I have read much about the failings of Police on a national scale where youngsters at risk of harm have not been adequately protected. There is, no doubt, some truth to these stories in a small number of cases. But there are also those that find themselves being a headline despite the repeated efforts of Police, Social Services and other agencies on a large number of occasions.

I am sure that anyone in the job that is reading this can reel off at least three or four 11 to 18 year old kids, living in non-secure accommodation in our towns and cities that disappear on a weekly, if not daily, basis. The homes have no powers to keep them, and in many instances the Police have no power to return them.

We all know that these youngsters are particularly vulnerable to harm – from alcohol, drugs and sexual exploitation – but what can be done to remove those risks. With some there is a chance to stop the cycle, but with many there is simply no will to change. You could offer these kids any incentive on earth, but they will still...

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Thanks to Ademan for his up front and honest appraisal of the current situation in MetPol – his blog published earlier today has already generated some interesting responses. The overwhelming majority of which are entirely in agreement with the case he presents

It’s not just the Met though…

Many miles from the bright lights of London the same issues present themselves on a daily basis. The last couple of weeks and the month or so to come present some of the most dangerous times for Policing resilience. Throughout the six weeks of the summer holiday season both ends of the fuse burn brighter and faster than at any other time of the year.

At one end of the fuse, countless families are spending more time with each other than normal. School is out which means the kids are permanently at home. For those with jobs this is the time when the need for parents to take time off from work arises. The stress and strain of relentless parenting coupled with the endless need for the kids to...

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The Local Policing Model, the Metropolitan Police Service’s new way of doing everything, is in place across most of London now and, more or less exactly as many people predicted (including me, here: http://wp.me/p2T48h-y), it is failing. Unfortunately, all of the fine ideas and clever acronyms and gloriously proliferated layers of management and supervision are balanced on the shoulders of not even nearly enough officers actually doing the work that matters: answering calls and investigating crimes. Response teams can be relied upon to run out of units within an hour or two of the start of a late turn (the busiest shifts), because the system is not built with any tolerance to cope with a single major incident, or even a moderately warm Saturday. Call handling target times are being missed, and morale has fallen off a cliff.

Already, senior management types are fiddling with the system. Plans such as having a few night duty officers come in early to cover the handover periods...

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This post is not about Policing

This post is not about the governments latest policy decision

This post is not about me…or you

This post is about Abigail

At about quarter to five the radio breathed…that unmistakable audible intake of breath from the radio operator that always comes before a job.

I was tired – very tired. I had completely failed to sleep after the previous night and had pulled into a side road to watch the traffic for a bit. To be honest I was probably starting to drift off – we have all been there – awake enough to hear the radio, but offline enough to recharge the batteries for a few minutes.

The call was to my Sgt – asking him to make himself available for a phone call. This was always an ominous sign – they never phone him to tell him about a nice job. I felt an immediate reaction in my chest when five minutes later my job mobile rang. He passed me the details and we set off to an address – wide awake now and feeling sick in anticipation.

We had been asked to meet a paramedic at the end of the road and...

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This is the slogan used by the Home Office in a number of London Boroughs as the first stage in a national campaign on immigration. A warning to those who have come to the UK and now reside here illegally coupled with an offer of help to those who choose to leave voluntarily. Despite only being seen in a small part of the capital, the campaign has quickly attracted national attention following a number of complaints about the use of the phrase ‘Go Home’ and its perceived links to slogans used by racist groups.

Racism exists – I am not going to deny that for a second. It is a real and often devastating evil which is all too common in our society – it should not be tolerated in any form.

However….

It can also not be denied is that we as a nation have, in some instances, become enormously over sensitive to matters of political correctness. We now exist in a world where common phraseology is challenged because of its potential for mis-interpretation rather than any actual intended malice.

I received an...

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As a member of the public who is not employed in any of the emergency services my heart sinks when I listen to the talk of youngsters about the Police.

When I was little (in the sixties) I was brought up to believe the Police were there to help you, but don’t you dare bring the Police to our door!! My Parents had very firm views on the Police. You rang them in an emergency only, but then where we lived we had no phone, but the Police had a regular beat and they knew the local bobby. My father had many tales to tell about growing up in the East End of London and how the local policeman took him home having clipped his ear for some misdemeanour only for his Mother or his older siblings (his father having died when he was very young) to inflict further punishment for bringing shame to the house. My mother lived in Leicester and her attitude was very much the same. She would have died from embarrassment if the Police had taken her home for any reason!!

So, when I had a minor traffic accident when riding my...

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Less than a month ago I wrote with disappointment about the case of three life term prisoners that were potentially going to get their sentences reduced because of a European Court ruling that their whole-life tariff was considered a breach of their Human Rights.

Now its the turn of a family of travellers from Hampshire to benefit from the inverse benefits that the ECHR provides. Benefits that exist at the expense of genuine victims of crime who are still paying the costs of their loss.

In 2011 Kathleen McLelland and Michael Curry had their caravan stolen. They had paid £20,000 for the top-of-the-range 26ft Bailey Louisiana and invested a further £10,000 upgrading it. They had poured their life savings into this project plus some additional financed costs. The caravan was stored on a secure site, but unfortunately this wasn’t enough to prevent it disappearing into the night.

Fortunately Police discovered the caravan 18 months later on a traveller site in Surrey. It was...

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This skit encompasses the recently reported ‘screening out’ of crimes by the Met, its treatment of serving officers post Leveson, the manipulation of crime figures, the Met’s treatment of whistleblowers or others who fail to toe the line (Howard Shaw, Brian Casson), the arrogance of ACPO ranks, bullying and finally the skeletons that are still rattling around the Met’s 2011 riots cupboard.

Scene; An office deep within Scotland Yard where a half a dozen senior ACPO ranked officers have congregated.  The mood is jovial and amidst much mutual back slapping, champagne is being quaffed.

Suddenly the door opens and a young staff officer, PIERS-SMYTHE  enters the room addressing the most senior ACPO officer present.

PIERS-SMYTHE: Sir, sir. Terrible news. There’s just been a BBC news item which shows we haven’t been investigating 45% of recorded crime.

ACPO 1: I know Piers-Smythe, that’s why we’re celebrating.

PIERS-SMYTHE: Sir, you don’t understand. This man had his expensive...

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As I mentioned yesterday I have been lucky enough to be able to secure an interview with one of the senior police detectives from Hertfordshire Police – DI Joanne Walker. Her episode was the first to be broadcast during the ITV series focussing on the struggle faced by those who have to fit the demands of their policing life around those of their family.

Jo was exceptionally honest in her portrayal of her role in the program, allowing the cameras access to parts of her life that police officers usually try to keep separate from their private life.

So, here are the questions I decided to ask and the replies she gave:

What is the biggest personal sacrifice you have made in the name of your career and was the result of that sacrifice worth what you gave up?

Probably time with my son. I have been involved with some difficult investigations over the years including the work that I did for five years as a Family Liaison Officer/Family Liaison Coordinator. Whilst in this...

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Here we go again…another weekend of summer fun begins tonight

Two of the teams from my station have managed to co-ordinate their diaries and combine the remains of their pocket-money and are off for a night out in the city. No doubt the evening will be a long and glorious one with evidence, both good and bad, being broadcast via social media. Perhaps tonight will be the night some of those locker room rumours will be proved as fact or fiction. One thing is certain, it will not pass without something to fuel the grapevine for the next few weeks…

Ironically, however, am not going to be involved in writing the latest chapter of the Divisional History Books. My team is on early shift tomorrow and, as such, are not forming part of the drinking party tonight. Instead, I shall be sitting around a fire-pit with my nearest and dearest having a bite to eat, a quiet drink or two discussing the highlights of the week just gone and trying to work out the how we are going to balance the childcare, work and (most importantly) fun over the...

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