Been waiting since half past six for police visit

[Brandane]

If the Fire and Ambulance "service" were as incompetent, unreliable and innofective as the Police, we would be in one hell of a mess!!

Subtle difference .... The Ambulance and Fire "services" are both allowed to strike if they wish, to try and improve their working conditions. The Police don't have that right. Their conditions of service have been altered over the last few years to the point that they bear no resemblance to what they were just a decade ago. That includes cuts in manpower, and don't believe "statistics" (@glenn forger ) about there being plenty of Officers on the street. Utter nonsense in reality.
I have friends in the Police, and they are more concerned about the level of service than any member of the public ever will be. After all, they are the ones who get stressed when they are unable to provide the level of service expected by the public. They are the ones who have to stand and take the abuse from the public when that same public don't like the level of service which they are receiving. They are the ones expected to do a job that should be done by five people.
As individuals, most Officers give 100% effort to try and do their best for the public, but as an organisation they fall down somewhat. That is not the fault of individual Officers. Blame the people in charge of the purse strings who have cut funds to the point that the Police cannot possibly do the job they are expected to do. Cut them some slack; you get what you pay for after all.

 

[vickster]

Have you ever tried getting hold of a named police officer (if you've been lucky enough to be given the name of the officer dealing with your case)?

Family liaison officers tend to be OK at answering their phones... but other than that I've rarely been able to get hold of an officer (where I've been told who is handling the consideration/case) - including when I've been acting as an expert witness.

I was given the name of the person handling my case and had no issues in contacting her, by email or phone. I used email mainly just so as to have a record of communications for the solicitor

FWIW I've always found the police to be highly responsive when I've needed them. When I was knocked off my bike they were there within 30 minutes from what I can recall, and when my car was stolen off my drive in the night, similarly they came round promptly

I believe in at least trying to contact an organisation that has failed to keep an appointment, rather than discussing it on an internet forum with a bunch of strangers who have no ability to solve the issue or influence the outcome. Fortunately, the worst organisation I have encountered, CityLink are no longer trading, they were shocking

 

[Mugshot]

Yes if you are still wanting a response

Nah, to be honest I thought there was very little point. I had reported an incident with video, (I've stuck a still below) and they replied that the Traffic Process Unit had found insufficient evidence of any offence but that they would speak to the driver. I replied asking what evidence they would need to prove an offence and pointed out a couple of highway code bits, never heard back. I wasn't surprised to be honest as I'd had a run in with the same traffic officer and his sarg when they tried to fob me off will a load of bull after somebody had ploughed into the back of my van.

 

[Paulus]

Just dial 999 and someone will pop round straight away.

Not necessarily!

 

[Paul.G.]

The old joke used to be that if you couldn't make the police force, you ended up as a traffic warden. I think the tide has turned and the police is now full of failed traffic wardens. Funny how football match policing is never short on resources, "sorry lads can you put kick-off back half an hour as no police have arrived yet" or "sorry, the match is cancelled as no police have turned up" Think about that one next time your waiting for the fools to arrive!!

 

[Accy cyclist]

He came to see me at 6.40 this evening. He apologised for not being able to make it ;last night then he took a statement from me. To be fair he was very helpful and sympathetic.so i can't fault him!

 

[slowmotion]

Not necessarily!

Dial 999, ask the operator for the Police, and then put the phone down. They will think you are being murdered and will come round in a big hurry. I discovered this by mistake. Don't try it casually.

 

[CopperCyclist]

Excellent example of why we are the easy target for the government cuts.

Cut us so badly we can't provide basic services as we have to focus on the more serious, and struggle to cover then.

Make public angry at poor service. Blame lands with the police and no one ever thinks further.

Cut further as no one likes them anyway.

It's only going to get worse folks.

 

[screenman]

My experience with the police is some are good and some are bad. There is from where I view it as a member if the public a lot of wasted money though, along with high wages and too many perks.

I could easily be completely wrong, but if it is so bad how come so many people want to become one, I think that has something to do with my other views.

 

[mjr]

Make public angry at poor service. Blame lands with the police and no one ever thinks further.

Cut further as no one likes them anyway.

It's only going to get worse folks.

Indeed. Essex Police will run out of money 2017 according to BBC Look East this morning. I think Norfolk Constabulary budget shows them running out 2019. Bedfordshire residents just rejected their police budget http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-32694166 so I expect they're in trouble too.

What do we think is going on? Are the police being softened up for mergers into 9 or so easier-to-control-from-Whitehall regions? Will this mean even less traffic policing on remote rural roads?

 

[mjr]

Oh puhleeeeeaaaazzze.. can we forgo the hyperbole? Local news may ham it up to attract viewers but it doesn't mean that we have to do it here.

I can't remember what the correct phrase is. Basically, even with current expected tax increases and expenditure cuts, Norfolk Constabulary's budget deficit will exceed their remaining reserves and the cashflow forecast doesn't, well, flow. I've not inspected Essex or Beds budgets in the same detail. Do police trade while insolvent in a usual business sense?

 

[Archie_tect]

Dial 999, ask the operator for the Police, and then put the phone down. They will think you are being murdered and will come round in a big hurry. I discovered this by mistake. Don't try it casually.

I had a phone that used to regularly dial 999 on it's own in my pocket as there wasn't a keypad lock on it.... I used to hear tiny voices all the time until I realised what was going on. I had to get another phone because it was getting 'awkward'.

 

[Archie_tect]

The police aren't a commercial organisation. They don't 'trade'.

They do on tele.... but that's not real.

 

[CopperCyclist]

What do we think is going on? Are the police being softened up for mergers into 9 or so easier-to-control-from-Whitehall regions? Will this mean even less traffic policing on remote rural roads?

Theresa May is a major shareholder in G4S.

Cheap privatised policing solutions are the likely outcome.

 

[bigjim]

My son is a first response officer. He never stops once he is on shift. Whilst dealing with one incident, control are on the phone trying to push him onto the next. He is single manned these days due to cuts. So he spends his shifts driving his transit alone to one emergency after another. He does not know what he is going to find. Violence, wife beaters, dead bodies etc. he has been kicked, punched, verbally abused etc, etc. It's also getting more violent out there. Theresa May has devestated the police force. Where there were once 36 officers on his inner city area there are usually now less than a third of that. One shift he was the only officer available for the whole area!
Police on football match duties are on voluntary overtime. The bill is picked up by the club.