I have posted this before and found the response both moving and the greatest by far I have had. For all those who have had a dog, lived with it, worked with it and cared for it you will understand my sentiments. About this time every year it comes around again. Some dogs are irreplaceable but some of the personal loss can be replaced by another. Some of you might have already seen it but others might not have.

I hear the phone ringing, I wait for an answer.

My mouth is dry and I don’t want to speak.

I can’t remember dialling the number.

Eventually it is answered just as I am about to hang up and delay the inevitable.

My misplaced human sentiment rises to the surface again.

I try to talk and explain who I am, what the problem is.

The voice on the other end is calm, politely reassuring and knows how I feel.

They have seen and heard this a hundred times.

I get my time and the count down begins.

90 minutes is an awful long time.

The journey is only a fraction of that.

90 minutes is about as long as a football match.

No time at all if your side...

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Well we have finished with the interviews. The management have not found anything unusual from other dog units in our family of Forces as it is clear that we all play by the same rules, the recommendations from the manual. With all handlers and trainers interviewed it is again clear that there has been some form of a witch hunt where the insurgents have been protected no matter how poor a handler they are or how unsubstantiated the allegations are. Some of the handlers are worried as they have absolutely no idea why they were asked some of the questions. After several months we hope that we can start training again. The management want change but without consideration and apparent lack of concern for the animal side of the working relationship. They also have no understanding of what it takes in the area of dog training and have been able to cherry pick snippets that fit the profile of their own agenda. Even to the position of getting other trainers in to train the trainers of...

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Well after a weekend off and the possibilities beginning to sink in about our future at the CCTC Dog Training wing, we have been introduced to the new faces that are going to turn us around and get us up to the management’s liking. We have been told that we are not fit for purpose, what ever that means? Without any disrespect to those new faces involved, they have clearly been told that we have some problems and need to be sorted out. We have been painted a new and erroneous shade and the paint is still not yet dry.

Despite regular feedback from confused handlers are very supportive but who know less about somethings and have only been given the management side of the picture and will all be interviewed, at some stage. What exactly is going on.

To make things worse and more confusing, the management’s general who has been allocated to resolve our issues, with or without us, has now told us we have done nothing wrong. With all our collective years of experience we know that something...

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Another shining example of how the management are always right…………again. Thanks TBL.

There are also details of  Met officer James Patrick, who claims he was forced to resign from the force after raising concerns similar to those in the report.

Of course, management would never pre-judge someone, bully or intimidate them, because they are always right.

I arrived at work after the morning ritual exercise and response activities with the dog. Something was different. Instructor A had been called to HQ and has been suspended. The office is in shock, what on earth has happened? Whatever is going on in the CCTC?

It also transpired that  handler A has also been suspended. this was via rumour central and we were keen to get some meat on the bones of this one.

All training has been suspended, we still don’t know why but one of the generals is coming to have a bit of a chat with us. So we carry on with the dogs we have in. Whatever the management have in mind does not alter the fact we have feeding, cleaning and general welfare to consider. These responsibilities do not go away. 

We find out that Instructor A is subject of an investigation by the CCTC professional standards, as is Handler A. His dog is in kennels and someone has to try to make friends with it. Enter Instructor B from stage left.

As things unfold and more information is passed on we get the first idea of...

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Whenever the current management fancy a shake up within the specialist support resources of the Special Support Services Dept within the CCTC, for their own reasons camouflaged under whatever section of corporate speak is in vogue at any given time, they always get their way.  The smoke and mirrors of some form of reduction or redistribution concealed under the cloak of reorganization by stealth to prevent the real intent becoming general knowledge. With demands increasing reductions are the key to increased ‘efficiency’ to allow management to justify their position without a care how this impacts on those at the bottom of the food chain who are unaware and unable to grasp even a small understanding of the bigger picture. Whilst greater efficiency leads to shared, but greatly reduced, specialist resources the CCTC has teamed up with the County Constabulary and the Greater Shire Constabulary to forge new and combined links to ensure that more offenders are brought to justice and our streets are safer....

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Within the CTCC, they have recently undergone some ‘training’ in an effort to enlighten them and bring them up to date with the currently political correct hot subjects that appear to be put in place as some form of arse covering exercise. One of these diversity type issues included inappropriate language in the workplace, known locally round our way as swearing. I have some of my own views on this but have included some advice and some alternatives that could well be deemed to be appropriate.

Having a very mix of strategic geographical areas to cover with the CTCC (City, Town & County Constabulary) the various bases have collective terms by which they relate to each other. None of the comments are intended to be offensive or offer personal insult but are the friendly banter that has been taken and given as a small offer of humour to offset the darker things that exist. Not only is it now forbidden to engage in these so called inappropriate greetings or friendly banter but also a professional attitude at all times is the order...

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Well the stuff has hit the proverbial fan somewhere deep within the inner sanctum of the CTCC management labyrinth of power. It seems as though an, as yet, unknown number of officers have made comments on pieces of paper at a conference that suggested that all is not well within the specialist field of canine specialist support. These comments, normally confined to fall on selectively deaf ears have, it seems, got a sponsor, who seeks to develop their career by stamping out such insurgency and has made sufficient ripples that the usual  brand of ignoring such trifles is not going to go away. This could turn out to be just too good an opportunity to miss. It is amazing how some stones remain un-turned but others, the small ones, get turned over and over again, despite absolutely nothing crawling out from underneath.

Hence a really big investigation is underway and those who do not play by the rules are to be ruthlessly sought out and redeployed if compliance is not total.

The established rules of engagement between the...

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This is one from the archives……………………

Its a few days before Christmas.

Dave, as I’ll call him, an only son has come back on home leave. He’s in the Army.  He has been looking forward to coming home for months. A chance to relax, unwind and to have some quality time with his family and friends. He’s 18 years old and is looking forward to time with his family after a tour abroad and some beer with his mates.

He meets up with his best friend who I will call Steve. They go out for a couple of bevvies, meet up with some more friends and over the night and the talk of foreign places, catch up what they have been up to and keep no count of what they drink, why should they ?

Steve plans on leaving his motor bike in the pub car-park and walk home with Dave, who will be staying at his parents nearby. It gets late, too late and somehow the decision is made for the both of them to ride home on the bike.

Don’t know who made it, no one will ever know, but its too late to change it.

The tree at the roadside, on the...

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Having seen the new way forward of the election of PCC’s across the country, it was quickly apparent how low the turnout was and how lacking in interest many of the population were.

The CTCC Police area has got one newly ensconced and due to be sworn in to take up the reins of power.

There have been assurances that they will not be deciding Policing priorities but will be setting budgets.

How clever of the Government.

To deflect from the cuts in Policing budgets, why not spend a shed load of money to bring in a new regime of Police Commissioners to deal with setting the Policing budgets for all areas.

Then, unlike before, when there are complaints about lack of budget finances, the Government that brought in the system can claim it is somehow not their fault. It is the fault of the Commissioners, an elected person, as they have set the budgets, not the Government.

Yet again we see the Government deflect from the dwindling Policing budgets by being able to put the blame on someone else.

Delegate or sell off the problem and then blame...

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