our lead and are armed the better

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  4. Mr Anonymous, I take it you are not in the UK.. where abouts are you bud? Cos it's an interesting view.. ;-)
    And yes, I agree.. routinely armed would stop a lot of problems.. but there are a lot of people who disagree in the UK. I don't see how it's a problem though, specially considering this is the ONLY country in the EU which has UNARMED Police!

    Anywho that's another topic for another day.. but I'd be interested to know where you are my friend.

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  5. Don't get me started on arming us!! OK you have. Right. Grr.

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  6. Southern glad you liked my description please let me know how it comes off and points gained :-))

    I have been looking at writing a blog post from a MoP point of view and feelings of policing in the UK. I am fed up with how police are being stopped from trying to help us, or themselves even if there is a dangerous situation, in case they should, god forbid, hurt some evil little scroat.

    For a start l feel that all politicians should be sent into outer space onto some distant planet and left there.

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  7. ooooooooo VetNurse, PLEASE, PLEASE do!!! I'm sure you'll keep us enthralled.. ;-)

    You're obviously aware of some of the restrictions upon us here, but there are obviously other restrictions as well.. but I would love to know what the general public think of us on a daily basis.. And of course by that I mean the law abiding decent, honest, hard working citizens of this nation, because of course I know what my scummers think of me when they lean out of the witness box and launch in to a tyrade without the Judge stopping them!!! *sigh* But that's for another blog entry.

    Be sure to post and tell us where to find your MoP point of view blog :-D

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  8. Blogs a Lotte - the UK the only country in the EU who are unarmed?

    I feel I have to pick you up on that point...

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  9. Thanks Blogs a Lotte l am not all those things do not know anyone who is, just an average MoP. I am sure everyone breaks laws everyday not realising it but what the hell l may as well bask ;-D

    I have a fair bit of contact with police via work and have put some of those up on my blog (just click on my name here) but l will start to get a post together over the next few days and try, life depending, on getting it up this week (or next week).
    Don't know about enthralled either but will try not to let you fall asleep while l rant.

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  10. Ok written and posted a MOP view of the police.

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  11. BAL,

    The uk's only routinely armed territorial force is the PSNI.

    And as for unarmed forces, you seem to have ignored the fine work of the Garda, the finnish police, the isle of man, the jersey, the guernsey and the gibraltian police....

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  12. Aren't the Isle of man, Jersey and Guernsey are all Crown Dependencies, as such they will follow the same systems as we do here? I am sure I could keep going on that front.
    (I am not sure of what system Gibraltar is under, but I think it's also a Crown Dependency, but hey, I will admit I don't know on that front).

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