Nice to see Semper FI back to blogging, definitely been missed.

Seems to be good news all round this weekend, I got handed a memo from the inspector yesterday - my temp-prom has been approved starting middle of December :)

Spent a night in hospital with Mrs Mackey yesterday, she was getting some chest pains so doctor sent her for an ECG but everything checks out ok which is good.

Was a nice variety of people in the hospital though

2 Prisoners - one unconcious, the other bugger all wrong with them just didnt want to goto a cell, usual story tie up police for 4-5hrs guarding him for him to then refuse any treatment and discharge himself.

The 80 year old who was brought in by his entire family (at least 8-9 people with him) who stand in front of the door blocking anyone else coming in.

The blind drunk - barely able to do anything other than sleep and throw up.

The "my ear hurts" person who then moans after waiting 10minutes.

The poor woman who has cut her foot very badly but cant get to the reception desk because "my ear hurts" is busy complaining again that his now been waiting 15minutes

Plus the usual banged heads, black eyes, broken noses associated with a good friday night. Dont know why people get in such a state they end up in hospital, personally I may be getting old that I prefer a quite weekend in but I'd rather in bed at the end of the night than in hospital for the sake of "fun".

I hate what I do, its stressfull and demanding, I cant afford to make mistakes and the Inspector uses me as his PA.

I never get any appreciation when I do good work yet the smallest slip up gets round the office quicker than the days news.

When things start going well the SMT change it, when things clearly dont work we're told to stick at it because its more efficient - we then master it and the SMT change it.

I spend hours on the phone trying to sort out an issue for a MOP, I then nip to the toilet the same second the MOP phones up and tells the Inspector I'm never there and dont want to help.

When somebody wants something they call me regardless that its not my job anymore and wont take no for an answer, when I want something the sole person who can deal with the problem has just taken a 2year career break.

I hate my job.

But I wouldnt change it for the world.

You have to love force budgeting.

I am currently waiting to see if I will get a temporary promotion. The sergeant I will be working with has no issues with my ability - The inspector feels I am more than suitable - The Chief inspector has to check to see if they can afford to pay me the extra 70p an hour.

Personally I dont give a damn over the 70p and want it for my PDR and career progression so offered to do it for free - but its apparently illegal for them not to pay it.

The position will last no more than 6months so at worse it will cost about £700.

Its already agreed that during the time I will be continuing my current work as well as the extra management duties so they will have me doing 2 jobs but dont know if they can justify the cost.

Yet at the same time this is the department which has 5 brand new computers that have not been used since they where installed 6 months ago. They spent £200,000 on the biggest waste of money ever (cant say what - will reveal my force). To top it off though we've just been given a job that will result in an extra £25million extra funding - ok that wont all go to our dept but no doubt a good cut will be.

£700 in police funding terms is pittance, they probably spend more than that on tea and biscuits each time theres a SMT meeting, but it means the money is going to a real worker then its suddenly a huge expenditure.

Does everyone else remember there first big confrontation as clearly as I do?

It was my first night shift, we were backup another unit that were on an 'I' call to a pub fight. Our driver only had a basic classification so no blues & twos but we were just round the corner anyway.

We pulled up next to the other unit, fight was long over and no sign of the suspects just a badly beaten woman on the floor and her friends standing arround.

We get out and check the ambulance is on its way and have a chat to a few witnesses when theres a sudden shout - another fight has broken out 50 yards away outside another pub, we all run off then its noticed - we've all left the victim of the previous fight on her own so I'm sent back to look after her.

Other units have also arrived by now but they are also dealing with this other fight, so there I am with the victim and her friends waiting for an ambulance while 1/2 the station is only 50 yards away but totally tied up. Then it starts....

"Well what you going to do about this?" erm... "Well we've got statements and you have given details of who it is, as soon as the ambulance has arrived we'll head over to the address you have given us" (the suspect was a "friend" of theirs) "Well thats not fucking good enough, we can wait for the ambulance go and fucking arrest the c**t" in seconds it had all changed, I had let my guard down and I am now surrounded by 10 of her friends all screaming for blood.

I thought I was the good guy here, trying to get justice for there friend. They didnt see it like that, they didnt see that I was fresh out of training school, that my unifom was unbelivably clean and ironed to perfection. They saw a police officer standing there wasting time while the suspects now probably at home having a nice cup of tea. At that point I openly admit I was scared, I had backup litterally seconds away but it didnt make a difference I knew if they wanted to I would get the hiding of my life before the other offices even know what is happening.

Then it was over as quickly as it started, "Fuck this country, fucking cops never do anything" and they turned back round to their friend, "Ok mate lets go, I've got a prisoner someone else is here to look after her now" I spun round to see that everyone had returned and it was over - how long they had been there I guess I'll never know.

Thanks to the sites who have linked to me recently (I will return the favor asap - and any other blogs i've missed off leave a comment).

But... I am not a Traffic Cop :P

As a reminder to everyone I am a Special Constable & Full Time Police Staff for a city force.

I can see the confusion with my name though and my insane love for ANPR ops :P

For those not in the job or just dont know Black Rover is old slang for a warrant card (formally the currency of choice for most police officers pre-DPS days) when used to travel on busses/tubes/trains etc... For the more modern generation Black Oyster Card would probably be easier to understand ;)

Thanks again for the links though guys. Much appreciated.

On a side note (cant say too much so not worthy of a new post) but I had a unique chance to work with a world renowned unit the other week, cant say what unit as at best it will reveal the force I work for - at worst who I am, but it was a great day working with DC/DS's on an international problem. Hopefully will be going back soon and cant wait.

Kinda funny though that I was working with people who have had their names in the papers more times than than Jordan yet where less stuck up and friendlier than the specials at my current station.

Turns out the met is racist again.

Under 20% of PCSO's are ethnic minorities yet they account for 60% of disciplines.

Now before we carry on about how racist the met are lets look at an unrelated statistic...

Motorbikes account for 2% of road use yet also account for 25% of fatal accidents.

So going by that it shows motorbikes are hated by road users, that car/van drivers are deliberately mowing down motorbikes for no reason.

Now to most sensible people that reason would sound stupid, but going back to the stats posted in a certain paper because a larger percentage of ethnic minorities are disciplined yet they account for a smaller percentage of staff it must be they are being disciplined for being ethnic and the met is racist.

Speaking to 1 Sergeant about this she told me that she would rather give an ethnic minority an informal chat than think about discipline.

Now I am all for EQUAL oppotunites and detest racisim but to coin a phrase from animal farm (no not that one) - some people are more equal than others.

I judge everyone on there own merits and I'm not afraid to call a twat a twat. I got accused of being a racist because I fell out with an asian person I used to know. The reason I fell out with him was because he was a twat - he was a compulsive liar and general arse - that wasnt because he was asian but simply because he wanted to act like that. Now why should I pretend that I like him because his a minority? My boss is an asian and he is a brilliant person so I like him, but again thats because his a decent person not because of his colour (plus his my boss).

Now maybe if more ethnic minority people are being disciplined then maybe its because more ethnic minority people are doing stupid things.

Simply - no-one is perfect and ethnic minorities can be twats too.

Changed the template of the blog to make it a bit different.

Let me know what you think.

It was just like a scene from police, camera, action.

There I am on another ANPR op (I do admit I am loving the ANPR, gets quite a range of work) and I'm with another special doing some spotting when a MOP tells us that a van has been broken into a few yards down the road, so we take a wander and sure enough a van with a smashed side window and the ignition had been tampered with. So we've had a look round the van the my collegue is doing the vehicle checks while I'm just chatting in general with the sergeant when theres a sudden screach of brakes and WALLOP! a car comes flying over from the other side of the road straight into the van we're checking out.

Luckily noone was injured but the poor van driver will be coming back to find a smashed window one side and a loverly dented wing on the other.

On another more sinister subject I was speaking to one of my police staff collegues today who also works as a special in the same station I'm in (attested after me). He was on a duty last night after the ANPR with the special inspector and a few other specials. He found himself put on a road closure by himself with a non functioning radio and ended up being surrounded by a hostile crowd of residents unhappy about the road closure. I am so glad my transfer is going through as it is another prime example of why I dont want to work here anymore. Surely an inspector should know better than putting a new special on his own without a radio when he doesnt even hve independant patrol status.

As I said though my transfers going through, its been authorised by the inspector now so I should be moving very soon and hopefully a load more blog enteries as I start enjoying going out again ;)

Another blog gone? Lennie Briscoe (specialcopper) seems to have disapeared :( anyone know whats happened?

On another note I'm putting in for a transfer to another station, dont know how much I'll be doing while thats going through. Have another ANPR later this month which should be interesting.

Just generally fedup with where I'm working, the PC's & specials are great, just had enough of some of the management and general lack of communication. I know the grass always seems greener but everyone else I speak to seems happier in their station than I am and others I talked to in my station seem just as unhappy.

Not bothered airing my feelings though, I've been in the force long enough to know that nothing changes.

I think autoforwarding emails is a bad idea in general but when put in the hands of stupid people its even worse.

I come from an IT background and have quite an unfortunate reputation in my police staff job as being able to sort anything. Whilst its nice to be apreciated at the same time its a mega pain in the arse, especially when you have just been given a huge task by the inspector to be completed in a rediculously short timescale you get a phone call from someone in another office you never heard off... "Hi is that vic?" "I was told you can help with the compuer, its not working correctly".

Now my role isnt IT bassed anyway, I have some admin rights in respect to my office to get things changed without bugging IT as I'm trusted not to bugger it up, but in the whole if it is an actuall problem I cant do anything anyway. Normally though its not a problem and someones just clicking on the wrong button so I help out.

Back to autoforwarding I get a sergeant come in a bit flustered, one of his old team members has been moved to a new acting sergeant and his having trouble with them. I know the acting sergeant and I have to say he is definatly a waste of a good uniform. Now this team member is on annual leave for a week and before he went he sent a list of things the A/PS has done to annoy him and some being quite blunt as in "he sits on his arse doing fuck all". So his old PS has had a word with the inspector about all the trouble and inspectors looking into it so he replied to say its being looked into including the officers original email.

In comes the out of office reply "I am away until xxx this email has been autoforwarded to A/PS xxx"

Now the his old PS is shitting a brick and wants to know how to delete the email. Our systems do have a pull back system for emails but it dont work when forwarded, pulling it back would only delete the original sent to the officer, not the copy forwarded to the A/PS.

Me personally, I'd never autoforward my emails, but to send out an email the day before you go on holiday with that sort of content then setting up your emails to forward to the person your talking about is just plain dumb.

You walk up the garden path, bang on the door loudly and call out "police open up now" you dont know why your bothering, there not going to be there, this is the 5th house this morning and all you've done is annoy neighbours and new home owners by waking them up.

You glance at your watch, 08:30 - nearly time for teabreak, the adrenaline has gone now, 4 no traces and this one dont look any better, you bang on the door again.

The door opens, a middle age woman opens the door, we start pushing our way past "is matthew here?", the womans just woke up, doesnt seem to contemplate whats going on "I dont know, I dont think he came home last night" we dont take any notice and start looking around as someone else flashes a warrant, we walk into a downstairs bedroom "are you matthew?" he looks familiar but your not sure, you stared at the picture most of the way but your minds blank "no I'm his brother, I'll get my ID" as he starts to walk past you.

"Oh no you dont!" hands start grabbing out, he starts running, cuffs come out but noone can get a grip of an arm, other family members appear "what you doing? get off him!" he squeezes past and into the living room, battons are drawn, help comes running in from the outside.

He gets to the stairs and runs up, your hot behind him yet you look arround, you see a hand grab your leg as your going up the stairs, the hand suddenly disapears and you see a colleague with his baton in hand having just struck the person going for you, momentarily you think how badly you could have been injured being pulled down the stairs if it wasnt for your colleague, but theres no time to evey say thank you, your at the top of the stairs now he has gone in the bedroom.

You go to follow but stop at the doorway, what if he has a weapon hidden in the room? he has the advantage now. Other officers are already at your side, CS is drawn, "matthew we're coming in, dont try anything or you'll get sprayed" we enter, the room is empty! where has he gone? thats when you notice the open window. "his done a runner! everyone out quick" what happened to the officers outside? then you remember, they are the ones who came in to help.

The radios now buzzing, you do a quick search of the garden & surrounding area, no sight of him, 20 other units are now on scene, dog units are on the way and the helicopter has taken off. You frantically start thinking where he could have gone, local unit spots him running across a railway and had to break off as they couldnt persue across the lines, your running faster than you could think was possible with all this gear, you find the railway and a crossing bridge, your across and again just as lost, he could be anywhere.

You hear dogs barking in the background, the helicoper is circling overhead, your checking every bush and hiding place but theres no sign of him. Then you hear it "suspect detained in pub carpark" you run to the pub, his on the floor cuffed, units all arround, you can relax now his been caught, 2 officers load him into a van after paramedics check him out, the last car leaves the car park and your left with 3 other officers, you start to make your way back to your van and thats the worst part, adrenaline has worn off again, tiredness has hit you and your left with a 10min walk back to your van.

Is visible policing really such a good thing?

Public reasurance is very high on todays agenda but by reasuring public are more people getting away with crime?

I was on foot patrol once, donned in the finest yellow high visibility jacket with 2 other pc's wearing similar atire. We hear an I grade call come up which happens to be down the road of someone acting suspiciously next to an cash machine so we trundle off to assist. We are about 3-400 yards away and we can see someone wearing a black & red checked shirt acting weird (cop instinct, he was just standing in such a place and way that it was obvious he wasnt waiting for anyone/anything) anyway he turns round and sees us so runs off, we're still a fair way off and his not done anything we've seen so we let him run. We get to the cash point, no sign of any modifications and nothing else of interest for us, we have a quick scout for the man in the black & red checks but no sign so we get back on foot patrol.

We're 1/2 way back to the station now and we get aproached by an elderly lady, she calls us over and tells us she had just been to the station to report her handbag being snatched earlier and just wants us to keep an eye out for the person who snatched it... yep a guy in a black and red checked shirt.

Now if we where less "noticable" could this have all ended differently? Maybe we would have got to speak to him, maybe he would have given cause for a search / arrest and maybe he was the mugger of this elderly lady.

Sure its a lot of maybes but one thing is deffinate, while we walk arround looking like we have been through a nuclear reactor anyone who has the smallest thing to hide will see us a mile off and be long gone.

Now it may be nice having police officers stand out whilst they are walking arround your neighbour hood sending all the pondlife running off but they arent there all the time (I count once a month outside my house) and I would be much more reassured if the police started wearing complete ninja gear and able to sneak up on the scum, least that way theres a chance of them being caught and having them off the street for a longer time.

Adios to Semper FI, shame to see you go your blog was definately a legend!

I've also added a few extra links to other blogs to make up for the removal of Semper FI.

Does anyone know whats happened to 200weeks? or poilce999.com in general? Have just been getting database errors for weeks now.

Why is it that people insist on "acting hard" when speaking to police? it gets you absolutely nowhere.

Swearing is obviously a big no-no and will see you issued with a PND for Section 5 in no time at all but cockyness & general stupidty wont help you either.

The last car I pulled over on the ANPR op was a simple no seat belt job, now normally last job of the day you wanna keep as simple as possible as no doubt you already have a heap of paperwork to do anyway.

I pull him over and do the usual.

Vic> So do you know why I pulled you over?
Mop> No
Vic> Your not wearing a seat belt.
Mop> So? How you gunna prove it.
Vic> erm... you just drove past about 20 different yellow jackets and I know at least 3 other PC's see you without a seatbelt.
Mop> Still dont prove nothing, go find a real criminal.
Vic> Heres your ticket, feel free to take it to court if you wanna see how I prove it.

Now the result of that senario is the driver having to cough up £30 and having to go through the trouble of producing his docs yet if he had simply done a simple "oh I'm sorry" it would more likely have ended with a simple lecture on scraping people off the road and on your way.

On a slightly unconnected note though is those MOP's who are brought up the right way and naturally polite are spooky sometimes, its amazing how many people said thank you after having their car seized.

Had a nice day today on an ANPR operation.

Was really a nice crew made up with Specials, Traffic, PCSO's, Baliffs, Imigration & DVLA.

Admitedly it is the first time I've worked with PCSO's on an operation and total respect to them all they where great. Saved us a lot of time by doing PNC checks while we would hastle driver & do our paperwork.

Was a big success with over 10 vehicles seized for either no insurance or outstanding fines. 2 arrests & a variety of tickets and bollockings issued.

Quite a bit of comedy as well like a 6' 5" person hiding in a bush and the guy in a brand new convertible having it seized for £3,000 outstanding parking fines (he must pay full ammount to get it back and now a storage charge each night he dont pay) but funniest point of the day, a fail to stop followed by the screaching of a traffic car flying out of a side street to chase then 20 people jumping on the radio screaming "your going the wrong way" ;-)

So all in all a very worthwhile day and a lot of people for a variety of backgrounds in law enforcement working together, have already put my name down for the next one.

I got a loverly email today nicely telling me that I have not completed my compulsary online training on using the forces computers.

Now I've received reminders about compulsary training before and as required of me attended. Now some I've enjoyed, some I havent, but its required so I do it without a fuss... except this one...

I have been police staff for 4 years, I use forces computers 8-9 hours a day, 5 days a week. I have access to more "secure" applications than most Special Inspectors yet am told that I must do training which tells me that I cant look at porn, spam people or download MP3's.

When I pointed out I am police staff I was simply asked "well when did you do the training as police staff?" when I joined there was no fancy online training for using a computer I got a loverly policy book which rivaled the yellow pages and a 5min intro on how to load your email.

This training is split into basic usage and policy, firstly what is the point in making a computer based training package on how to use a computer? kind of like putting the opening instructions on the inside of a box. As for the policy side personally if you dont know you shouldnt be looking at porn at work you deserve everything you should get.

I wonder what the next training package will be? How to breathe? or why it is bad to hit yourself with a batton.

If this post gets to you its a miracle.

This weather is getting too much now and my laptop seems to hate it as much as I do, overheating and turning itself off every few minutes.

The evenings getting cooler now and its been on for a whole 10mins so far so I keep my fingers crossed I will have something to do this evening - TV suck recently.

I'm going to stick to night duties in this heat, at least they are bearable, unlike my police staff job where we are now the largest department in that area crammed into the smallest office with no air-con.

Just a small introduction. I work in a city force as a special constable and police staff.

I am a fairly new special (attested in February 2006) but have been serving as police staff since Oct 2002 so I'm not new to force bureaucracy, cost cutting, etc...

I wont be revealing too much about my police staff role as that will reveal to the powers that be who I am which at this stage I'd rather remain anonymous.

I'll try to post when I can so check back often.