Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Neighbourhood Policing

Well after being hastled for a number of months by people of varying ranks i took an attachment to a neighbourhood team.

Somehow they deem me to be an "experienced officer" and asked that i come off core response to work in a neighbourhood team with a few other officers.

With the promise of some good training which i wouldn't get on response and potentially some good evidence for my PDR i accepted and went onto NHP as a Mentor to some of the new kids coming in from the new training scheme.

I like the use of the word mentor because it means they don't have to pay me to be a tutor even though i am actually tutoring.

So this post is really 2 things. Its about NHP and the new training scheme which has been adopted by most forces.

Firstly NHP, I have never seen so many petty harassment's and complaints in my career. Dealing with people who cant resolve problems themselves. You know the type of thing where the normal amongst us would have a word and try to actually speak with the problem neighbour to sort it out.

Well it seems that alot of people claim harassment from a neighbour sitting and laughing at them in the garden or the kid kicking a football against a fence (thanks to NCRS its now crimed as criminal damage or attempt CD) meaning statements need to be taken and the "offender" spoken to or dealt with.

I used to be able to attend the job, give "words of advice" to both parties and never have to go back. Now im dealing with idiots who wont listen who hate the neighbour and when i ask "have you spoken with them about the problem?" i get the response "they wont listen to us but they may listen to you so i didn't bother trying"

Ahhh its annoying to say the least that people think we can sort every little thing out and i don't have better things to do than say "if you continue to laff at your neighbour you may be liable to arrest"

I blame Jeremy Kyle.

Incidentally the number of jobs i get sent to decreases when JK or loose women is on telly.

The new training scheme has been in effect for a while in my force and after a few days i was forced to speak with the department responsible to find out what the hell is going on as the people i am being sent don't know what to do or how to deal with a job. I know we all have to start somewhere but these are officers who are sent out as fit for purpose and sposed to be able to do stuff on there own.

What crap.

In the first 2 weeks i got abandoned by my crew mate in a fight because he didnt agree with the level i went in at and i didnt start from the low level and escalate up.

Ive been doing this job for a while and know what level to go in at but he was having none of it.

He is now seen as a soft touch and was abused by other MOP's in full view of the people he was sposed to be helping. This is something quite scary as its not him thats gonna get hurt its gonna be his crew mate.

So i need to re train him from the school view of policing to the reality of policing. Easier said than done im afraid as he knows it all.

So i am left with a dilemma.

I need to shock him into action and make him realise what the score really is or do i just hope for the best. First option means i may get hurt or his crew mate. Second option means sometime in the future it will go wrong.

It wouldn't be so bad but he cant even deal at a burglary without me guiding him through the job!.

I have to be quite vague here as im not sure what to do for the best. I know hes only new and needs time to adjust and settle in but hes sposed to be able to deal with jobs at the least. And the public order bread and butter stuff will come in theory, but for him i don't think it will.

So this week could get interesting ass im hunting for disorder and attending any violent or disorder type job to at least instill the fact which is you never leave another officer to deal with a violent job on there own, you go hands on regardless.

We are sposed to look after each other and work as a team... a skill which is dearly lacking it seems in this individual.

So he is now my pet project and will update you on his progress as to whether he succeeds and is right for the job or not.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm a special, and still rather new, so I don't like to question let alone criticise regular colleagues I work with. What is best, I think, after you have dealt with a job is for you (as senior) to say something like "why do you think I acted like I did?" "how would you have approached this differently," then you can both discuss it without him feeling like he's being too uppity.

Having said that, this should happen after you've dealt with a situation. He shouldn't just leave you alone in a public order situation just because he disagreed with you (unless of course you started beating someone with your baton because they looked at you funny!)

The cynic said...

All the best to you mate, looks like you've caught a right one there.
Fully agree with the above.
You dont need to know the full circs or work it all out. If somethings kicking off you get stuck in and ask questions later.
If the original officer got it wrong so be it on there head.
You should never stop and question another officer in that sort of situation.
Although i wouldnt like doing it i reckon people should be taken from reactive roles onto attachments at training school so newbies get a realistic view of policing rather than someones back office textbook view and their opinions from 10 years back when they actually went on patrol.

Anonymous said...

so a decent new cop would en help you with the normal police brutality.

Well done on his part.

as for you just a another Nazi scum pig.

Anonymous said...

Anon: Your grasp of basic spelling and grammar is rubbish. You either have learning difficulties, or you are just plain stupid. Or you're a still a child.

So which one is it?

Next time someone lets you use the computer, maybe you could spend the time productively? Maybe learn something new and widen your narrow mind? Or do you actually prefer showing us how pathetic you are.

Anonymous said...

so he seems to be a know it all useless bungling fool, who can't accept that someone with years of experience is just trying to help him .



bugger me it sounds like you have a new acop in the making there.