Funny and terrifying at the same time! What would the old timers from the 60’s and 70’s say? Life was perfect then, nor was policing but in hindsight it had far more going for it than the politically controlled (PCC’s), politically correct (virtue signalling) untrained social workers that governments seems to think the public want…..
I want officers who can empathise with a victim of crime and then go and arrest the offender with an appropriate amount of force, use your imagination……
I think your tardis may need re-calibrating, the 2040 prediction seems too far away. This article was released only yesterday on Bristol Live. The Council is now openly saying that they're looking at how to increase all these petty charges to create revenue.
Bristol CAZ charges could rise under plans to balance books
My recollection of the creation of the PCSO function was the need in central London for high-visibility patrolling, which was partly due to the demands for "eyes & ears" to counter terrorism in Whitehall-Westminster. The MPS were drafting too many officers in for such duties, so someone thought of the PCSO role.
Given the habit of forty-three independent police forces in England & Wales all thinking and doing the same everyone very quickly cottoned onto this miracle product - less £, more uniforms on local duties.
I know in another urban sprawl a number of PCSOs were recruited to work on public transport, until Phil B., the wise Labour councillor in charge asked to they have powers of arrest? No, well we don't want them and will not pay for them. Divisions then had an allocation of extra PCSOs and two I met patrolled a long 'A' road in a big city.
The Met eventually had 'CTPCSOs' (try saying that after a beer), but I think the primary aim was community policing. A perennial criticism of neighbourhood policing was aid abstractions, as you mention, from which PCSOs were specifically exempted.
Although a friend tells me at a May Day protest one year, apparently some over-excited PCSOs decided to form their own impromptu public order serial and got stuck in!
I mean I used to like Dystopian/Alt History sci-fi but now I'm living through some of the darker time lines I'm not so sure... I joined in 1977 and it seemed to me that the police were largely left alone and untouched. A few scandals etc later and we were set on the current path of continual legislation to improve policing.
The big problem to me is that there is no definition of what policing does. As the 'social service of last resort' it is very difficult for the police to say no particularly as it seems other sectors can offload all of their risks by calling the police.
I suspect privatisation will again be seen as the answer but bear in mind the private sector have an advantage over the police in that they can say no. I also believe that the private sector will only want to deal with stuff that is a) Straightforward b) Carries Low reputational risk c) Is profitable.
Where do we go? IMO the current 43 force model was not event fit for late 20th century Britain let alone the 21st. Profitable areas of law enforcement will be hived off so look forward to privatised speed enforcement operations. Perhaps we'll get private security local cops with a cadre of sworn officers providing muscle.
Dark times ahead.
BTW I reckon a future scandal will be the private equity firms currently running children's home. Not so much an issue for policing but I understand these homes cause a vast amount of work for local police forces.
"What did the Police ever do for us?" .... in a John Cleese voice of course.
Funny and terrifying at the same time! What would the old timers from the 60’s and 70’s say? Life was perfect then, nor was policing but in hindsight it had far more going for it than the politically controlled (PCC’s), politically correct (virtue signalling) untrained social workers that governments seems to think the public want…..
I want officers who can empathise with a victim of crime and then go and arrest the offender with an appropriate amount of force, use your imagination……
I’m going for a short nap now…….
Cheers Dom 👍😊
Dystopian conspiracy theories have a habit of coming true. All it takes is for good men to do nothing. "First they came..."
I think your tardis may need re-calibrating, the 2040 prediction seems too far away. This article was released only yesterday on Bristol Live. The Council is now openly saying that they're looking at how to increase all these petty charges to create revenue.
Bristol CAZ charges could rise under plans to balance books
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bristol-clean-air-zone-charges-9846626#ICID=Android_BristolPostApp_AppShare
My recollection of the creation of the PCSO function was the need in central London for high-visibility patrolling, which was partly due to the demands for "eyes & ears" to counter terrorism in Whitehall-Westminster. The MPS were drafting too many officers in for such duties, so someone thought of the PCSO role.
Given the habit of forty-three independent police forces in England & Wales all thinking and doing the same everyone very quickly cottoned onto this miracle product - less £, more uniforms on local duties.
I know in another urban sprawl a number of PCSOs were recruited to work on public transport, until Phil B., the wise Labour councillor in charge asked to they have powers of arrest? No, well we don't want them and will not pay for them. Divisions then had an allocation of extra PCSOs and two I met patrolled a long 'A' road in a big city.
The Met eventually had 'CTPCSOs' (try saying that after a beer), but I think the primary aim was community policing. A perennial criticism of neighbourhood policing was aid abstractions, as you mention, from which PCSOs were specifically exempted.
Although a friend tells me at a May Day protest one year, apparently some over-excited PCSOs decided to form their own impromptu public order serial and got stuck in!
I mean I used to like Dystopian/Alt History sci-fi but now I'm living through some of the darker time lines I'm not so sure... I joined in 1977 and it seemed to me that the police were largely left alone and untouched. A few scandals etc later and we were set on the current path of continual legislation to improve policing.
The big problem to me is that there is no definition of what policing does. As the 'social service of last resort' it is very difficult for the police to say no particularly as it seems other sectors can offload all of their risks by calling the police.
I suspect privatisation will again be seen as the answer but bear in mind the private sector have an advantage over the police in that they can say no. I also believe that the private sector will only want to deal with stuff that is a) Straightforward b) Carries Low reputational risk c) Is profitable.
Where do we go? IMO the current 43 force model was not event fit for late 20th century Britain let alone the 21st. Profitable areas of law enforcement will be hived off so look forward to privatised speed enforcement operations. Perhaps we'll get private security local cops with a cadre of sworn officers providing muscle.
Dark times ahead.
BTW I reckon a future scandal will be the private equity firms currently running children's home. Not so much an issue for policing but I understand these homes cause a vast amount of work for local police forces.
You are at your writing best when fearlessly irreverent and angry. Would you like a less than eight for football on Saturday, West Ham v Palace?