The Policeman's Blog

Interesting article from the BBC about changes in policing in the UK, especially the interview with ACPO President Sir Hugh Orde.

Having worked in the UK at the front line and now working in Canada, I can't believe how complicated things were when I was in the UK. Over the years you get used to the complexity and become an expert in your field; so whether you need a Somali interpreter at ten o'clock on a Saturday night in Kent, or the correct form for a racially motivated domestic assault in Leeds or you need to write off a bit of argy-bargy between two vulnerable adults outside a kebab shop in Cheam, you learn how to get round the problems while keeping just within the rules. When you suddenly find out that it could all be a lot simpler and all the skills that you thought you needed are now redundant, it can come as a bit of a shock. My magic book full of 'police only' phone numbers, obscure forms and logon instructions for rarely used computer applications was suddenly useless.

The other thing Sir Hugh was talking about was how police officers, with all their kit, look a bit like stormtroopers and are less approachable. I'm not sure the kit has got much to do with it really. I carry a gun, a couple of sets of handcuffs, spare ammunition, spray and a knife with a locking blade and people are always coming up to me to say hello, mainly because I've actually got the time to stop and chat

Just filled the car up at 58 pence per litre.

At that price you'd have to mad to walk anywhere.

Doughnuts all round.

The current fashion for letting people off as long as they promise not to do it again means that one is forever hearing the phrase, "But I've been doing really well.'

When I was young this meant that you were getting good grades, handing your work in on time, getting into a sports team or whatever. Nowadays it means that you've managed to not get caught committing crime for a while.

Interesting story here in the Daily Mail about how 4,000,000 expats want to come home because life is now too expensive. It's mainly about how people with incomes in sterling are adversely affected by its decline, particularly pensioners.

When we came over a pound bought you about $2.00, but now, a little over 2 years later, a pound will get you only about $1.50. We obviously receive our income in local currency which is good for us when we visit the UK, but means that for family and friends in the UK, holidays in Canada are no longer the bargain they once were.

I'm told that my Norinco AR15 should be arriving soon. It's being sold to me on the basis that it's built to military specifications apart from the finish (which can flake off a bit) so it's considerably cheaper than, say, a Bushmaster AR15. I imagine that you can probably spend a lot more money and get a bit better gun, but at some point you have to be sensible and think what else could you spend the money on. Hopefully, with the saving on the gun, I'll be able to buy an Eotech sight as well.

PS Sorry for deleting your comments to the last post, my finger slipped...