Policing in the Seventies and Eighties

[TimTom]

Was anyone here involved in UK policing in the 1970’s or early 1980’s? Especially as a probationer.

With more free time than usual in the coming weeks, I might finally start to collate some thoughts, memories, stories, etc. Policing was a different world back then, that’s for sure.

 

[TimTom]

?... females getting treated poorly, more racism and prejudice against minorities.

Pretty much sums up Met Police (and many other forces, I’m sure) in the seventies and eighties!

I’d suggest that officers, especially the younger ones, back then had far more character and individualism than the run of the mill approach of today. Many of their actions were borderline inappropriate and listening to the scrapes they got into were hair raising at the time. “Canteen” humour was something to make the hair stand on end at times.

And yet, in a strange sort of way, they were more subservient when it came to respecting rank and formality.

 

[TimTom]

Same here. My late father was a Sergeant and retired from the job in the mid 80's after doing his 30 years. He did several roles during his time including DS and yes, things were very different then. I distinctly recall his views on "university Policemen" during the end of his career.

I can well imagine that last comment!

I remember a young copper getting into a ‘bit of a state’ after tracking round local pubs checking on their liquor licences. He arrived back after being out visiting the establishments for several hours and he was put into a store cupboard to keep him out of the way whilst he attempted to sober up. Not a pretty outcome!

 

[TimTom]

That's funny.

Yes, my father didn't mince his words. It went something along the lines of "some of them" being "clever on paper" but "wouldn't make good policemen" and this bit is a direct quote "while they had a hole in their behind".

We were stopped once, in my car, long after he retired during a Christmas "routine" drink driving campaign. That didn't go very well...

I bet... I can picture that scenario!

I could also tell a story about an officer mistaking a window for a door ... and not on the ground floor either!! But probably a bit too insensitive!!

 

[TimTom]

Haha, my imagination is running wild. Great stuff, Tim.

Drink was involved!

 

[TimTom]

My Grandad was, and the 60's. Lots of interesting stories he's told, including some quite gruesome ones. Most of them amusing though.

Ranging from a member of the public finding him in full police uniform in a skip behind a jam and preserves factory picking out sachets of jam to take home, to having to slowly slide a deceased elderly man in a body bag down a flight of spiral stairs like a helter skelter because there was no other way to get him down.

Another good one I remember well is he was in someone's house with his sergeant after they responded to a domestic call, the guy picked up a knife, and the sergeant said to hit him, so he did,and he crumpled into a bookshelf which fell on top of him...

Also some horrible stories like a time he was called to a house after a young boy drowned in the pond, many years later he picked me up from my mechanics shop and I remember my mechanic and my grandad stopping dead and staring at each other because they realised at the same moment that one was the father of that boy who died in the 70's, and the other was the attending officer...

Poignant.

Yes, stories tend to fall into the horrific, comical or embarrassing categories. The tragic ones are probably best left in the archives. Lots of comical ones (like an officer buying a coffee in a plastic cup in a bakers shop one lunchtime, clumsily dropping it as he picked it up and having to apologise profusely as it showered the smart lady standing behind him, splattering her smart attire from top to bottom... then standing open-mouthed in the witness box in the magistrates court a short while later as the lady chairman of the bench came in, looking daggers at him, with coffee stains all over her dress...)

Embarrassing ones? Like, how do you know an officer in the witness box has just ‘followed through’? (answers on a postcard!)

 

[TimTom]

I joined the Police in 86 and experienced much of the 'old school' mentality, from summary justice to drinking on duty. It sure was a different world then. Definitely not better just different. Many of the older guys I worked with were ex military and made their own rules. I was regularly assaulted and verbally abused. Sometimes the criminals joined in......

I can relate to all of that. It was still an era when young officers were treated appallingly by the long servers, and some of the treatment dished out to WPC’s had to be seen to be believed. It wasn’t just the “make the tea, love” type of attitude but I saw some terrible behaviour. Probationers - male and female - had it tough.

 

[TimTom]

It was a gradual changing of attitudes during the 90's and into the 2000's. There was no one reason just a change in culture over time. A statement you would hear frequently from the people who had been in a while was "The jobs ******", meaning that the change in attitude and culture had negatively impacted their ability to do the job. More often than not this was increased accountability and less freedom to do the job as they saw fit. In the early days there was an attitude that meant you did what you had to do to get the job done, which meant things were not necessarily done by the rules. This generally meant bad people were locked up.

Treatment of staff improved in line with the culture change with less bullying. The negative changes were a dramatic decrease in the number of officers. When I started in 86 you would have up to 20 officers at a night shift muster. This was for an average town. You always knew you had backup and plenty of it. Especially as at that time the majority of the officers were big burly blokes, who really did knew how to handle themselves. I worked the same place around 2010 and one night there was myself and two female officers covering the town. That night was an exception but there were never more than 8 of us during that time. This impacts your willingness to get into situations quickly. Going back to the late 80's I was young and daft so that had something to do with it. However, I also knew I was not going to ultimately lose any fight I had.

Great post.

 

[TimTom]

My father was a dog handler and a CID officer in the Met and retired in 1992 .

From what I gather it really was a different back then , more a force than a service and definitely not PC in any way .

Coppers demanded and got a lot more respect and you would get a slap if you were a little **** , something I think we could do with now .

And of course who can forget " We’re the Sweeney and we haven’t had our dinner ".

I could tell a couple of brilliant stories about dog handling in the seventies!!

 

[TimTom]

I posted this on a previous topic a few years back and this was around the time that men's towelling socks had just become fashionable. Does anyone the packs of three... a black pair, a strange blue coloured pair and a white pair!

The story was that a young police constable (Met Police) turned up at the court wearing a pair of white towelling socks with his uniform, black shoes etc. He gave evidence as a witness but at the end of the hearing, he received an unexpected call to go to the magistrates retiring room. When he got there, the magistrates were in there and he was asked to lift the bottoms of his trousers up (or maybe even told to take his shoes off, I can't remember exactly).

The magistrate then said to him something along the lines of "Next time you are in front of us officer, please come dressed for court and not turned out as if you are off to the local disco'.

Like we said, a different world!

 

[TimTom]

Thought I’d add a couple more for amusement:

Anyone remember when courts had warrant officers? They always seemed to be the officers close to retirement, out of condition physically, and content to spend as little time working as possible. Sorry if that’s harsh or unfair.

However, they used to go out to arrest offenders who had warrants out for generally minor offences, such as non payment of fines, etc. One day one of these warrant officers arrived back with a prisoner he’d just arrested but it was ill-timed as it was lunch break.

“I’m not booking him in now” said the disgruntled officer, “I’ll do it after lunch.”

And with that, they all sat down for their obligatory lunchtime card school. About half a dozen officers... plus the bemused chap who’d just been arrested and who was warned, “Right, whatever you win mate, isn’t going in your pocket. You can use it to pay off some of the fine!”

I’ve no idea how much of his debt he cleared!!

 

[TimTom]

A local copper in the late70s/80’s was out drinking with a friend. He was on duty later on, noticed his mate driving home and nicked him!

 

[TimTom]

Another seventies one...

A PC is walking his beat one day when he hears screaming and shouting from the nearby canal bank and a youth comes running yelling at the officer to help. He runs down to the side where a young woman is hysterical as her pushchair has slipped into the water with a young child still strapped in. Still afloat, the pushchair has drifted to the opposite bank and is wedged at an angle.

The officer quickly takes off his jacket and trousers and wades in, makes his way across the canal in waist-high water, unstraps the child, lifts him/her out and carries them back to safety. Then goes back in, wades across again and retrieves the pushchair. By the time the operation is over a small crowd has gathered along with a police vehicle and a couple of other officers.

The heroic constable gets a round of applause before being taken back to the station where he gets another round of applause from officers/staff as he squelches from the car park. Back inside and still semi-dressed he gets more ‘well dones’ and pats on the back as he walks through to where he is met by his sergeant.

“Good job lad, well done. But next time you want to play Tarzan in public, make sure you’re wearing black socks!”

(it’s called bringing someone back down to earth, I believe!)

 

[TimTom]

I got no experience as I'm too young for that era. However, watching youtube clips about old style policing is great!

That is absolutely brilliant - and amazing. I’ve never seen it before. Brought back some real vivid memories.

I’d tell them... but not in public, lol!

 

[TimTom]

Depends how serious they where. You got me watching police videos now!

Not serious, in fact quite light-hearted... the funniest, the most bizarre and the most awkward!!