Viewing Thread:
"The police"

This post will be a list of questions with a few things stuck on here and there with double-sided sticky tape to bulk it out a bit.

So it’s a nice simple thread really. The police, what are your views on them, what do you all perceive the job of a police officer to encompass? What experiences and or dealings have you had with them and how have they left you feeling? But I would also like to know what your perceptions are on the different reactions the police receive from the public and any reasons for them.

I am very young in my service and have really only had a minuet taster of all things baton and cuff orientated. Before joining, during the whole application and indeed parts of the actual training I was as ignorant and blind to what the job really is, like most of the general public. I thought the job of a policeman was to be out there protecting the public and catching the bad guys. Having been in for half a year now, I can tell you this is our job, but only a part of it.

I can’t talk for every force, because each is different in the way that they operate due to the fact that they each have their own issues to tackle, but our force as a very proactive force. Of course we still have to be reactive, reacting to whatever the baddies get up to each day, but we also operate in a highly visible manner. Whenever we can we are out patrolling the streets in our incredibly stylish hi-vis jackets, (we’re not all fat by the way, it’s body amour under there). This part of policing I enjoy, I walk the city centre talking to the public, which can be very satisfying as some of the public will talk to you and tell you how nice it is to see the police out and about. I’m a friendly policeman, I will give you directions if you ask me nicely, I will even have my picture taken with you and talk about your cat if you so wish, it’s called building community relations.

However there are of course certain members of the public that no matter how polite you are to them, and despite the fact that you’re trying to help them will treat you like crap. I’m just wondering what mindset it is that causes this level of hatred and animosity towards the police? It’s not all down to previous dealings; some of this is just in-built for seemingly no reason.

Some guy parking in a disabled bay because he doesn’t want to pay for parking or walk from the car park. Politely pointing the offence out to him and telling him that he could be liable for a £30 ticket if he leaves his car there but that I wouldn’t give him one if he would move it, only to be greeted by, “oh for Gods sake, don’t you have anything better to do?”

Another time with the same situation the lady simply said it was because she had, had an operation on her leg so can’t walk far and she just needed to return an ironing board to a shop. She apologised and even said she would accept a ticket. A reasonable person giving me a reasonable reason, so I even offered to carry the item for her.

What causes the different levels of respect shown towards the uniform?

It just amazes me sometimes. One drunk trying to climb into his own shoe in a shop doorway will show you nothing but respect when you enquire about his welfare, another will tell you to “fark orf!” saying, “do you know who my dad is?” No sir, I don’t, have you tried asking your mother?

I’m rambling a little now, so I will stop and let you get on with answering my questions as best as you can.

“I pay your wages!”

Really sir, can I have a raise then please.

If you want to be treated as an individual, become a vigilante like Batman or something.
It's unfair, but "The Police" are viewed as a single entity by most people. If you've had good dealings, you'll think they're great. If you've had bad then you'll think they're little more than glorified milk-moniters seeking validation through legalised bullying.

But I will go on record as saying that Essex Police is entirely staffed by low-intelligence officers that are borderline racist and seem to have learned their job by watching episodes of The Bill & The Sweeney.
Morons.

Precisely, the public don’t look at your face to judge you, they’ve done it as you’re approaching them. They seen the uniform and you are no longer an individual with your own thoughts and feelings, nope, you’re a policeman.

Possibly, but then I have no reason to.
I don't judge all police the same, but I'll admit there is a weary "Yeah?" in my attitude now, simply because of past dealings with Essex Police and The Met during certain demos.
I'm sure there are decent policeman out there, but you're fighting a losing battle because it just takes 1 moron to ruin your image.

You see, this is the problem.

Would this affect the way that you act towards a policeman if you were to have more dealings with them?

I base my opinions of the police on the few that I have had dealings with.
And, unfortunately, a majority of these have been borderline facist retards. It was like being lorded over by a child twice your size. Idiotic, smug self-important bullies.
Ooops, except with your ID numner from your epilletes, you get reported and investigated don't you PC Thomas?

Ignorant facist bullying retards.
But that's just a handful of Essex Police, apparently widely recognised as chimpanzees by other forces.

Meet her cousin... hmmm dunno

How classy is East Kilbride?

SHEEPY wrote:
> It stinks of smoke and the toilets suck... did you see a ginger
> bouncer who searches you?

I probably did see that bouncer but I was far to drunk to remember it. I did notice that a fair proportion of the clientele still had their name badges on from work, which made me think that perhaps opposable thumbs hadn't made it that far east. Also, after I left one of the girls I was with said that the bouncer would let us back into the the club so that I could 'meet her cousin' - I presumed that this was EK slang and declined. Maybe I made a mistake.

Tonight, continuing my weekend of adventure, I went to the Tunnel for the second time in my life and it was full of fashion victims and other assorted muppets. It cost eight freaking pounds to get in, which almost made me cry - especially since one of the guys I was with said that he had 4 free passes in his bedroom.

Thank god for the night bus.

"I've seriously never understood that, we weren't harming anyone, and we weren't damaging anything. Seemed like a power trip to me."

Park near me (ironically, where this bloke started on us for hitting his car [we hadn't] and where two of us were later arrested) is nearly always full of radgies drinking and smoking weed and all that. It's almost literally right on the main road, you can see every thing going on if you walk/drive past, yet the police never go in and have a go at the radgies.

See? How come they bother normal people, but the scumbags can do what they want?

This is quite scary you've like been where I go

It's a dump

EK's night life = Crystals, Plush and Shennigans

I was at Shennigans last night and Crystals on Thursday

It stinks of smoke and the toilets suck... did you see a ginger bouncer who searches you?

SHEEPY wrote:
> Where did you go?
>
> I was out that night, yes it sucks.

Crystal's!

I love how the bouncers wear tuxedoes.

I actually had a really good night - so good, in fact, that I've only just got up. It reminded me of Lithuania: quite a lot of really attractive women and then a load of ugly blokes with mullets. My kind of odds.

I quite like EK really, but I was still in 'winding up my East Kilbridean mates' mode.