Monday, February 27, 2006
Another ones bites the dust
World Weary Detective has now closed down as well. Us bloggers are having to take greater steps to ensure our anonymity. For those writing blogs or those thinking of starting one, here's some tips:
1. Don't be specific - this applies to where you work; your rank, role and length of service; names and places of people you have dealt with etc. This should really be common sense
2. Posting immediately after a shift probably isn't the best idea if you then describe the shift you've been on or a job you've attended.
3. Don't use your own e-mail address for the blog
4. Be careful when commenting on new policy - it may be specific to your Force and will give the game away. National stuff is more than fair game!
5. Be careful if you tell colleagues about your blog - you don't know who they may tell, and who is pally with people in C&D...
Going, going, gone...
Brian's Brief Encounters has now been taken down, and I'll be removing the link and adding Blue's and Two's link when I get round to updating the template, which should be tomorrow.
For those who are wandering why these blogs are going, it is because supervision, Complaints & Discipline/Internal Affairs, or both, are catching wind of these blogs and are somehow identifying those behind it. The "catch all" offence of "bringing the force into disreputre" is usually levelled at those involved, in spite of very few of us actually stating which force we work in! How can you bring a force into disrepute if noone knows what force that is?!?!?
Since these blogs reveal what ACTUALLY goes on behind the glossy, PR-friendly corporate image put across by most forces, and threatens to actually inform the public as to what police officers do, the ties that bind us and why we're consequently not always able to respond immediately to a report of youths causing annoyance, the 'unofficial spokespeople' of frontline rank-and-file officers, and of the trials and tribulations being the lowest on a big food chain entails, are 'the enemy' of public relations.
We're also the enemies of performance management, the Key Performance Indicators we're under pressure to meet and the various other bureaucratic instruments implemented to monitor how police 'perform' (in spite of the fact that efforts are then made to meet such indicators purely for the sake of meeting them, whilst other aspects of police work that aren't measured, such as actually patrolling, are neglected in the meantime), since these blogs show such things actually exist and that we are under pressure to meet them. Certain authorities would rather this not be common knowledge, although a couple of pertinently-worded Freedom Of Information Requests by the correct press outlets to the correct institutions could settle that.
These blogs also go against the idea of all officers singing from the same hymn sheet and adhering to the collection of corporate buzzwords, nonsenical management speak and phrases that adhere to their own inner logic which form the various vision statements, mission statements and charters for whatever the theme flavour of the month is. Some of the public, and indeed some authorities, may be horrified that some officers would be so bold as to state why we're not always to do what people think we can do 24/7. I would prefer to think that the public would appreciate knowing the real reasons behind such restrictions.
(c) Bow Street Runner. None of the material contained in this post, or this blog as a whole, may be reproduced without the express and written permission of Bow Street Runner. All rights reserved.
World Weary Detective has now closed down as well. Us bloggers are having to take greater steps to ensure our anonymity. For those writing blogs or those thinking of starting one, here's some tips:
1. Don't be specific - this applies to where you work; your rank, role and length of service; names and places of people you have dealt with etc. This should really be common sense
2. Posting immediately after a shift probably isn't the best idea if you then describe the shift you've been on or a job you've attended.
3. Don't use your own e-mail address for the blog
4. Be careful when commenting on new policy - it may be specific to your Force and will give the game away. National stuff is more than fair game!
5. Be careful if you tell colleagues about your blog - you don't know who they may tell, and who is pally with people in C&D...
Going, going, gone...
Brian's Brief Encounters has now been taken down, and I'll be removing the link and adding Blue's and Two's link when I get round to updating the template, which should be tomorrow.
For those who are wandering why these blogs are going, it is because supervision, Complaints & Discipline/Internal Affairs, or both, are catching wind of these blogs and are somehow identifying those behind it. The "catch all" offence of "bringing the force into disreputre" is usually levelled at those involved, in spite of very few of us actually stating which force we work in! How can you bring a force into disrepute if noone knows what force that is?!?!?
Since these blogs reveal what ACTUALLY goes on behind the glossy, PR-friendly corporate image put across by most forces, and threatens to actually inform the public as to what police officers do, the ties that bind us and why we're consequently not always able to respond immediately to a report of youths causing annoyance, the 'unofficial spokespeople' of frontline rank-and-file officers, and of the trials and tribulations being the lowest on a big food chain entails, are 'the enemy' of public relations.
We're also the enemies of performance management, the Key Performance Indicators we're under pressure to meet and the various other bureaucratic instruments implemented to monitor how police 'perform' (in spite of the fact that efforts are then made to meet such indicators purely for the sake of meeting them, whilst other aspects of police work that aren't measured, such as actually patrolling, are neglected in the meantime), since these blogs show such things actually exist and that we are under pressure to meet them. Certain authorities would rather this not be common knowledge, although a couple of pertinently-worded Freedom Of Information Requests by the correct press outlets to the correct institutions could settle that.
These blogs also go against the idea of all officers singing from the same hymn sheet and adhering to the collection of corporate buzzwords, nonsenical management speak and phrases that adhere to their own inner logic which form the various vision statements, mission statements and charters for whatever the theme flavour of the month is. Some of the public, and indeed some authorities, may be horrified that some officers would be so bold as to state why we're not always to do what people think we can do 24/7. I would prefer to think that the public would appreciate knowing the real reasons behind such restrictions.
(c) Bow Street Runner. None of the material contained in this post, or this blog as a whole, may be reproduced without the express and written permission of Bow Street Runner. All rights reserved.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
New TV show
The title: "Girl Cops"
The blurb:
"Assaults, domestics, and lost parrots are all part of a police officer's lot.
Where Girl Cops differs is the time spent off as well as on the beat.
Witness the daily lives of the quick witted, commanding, feisty and cheerful women police officers of Greater Manchester Police, and find out what makes them tick.
Humorous and heartfelt, Girl Cops takes an honest look at what it takes to be a successful working woman today"
The picture:
Which begs the question - is this programme going to be a serious portrayal and insight into life as a female police officer, both on and off duty, and the challenges as they face balancing their work lives with their personal lives, or with such a 'dumbed down' title, TV Week-friendly blurb and a "chorus line" photo, should this show be received as merely light entertainment at the expense of the hard-working officers involved? You decide.
Apparently it's on next Monday at 8.30pm on Beeb One.
(c) Bow Street Runner. None of the material contained in this post, or this blog as a whole, may be reproduced without the express and written permission of Bow Street Runner. All rights reserved.
The title: "Girl Cops"
The blurb:
"Assaults, domestics, and lost parrots are all part of a police officer's lot.
Where Girl Cops differs is the time spent off as well as on the beat.
Witness the daily lives of the quick witted, commanding, feisty and cheerful women police officers of Greater Manchester Police, and find out what makes them tick.
Humorous and heartfelt, Girl Cops takes an honest look at what it takes to be a successful working woman today"
The picture:
Which begs the question - is this programme going to be a serious portrayal and insight into life as a female police officer, both on and off duty, and the challenges as they face balancing their work lives with their personal lives, or with such a 'dumbed down' title, TV Week-friendly blurb and a "chorus line" photo, should this show be received as merely light entertainment at the expense of the hard-working officers involved? You decide.
Apparently it's on next Monday at 8.30pm on Beeb One.
(c) Bow Street Runner. None of the material contained in this post, or this blog as a whole, may be reproduced without the express and written permission of Bow Street Runner. All rights reserved.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Yet another officer shot
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/4711268.stm
I hope she makes a full and speedy recovery.
One day the decision makers will accept that even though they refuse to routinely arm officers, more and more offenders are choosing to routinely arm themselves anyway, so the argument that "if we arm officers then more offenders will arm themselves" finally seems to be breaking down and a review of which PPE officers carry needs to be carried out. I'm happy to carry a Taser - still able to confront most people, even those carrying firearms, but without your career and life on hold when you actually do discharge it.
That said, even if Tasers or firearms were issued to every officer, some forces wouldn't be able to pay for the equipment or training anyway!
http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/men/news/s/204/204375_200_police_jobs_face_axe.html
(c) Bow Street Runner. None of the material contained in this post, or this blog as a whole, may be reproduced without the express and written permission of Bow Street Runner. All rights reserved.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/4711268.stm
I hope she makes a full and speedy recovery.
One day the decision makers will accept that even though they refuse to routinely arm officers, more and more offenders are choosing to routinely arm themselves anyway, so the argument that "if we arm officers then more offenders will arm themselves" finally seems to be breaking down and a review of which PPE officers carry needs to be carried out. I'm happy to carry a Taser - still able to confront most people, even those carrying firearms, but without your career and life on hold when you actually do discharge it.
That said, even if Tasers or firearms were issued to every officer, some forces wouldn't be able to pay for the equipment or training anyway!
http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/men/news/s/204/204375_200_police_jobs_face_axe.html
(c) Bow Street Runner. None of the material contained in this post, or this blog as a whole, may be reproduced without the express and written permission of Bow Street Runner. All rights reserved.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Where has all the time gone?
Apologies for not updating much lately. It would seem all the cases I've been involved in that have gone to court have had trial dates set for February and March! I've had two so far and have several more coming up! Will post something soon!
(c) Bow Street Runner. None of the material contained in this post, or this blog as a whole, may be reproduced without the express and written permission of Bow Street Runner. All rights reserved.
Apologies for not updating much lately. It would seem all the cases I've been involved in that have gone to court have had trial dates set for February and March! I've had two so far and have several more coming up! Will post something soon!
(c) Bow Street Runner. None of the material contained in this post, or this blog as a whole, may be reproduced without the express and written permission of Bow Street Runner. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Have a read!
David Copperfield, in his latest entry, links to an article titled "24/7 Response Policing in the Modern Police Organisation: A View from the Beat."
His article and the report are definatly worth a read. Doubt it'll make much difference, or that the main service users of the police are going to read it and think "Ah, now I understand why my trivial domestic with my wife over who let the cat out hasn't received an immediate response, I shall cut them some slack and lay off in future", but it identifies the issues we all face and are demoralised by.
It's a proud accomplishment round our parts if an officer's outstanding crime queue is down to a single page. One poor colleague booked off at 6pm on a Saturday, and came in at 9am on the Sunday to find 10 more crimes allocated to their queue - someone, in a bout of drunken stupidity, had walked down a street and kicked a few cars - no damage, just a small amount of scuffing. A particularly overzealous officer, who was probably not from the division nor would have to do the follow up enquiries, submitted 10 crime reports for 'further investigation'. I don't think I'll be seeing my colleague for a few weeks as he goes to chase up statements from the owners of the vehicles; checks CCTV and copies the vehicle information 5 times over on several different forms. Meanwhile, most owners of the vehicles either wouldn't have noticed the scuffing nor would have even considered reporting it, yet they'll still be quite bewildered when an officer turns up on their doorstep saying "I appreciate you don't want to do anything, but I need to take a statement to prove that anyway because my word isn't good enough on the update page". The joys of NCRS!
Meanwhile, he won't be meeting his PIs and will get pulled up for it in between writing progress reports on update pages consisting of "Tried to contact IP, not at home for two weeks" thanks to arbitrary progress report deadlines for each crime. At least he hasn't had progress report deadlines requested during his annual leave, which has been known to happen before!
"PC Smith, you're crime queue is horribly out of date. What's your excuse?"
"Sorry sarge, I was in Brazil at the time for 2 weeks, and my distance from the station, combined with my failure to attempt to think about the job or my workload whilst on holiday, are the reasons for my tardiness. Won't happen again - my bed and all personal possessions are being moved into the writing room as we speak".
Not to mention the new 'positive action on assault allegations' policy... Retractions? That's not in the spirit of 'proactiveness' !
(c) Bow Street Runner. None of the material contained in this post, or this blog as a whole, may be reproduced without the express and written permission of Bow Street Runner. All rights reserved.
David Copperfield, in his latest entry, links to an article titled "24/7 Response Policing in the Modern Police Organisation: A View from the Beat."
His article and the report are definatly worth a read. Doubt it'll make much difference, or that the main service users of the police are going to read it and think "Ah, now I understand why my trivial domestic with my wife over who let the cat out hasn't received an immediate response, I shall cut them some slack and lay off in future", but it identifies the issues we all face and are demoralised by.
It's a proud accomplishment round our parts if an officer's outstanding crime queue is down to a single page. One poor colleague booked off at 6pm on a Saturday, and came in at 9am on the Sunday to find 10 more crimes allocated to their queue - someone, in a bout of drunken stupidity, had walked down a street and kicked a few cars - no damage, just a small amount of scuffing. A particularly overzealous officer, who was probably not from the division nor would have to do the follow up enquiries, submitted 10 crime reports for 'further investigation'. I don't think I'll be seeing my colleague for a few weeks as he goes to chase up statements from the owners of the vehicles; checks CCTV and copies the vehicle information 5 times over on several different forms. Meanwhile, most owners of the vehicles either wouldn't have noticed the scuffing nor would have even considered reporting it, yet they'll still be quite bewildered when an officer turns up on their doorstep saying "I appreciate you don't want to do anything, but I need to take a statement to prove that anyway because my word isn't good enough on the update page". The joys of NCRS!
Meanwhile, he won't be meeting his PIs and will get pulled up for it in between writing progress reports on update pages consisting of "Tried to contact IP, not at home for two weeks" thanks to arbitrary progress report deadlines for each crime. At least he hasn't had progress report deadlines requested during his annual leave, which has been known to happen before!
"PC Smith, you're crime queue is horribly out of date. What's your excuse?"
"Sorry sarge, I was in Brazil at the time for 2 weeks, and my distance from the station, combined with my failure to attempt to think about the job or my workload whilst on holiday, are the reasons for my tardiness. Won't happen again - my bed and all personal possessions are being moved into the writing room as we speak".
Not to mention the new 'positive action on assault allegations' policy... Retractions? That's not in the spirit of 'proactiveness' !
(c) Bow Street Runner. None of the material contained in this post, or this blog as a whole, may be reproduced without the express and written permission of Bow Street Runner. All rights reserved.
