What I Did on Duty... Finally

2135-2300 - Queue for custody, although there is no one in front of us... At the risk of getting an email inviting me to a meeting without biscuits we'll say no more about it!

Welcome to CX...the skippers on that night were two of the best, the problem is the lack of staff and the set up in my opinion.

Welcome to CX...the skippers on that night were two of the best, the problem is the lack of staff and the set up in my opinion.

Did I meet you by chance? Someone said something very similar to me whilst I was at CX. I really don't understand what took so long, I used to be a DDO and for the amount of staff they had and having downstairs shut I can't fathom what took so long. How have you found the changeover to Met Detention?

Those two chaps certainly sound a bit dodge don't they!

Did I meet you by chance? Someone said something very similar to me whilst I was at CX. I really don't understand what took so long, I used to be a DDO and for the amount of staff they had and having downstairs shut I can't fathom what took so long. How have you found the changeover to Met Detention?

If you came in the station office, maybe. Tbh you could have talked to anyone round there and they'd say the same.

Met Detention has been a complete failure for us (not that things were brilliant beforehand). They just re-furbed custody and repainted all the doors a different colour (pointless) but didn't think to spend that money on adding some fully perspex doors for constant watches. We really need someone to come in from off borough and work out how to speed it up as its a disgrace and custody is closed several times throughout the day as "full".

Those two chaps certainly sound a bit dodge don't they!

Yes, they were rather interesting. Hopefully back from whence they came by now though, although I doubt that is the last we'll see of them on our shores!

If you came in the station office, maybe. Tbh you could have talked to anyone round there and they'd say the same.

Met Detention has been a complete failure for us (not that things were brilliant beforehand). They just re-furbed custody and repainted all the doors a different colour (pointless) but didn't think to spend that money on adding some fully perspex doors for constant watches. We really need someone to come in from off borough and work out how to speed it up as its a disgrace and custody is closed several times throughout the day as "full".

Ahhh, I didn't go into the station office, but may have seen you in the Specials office?

I've found that as they've rejigged the skippers around the boroughs I often don't know who's booking the prisoner in and they won't bother to put in the extra effort to help you out, especially when I'm helping a student officer through custody.

If you came in the station office, maybe. Tbh you could have talked to anyone round there and they'd say the same.

Met Detention has been a complete failure for us (not that things were brilliant beforehand). They just re-furbed custody and repainted all the doors a different colour (pointless) but didn't think to spend that money on adding some fully perspex doors for constant watches. We really need someone to come in from off borough and work out how to speed it up as its a disgrace and custody is closed several times throughout the day as "full".

I've heard and seen custody suites with those perspex doors still requiring an officer to sit by the door, I'm not sure some custody staff are totally happy with the idea.

You still sit there but at least the door is closed and you can see everything rather then someone being dangerous enough to have the door closed and trying to peer through the window. I personally think that 15 minute checks and regular CCTV monitoring should be reintroduced as a way to reduce the number of constants we do.