As someone a number of whose relatives were also wiped out in the camps, I agree with your thoughts. I am currently in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, visiting the Death Railway and the Bridge on the River Kwai.
Walking around the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery and the Death Railway Museum has enabled me to reset my priorities of life and my opinions on what is and what is not important. Those young people in the cemetery did not have that opportunity.
Tweets are not important and people using social media need to develop some backbone.
The police need to return to keeping people safe and preventing and detecting crime, especially the ordinary stuff that affects many peoples’ lives, not the esoteric things that no one really cares about. If the public see this happening, they will fall back in love with the police, who will be supported rather than being attacked and abused.
It’s not rocket science and time senior officers realised it.
Welcome back Dom. I’m a man of my word, so I’ve put you down for that less than eight. If you promise to stay around, I can offer you any of the bank holidays you want over the Xmas and New Year period…
Where is any sense of perspective within Essex Police? Who as a supervisor agreed this needed action? What does the crime report actually say? Why visit a national newspaper journalist? After all her tweet was up for one hour. Then to summon a 'Gold' group to deal with the "firestorm". Essex Police proving the police's worst enemy is themselves.
Hold on! I was a Crime Desk Sgt for 6 months while rehabilitating from a rugby injury. I was never sweaty until I went to the basement gym at PP!! Remember gyms? Remember police stations? 😁 Great piece, as ever.
I'm back in full time uni education after 15years. Luckily so far I've been spared or been oblivious to any “ woke “ from students or staff. Everyone seems quite friendly and pleasant. Maybe I've been lucky. Who knows. People so far appear to my face anyway to be quite interested in my former calling. I'm rather reserved in telling them much. Odd really as I've got to write 80k eventually. Any tips?
Well that's refreshing to hear. As for writing 80K words? It's like the old saw, 'how do you eat an elephant?' The answer is in small chunks and take your time. 1500 words a day / 4 days a week / 6000 words a week. 1500 words is eminently doable.
The service is short of resources (cops), they are too busy to deal with shoplifters, bike thieves, assaults but they have time for this playground stuff….? Should have been NFA’d immediately……
Another excellent piece. I’m afraid I now think there is a more sinister agenda to a lot of this. Routine police misjudgement doesn’t account for this because it is always in one direction of travel across 100% of institutions. Don’t worry, I’m not going full tinfoil just yet but the cling film is no longer doing it for me so I reserve all options. You mention memes; one of the first I remember was the John West ‘ad’ where a tough Alaskan fisherman brawls with a bear over a salmon. “Oh look, an eagle” he says, pointing up. The bear, distracted, gets a kick in the balls. Now I’ve typed this I’m not sure it’s a particularly insightful analogy but we are distracted by these cultural and societal issues which cause us to fight each other and pick sides. I’m just saying we should forget the eagle (there isn’t one) and keep our eye on the fisherman. He did have a passing resemblance to Klaus Schwab after all.
Pleased to note your return, suitably refreshed and ready for the fray I trust. I liked the idea of exorcising the 'ghost in the machine'. The embodiment of the spectre is, of course, the unfit for purpose Home Office - or whatever Orwellian title it currently has - stuffed to the rafters with theoretical idealists. Also appreciate the contrast of senior officers with mice - too close to the truth in so many cases, given their many unwelcome habits. Mice or the officers, pick one. Obviously senior principally Chief, officers, owe thanks to HO apparatchiks for appointing them, on the basis it would seem, of perceived political purity. Clearly operational ability and, at best, the skill necessary to find your way to Court using public transport, or having done anything resulting in attending Court are considered positive barriers to promotion. It would be a wonderful day to read a report from a Chief Officer saying 'the latest HO diktat is a crock, we ain't doing it'. I am not holding my breath
I find most of her journalism okay, some of it's a tad hyperbolic for my taste. Nonetheless, I've learned the hard way that, by and large, we should leave journalists alone. Whatever direction they're writing from.
As someone a number of whose relatives were also wiped out in the camps, I agree with your thoughts. I am currently in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, visiting the Death Railway and the Bridge on the River Kwai.
Walking around the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery and the Death Railway Museum has enabled me to reset my priorities of life and my opinions on what is and what is not important. Those young people in the cemetery did not have that opportunity.
Tweets are not important and people using social media need to develop some backbone.
The police need to return to keeping people safe and preventing and detecting crime, especially the ordinary stuff that affects many peoples’ lives, not the esoteric things that no one really cares about. If the public see this happening, they will fall back in love with the police, who will be supported rather than being attacked and abused.
It’s not rocket science and time senior officers realised it.
Well said.
Welcome back Dom. I’m a man of my word, so I’ve put you down for that less than eight. If you promise to stay around, I can offer you any of the bank holidays you want over the Xmas and New Year period…
Ker-ching!
Where is any sense of perspective within Essex Police? Who as a supervisor agreed this needed action? What does the crime report actually say? Why visit a national newspaper journalist? After all her tweet was up for one hour. Then to summon a 'Gold' group to deal with the "firestorm". Essex Police proving the police's worst enemy is themselves.
Bring back the sweaty crime desk sergeant!
Hold on! I was a Crime Desk Sgt for 6 months while rehabilitating from a rugby injury. I was never sweaty until I went to the basement gym at PP!! Remember gyms? Remember police stations? 😁 Great piece, as ever.
Lovely to see you back again BTW.
I'm back in full time uni education after 15years. Luckily so far I've been spared or been oblivious to any “ woke “ from students or staff. Everyone seems quite friendly and pleasant. Maybe I've been lucky. Who knows. People so far appear to my face anyway to be quite interested in my former calling. I'm rather reserved in telling them much. Odd really as I've got to write 80k eventually. Any tips?
Well that's refreshing to hear. As for writing 80K words? It's like the old saw, 'how do you eat an elephant?' The answer is in small chunks and take your time. 1500 words a day / 4 days a week / 6000 words a week. 1500 words is eminently doable.
Who eats Elephants?
The service is short of resources (cops), they are too busy to deal with shoplifters, bike thieves, assaults but they have time for this playground stuff….? Should have been NFA’d immediately……
Glad your getting better Dom 👍
Another excellent piece. I’m afraid I now think there is a more sinister agenda to a lot of this. Routine police misjudgement doesn’t account for this because it is always in one direction of travel across 100% of institutions. Don’t worry, I’m not going full tinfoil just yet but the cling film is no longer doing it for me so I reserve all options. You mention memes; one of the first I remember was the John West ‘ad’ where a tough Alaskan fisherman brawls with a bear over a salmon. “Oh look, an eagle” he says, pointing up. The bear, distracted, gets a kick in the balls. Now I’ve typed this I’m not sure it’s a particularly insightful analogy but we are distracted by these cultural and societal issues which cause us to fight each other and pick sides. I’m just saying we should forget the eagle (there isn’t one) and keep our eye on the fisherman. He did have a passing resemblance to Klaus Schwab after all.
Good to read you’re back. Appropriately skewering the groupthink as per usual.
Pleased to note your return, suitably refreshed and ready for the fray I trust. I liked the idea of exorcising the 'ghost in the machine'. The embodiment of the spectre is, of course, the unfit for purpose Home Office - or whatever Orwellian title it currently has - stuffed to the rafters with theoretical idealists. Also appreciate the contrast of senior officers with mice - too close to the truth in so many cases, given their many unwelcome habits. Mice or the officers, pick one. Obviously senior principally Chief, officers, owe thanks to HO apparatchiks for appointing them, on the basis it would seem, of perceived political purity. Clearly operational ability and, at best, the skill necessary to find your way to Court using public transport, or having done anything resulting in attending Court are considered positive barriers to promotion. It would be a wonderful day to read a report from a Chief Officer saying 'the latest HO diktat is a crock, we ain't doing it'. I am not holding my breath
The word 'respectable' doing quite some heavy lifting there.
I find most of her journalism okay, some of it's a tad hyperbolic for my taste. Nonetheless, I've learned the hard way that, by and large, we should leave journalists alone. Whatever direction they're writing from.