My wife came home from work the other day and relayed a comment made by a colleague which went something like; “I see your husband has been slagging the police off again in the local paper, has he forgotten that he used to be a copper?” Apparently the owner of the words was a little unhappy about some of the things I have said recently, humph?
It would seem as if it’s ok to make adverse comments from inside the organisation (quietly amongst peers) but not from the outside and certainly not in a public forum. That’s strange, she used to be one of the most verbose in critical assessment of her employer. That said, she’s obviously missing my point. I am not, never have and never will ‘slag the police off’, at least not the officers on the ground. The ones who are run ragged, under staffed, often ill-equipped and constantly stymied from carrying out their task.
No, my target is the system… The often incompetent management, the constant political interference and the public misconception of the police service. A misconception that is compounded by statistical manipulation and ‘sound bite’ media management spin.
The vast majority of police officers are just trying to deliver a ‘service’ to their community. A service that is constantly castigated in the media, chastised by the public and simply messed around with by senior officers for their own gain. I feel sure you will find very similar circumstances in a large proportion of the public sector but why is this?
Far too often these days, those occupations that used to be a vocation are for many reasons, seen as little more than a necessary toil to pay the bills. It’s just a job so why worry about what’s wrong with it? Just keep your head down, get on with it, go home at the end of your shift and don’t moan… There are plenty of people out of work!
I’m sorry, lying down and playing dead in a cloud of confusion and blind acceptance has never been my way and never will be. The inevitable is only so if you let it be!
I believe passionately that efficient application of law and order is just as important as it has always been. Yes there may be different expectations of the police service and some (difficult/dangerous) additional tasks to perform. However, the day-to-day role and responsibilities are the same as they were at inception.
Sir Robert Peel’s original ‘Nine Points of Policing’ are (contrary to popular belief) still valid… If for no other reason, this will ensure my continued observations and unstinting offering of my view!
Dave's Bankside Babble 