The Policeman's Blog

And I thought America was far out. What next Henna 'n dead animals?
 

i take it no one is bothered about the mere 2.5% increase !!

we need to stand up and be counted this goverment is taking us for a ride, and the federation???
 

I love the little differences when abroad, and I also love trying the explain bizarre English customs to foreigners!
 

The Husky chain is all about promoting themselves as 'green' because their fuel is part ethanol...

I still think that 'Henna & Placenta' is weird though, and have never had the urge to try elk antler velvet. Elk steak is mighty tasty though.

I have seen a dessert in England called 'Spotted Dick' that has the same 'WTF?' effect on Canadians.
 

anon 0956, personally I'm more worried why the arbitration actually finalised on 2.5%, the increase itself is pointless - literally.

The problem is that they obviously feel that our specific circumstances such as no right to strike and more chance of being murdered at work than anyone other than an operational soldier is worth nothing.

Some people (those so far removed from our position that they don't acknowledge the threats existence) will argue that the latter circumstance is merely an occupational hazard - at least a soldier has an assault rifle and several hundred rounds of ammunition to try and ward off those trying to kill him/her. Not to mentioned fully armoured and armed to the teeth support and air support, we have a can of condiment and metal stick for fuck sake.

I specifically didn't say killed at work as we all know that our colleagues in the other emergency services face danger everyday, most notably the tragic loss of 4 firefighters in warwickshire, my point is people everywhere die in traffic and industrial accidents, we are singled out as people who others try to MURDER purely because of our job.

In that case, give us back the right to strike, or perhaps we should take it back??
 

2.5 %.

it beggars belief that the federation allowed it to go to th e arbitration panel (who are appointed by the goverment) surely they are not independant ??.
i have not seen much media respons e about the settlement (or one that was forced upon us) unlike the fire/ambulance/nhs service.
the government thinks that they can fob us of because they know we will just lie down and take it, this cannot be the way anymore. we are an invaluable service with the most dedicated and hard working officers putting our lives on the line everytime that we leave the station. anyone who works on the frontlne knows this, but people dont see the full side of what we do, if they did maybe they would have a different perception of what we have to deal with. we are not asking for a huge increase but one that is realistic of the increased cost of living and rising taxes.
 

Why are the federation not legally challenging the no strike laws in the European Court of Human Rights. Am I right in saying that other european police forces can strike?.
 

anon 1632, yes you are right that all other European forces can strike at both the local and national level. I asked my Fed Rep this very question whilst we were very bored stopping non existent protestors from getting into a field, and he said that although very often discussed at the highest levels, the Fed are afraid of permanently burning bridges if they legally challenged the goverment, partly because they want to keep them 'on side' and partly as it can be seen as encouraging industrial action and striking which of course is a criminal offence.
 

Don't strike. Simply work to rule. Keep within the frame work. Forget the federation they can't help. Deal with one job at a time and let the Managers worry about the system blocking up.
Don't take on a new job until the olds ones are dealt with. You are not helping yourself or the public if you take on new jobs that sit in your basket un attended for days or weeks.
Ever tried to juggle three or four balls at once. It ain't easy so don't try.

Hey Benji still thinking of you hun.

Old Duffer
 

When everyone else works to rule, I'll be sure to join in. Be the first to try that and I think it's a short route to dismissal. Which in itself says a lot about the system.

Anyway, there is an even greater injustice afoot.

http://www.gmp.police.uk/mainsite/pages/poll.htm

Join with me, fellow officers, to vote no to stupid trousers, crap body armour cover (the picture clearly doesn't show it stuffed to bursting with forms, books, phones and wallets) and POLYESTER T-SHIRTS?!

For the love of God, it's not difficult. Cotton polo shit, ARV trousers, ARV body armour cover and a flat cap. Job done.
 

Met county, I would say that the Government has burnt it's bridges with us by pushing through the new pay deal without consultation and removing the independancy of our previous pay agreement which was set by pay rises in the private sector and therefore free from Government interference. Besides if they do burn there bridges with this government it doesnt matter as they wont be in after the next general election. Also what has this government done to improve the police, gave us rafts of useless legislation, not enough prison places, underfunded the police, NCRS ( one of the biggest hindernaces to modern policing ), more paperwork. Its about time the fed started thinking abouts its members and not keeping the Gov happy.
 

Well, "the elephant in the room" - let's talk about it. How much money has been, is being and will be spent on PCSOs ?

All the ones that work in my area are very nice people I'm sure but how much bang does the Service get for this particular buck ? What do they contribute in reality ? And would this money be better spent on funding a proper pay structure for Police Officers, increasing morale, improving resources - ( how often do you see a PCSO patrol alone ??? - Goodness sake they were double crewed in a response car in a local town a couple of weeks ago)

Scrap PCSOs (sorry guys) and give us the tools to do the job.....oh and in the event of Officers withdrawing some services will PCSOs be used to fill in the blanks ? Answers on a post-card please to ACPO.