Police spend no time investigating certain crimes

[Burnsy2023]

Well there might be CCTV on the streets nearby. I keep hearing about the civil liberties brigade bleating on about how much surveillance there is in this country, why don't we actually use it to our benefit. The police should be better at knowing where CCTV cameras are than the victim of the crime.

There is no central database of CCTV. I would just look at houses like anyone else would.

They can ask the neighbours, re-assure the public that the crime is actually taken seriously.

Agreed, but if the police don't even bother checking then it just makes it easier for the burglars.

Would you support a council tax rise to pay for this service?

 

[Burnsy2023]

Rename topic to "I am a Policeman, ask me anything" tbh

Well done Burnsy

Someone's got to defend the Police in the face of being completely shafted by cuts. I need a wingman.

 

[thep02]

I don't think it's a case of the police not caring, if you spoke to anyone serving in the police I'm sure the overwhelming majority would wish they could help more and helping people was one of the reason's they joined.

The police themselves aren't to blame, the same way the doctors and nurses aren't to blame with problems in the NHS. It's the management, budgets, paperwork and targets that's killing the ability of these people to do their jobs effectively.

This.

 

[anything I don't mind]

If you don't do crowd control and you get an affray, suddenly you'll have 5-10+ assaults to investigate. That's obviously not ideal.

As for your s5. Don't be an arse and you won't get nicked. You can't complain for being dealt with when you blatantly breaking the law in front of a police officer.



I agree, but if you don't have the resources then as sensible as this is, it's not an option. We're doing more incident firefighting than crime prevention these days.

Whilst police officer numbers have gone down, they haven't been slashed like police staff numbers have. That means that police officers have to do much more admin that otherwise would have been done by someone else.

Would there always be 5-10 assaults though? unlikely, a lot of the time a few officers would suffice, instead they spend a few days setting up metal railings and then have 50 officers and some on horses walking about and standing around, just because people are in a crowd? people should be able to go to sporting events without that much police presence. If there is an assault then deal with that incident when it arises?

Shouting is barely breaking the law, but either way the point is how much time they waste just because they are on a power trip and like booking people in for no good reason. Instead of just saying, hey ive got more important things to do than waste a few hours booking you in for raising your voice in my presence.

 

[Burnsy2023]

Shafted? LOL. If only some of you knew actually how easy they get it you would be quite shocked (in terms of perks, packages and what not).

What perks? They have a reasonable pension - that's it. On the opposite side, you have the fact you never know what time you get home from work, the cancelled rest days, the perpetual struggle to get annual leave, the long night shifts and the management constantly shifting the goal posts.

Easy, clearly.

 

[Burnsy2023]

Would there always be 5-10 assaults though? unlikely, a lot of the time a few officers would suffice, instead they spend a few days setting up metal railings and then have 50 officers and some on horses walking about and standing around, just because people are in a crowd? people should be able to go to sporting events without that much police presence. If there is an assault then deal with that incident when it arises?

When things go wrong, officers get hurt. When you're on the opposite side to a large group kicking off, you need all the help you can get for officer safety.

Shouting is barely breaking the law, but either way the point is how much time they waste just because they are on a power trip and like booking people in for no good reason. Instead of just saying, hey ive got more important things to do than waste a few hours booking you in for raising your voice in my presence.

If you're after me for sympathy, you're clearly barking up the wrong tree.

 

[scorza]

We don't have the people to do that for every bike theft or criminal damage.

Yes, that's the problem and what we're talking about.

There is no central database of CCTV. I would just look at houses like anyone else would.

That's why you're the expert because I'd be looking at lamp-posts.

Would you support a council tax rise to pay for this service?

I've been arguing for years that there should have been small rises in tax to preserve public services, so yes. Everyone else was arguing that Labour had created a load of "public sector non-jobs" but it turns out that they were actually doing an important job.

 

[Burnsy2023]

Yes, that's the problem and what we're talking about.

That's why you're the expert because I'd be looking at lamp-posts.

I've been arguing for years that there should have been small rises in tax to preserve public services, so yes. Everyone else was arguing that Labour had created a load of "public sector non-jobs" but it turns out that they were actually doing an important job.

In which case I'd love to be able to do what you suggest and I think most officers would agree. Police officers want to catch criminals regardless of how low level the offence is, but that requires the time to do so. It's frustrating when you know you're not giving the best service you can, but that's a fact we have to live with.

 

[Haggisman]

Would there always be 5-10 assaults though? unlikely, a lot of the time a few officers would suffice, instead they spend a few days setting up metal railings and then have 50 officers and some on horses walking about and standing around, just because people are in a crowd? people should be able to go to sporting events without that much police presence. If there is an assault then deal with that incident when it arises?

Because if they did that then they would be criticised for not doing enough - they can't win really.

Shouting is barely breaking the law, but either way the point is how much time they waste just because they are on a power trip and like booking people in for no good reason. Instead of just saying, hey ive got more important things to do than waste a few hours booking you in for raising your voice in my presence.

I'd be very surprised if there isn't more to this story than just you shouting and then being arrested. Every time I've seen this kind of situation, the officer has given multiple warnings and opportunities to just walk away. They only arrest you when you give them no real choice. The alternative would be for them to basically let you get away with it, which, if you can't instantly see why that's a really bad idea, then I suggest you go and think about it.

Do you think they'd rather be out doing their jobs, or stuck behind a desk filling in forms because they had to arrest someone who had too much to drink?

 

[James J]

Burnsy summed it up before I could even post.

All comes down to cost, it isn't worth the cost of them coming out.
Everything is down to money over responsibility.

But the public pay for the police, so we are its customers. Not servicing its customers is extremely poor service. Using your logic about cost whilst using another public funded institution we all use at some point, aka the NHS, imagine if you called 999, explained that you'd hurt yourself and in excruciating pain, for them to turn around and say "sorry its too far for an ambulance to go, bye". There would be absolute uproar about it and rightly so. I don't see how the police area any different in this regard.

 

[Haggisman]

But the public pay for the police, so we are its customers. Not servicing its customers is extremely poor service. Using your logic about cost whilst using another public funded institution we all use at some point, aka the NHS, imagine if you called 999, explained that you'd hurt yourself and in excruciating pain, for them to turn around and say "sorry its too far for an ambulance to go, bye". There would be absolute uproar about it and rightly so. I don't see how the police area any different in this regard.

You mean like the NHS having long waiting lists for certain procedures, and refusing to prescribe certain medications because of their cost vs efficacy?

There's nothing stopping you from hiring private security, in much the same way as there's nothing stopping you from paying for private healthcare.

 

[Burnsy2023]

But the public pay for the police, so we are its customers.

I'm not sure the relationship is really comparable.

Not servicing its customers is extremely poor service. Using your logic about cost whilst using another public funded institution we all use at some point, aka the NHS, imagine if you called 999, explained that you'd hurt yourself and in excruciating pain, for them to turn around and say "sorry its too far for an ambulance to go, bye". There would be absolute uproar about it and rightly so. I don't see how the police area any different in this regard.

The Police don't have power over what they charge which means if the price goes down, so does the service.

 

[wordy]

Shame that when a citizen catches the criminal they can't despense justice as well.

 

[JaWalks]

Oh please. Just because you are the resident officer on here does not mean others have no insight into the job. As I've stated before I come from a family that has a deep root in the Police and put it this way they are by far one of the most 'looked' after out of all the occupations. And reasonable pension? Again, please don't make me laugh. My aunt's friend retired on a wage of £60k after 30 years service, she gets £40k a year and a 4 bedroom house (from the PPHA I think) of which she pays £300 PER MONTH rent.

And as for the 'opposite side' you have mentioned welcome to the real world. I work in IT, I have and face exactly the same issues. It's called graft.

You work in IT and call it graft!? lolololol

 

[Haggisman]

Oh please. Just because you are the resident officer on here does not mean others have no insight into the job. As I've stated before I come from a family that has a deep root in the Police and put it this way they are by far one of the most 'looked' after out of all the occupations. And reasonable pension? Again, please don't make me laugh. My aunt's friend retired on a wage of £60k after 30 years service, she gets £40k a year and a 4 bedroom house (from the PPHA I think) of which she pays £300 PER MONTH rent.

And as for the 'opposite side' you have mentioned welcome to the real world. I work in IT, I have and face exactly the same issues. It's called graft.

Please, tell us about the last time your life was threatened in your IT job...

I'd far rather have my "hard graft" IT job in a nice warm/cool office doing reasonable predictable hours, than the job the police have to do.

 

[James J]

You mean like the NHS having long waiting lists for certain procedures, and refusing to prescribe certain medications because of their cost vs efficacy?

There's nothing stopping you from hiring private security, in much the same way as there's nothing stopping you from paying for private healthcare.

Private healthcare in the UK is often carried out by NHS staff anyway, so hardly comparable there. As for the cost argument when it comes to certain meds, I don't think an officer attending a house to look into a burglary costs ANYWHERE near the same amount as brand new cancer drugs that are tendered in at £90k each.

I'm not sure the relationship is really comparable.



The Police don't have power over what they charge which means if the price goes down, so does the service.

Of course its comparable as both are public services. You can't opt out of paying for either, so the public are naturally your customers regardless.

The NHS doesn't have power over what it charges either, due to it not developing its own drugs, operating tools (such as robots etc) or even funding its own research. Due to that, it also has many prices set by people and organisations it has no or very little control over. Again, this is no different to the police.

Why can't a PCSO be scheduled to attend a property in their patch they work on anyway? Seeing a friendly face and knowing that the police are looking into something is far better than them never bothering to turn up in the first place, even if they can't do anything to help!

 

[Burnsy2023]

My aunt's friend retired on a wage of £60k after 30 years service, she gets £40k a year and a 4 bedroom house (from the PPHA I think) of which she pays £300 PER MONTH rent.

At that wage, they must have been at least a Superintendent and I'm sure their jobs probably are a little easier than the PC/PS/Insp on shift, but most officers aren't that high a rank.

And as for the 'opposite side' you have mentioned welcome to the real world. I work in IT, I have and face exactly the same issues. It's called graft.

From personal experience, it's simply not the same.

 

[Haggisman]

Private healthcare in the UK is often carried out by NHS staff anyway, so hardly comparable there.

I'm curious as to what the financial impact would be if NHS services weren't subsidised by private patients?

As for the cost argument when it comes to certain meds, I don't think an officer attending a house to look into a burglary costs ANYWHERE near the same amount as brand new cancer drugs that are tendered in at £90k each.

I never claimed it would be, however the cost vs efficacy argument is still relevant.

Also, those cancer drugs aren't the only instance of this. (Viagra for example is(or at least was) only available under certain conditions).

Why can't a PCSO be scheduled to attend a property in their patch they work on anyway? Seeing a friendly face and knowing that the police are looking into something is far better than them never bothering to turn up in the first place, even if they can't do anything to help!

See, I find this slightly worrying - you'd prefer them to waste resources giving a false appearance of doing something when they aren't, rather than using those resources to actually do something?

 

[Burnsy2023]

Why can't a PCSO be scheduled to attend a property in their patch they work on anyway? Seeing a friendly face and knowing that the police are looking into something is far better than them never bothering to turn up in the first place, even if they can't do anything to help!

That's what they do and I agree it's an important service to give, but we are under strength on PCSOs by a fair bit (at my station they had 16 and now have 7) and their workload means they're completely rammed.

 

[Haggisman]

Oh another one.

Ever setup and constructed a greenfield datacentre? Worked with high voltage 800kVA 3 phase power? Had a commercial UPS literally blow up not 50ft from where you are working? Had an armed gang go into the side of your workplace and start stealing the equipment? We don't all just sit in an office.

Shove your roll eyes

Wow, you seem to have some major aggression issues