As per the title. Yesterday I was driving around during the day, dealing with the usual calls and rubbish and dreaming of international rockstardom.
It was a lovely day, sunny with a hint of early Autumn cool - perfect weather for foot patrol. By some miracle the I-Immediate calls had tailed off for a while, and by an even greater miracle, our control room had given me a brief respite from sending crappy "non" calls to my MDT (Mobile Data Terminl - on board computer).
I parked the car up in one of the town centres we cover, and decided it was too good an opportunity to miss. "Come on mate, grab your hat" I said to my oppo, and withstanding his bemused looks followed by an almost sullen acceptance, climbed out of the car for a bit of foot patrol.
It was wonderful; no MDT bleeping at me, no rattle of a knackered diesel engine fighting against the constrains of gravity, no mainset blatting away with circulations in the background. The sun was out and I had my hat on, and everything was, for just this moment, OK with the world. I walked through one of our markets and chatted to a couple of stall holders, had a photo taken with a very lost tourist, let a couple of children try on my hat. Basically, for a short time I felt like a proper Policeman again.
Then the radio crackled - "999BX from BX, receiving?"
Area: "Go ahead."
BX: "I've sent a call down to your MDT a couple of times, and you're not accepting it. It's an S call from CID to pick up some CCTV. Why aren't you accepting it?"
Area: "I'm not in the car BX."
BX: "Received... why not? Do you want me to create a CAD?"
Area: "Negative, I'm just doing some foot patrol."
BX: "Er... received. We had you posted to a car."
*Sigh*
Area: "Yes, that's correct, I'm in a car - I've just popped out to do some foot patrol."
BX: "999 from BX, that's received, you need to stay by your car so we can send you calls over."
Area: "..."
A pause, as I walked back to the car to accept the call. The Radio crackled again. "999 from BX1"
Area: "Go ahead Sir"
Inspector: "Come and see me when you get a minute please."
Long story short, I was later given a rollocking by the Duty Officer for not being with the car and going out on foot patrol. Surely that is what the radio is for?
I'm fully aware that my job is to respond to calls for assistance, but surely proactive patrolling is part of it as well? And getting out on foot and meeting the public is as nice for me as it is for the public sometimes.
Ho hum. Thanks Guvnor. That'll teach the probationer with me never to do anything as stupid as to get out of the car and actually talk to people he meets again.
22 comments:
For someone who doesn't want to read it, you check this blog very regularly in order to comment.
It must be a real hardship for you.
actually i quite enjoy reading it.. read it all the way through a few times actually, and will probably do so many more times...
So hows about you tootle off back to the important job of converting Oxygen into Carbon Dioxide.
You were bollocked because it's not in your "remit".
Foot patrol should be left to NPT's. And then they should only stay "on patch", just like the criminals do...
I enjoy reading your blog entries, far more than anonymous's comment.
ATNS
Disagreement with ones point of view is one thing, but can you not block this particular annoying troll?
Well as several people, including me, do want to read this blog it seems that Anon is somewhat misinformed and is probably best ignored. I will not call his comment childish as I have no wish to insult children.
As far as the Blog post goes. In a time when the government is always banging on about comunity policing and more bobbies on the beat, I woul dhave thought your actions should have earned you a commendation for a show of initiative, rather than a telling off, assuming you were close enough to your car so that you coul dget back to it in hurry if needed of course.
I know I'm stereotyping here but do you think anonymous at 15.00 hours is one of our club numbered regular "customers".
Ah well they just reinforce the stereotype and keep us in as job.
As for the blog I'm sorry to say I can actually picture a lot of bosses doing the same thing. That said, SOMETIMES it is better to ask for forgiveness afterwards than permission before.
Top blog, keep it going Area.
MDTs got the heave ho years ago round here for h&s reasons. As for going out for stroll, tjf if your guvnor took you to task.
Nice try Area, I'm sure it was fun while it lasted. I think the foot patrol, letting kids try on my hat, giving directions and having photos taken with torists is a really nice part of the job I'll miss when I change over to the dark side :(
Chin up!
Area, I am all for pro-active policing like you demonstrated and I just wish the power that be realise that this is what assures us normal, Joe Bloggs types that the police are doing their jobs and we can be safe from the fear of crime. Putting a face on policing I suppose you could call it. By the way, I am not the same anon as the one who started the comments!
PS. what does tjf mean?
TJF - The Jobs Flocked! [or some similat sounding word]
PSCO Bloggs - the dark side?? I didn't know you were planning on becoming a defence solicitor....... ;o)
Good Man, That Man! Well done ATNS! I wish there were more like you, and I expect most of us CITIZENS do to.
Tony F
I try to fit in foot patrols where and when I can. They are good for many reasons incl,
Scrotes don't see you coming (they keep looking out for bobby cars).
On foot you get to investgate all the little nooks and crannies of your beat and get to know it like the back of your hand.
Joe public likes to see us out on foot.
My fist visit to your site, enjoy reading it, keep the good work up !
The sad thing is that foot patrols are now so rare that when people see the police out on the street they wonder if there has been a terrorist attack.
the title of this post sounds like something I would post!!You should have just said you were on a 'call of nature'!!haha
Blue eyes, I agree as mop, I stood and stared when I saw a police officer on the beat and almost fainted when I saw it was an inspector. ) reading too many police blogs maybe?) Of course he could have been out on his break and just decided to issue a ticket as he was walking past the car park on zig zags outside the school. Only thing is I have seen him around 3 times since then. Of course out here in rualshire it can be quite once the dole queues gone for the week.
Things that annoy me number one... officers that don't update their MDT to say they're not available to take the 'non' calls that have been stacking up for about a week, meaning that the calls continue to be pinged to their car.
Things that annoy me number two...
officers that don't let their 'control room' know that they're not in their motor, so when their little sojourn on the mean streets mean that the kiddie trying on their hat actually tries to get all stabby and stab them up, the resulting Emer activation leads to officers being deployed to where their car says it is.
That is all.
I'd like to see Bobbies out on foot patrol letting kids try on their hats... might teach them to have more respect for the emergency services as they grow up.
And as you said - you have a radio for a reason :| evidently they didn't think of that alternative (and naturally it would just have made matters worse to point the alternative out...)
Keep up the good work Area. The majority of the general public on here (with the exception of your favourite pet troll) think you did right :)
Liv xxx
PS. Doesn't your inspector WANT you to be seen out doing your job?
Anon @ 0130 - I'm assuming you're a civvie, sorry, police staff person in one of the CCC call factories.
Whilst I can see your point about Number Two, we managed for over 175 years without MDT.
Things that annoy moi:
No.1: CAD operators making arbitary decisions about jobs having had no experience of dealing with said incidents and recieving no guidance from the system (the fault of the stupid system mostly)
No.2: In the midst of an active incident calling up the warehouse and being told in response to my query about the rather important fast time job that "sorry we don't know anything about this we've just changed over". Surely the jobs take precedence over waddling to the canteen, but apparently not.
I could go on....
I do not thinkBuy Diablo 3 Items Mister Blair's leaving provides any type of shock, in order to determine the reason why he has gone, make a note of every one of their established remarks along with workout the GW2 Cd keyexact opposite of which. Therefore, the facts.
Lovely picture with an incredible prospect, I am just thus Lumia 820 cases happy for you Tamu. I have not gone to Gabon, nevertheless its my goal to check out every land within my mother and father homeland
Post a Comment