General Policing Discussions

Hi, I am currently preparing for my Sergeants exam in 2019 and was wondering what source materials, techniques, tips and tricks any of you may have used with great (or no) success?

I’ll make a long story short; I understand the three main use of force powers. But I found I confusing when is the time appropriate to use them... During shoplifting arrest, I used minimal force. I used my cuffs and restrained him on the floor as he was fighting hard to escape. I was told by my colleagues I could have used more force and been more authoritative. During a stop search of a particularly nasty bloke, I’m contact cover, he wouldn’t keep his hands out his pockets. After a second clear warning I decided to step forward and bring him to the floor. I’m told this was unnecessary and could have escalated the situation more... where is the line ?

Looking for information from former armed services personnel who joined the police. I'm currently thinking of putting my notice in and joining the police so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hello ladies and gents. I recently watched a segment on the news that spoke about the number of police officers within the UK who had taken second jobs. I'll keep my question short; would working within a bar (I wouldn't be required to hold a licence myself, as a licencee would always be on-site) like be signed off as OK? Or would it likely be precluded, as alcohol is involved? Many thanks for any help or advice, J.

Hello all, I'm a Probationer, very early in my operational career as a PC in a home office force. I'm enjoying myself, albeit finding myself completely swamped on most days. However, I'm very keen to be the best officer I can be and I wish to push past the point of feeling out of my depth sooner rather than later. As such I'm simply seeking any material, things to do, or reading recommendations you may have- be it law, procedure, guidance etc. which you have found useful or believe is required viewing for an officer. I'm open to anything, so please post, no matter how obvious/simple/complex the material is. I've found it strangely difficult to find any '…

The other day I caught a documentary series following the exploits of the US Federal Marshal service, the oldest law enforcement agency in the US who are charged with Fugitive Recovery duties, Witness Protection, Federal Court Security, High Risk Prisoner Transport. Given the number of outstanding warrants in place (2012 statistics according to BBC 30,000 outstanding warrants had been issued by the courts in England and Wales) and continuing issues surrounding inadequate Court Security where defendants in high profile cases have been allowed to run from the Dock escaping. Would it not be feesible to employ officers similar to the US Marshal Service who's duty woul…

Hi all, i wonder if i could engage and get more thoughts on the DE Inspector Programme. A little about me first, i am a manager with the health care sector and have been for over 10 years now, i currently have a staff team of around 60 - 70 people. I am also a serving Special Constable and absolutely love the job and look forward to the weekends when i can go out on shift and assist my regular colleagues. I wanted to gage peoples thoughts on the process and if by being a serving Special if would be looked upon any differently to say someone who had no operational experience at all. I am wanting to apply to West Mercia Police as if is the closest force to where i curr…

Documentary Preview The Search starts tonight on BBC Northern Ireland, the docu-series follows the Search & Rescue Teams of Northern Ireland as they search for missing people. Outside of NI, this programme should be available on BBC iplayer to view. More programme information: The Search (BBC website)

Hi guys, I’ve not been on here for a while. Hope you’re all doing well. I feel like this topic could be spoken about for years but one thing I’d like to discuss is police courses. Basically, I was a special for 1.5 years prior to joining as a full time PC where I currently have over 2 years experience on a response team, bringing my total time in policing to 3.5 years. In January, I have a 5 day course to obtain my D1 category which will allow me to drive the PSU/Public Order “cafter” vans. This is something we are extremely short on. I am also due to undergo a 2 day tutor course in February which will allow me to officially tutor probationers during their 10 week p…

Attended a local meeting a few weeks back and the topic of 'Monkey Dust' was brought up. We haven't seen it hit our area yet, we're still seeing the usual 'Spice Zombie' problem that frankly has blighted our streets for nearly three years now. Monkey Dust is supposedly the 'amphetamine' version which instead of turning folk into shambling, walking, dead types people go completely the other way, very resistant to force, a feeling of invincibility etc. The video in Stoke highlights some of the issues the community is facing. I was wondering what the cops on here dealing with this stuff day to day have to say?