I've struck a nerve there Lancs. I stick by what I said. Obviously the big majority of officers were decent, honest and brave back in those days. However there were plenty of wronguns and slackers. I was there too as a resident in inner London. I witnessed plenty of shabby incidents. When living in Catford it was a family "joke" to say "oh, look, another black driver stopped". I've noticed massive improvements over the past 20 years.
As you know I'm pro police and proud of my contact's chosen career. Standards and attitudes are way better now. I'd say the same about the Education profession that I've just left. Far fewer slackers now, better standards and the job more demanding than ever. I'm relieved to have left.
I'm saying all this as someone who is very pro police and law and order. However, I can see why others have a different view and have had a different experience. I am fully aware of the unfair criticism heaped on the police as my contact keeps me well informed from the police point of view.
Thing is, 58, the thread of the article by Kevin Hurley that I published was as relevant to policing in the 70`s and 90s as it is today. The police service had just as many honourable and hard working officers in it back then as does today`s service and today`s service has just as many shirkers and slackers, as you call them, as did the 70s and 90`s.
I`m sorry, that`s why I get a tad touchy about your comments as some times, they come across, to me anyway, as generally sweeping in a derogatory sense, whenever you speak about policing in the recent past. I can understand that the (rightful) pride of having a (probably) young member of your family in the police might concentrate the mind more in terms of contemporary problems. I also accept that in all walks of life we learn lessons from the past. But, I think that , for some reason, I detect a general disdain for past generation policing that to me appears generally unfounded. If you were truly "there" i`d have expected to see knowledgeable critique expressed a bit more objectively. There will always be some bad eggs in the police, always were, always will be and it`s certainly right and proper to call them out. No-one, no-one, hates a crooked cop more than a cop does.
Policing has a sort of "family" complexion to it; the same challenges abound from one policing generation to the next. Officers support one another emotionally because of the shared experiences, often horrific, they go through - it`s been that way for many years. To start bringing politics into it, as if all coppers were Thatchers bully boys, is ridiculous, 58, and absolutely not true. You say that you were there, well if you were actually there, wearing the uniform and being on the front line, you would know that the gist of your commentary is unsound. When I say I was there, i mean, I was there, so my actual first hand experience, across the many echelons of law enforcement/policing affords me a long insight to what was occurring then and, as it happens, up to the very recent, pretty much contemporary, actually, moment in time.
I do sometimes worry about the direction that policing in the UK is headed. Some senior management in the police has lost the plot and become obsessed with political correctness - police are confused about what society expects of them. Society will eventually dictate how the profession moves forward, as it always does ( society will get the police force it deserves - an age old and true saying) and one of the concerns I have is that we are moving towards a French system of policing. An armed "regular" police force (Gendarmes) and a separate public order element (CRS). Policing by consent is at risk - because large and, it appears, growing numbers of citizens are routinely and overtly withdrawing their consent ! What do you do then, dismantle the police ? - that would lead to absolute chaos. Reform the police, how ? How do you shape a police service to the absolute satisfaction of all communities and all sections of society ? I worry that the government of the day might eventually be left with just one route - policing by force. Some might welcome that, bringing back the water cannons and bashing protesters might appeal to some. I would not.
I wish your family member all the very best in her career and hope that she stays safe and enjoys her work. The job provides officers with a seat in the front row of life - it`s an experience most will never have. If she is a young person then doing the job will accelerate her journey of life experiences and ensure that she "grows up" very quickly, probably ahead of her time - it`s that sort of environment. All the best to her.
