Welcome

I have for a long time been very unhappy with the British Police and recently that dismay has been transformed into open hostility.

This wasn't always so. I was brought up to respect and obey all Policemen, after all they were the good guys, plus I had a couple of close relations that were Police Officers, I also have several old friends who are serving coppers, though I wouldn't wish to pass the time of day with any of them now! I even contemplated joining the Police many years ago when I was informed that my eyesight wasn't adequate to embark upon my chosen career with The Royal Air Force, after all the Police salary was very good and there was accelerated graduate promotion too. Thank heavens that I was offered a post as a Trainee Accountant with Bass!

Many people, who will go through life with little or no contact with the Police, preserve an image of the 'good old British Bobby', 'George Dixon', 'The Blue Lamp' and make this their mantra, yet they will complain bitterly about their MP, Local Authority, price of petrol, car parking etc.
Those of us who have had contact with the Police, either as victims of crime, perpetrators of crime, or simply in the course of going about our lawful business, build up a dissatisfaction that ranges from being a little bit irked up to full blown hatred.

At the time of writing there has been some furore regarding the Government's refusal to backdate the Police pay award http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7129957.stm, it appears that serving coppers are surprised at the public apathy and disinterest towards their selfish complaining, it goes to demonstrate just how detached the Police are from society.

A research study conducted by TARP research back in 1999 discovered that on average an unhappy customer will tell 10 people about their experience. In turn, these 10 people will each tell a further 5 people, meaning that a total of 50 people will have heard about their bad experience. A sobering thought, wouldn’t you say?
What’s even more frightening, however, is that if we work on the basis that only one out of every ten of your dissatisfied customers registers a complaint with you, then in total, for every formal complaint you receive, 500 people will have heard about your customers’ problems!
Customers very rarely complain to the service/ product provider. Instead they will tell their friends, who will in turn tell their friends, creating a pyramid of dissatisfaction. (source:Federation of Small Businesses)

The Police aren't interested in 'customer satisfaction' and they don't care for your opinion, unless you are one of the pro-Police sycophants. The Police aren't interested that I am personally hostile, through their own fault, or you, or you, or you, even YOU! The Police can make our lives difficult and ultimately control us by force, so why should they even consider our opinions! The Police therefore become increasingly detached from the community that they are supposed to serve and are surprised,even indignant, when people fail to report crimes, make statements, act as witnesses etc. The current initiative of Neighbourhood Policing, largely based upon Police Community Support Officers, might go some way to forging a bond between the populace and the Police, but it's a very large gulf!

Finally, ".....I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.....", so don't expect to see any links to "Copper saves kitten" type stories on this blog, there is a vast spin machine out there praising the Police, I intend to post about their 'dark side' and I hope you've got plenty of examples too.....