There's only one thing equivalent to night of good sex, and that's nicking a nasty little scrote who has been terrorising a community for months. Let's face it, none of us joined the job to be social workers, or to be liked.
What Dom describes here is largely the force I joined in Glasgow in 1976. The Skunkworks was known as the old boys, who had joined the job after being demobbed after WW2.
They didn't give shit for authority. They had witnessed real violence, and many had killed people. They knew what they fought for, and lost mates for. Young, ambitious, overly promoted senior ranks were terrified of them as they were reaching retirement age and were likely to kick down a door and take a swing at them if they attempted their intimidation tactics.
The very senior positions in the Force were also occupied by these ex servicemen who had done well and risen through the ranks. They understood the value of looking after the guys in the trenches because some of them had actually been in the trenches.
And then, they were gone in a puff of blue uniforms; retired en masse, just as they had appeared after the war.
And that was it. The job was fucked. Within 10 years or so, cops were instructed to ditch their smart tunics and dress like some paramilitary reject in stab vests festooned with paraphernalia hitherto hidden from the publics sight. And of course the ultimate apparel of authority, the fluorescent jacket.
No more sneaking up on scrotes through dingy closes in the dead of night, dressed in a dark tunic without the accompanying clanking of cuffs, cans of pepper spray, squawking PR's and clipboards, wearing a belisha beacon. It was a battle of wills, and when they legged it, one of physical dominance.
No more dawn raids early on Saturday mornings to execute outstanding warrants, when the scrotes were lying in their beds sleeping off a belly full of Friday night booze. Easy nickings.
But even then the lilly liberal justice system was chucking them out of court with wrist slaps rather than jail. But they knew, at least, they were marked men, by every cop on every shift, as soon as they were back on the street.
Pre shift muster was an update of intelligence from the preceding shift. Plans were made to continue the job of finding the shitheads who had got away from the lads on nigh shift. We went to the usual sources for information on suspects, neighbours, their enemies, curtain twitchers, snitches and, of course, the street urchins who always knew what was going on.
No grand plan, no Divisional office clever dicks with spreadsheets and power points (didn't exist then) organising us. Just a visceral hatred of scrotes and the self respect you awarded yourself for catching the fuckers. And the bragging rights amongst the shift, and the entire office if you nicked a high profile scrote.
Social workers? I only ever met one in my 11 years service, and he was giving us information on where to find a shithead he couldn't deal with.
Only one slight observation Dom, maybe go back a bit further than 1995, the nursery was already open then. Maybe around 1980 would be a good time, no politicisation then. Policing - in London at any rate - was definitely robust. Cops could make decisions without having to defer to others (usually non-Police) employed NOT, under any circumstances, to make a decision, especially one which might in some unexplained way, be regarded as being impactive on them. As for impacts on the criminals - well, they don't control the budget do they? Keep it up, doing well. Knighthood in the mail.
"Nonetheless, it’s the main reason why changing anything is virtually impossible. It’s like trench warfare, but with Excel and PowerPoint".
Clearly quite true. Which is why I'm torn about Donald Trump. On the one hand he is a mean-hearted, selfish, psychopathic swindler who cares about nothing but his own image. But then again he has found one answer to the baked-in constraints: he just ignores them (and the law where applicable).
Very, very bad, of course. But is it better than the alternative, that's the question.
As has been mentioned, Sir Stephen Watson (GMP) may be trying to get things moving in the right direction. His leadership seems to be more than elementary!
I would chuckle if it wasn't so serious! The thought of you, a self-confessed lunatic, taking over the asylum (-10 points for me on the PC-O-Meter). Mind you even Andy Marsh, Chief Blob of the CoP is advocating a return to basics, having failed to stop his Supt a few years ago from allowing Colston's statue to be ripped from its plinth and dumped in Bristol Docks.
But how long would it be before the Exchequer, seeing the reduction in crime in Dorset, would decide the central grant could be reduced in tandem, as obviously force numbers were too high.
This a game you can't win, as the forces of Darth Vader will do their best to overcome the Luke Skywalkers like you, as they love the status quo that keeps them in power,
But may the (Dorset Free) Force be with you Dom/Luke and look after your light sabre, keep it away from 15 yr olds,!
Excellent Dom, almost radical - without being political. I note Bill Bratton gets a look-in when you write: ' decided to let local officers (of all ranks) tell me what they thought. Then, I listened to them'. Exactly what he did when at NY Transit Police when swoops ran out of custody places, so he got a bus converted to handle the vast majority of offenders with instant charge & bail.
I fear a certain CC might steal your ideas after listening to his talk last week. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3erM3L4hE5g A policing friend "boiled it down" to: Scrap NCHIs,
Investigate everything (if there is a reasonable line of enquiry) and Be better at NHP.
When will you write a similar comment on the College?
Thanks. Watson? He's played Vichy cop, and now he feels the winds of change blowing. He was in the resistance all along, I suppose? As for the CoP? I write about grisly stuff. But that grisly?
There's only one thing equivalent to night of good sex, and that's nicking a nasty little scrote who has been terrorising a community for months. Let's face it, none of us joined the job to be social workers, or to be liked.
What Dom describes here is largely the force I joined in Glasgow in 1976. The Skunkworks was known as the old boys, who had joined the job after being demobbed after WW2.
They didn't give shit for authority. They had witnessed real violence, and many had killed people. They knew what they fought for, and lost mates for. Young, ambitious, overly promoted senior ranks were terrified of them as they were reaching retirement age and were likely to kick down a door and take a swing at them if they attempted their intimidation tactics.
The very senior positions in the Force were also occupied by these ex servicemen who had done well and risen through the ranks. They understood the value of looking after the guys in the trenches because some of them had actually been in the trenches.
And then, they were gone in a puff of blue uniforms; retired en masse, just as they had appeared after the war.
And that was it. The job was fucked. Within 10 years or so, cops were instructed to ditch their smart tunics and dress like some paramilitary reject in stab vests festooned with paraphernalia hitherto hidden from the publics sight. And of course the ultimate apparel of authority, the fluorescent jacket.
No more sneaking up on scrotes through dingy closes in the dead of night, dressed in a dark tunic without the accompanying clanking of cuffs, cans of pepper spray, squawking PR's and clipboards, wearing a belisha beacon. It was a battle of wills, and when they legged it, one of physical dominance.
No more dawn raids early on Saturday mornings to execute outstanding warrants, when the scrotes were lying in their beds sleeping off a belly full of Friday night booze. Easy nickings.
But even then the lilly liberal justice system was chucking them out of court with wrist slaps rather than jail. But they knew, at least, they were marked men, by every cop on every shift, as soon as they were back on the street.
Pre shift muster was an update of intelligence from the preceding shift. Plans were made to continue the job of finding the shitheads who had got away from the lads on nigh shift. We went to the usual sources for information on suspects, neighbours, their enemies, curtain twitchers, snitches and, of course, the street urchins who always knew what was going on.
No grand plan, no Divisional office clever dicks with spreadsheets and power points (didn't exist then) organising us. Just a visceral hatred of scrotes and the self respect you awarded yourself for catching the fuckers. And the bragging rights amongst the shift, and the entire office if you nicked a high profile scrote.
Social workers? I only ever met one in my 11 years service, and he was giving us information on where to find a shithead he couldn't deal with.
You are a poet, Sir.
Only one slight observation Dom, maybe go back a bit further than 1995, the nursery was already open then. Maybe around 1980 would be a good time, no politicisation then. Policing - in London at any rate - was definitely robust. Cops could make decisions without having to defer to others (usually non-Police) employed NOT, under any circumstances, to make a decision, especially one which might in some unexplained way, be regarded as being impactive on them. As for impacts on the criminals - well, they don't control the budget do they? Keep it up, doing well. Knighthood in the mail.
"Nonetheless, it’s the main reason why changing anything is virtually impossible. It’s like trench warfare, but with Excel and PowerPoint".
Clearly quite true. Which is why I'm torn about Donald Trump. On the one hand he is a mean-hearted, selfish, psychopathic swindler who cares about nothing but his own image. But then again he has found one answer to the baked-in constraints: he just ignores them (and the law where applicable).
Very, very bad, of course. But is it better than the alternative, that's the question.
Excellent as ever Dom, you should write a book or two!
Yes, follow in the footsteps of David Copperfield.
Bloody good!
As has been mentioned, Sir Stephen Watson (GMP) may be trying to get things moving in the right direction. His leadership seems to be more than elementary!
I would chuckle if it wasn't so serious! The thought of you, a self-confessed lunatic, taking over the asylum (-10 points for me on the PC-O-Meter). Mind you even Andy Marsh, Chief Blob of the CoP is advocating a return to basics, having failed to stop his Supt a few years ago from allowing Colston's statue to be ripped from its plinth and dumped in Bristol Docks.
But how long would it be before the Exchequer, seeing the reduction in crime in Dorset, would decide the central grant could be reduced in tandem, as obviously force numbers were too high.
This a game you can't win, as the forces of Darth Vader will do their best to overcome the Luke Skywalkers like you, as they love the status quo that keeps them in power,
But may the (Dorset Free) Force be with you Dom/Luke and look after your light sabre, keep it away from 15 yr olds,!
Where do I sign back up please?
I truly believe that many in this wonderful country of ours would want to live in Dorset if they only knew how it was being policed.
I hope you also ban those so called 'auditors' or at least declare Dorset's airspace a no drone zone.
Keep up the good work.
Excellent Dom, almost radical - without being political. I note Bill Bratton gets a look-in when you write: ' decided to let local officers (of all ranks) tell me what they thought. Then, I listened to them'. Exactly what he did when at NY Transit Police when swoops ran out of custody places, so he got a bus converted to handle the vast majority of offenders with instant charge & bail.
I fear a certain CC might steal your ideas after listening to his talk last week. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3erM3L4hE5g A policing friend "boiled it down" to: Scrap NCHIs,
Investigate everything (if there is a reasonable line of enquiry) and Be better at NHP.
When will you write a similar comment on the College?
Thanks. Watson? He's played Vichy cop, and now he feels the winds of change blowing. He was in the resistance all along, I suppose? As for the CoP? I write about grisly stuff. But that grisly?
Although this was quite good.
https://rorygeo.substack.com/p/are-we-witnessing-the-agonal-breaths