Wednesday 7 September 2011

If PCSOs Have Time For This, They Aren’t Needed At All

… two heavy-handed PCSOs marched into the store - and told staff to take down because it was 'offensive'.
As usual with the ‘MainlyFail’, dig a little deeper into the body of the story, and you find this isn’t strictly true:
Shop assistant Cath Jewitt, 68, said that she took the mannequin down immediately after being 'advised' it was inappropriate.
Well, then the thing to do is to say ‘It’s my shop and I deem it appropriate. You have no business telling me it isn’t. Haven’t you got drowning kids to watch, or something?’…

And if someone points out that they are ‘only acting on concerns and can’t ignore them because it’s their job’ well, think again:
A police spokesman confirmed the PCSOs had acted even though nobody had complained.
I thought they were far too busy dealing with complaints about parking, dog poo, feral teenagers or FaceBook spats?

Surely they don’t have so much free time on their hands they can afford to go looking for potential ‘crimes’?
A spokesman for South Yorkshire Police said that it was feared some people may think the mannequin is 'inappropriate'.

'Two PCSOs, on normal patrol duties called into the shop to ask if they would mind taking the mannequin out of the shop window, as some people may find it inappropriate,' he said.

'This advice was given in an attempt to prevent possible community tension on a sensitive issue.'
And if the shopkeeper had dismissed the ‘advice’ as worthless, and continued with their display?

What would you have done?
The mannequin has now been dressed as Where's Wally.
We’ll just have to hope no-one called Wally grabs the next passing uniformed cretin and says ‘Hey, about this dummy… No, not your colleague…’

And while we have nonsense like this happening, I'm much, much less inclined to listen to 'Oh, it's all the fault of everyone else!' from the likes of the Inspector.

Do the police have to put up with the dregs of everyone else's failings? Yes, undoubtedly.

But let's not forget how often they make a rod for their own backs.

17 comments:

Ranter said...

Having read your comments on this over at Gadget's blog I can only agree with you. Unfortunately you were howled down by that blog's resident rottweillers who believe they have a monopoly on what is right and wrong. The thing I find amazing about this story is that PCSOs acted on their own initiative at all. PCSOs are another schizophrenic topic at GAdget's - useless tossers most of the time but if anyone else AN OUTSIDER has a pop they become part of the police 'family' once again. The shop owner should have told them to get out of her premises but you never know these days, a nice cell could await and her DNA, prints and a nice photo added to the intelligence system. She'd have got out, 8 - 10 hours later with a large bruise on her forehead from banging it against the brick wall of stupidity.

MTG said...

Great minds, Ranter ;)

There are too many such PCSO stories to list but the two who hid in room when confronted by an aggressive 13-year-old, then called the real police for help, remains 'special' in my affections.

Oooh-la-la said...

Looking at the Mail's picture though it struck me that, given the way we must be careful of the sensitivities of a certain religious mass over many things, the whole store is probably going to inflame a bunch of delicate sensitivities no end.

I mean a mannequin on show in a saucy French maid's outfit with fishnet stockings (gulps... has to go and lie down...)

banned said...

Good free publicity for Party Town.

Their 'advice' was so hedged with reservations "feared" "some" "might" as to be meaningless.
It would be nice to think that the owners could have politely declined to accept the PCSO advice but probably took in mind the Coalitions threat to make life a misery (extra-judicially) for those that the Police considered to be anti-social elements.

"Do as we say, or else" What a sad little people we have become.

Tattyfalarr said...

No complaints...ahuh ok. So what's the upshot here ? Must we now live in fear of not offending others ?

Captain Haddock said...

PCSO's have no power to either "order" or "request" anyone to remove an item which they consider "might" offend "someone" ..

They should have been reminded of their VERY limited powers (just Google PCSO+powers for a list of what they're permitted to do) & then invited to leave the premises ..

Whenever I see one of these wankers hove into view, I cross the street, rather than have to make eye contact, or worse yet, speak to one ..

Gallovidian said...

Video them on your mobile, or get someone else to do it, get it on the net that day.

Horrible little thick ignorant arrogant aggressive shites in uniforms telling British people what to do? Like Hell they will.

John Pickworth said...

This shop-keep should replace the mannequin with one dressed in a PCSO uniform... how could anyone find that 'inappropriate'?

Although, on second thoughts, and recognising the modern police service's total absence of decent human qualities like a sense of humour; the poor shop owner would then no doubt find himself being charged with impersonating a police officer!

MTG said...

@ John Pickworth

"...no doubt find himself being charged with impersonating a police officer!"

Our State has reached a saturation point in rule generation to spoil its enforcers with transgression options. For all practical purposes plod can and does, taser, charge, arrest, intimidate, abuse and beat (not necessarily in that order) at will.

RantinRab said...

I used to enjoy Gadget's site.

I have since realised it's a site for arseholes by an arsehole. Does he do refunds on his book?

banned said...

I previously posted here about a PCSO threatening the infant son of an aquaintance with an ASBO (as if PCSOs can issue ASBOs) for the 'criminal damage' of chalking hopscotch on the pavement of their suburban cul-de-sac.
I mentioned it to another aquaintance who said that it was "Bollox, making up the law as they go along" An interesting legal summary from one who is a Professor of Law at our University.

Having said that, I expect that A.Hitlers gangster state started off just like this, with the support of the petite beougoise (sp? WTF)shites who would become PCSOs and later Waffen SS "It wasn't us, we didn't know".

blueknight said...

PCSOs are the answer to a question that was never asked.

MTG said...

When consulted at the time of Blunkett's original project, I can envisage the Police Federation considering this unasked question:

"Could we exploit a situation by having uniformed assistants with no powers, who eventually get so frustrated in a useless job they simply end up annoying folk?"

Good evening, Jaded.

Anonymous said...

Hello Melvin.
PCSO's? Well you will be surprised to know that I don't support them.They were foisted on the police by David Blunkett and none of the senior officers had the back-bone to say no thanks.If they go against govt policy they don't get their QPM's do they?
(However Scotland said no and as far as I know the sky didn't fall in did it?)
I have had contact with 100's of PCSO's.The large majority in my experience are buffoons.There are a small minority of very decent ones who are only doing the job to become a real PC (the other way in is to be a Special Constable first).
This country is dumbing down and the police force is no different.
Jaded

JuliaM said...

"Unfortunately you were howled down by that blog's resident rottweillers..."

Heh! I'm used to that. They don't like to hear anything that spoils their worldview, do they?

But it's only a few. The rest are more measured in their response.

"Good free publicity for Party Town."

Well, they say there's no such thing as bad publicity, don't they?

Can't help feeling sending them away with a flea in their ear would have been much better, though.

"Horrible little thick ignorant arrogant aggressive shites in uniforms telling British people what to do? Like Hell they will."

And yet, enough people meekly submit, it makes me wonder what would have happened had the Germans invaded in WWII!

"This shop-keep should replace the mannequin with one dressed in a PCSO uniform... how could anyone find that 'inappropriate'?"

It'd probably get more respect than the real thing!

Anonymous said...

Let's also be mindful that PCSOs are not employed by the Police Service. PCSOs are local council employees, they have no powers to detain or arrest so can be given as short a shrift as possible.

Anonymous said...

Sorry Henry you are wrong on both counts.
Not sticking up for PCSO's but they are employed by the police and they do have certains powers of detention.
Jaded