Knife crime epidemic | Page 7 | Vital Football

Knife crime epidemic

Nights are alright if that's all you work (I did permanent nights in an old job and loved it). I find its the constant change of shifts that f***s me up. We do 12 hour shifts, 2 or 3 days followed by 2 or 3 nights then 4 rest days (2 or 3 if which we have to work).
I regularly have to ask what day of the week it is 🤪
Yes, the constant change is the killer according to my contact. Regularly losing one of the rest days at the moment.
 
Earlies 8
Lates and nights 9
Weekend shifts 10
Plus 30 mins early start to get ready + shifts regularly overruning.
Plus fewer/no perks, eg re housing and no chance of free driving lessons that my neighbour got in the 80's. Biggin Hill was known as Truncheon Alley as it was the furthest out one could go and receive housing assustance.

So i`ve heard, it used to be 15 mins non-paid early start/prep time. The housing issue is serious for many young officers, especially those in London, where house prices are ridiculous. The London Waiting is better than it used to be and officers in the Met can live much further outside the Capital than was the case a few years back, when an officer was not permitted to live more than 26 miles from Charing Cross - the centre of London. Was never aware of free driving lessons. It was the case that the police provided many duty driving courses, including a course for leaner drivers to gain their full D/L - but that was all for work purposes, not a freeby.
 
Yes, the constant change is the killer according to my contact. Regularly losing one of the rest days at the moment.
Ah, the dreaded "sleep day". Thats what I'm on today, finished nights this morning so tiday is officially a "rest day" but at my age I can't stay up all day so went to bed until about 1pm. Thats half your rest day gone. Normally, I'd be back in for overtime tomorrow but luckily, covid19 means were less busy so I've actually got all weekend off 😁😁😁
 
A depressing thread in many ways but it's clear there is a deal of common ground. How do we find ways to bear down on significant, negative trends and outbreaks without dividing into pantomine arguments and closed camps. Perhaps age is withering my brain but so many current problems need practical solutions and they don't look beyond our collective wit. Too many essential services are racked by similar problems of burn out and declining moral.
 
So i`ve heard, it used to be 15 mins non-paid early start/prep time. The housing issue is serious for many young officers, especially those in London, where house prices are ridiculous. The London Waiting is better than it used to be and officers in the Met can live much further outside the Capital than was the case a few years back, when an officer was not permitted to live more than 26 miles from Charing Cross - the centre of London. Was never aware of free driving lessons. It was the case that the police provided many duty driving courses, including a course for leaner drivers to gain their full D/L - but that was all for work purposes, not a freeby.
15 mins before shift and 30 after "for the Queen" so nearly an hour unpaid some days. 👑
 
I would never have wanted to be a policeman, with Brixton they were criticized for not holding back, in Manchester they were blamed for not going in, in Bournemouth they were just criticized.
 
Decent support services that would take pressure of those in the front line.
Restore Surestart.
Fund and recruit properly for the CPS
Provide enough stations/cells for prisoners/those arrested.
Proper funding of Legal Aid
Improve housing provision for the homeless (some ex forces).
Improve help for those with mental problems (some ex forces).
Provide more qualified staff in forensics.
Equipment that regularly works - IT is frequently faulty

Note I haven't even touched upon any race issues either way.

None of these are "sexy" so they won't be done. They won't get a good headline in the DM. They are detailed and targetted so no chance of Johnson bringing them in. They would transform my contact's job far more than the promised 20, 000 extra police (not objecting to that as well though).
 
Decent support services that would take pressure of those in the front line.
Restore Surestart.
Fund and recruit properly for the CPS
Provide enough stations/cells for prisoners/those arrested.
Proper funding of Legal Aid
Improve housing provision for the homeless (some ex forces).
Improve help for those with mental problems (some ex forces).
Provide more qualified staff in forensics.
Equipment that regularly works - IT is frequently faulty

Note I haven't even touched upon any race issues either way.

None of these are "sexy" so they won't be done. They won't get a good headline in the DM. They are detailed and targetted so no chance of Johnson bringing them in. They would transform my contact's job far more than the promised 20, 000 extra police (not objecting to that as well though).


I`d add two more:

1. Increase prison staff and estate.
In order to ensure safety for all those in prison, including prison staff and to enable inmates to have the degree of "freedom" from prison gangs that would allow those with genuine motivation who want to rehabilitate and better themselves a route and space to do just that.

2. Create a National Police Service in England & Wales , along the lines of Police Scotland. As well as enhancing training, logistics, IT, procurement and much more, it would save a huge amount of money wasted daily by the 43 police forces in E & W. The amount of money saved could be used to improve the Prison system as well as enhance CPS and other sectors you mentioned. (wouldn`t need to adversly effect London Waiting btw ;))
 
The prisons have a serious problem with radicalisation of inmates.
Maybe the UK needs a supermax type prison , where the inmates are separated.
 
I`d add two more:

1. Increase prison staff and estate.
In order to ensure safety for all those in prison, including prison staff and to enable inmates to have the degree of "freedom" from prison gangs that would allow those with genuine motivation who want to rehabilitate and better themselves a route and space to do just that.

2. Create a National Police Service in England & Wales , along the lines of Police Scotland. As well as enhancing training, logistics, IT, procurement and much more, it would save a huge amount of money wasted daily by the 43 police forces in E & W. The amount of money saved could be used to improve the Prison system as well as enhance CPS and other sectors you mentioned. (wouldn`t need to adversly effect London Waiting btw ;))
Good points Lancs. Most of my contact's time is spent on stuff that shouldn't be police matters. Society is damaged. Repair some of that damage and we may not need more police. A crass "20,000 more police" will get positive headlines but is not much use compared to the actions we have mentioned.
 
No maybes, we need to get some offenders out of prisons and onto schemes to pay for their crimes in other ways, especially those serving short sentences We need to get many more on schemes outside of prisons to get them free of addictions, treated for mental health problems, supported living for the vulnerable and trained for life and work

We have a huge prison population comparatively. The system is expensive, creates terrible conditions for staff and prisoners and seems better at developing criminals than citizens.