Thursday 10 October 2013

Aaaaaand….This’ll Be Different How?

A police union chief warns officers could stand by and watch crimes take place if plans for single-crewed cars go ahead.
*baffled* Don't they already do that, when things might get too politically sensitive?
Detective Sergeant Paul Sellings, chairman of Sussex Police Federation, said the idea of single-crewed cars belonged “in the dustbin” and was the result of cuts that have seen Sussex lose 300 officers since 2010.
He said: “If the single crewing policy stays in place we will be reminding officers of carrying out a risk assessment and waiting for back-up if their safety is compromised.
“This policy has been tried before and there is no reason to believe it will work this time. Who protects the protectors?
“The reality is that there are not enough of us left to provide the public with the quality service they deserve.
“If you pay less for something the only thing you get back is less.”
Meanwhile, if you pay more for something, you’ll get more. Only…it’s not what you really want:
Sussex Police's corporate communications department has been defended despite a budget that could pay for more than 30 police constables. The Argus has learned the current “corporate communications and public engagement” department has 26.34 full-time equivalent staff at a yearly budget of up to £832,517.
Sussex Police's corporate communications department has been defended despite a budget that could pay for more than 30 police constables. The Argus has learned the current “corporate communications and public engagement” department has 26.34 full-time equivalent staff at a yearly budget of up to £832,517.
At last night's Sussex Police Federation meeting, Chief Constable Martin Richards was asked to defend the cost in the face of the plummeting number of officer and low morale.
*gets popcorn*
He said: “With one-and-a-half million customers and a budget of £250 million how we are portrayed in terms of confidence in our communications is really important.
“It is not just spin or cosmetics. It is about community engagement which is not just exclusively the domain of PCs.
“They are a fundamental part of the team.
“And in terms of customer satisfaction I am delighted we have moved from the bottom of the tabled (sic) to towards the top.”
 Really?
A Sussex Police spokesman added: “Sussex Police's Corporate Communications Department carries out an enormous range of tasks to support operational policing - from witness appeals for major crimes and live information during events to crime prevention advice and safety campaigns.
In other words, it's paying for this:


Non-stop self-promotion and regurgitation of other's Tweets..
“It also deals with around 700 media enquiries each month, with The Argus accounting for nearly a quarter of these. The number of media enquiries has increased in the last five years. For example, the department received over 2,000 enquiries from The Argus alone last year.
“In addition, the department manages the force's website and digital communications, which were used by more than 1.2 million people last year, and oversees direct communications to the public through printed and other material.”
Whether they want it or not...
Deputy Chief Constable Giles York said: “We use communications to support operational policing and explain to the public how we police in Sussex. The public now expects to access information about policing in a variety of ways, for example choosing to go directly to our website or interact via social media, rather than reading traditional print media. Of course the media remains an important way to reach the public and media demands have increased, but it is no longer the first option for many local people we serve.
Frankly, Giles, you'd be better off not 'interacting with people via social media', it only serves to make you look like politically-correct idiots with far too much time on your hands these days...
Police contacted the complainant twice, urging her to make a statement at a police station, which she eventually did, and yesterday police confirmed that officers from Merseyside’s Hate Crime Investigation Unit took several days to decide whether a crime had been committed by the Labour peer’s tweet.
GAH! Still, back to Sussex:
“As a result our corporate communications department has changed, responding to increasing demands from the media but also reflecting the growing public desire to access information in other ways. Alongside traditional media relations, the department could now be using social media to help find a missing person, running a campaign to encourage people to report domestic abuse or developing online crime reporting.
How would Sussex citizens live without such a vital lifeline?


“Using professional dedicated staff to advise on communications and carry out these tasks is more effective and much better value for money than removing police officers from other duties to do so. The Force's approach in this area is recognised as good practice and we are often asked to share our model with other organisations.”
Ah! So that's why nearly all official police Twitter accounts are a complete waste of time!

12 comments:

Jonathan said...

When will the Police realise that perhaps, just perhaps, it's their method of policing that's at fault and not cuts in budget?

Anonymous said...

In the second excerpt, you seem to have cut and pasted the same paragraph twice.

Apart from that, agreed.

Anonymous said...

'Sussex detective warns officers could stand by as crimes are committed.'

DS Paul Sellings: You've... you've got a nice house here, Sir.

CitizenX: Yes.

DS Paul Sellings: We wouldn't want anything to happen to it.

CitizenX: What?

Dynoplod: No, what my brother means is it would be a shame if... (he knocks ornament from shelf.)

CitizenX: Oh.

Dynoplod: Oh sorry, Sir.

CitizenX: Well don't worry about that. But please do sit down.

DS Paul Sellings: No, we prefer to stand, thank you, Sir.

CitizenX: All right. All right. But what do you want?

Dynoplod: What do we want, ha ha ha.

DS Paul Sellings: Ha ha ha, very good, Sir.

Dynoplod: The gent's a joker, Paul.

DS Paul Sellings: Explain it to the gent, Dyno.

Dynoplod: How many ornaments you got, Sir..cos everything breaks, don't it. (shatters Wedgwood on table) Oh dear.

Dynoplod: Oh see my brother's clumsy Sir, and when he gets unhappy he breaks things. Like say, he don't feel folk is playing fair by him, he may start breaking things....

John Pickworth said...

“corporate communications and public engagement” department

Are you serious? This is precisely what happens when you do have too much money. It's wasted on bloated Police HQs, with office space that needs filling, kitted out, staffed, IT'd, with swanky corporate logo, and then hopefully, a purpose. Whether that purpose serves a need or is even desired by the little people matters not to those heading up their individual Empires.

Who protects the protectors?

Evidently, not the people we're paying... that'll be you! It seems to me the police are becoming a protection squad charged with safe guarding the agents of the State. If you're not on the Internet pretending to be school girls, or tripping over kerbs; you're escorting fire crews, ambulances or your own colleagues about the place... is it any wonder lowly members of the public are put on hold when they call?

Anonymous said...

Oh Julia as soon as you cut and pasted the word "union" you lost my attention.
The haters are circling....
Jaded

John M said...

I was going to agree with your criticism of the "be careful on the misty roads" twittering, but I then realised that a significant number of our current youth and university generation are in fact so completely fuckwitted that they probably need help with putting thier clothes on in the morning, let alone taking obvious care on an icy day.

Just sayin...

Anonymous said...

JP I actually agree with your first paragraph,it had to happen eventually!!
A few years ago there was a small fire in the canteen kitchen at my station and we all had to muster outside in the car park.I looked around at the huge number of people that worked there.I thought to myself "what do you do?" and "I bet we could cope without you,you and you".In the meantime the relief PC's i.e ME- were always on minimum strength and being run ragged.
Jaded

microdave said...

"Single Crewed" cars were perfectly effective when I was tearing around the countryside in me teens. I well remember making a tyre squealing departure from the pub one evening, and as I crossed the nearby river bridge what did I encounter but a Blue Minivan parked up. Moments later the flashing light appeared, and I soon found myself face to face with the local bobby.

A right bollocking ensued, whilst all my mates came past - the embarrassment was probably worse! Despite that I was let off with a caution never to let him catch me again...

Can you imagine that scenario today?

Ian Hills said...

Perhaps we could "contract out" of the police precept and pay vigilantes instead.

John Pickworth said...

JP I actually agree with your first paragraph,it had to happen eventually!!

I think we've agreed before... I'll have to check your file.

Seriously though, we're probably not far apart on many things. I might bluster and exaggerate like some retired colonel to stress a point or argument but I am usually being constructive. The police have become pompous and detached, their collective demeanour simply riles many regularly folk... and that's a pity because we'd like to love our police. It's just that they won't let us hug them any more.

JuliaM said...

"... their method of policing that's at fault and not cuts in budget?"

Going by the examples I've got coming up today, never...

"In the second excerpt, you seem to have cut and pasted the same paragraph twice."

It does seem like that, doesn't it? For 'communicators', they sure do repeat themselves a lot.

"This is precisely what happens when you do have too much money. It's wasted on bloated Police HQs, with office space that needs filling, kitted out, staffed, IT'd, with swanky corporate logo, and then hopefully, a purpose. "

The purpose being, it would seem, to acquire more of the same.

"The haters are circling...."

We don't hate the police, Jaded, we simply would prefer they do what they are paid to do and no more.

JuliaM said...

"..but I then realised that a significant number of our current youth and university generation are in fact so completely fuckwitted that they probably need help with putting thier clothes on in the morning, let alone taking obvious care on an icy day."

Hence the news yesterday about restrictions on driving licenses, I suppose?

Yet the majority of motoring cretins I meet seem to be adult.

"Can you imagine that scenario today?"

No. You'd have your fingerprints and DNA taken, for a start...