This Station (like many others) is now Closed

Like many areas of traditional policing (as we once knew it in the UK), this station has now closed down.

The last encumbent, one of the many 'Edmund Davies' babies, has now completed his thirty years, has no interest in continuing until the age of 55yrs and has shuffled off into blissfull retirement...

Do I miss it? Only a little bit but what saddens me the most is; the police service that once had worldwide respect is now declining towards the point of no return and, the people who suffer the most are the communities we once proudly served.

Thanks for nothing Mr Politician!!!

Gone Fishing!!!

The stress and strain of modern policing may be getting too much however, retirement is on the horizon and I'm spending the last few weeks taking it easy and doing what I want instead of what the job wants!

I may well continue with the views of a bitter and twisted retired old sweat but for now... I've gone fishing!!!

Pensioner Speed Cops

First it was baby Community Support Officers in the Thames Valley area, now we have old age pensioners working as traffic cops! What is policing in the UK really coming to? Apparently a pair of pensioners have been recruited by North Wales Police to clock speeding drivers. The idea, was another 'brain child' of North Wales Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom, who is renowned for his controversial methods. He has a Chief's Blog which has also been complained about and reported on by the BBC in video.

• Brunstrom's campaign over drugs
• Brunstrom: Road to controversy
• Brunstrom: Google News
• Government’s ‘no comment’ on 3,500 strong ‘sack Brunstrom’ petition
• Beat officers issued with pedometers by their Chief
• Brunstrom demands anti-racism pledge
• Brunstrom told to 'get a grip'
• Police chief denies speed 'obsession'

Who knows, perhaps there will be no requirement for police officers in the brave new world of 'police reform'? After all, with youth unemployment and an aging population, the job could be done by illiterate juvenile delinquents and infirm partially sighted octogenarians... There's a money saving for the nation!

WPC Bloggs now in print

The book by WPC Bloggs Diary of an On-call Girl: True Stories from the Front Line is now in print and on sale and as the Mail On Sunday reports; 'Being a WPC is part Orwell, part Kafka...and part Trisha, reveals serving officer'... I'm looking forward to reading the book as the blog has always been a good read. It would also appear that the majority of those posting comments to the newspaper article, have enjoyed (will enjoy) the efforts of this hard working copper. At least WPC Bloggs, like PC Copperfield before her, are finally getting some reward for having the urge to stick their necks above the parapets and tell the public how it really is! (See 'Big Fella In Blue' book review)

Want a Beer?

Yes I'd love one but no, that's not the purpose of this post's title! Beer (and other alcoholic drinks) are frowned upon by many. Lots of people see drinking as the 'root of all evil' however, it's not the drink that is the problem in itself no, it's the idiots who drink to excess and have no thought or care for anyone else, let alone themselves.

Trust me, after nearly 30 years in the police I know what I'm talking about. I, like many other people, enjoy a drink (see Alf's Locker) but I don't go and get shit faced and cause a problem for everyone else around me!

Now there's a lot of hot air expelled from many who talk about beer and drinking, some of it over the years has even come from CAMRA, the beer consumers' champion however, they currently want to see an end to short beer measures and I would have to agree.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to see flat beer that's filled to the rim of the glass (like some woosy southerners often drink) but the National Full Pints Petition has a point. The Take it to the top campaign suggests we are all getting short measures and that's just not cricket! Getting what you ask for, without getting ripped off by profiteering conglomerates, is hard enough these days, especially in the UK. The 'Take it to the Top' moniker is perhaps a bit misleading, if all pubs did that we would get flat beer. You can't beat getting good head, if you know what I mean (still talking beer... concentrate)? That's why we have a line on our glasses in the North to allow for the head so...

Give me a pint, a proper pint but for gawd sake, don't fill it to the top without any head!

The Pub Philosopher Agrees

Whilst on patrol of all the usual Blog Spots I was heartened to read the comments of The Pub Philosopher and his thoughts on Sir Ronnie Flanagan's Review of Policing he said; "Ronnie Flanagan is right to say that a culture change is needed but that does not just apply to police forces. Government, the media and the public have to give the police back some of the leeway and discretion that they used to have, rather than regulating and scrutinising them to such an extent that they become ineffective".

See, it's not just the winging coppers complaining about paper work etc. Sir Ronnie Flanagan has realised it and now, an esteemed blogger from outside the police service is also supporting our frustration. Come on Prime Minister let's see some action and change!

Bye Bye PC Copperfield

I expect I'm probably the last one to know, or at least comment on it, but I see our dear friend PC David Copperfield of The (original) Policeman's Blog is emigrating and joining the Edmonton Police in Canada. I can hardly add anything to the myriad of complements and best wishes already posted on your blog. Suffice it to say, here is another copper who understands totally your reasons for going and, can only confirm all the words of others who have said the bobbies of the UK will miss you... Thanks for all your efforts in trying to make a difference to our police service which, in many ways, is sadly going down the pan!

Today's Ten Penneth!

I was going to write a missive but the sun is out again! Sgt Blaketon is up at Division so I'm going to sit outside in the exercise yard and read my paper... Think I can hear the phone from there???

Yipee! Bank Holiday Weekend

August Bank Holiday and at last there's some sun? At least that's what I think it's called, so long since we've seen it you could easily forget and, in the words of my mentor and great grump Mr Victor Meldrew... I don't bloody believe it!

Any way, time to divorce myself from the humdrum of rural coppering and spend some time at the pub, reading a book or two, maybe have a meal at the local or, just spend time loafing in the garden with a beer and the paper? Anything has got to be better than doing battle with the great incompetent British motorist towing his tin home behind him!

There was a time when I would almost fight my mates to get the Bank Holiday overtime but even that holds no interest these days. I ask you, who would want to spend their weekend racing from one drunken brawl to the next, getting puked on, getting verbally abused, spending an hour or more trying to get through custody with the obligatory drunken bum prisoner who's just bopped his girlfriend for kissing his spotty mate, then spend the rest of the week with all the paper work? No thanks!

Don't know what you'll be doing but whatever it is stay safe. I'll be spending most of the weekend in the back room snug of the Aidensfield Arms avoiding the general public, hopefully!

The Soapbox?

I suppose filling a blog with all your personal thoughts about this and that, is as much a personal escape valve mechanism as it is a platform for your 'diary' or personal life story. We may well share the funny stories and gaffs of our working lives but for many, blogging is borne out of sheer frustration. The blog becomes a personal soapbox and a megaphone for those political and social issues that affect/annoy us.

My motivation is probably a combination of all the above and, if nothing else I find it relaxing, even when I'm blowing a fuse about the latest hair brained government initiative for the police! I suppose every blogger would like to think people have read their toughts however, I suspect the outpouring is more important than how it is /is not received?

WikipediA: A soapbox is a raised platform on which one stands to make an impromptu speech, often about a political subject. It is also used to express concerns or to release frustration. A modern form of the soapbox is the blog.

Work Related Blogs?

Continuing my 'research' into the phenomenon that is Blogging, I found an excellent resource entitled Work Related Blogs & News.

Now I suppose I (like many others) came to blogging out of sheer frustration. Of not being listened to by managers and a feeling that 'experience' often appears to count for nothing in the workplace!

It is amazing how often you experience the 'reinvention of the wheel' when you have been in a particular working environment for some time. How often have you seen 'the wheel' referred to as, 'a device with force bearing on the axle has an eccentricity e with the point of contact to the rolling surface and exerts a moment about the contact point'. Or something similar, at the end of the day it's just a bloody wheel.

It doesn't matter how some high flying 'new kid on the block' wants to refer to it and tart it up, it's simply a wheel... Why then do we continue to go through the painful process of reinventing it?

I'll tell you why, it's so the 'high flyer' in question can add it to their CV as 'delivering a fundamental business change for the progression and/or profitability of the company'. Far too often these days we see people who consider their employment, irrespective of it's nature as simply a vehicle for personal progression and higher remuneration. That's fine if that's all you want out of life but to some people, their belief and passion in the task is their personal reward, none more so than in the emergency services!

The 'reinvention of the wheel' phenomenon boils down to self promotion and self inflation of personal worth! As simple as that...

The content of Work Related Blogs & News, which is penned by a far more educated person than I, offers comprehensive information about blogs in the work place, of management styles and HR comment. If your blogging interest is anything more than just a platform to vent your spleen, you'd be well advised to take a read.

Middle-age most miserable for men

Men in their late 30s and early 40s are the least satisfied members of society, according to a survey. They are even more dissatisfied than teenagers and the elderly, a study for the government found. Apparently the survey also negates the "angry young man" phenomenon which is not borne out by the statistics? May this have some bearing on the amount of blogs being penned by police officers of a certain age???

Blogging Duplication

I was thinking the other day about content for the blog and, whilst scanning around the net and reading the blogs of other police officers, I noticed a lot of similar threads. Content and comment was very similar in a lot of respects and, in some cases more or less identical... Why is this? Do we all sit and plagiarise each others work? Can't anyone think of something original?

Cops generally have a similar outlook on life so I suppose we get despondent about the same things. Talking to colleagues I know that cops get frustrated about not being able to do the job they joined the force to do, because of someone else's input. Mismanagement, political interference, police reform, modernisation or simply lack of financial investment all have an bearing.Unfortunately, when some aspect of this 'input' doesn't work, it's not the govt or Chiefs that get the blame! The cop on the street gets the blame and is accused of being incompetent and/or resistant to change. The cop on the street gets the earache from the member of public who has waited for days to get a police response! So are police officers resistant to change?

The police service has been evolving from the day it was founded in its modern form over 150 years ago and, as we deliver policing by consent in this Country, we continually have to review our response to crime and disorder and always need to work with partners and other agencies. At most rank levels in the service officers believe in providing the best possible service they can to the people they serve and, will use all tools at their disposal to do it.

So no, I don't believe the police service is resistant to change. Jan Berry, Chairman of the Police Federation said on Police Reform: "We believe it is vital if reform is to take place that it is carried out on a basis of service effectiveness not just financial efficiency. The public must be left with an improved, more effective force that is able to provide a better service".

Politicians and senior officers continue to build up public expectations, over-promise and then under-deliver, despite cooking the statistics books! Ultimately the community will judge the government and police service on their own experience. Policing must be geared towards what we do and how we do it - not a catalogue of targets and indicators. So the reason for the Blogging Duplication is We Feel & Think the Same and have the same frustrations, Simple!

More eloquent and succinct views about how police officers feel and their opinions on life can be found in the numerous blogs appearing on the net, this in itself would suggest a product of sheer frustration. You can also obtain the 'official' line about how we feel at www.polfed.org

Military Blogging Ban

New guidelines to stop military personnel talking about their experiences have been introduced by the Ministry of Defence. Blogging and sending text messages about military matters is now banned without permission, the Guardian newspaper has reported. The MOD went on to say; "all such communication must help to maintain and, where possible, enhance the reputation of defence"...

I can understand a need for control of such communication, especially if it contains operationally sensitive material. After all, no one would want a situation whereby military personnel ended up getting injured, or worse killed, due to careless talk. As during WWII the overriding message has to be; Careless Talk Costs Lives. The worrying aspect of this type of censorship is that, far too often, a policy such as this is imposed to protect inept management as opposed to operationally sensitive material. It is the same in today's modern business world and public sector service deliverers like the police are often no different.

It is commendable that MOD policy is reflecting changes in communications technology. What if this type of censorship becomes more widespread and far reaching? My police force has a 'talking to the media policy' and fortunately it is fairly liberal, as long as what you say is factual, accurately reflects official policies & procedures and falls within legislation. It would be worrying however if any policy, in any organisation, sought to stifle or control personal opinion!

Apparently the MOD guidelines, which have been in place for ten years or more, were 'updated' to reflect the findings of The Hall Report on talking to the media and the growth of the Internet.

'Found' Property

Some might say that one or more of the images depicting local scenes and characters here have been ‘stolen’? Not so… They were found in Aidensfield! It could not be construed as ‘Theft By Finding’ as there is/was ‘no intention to permanently deprive’ the owner of their property. The images that you see have been entered in the Found Property Register and should the ‘owner’ wish to recover them, they should call at Ashfordley Police Station!

Probationary Blogger

Despite my usual verbosity, both written and verbal, I am feeling very much like I did when I took my first steps as a police officer. I'm by now means computer illiterate but this blogging stuff is virgin territory. At a time like this a pint or two normally does the trick! Couldn't be in a better place but how did I arrive at the Aidensfield Arms?

Well as many of you will know, the town of Ashfordly nad village of Aidensfield only exist because of an author's imagination and I actually worked with that particular author many years ago when he was also a police officer. For the last 30 years he, (Nicholas Rhea) has been writing books, drawing on his experiences in the police force. His best known work, the Constable Series of books, provided the inspiration for the hugely popular TV series 'Heartbeat'. He still remains involved with the series today as a consultant.

I suppose I chose Ashfordly Police Station as the base for my blog for several reasons; It's like the one I was first posted to out of traing school, my first Sergeant was like Oscar Blaketon and many of the locals at the Aidensfield Arms are like the people I first policed. The village pub was often a hub for a village community however sadly many are now going out of business and being converted into houses for well healed city types who have made a killing playing with money, on many occasions other people's money.

I'm not jealous but it does concern me that the vast swaths of wealth transferring from the cities into the country side have caused property prices to rise. These market forces are such that local communities are fragmenting as the inhabitants move away to seek homes they can afford. What makes it even more criminal is that properties snapped up by wealthy business men and their families are often only used as second homes or rented out as holiday cottages. Many of our villages are dying but that's market forces for you!

The heart is still beating but slowing down!

Having been a copper since not long after the Heartbeat era you could say I've seen some change, unfortunately not much of it has been for the better! And that's in relation to the public and the police alike. In this blog I'll be offering the views of a policeman's lot from the dales and moors of the largest county in England.