General Policing Discussions

Common thread this weekend appears to focus around Youtube videos, a couple of which I have posted. Having been drawn in I stumbled upon this one which doesn't sit very comfortably. Couple of questions: Is the officer lawfully permitted to confiscate the 'stick'? bearing in mind he seems to place it in the corner of a doorway and not in any property store. Also refuses to give his contact details and no visible means of identification on eppaulettes. Thanks

Well it seems like ages since I first started my journey into a police career. Being a PC has always been my ambition but like so many hopefuls, current times have put the dream job on hold for the time being. But its not all doom and gloom! I applied for the specials because it offered me the opportunity to be in the job that I have always wanted to do - and I have to say, it was the best decision I have ever made! In just under 6 months service, I've learnt so much and experienced many things, good and bad. It's not always been good, but so far the positive's have far out-weighed the negative's. I still have a massive amount to learn and I definitely don't have experi…

By removing the principle between "arrestable" and "non arrestable" offences and insisting that an arrest be necessary under the (expanded s.25) general arrest conditions it seems the government was trying to signal a desire for fewer people to be arrested and to have them dealt with via summons/PNDs etc. (this rings especially true when we bear in mind the political culture in which the changes came about - in a government that was very keen on rolling out new disposal options i.e. PNDs). However, it now seems to be the case that the new arrest conditions (specifically P&E investigation) seem, in many people's minds, to have created an over-arching power of arrest.…

I accidentally went through a "red light", even though technically, there wasn't a red light. I later found out that the traffic light had been replaced recently and now uses an arrow system. Obviously I was unaware of this and because I didn't see or expect it, I proceeded to turn right anyway. The car behind me followed me through at that point. A traffic cop in a Mondeo estate noticed and stopped me at another set of lights. One of the cops walked over to the passenger side and said "Hello. I've stopped you because you went through a red light. May I ask why?" I just said that I thought it was a green light and that I must have got confused. Following that he asked i…

Hello to the forum! I am currently going through the process of recruitment in Lancashire Specials and I am also a student at University of Central Lancashire studying Policing and Criminal Investigation. For a project at uni we were tasked with looking at Problem Oriented Partnerships involving drinking related behavior. From a funding perspective, Does anybody know how much it costs to detain an arrested person per hour/day. and also if when someone is drunk the cost goes up for medical treatment etc. Hopefully someone will know and this isn't force specific as it's only an idea I am looking for. Cheers Neil

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11680382 The right to trial by jury for many lesser offences should be ended in England and Wales, the Commissioner for Victims of Crime has proposed. Louise Casey said almost 70,000 crown court cases each year could be heard in magistrates' courts, saving at least £30m in prosecution costs. Ms Casey said the move would benefit victims of serious crime who suffer due to delays in "clogged up" crown courts. It comes as the Ministry of Justice cuts the budget for courts and prisons. Ms Casey said a jury trial should not be viewed as right for crimes known as "either way" offences, which can be h…

Last night it was a full moon although I didn't know it until just now when I looked it up out of curiosity. Last night I did a late turn and to be honest, it really was "lunacy" on the streets. The Regs on my team were saying how busy the shift was even for a Saturday night and I doubt there were many officers left out on the streets as we all had arrests in custody, with an unusually high level of disorder in the town centre all night. There was some really strange behaviour in custody too from the detainees. I've been in a year and obviously every Saturday is busy but if all the Regular PC and Sergeants are saying how manic it is, then this isn't just the view of a…

Hey Guys, A question......... has anyone ever not had detention authorized? As I have never know any not to.......

Recently i have been seeing 2-3 articles a week on "police brutality" what is happening to this country? why is it happening? give it 10 years and police are not going to be able to use reasonable force soon. what do you guys think is going on , i think the police are getting to soft, they and are not aloud to do ANYTHING without being charge or face something i read about a riot officer nearly getting jailed for using riot tactics in a riot.. he hit a women with his asp in the arm when she continously came at him. thats all i got to say, what about you? and some of you were probably thinking of this topic. thanks for reading and state opinions. ( sorry if this is…

Obviously we don't know what lead up to this, but it looks a bit excessive considering the guy was unarmed and resisting... but not fighting them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soHvWKZX9Pc

Heads up for what could be an interesting programme this evening on BBC at 10:35. Taking the Keys Away: Documentary following three elderly drivers and their families as they face the question of whether or not they are too old to drive, and are forced to make some hard decisions!

In the last month ive had the opportunity to accompany a few of our local PCSO's around their areas. Its been a great way to help me gain some grassroots experience and get to meet some of the regular faces. There has been much banter and discussion on this forum about the value of PCSO's with wide and varied oppinions as to their worth and whether they should or should not be retained with the impending budget cuts to forces all over the country. I dont intend to discuss here whether PCSO's are or are not valid, I dont have any ability to impact upon the decisions being made at SMT level and above. What DOES interest me though is what you guys view as being the potenti…

If a person is detained in custody overnight. The circumstances are irrelevant. He is later called back on police bail. Someone goes with him. Yours truly Everything works out really well. I spoke to those people, and was more than impressed with the intelligence, humour, compassion and integrity of each of them. They had a job to do, and did it wholly and professionally; but did it with all the aforementioned. The bottom line, reality is - they saved a life that night, albeit unknown to them at the time, under the circumstances. I've been having a talk with my friend and he wants to send a letter to the Superior to let him/her know how well he was treated by the…

Hi all Just a random question if that's ok! I just wondered, has any officer ever come across a team or colleagues who are in the same family? We've seen on Traffic Cops in Hull a husband and wife team, but are there any others you know of? I.e. Father and son for instance. Just a thought! Sam

Greetings all, Just watched this video (let me know if youtube links aren't allowed ) in which the officer has consfiscated a stick from a protester because it seems to have a sharp end. The protester then demands to know the officer's number which is concealed by his jacket and he is apparently breaking the law by refusing to share such information. I'm not an officer so I ask if you would have done anything differently if you were that officer? I also felt the name of the video, etc is exaggerated as I'm sure you'll agree. Link: I'm new here so if I'm doing anything wrong please let me know. Thanks.