General Policing Discussions

I am starting training for the regulars next week and I believe that quite early in the course we are allowed to request our top three preferences for where in the county we will be posted. Obviously we might not get these (although our trainer said that 90% of people get one of their top two), however, I'm unsure of what to put. My preference would be to work in my home town because I know it, I love it, and I want to be part of making it a better place to be. There's also the obvious convenience of living only a 10 minute walk from the local station and not having to pay for petrol for my massively uneconomical car. I am aware of the potential risks of working…

Just a quick one really. Do any of you have the responsibility of being OIC with jobs? Obviously it's rare as Specials work irregular hours, but there's more and more down my way that are picking up OIC for some of the more simple jobs. Any thoughts on this?

Hi all, On Monday I finally start on my 16 week training course having been a special for 3 years. Having spent the past few weeks making sure everything is in order on the specials side of things (like my account/emails etc) I was very much dismayed this morning when a warning to attend magistrates in relation to someone I nicked for DandD last month dropped through my door, the date is week 7 on my course. The date itself is ONE DAY clear of PST week however I would be missing an input on drugs. I have emailed the training team however they are yet to get back to me. Does anyone have any experience about what normally happens in these situati…

Just out of interest, do UK police forces offer discounts or enhancements on personal mortgages? I'm looking to buy my first property and just wondered if there was anything which would support. Thanks in advance. Dan Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I recently attended my first sudden death, whilst it was a simple case, I was wondering how do people deal with it? The image is still with me, and I still feel rather unsettled about the whole thing. Any advice in terms of personal care?

Could be a niche topic this but really interested in getting some feedback from the forum. We've just been told that our force is going to be changing the way we manage our duties and record our hours, going from the current system we use, ESIBS, to Dutysheet. I know a number of other forces use Dutysheet so I'm interested in peoples views on it, given we'll be on that in the next 6 weeks, but I'm especially interested in hearing from anyone that has used both ESIBS and Dutysheet, either swapped from one to the other, or used both independently. Interested to know: Key differences Which you personally find better Any useful tips to keep in mind as we transition to…

I've got my annual fitness test coming up. Yippy!! Of course my POL2 is about too expire so I'm looking to reach a minimum of 6.4 so I can do the course again. Does anyone know of a good app or other way of getting the official or other just as good bleep test so I can do about of practice. Thanks. Sent from my iPhone using Police Community

This video popped in my trending feed on YouTube in regards to banning grouse shooting due to unscrupulous landowners illegally snaring wildlife that live off of the grouse intending to be shot for profit... Like so many things in this country the public has this habit of jumping straight to 'ban everything' rather than actually looking at why this is being allowed to happen. Legislation surrounding snaring animals/wildlife has been in place for a long long time but like a lot of areas of niche policing in the UK it is rarely enforced due to a lack of specialism/knowledge surrounding these matters. Is the solution to ban shooting of grouse? I don't think so... M…

Evening all. My name is Sam Bache and I am a Special Constable for West Mercia. For people in the process of applying to become a Special Constable, or those who are currently in training I have created something that may be of great value to you. As some of you may or may not know Special Constables now undertake an exam(s) at the end of the course which test your knowledge to see if you meet the standards of actually becoming a Special (For West Mercia at least). For many, exams can be daunting, I know for a fact the group I am in (including myself) are nervous as we all want to pass and get out there! So I have created an exam guide that contains all the knowledg…

recently had one authorised at Court. just wondering how other forces use them? do they get used a lot? Sent from my iPhone using Police Community