Joining the Police
Discussion
Jamescrs said:
Cliffe60 said:
I’m not unsympathetic but surely you know what you’re getting into when you join the police?
You would think so and given most people on these forums have probably a decent grasp of life experience to one degree or another they can maybe imagine some of it. I have a friend of a friend who works in Police training specifically training new recruits, who are often 18 and straight out of college now because they are joining on the apprenticeship program which leads to a degree of some sort which on the face of it is a good move for them, they get a degree without incurring the same student fees.
The issue is that many of these 18 year old recruits don't have life experience, most come from decent homes and families and have never dealt with a proper confrontation in their lives, they do the initial training where they are looked after and then are put out onto the streets for 10 weeks with a tutor who may only have been in the Force 2 years themselves.
They then go out looking shiny and new and believe me the Police's regular customers spot them a mile away and they become a target as they are seen as the weakest there and many of these people simply can't handle what they are faced with and it is now common to have half a dozen resignations from every intake within the first week or two of them being away from training, seemingly many do not know what they are getting into.
I was told another story of a new recruit who was shocked to learn she would be expected to work night shifts and didn't complete her training period.
Kaelic said:
Some great but sobering reading in this thread.
I am probably the opposite of what the some of the retiring cops are doing, I am a Network/Cyber security full timer who is becoming a special at the ripe old age of 46!
When people have asked me why, I say why not? I work Monday-Friday full time (but from home) and with child all grown up its time to go and do something for my community, even if it's checking the local park is safe or something, but at least I will be doing some good with my spare time.
I know specials are a bit meh, but even if I am the second person in a normally single crewed car/van I can be there to help the regular or at least (hopefully) help ease the pressure on regulars.
Have a very close friend who went special > regular > arv and he was a big infulence, but I have no aspirations of ever going regular.
One thing I would like to ask is what is the opinion of regulars on specials at the minute? I am hoping to be an asset rather than a hinderance but its going to be a steep learning curve for a couple of years but something I am looking forward to!
Cheers and keep safe!
As others have said, some are good, some are bad. Go into it with open eyes (and ears). You’ll quickly suss out who the good cops are, so try and work with them if you can. Work with as many different officers as possible, so you get to see as many different policing styles and work out what fits for you you.I am probably the opposite of what the some of the retiring cops are doing, I am a Network/Cyber security full timer who is becoming a special at the ripe old age of 46!
When people have asked me why, I say why not? I work Monday-Friday full time (but from home) and with child all grown up its time to go and do something for my community, even if it's checking the local park is safe or something, but at least I will be doing some good with my spare time.
I know specials are a bit meh, but even if I am the second person in a normally single crewed car/van I can be there to help the regular or at least (hopefully) help ease the pressure on regulars.
Have a very close friend who went special > regular > arv and he was a big infulence, but I have no aspirations of ever going regular.
One thing I would like to ask is what is the opinion of regulars on specials at the minute? I am hoping to be an asset rather than a hinderance but its going to be a steep learning curve for a couple of years but something I am looking forward to!
Cheers and keep safe!
I did five years as a special in the early 90s and the level of training, kit and deployment is light years from what it used to be. Go into it with an open mind, be prepared to be excited, frightened, cold, bored, wet, hungry and desperate for the loo, possibly all in a single shift. You may end up on bed watch at the hospital, but you may end up saving someone’s life or catching a bad guy.
Above all, keep safe. The most important thing you can do is to go home in one piece to your family at the end of a shift.
Bigends said:
Interesting point but how much life experience did we have as 19yr old back in the 70's that prepared us for the job?. I came for a good old working class council background. Months at a disciplined residential training school with time served instructors gave an indication as to exactly what was coming when we returned to force. We had a great deal of experience on most shifts with many tales of derring do and the nastier side of the job regaled during the working day and later up the bar. Probationers would be sent along to observe at some of the more serious / nasty incidents, so they could watch but not have to get too involved. I joined as a Cadet at the age of 17 - we were on the payroll back then with two years residential and then out at a station on shift until joining the force proper. Saw my first deaths as an 18yr old Cadet during a months attachment to A and E at our local hospital. Attendance at a Post Mortem was compulsory during the first few months service - not sure what purpose it served but it was bit of a badge of honour amongst probationers that had been to their fIrst PM. Different times indeed.
There doesn’t seem to be the same spread of service on response shifts now. I know when I started, the next “newest” officer had about five years, then it was eight, then 12, 15, 20, etc.There are whole shifts now where you’re lucky if anyone has more than two years. There are tutors who have just been signed off after their two years probation. I know of several trainee DCs who applied while in their probation and as soon as they were confirmed in post, started in CID. They have been, without exception, utterly clueless. That’s not a criticism of them, they just don’t have the breadth of general police experience to go into CID, IMHO.
Dibble said:
The job that was my trigger event wasn’t the worst job I’ve been to (as in, the most grisly or horrific).
What it was, was a five year old boy who’d drowned in a swimming pool at a family party. I and other colleagues tried CPR while we waited for the ambulance, unsuccessfully. That was over ten years ago. I had flashbacks, nightmares, alcohol abuse, hypervigilance and a suicide attempt. I can talk about it now, but it took a year of EMDR, several years of medication, weeks of daily home visits from the mental health crisis team and coming close to getting sectioned - twice - under the mental health act. Even now, when I think about it, I can still taste the chlorine-laced vomit as I gave that young lad mouth to mouth.
Still, not the worst thing I’ve seen or dealt with in almost 30 years of policing. That should tell you something, if a dead five year old isn’t the worst thing. I’m not sure how any sane person wouldn’t be affected by any of it, expected or otherwise. As I and others have said, witnessing or experiencing traumatic incidents can cause problems, even just one event. Try seeing and dealing with hundreds and not being affected.
But yeah, what about those poor sods in cyber security, with their paper cuts and lukewarm lattes? f
k. Right. Off.
It's strange how smell and taste is often what comes back. Yet, at the time, you don't consider it in any depth. A colleague vomited at a restaurant, outside in the garden thankfully, as a memory was brought to his mind from just a waiter walking past with a meal. It seemed strange at the time, but it's come a bit clearer now. If I see something on TV that brings up a memory, especially one I'd not thought about for years, it's often accompanied by a specific smell. It works the other way. The mother of a suicide was cooking when we knocked on the door. There were baked potatoes on a kitchen worktop, about to be basted. I've not eaten one since. How weird is that? When I smell one I, now occasionally, see the woman's face when she realised that we were there to ruin the rest of her life.What it was, was a five year old boy who’d drowned in a swimming pool at a family party. I and other colleagues tried CPR while we waited for the ambulance, unsuccessfully. That was over ten years ago. I had flashbacks, nightmares, alcohol abuse, hypervigilance and a suicide attempt. I can talk about it now, but it took a year of EMDR, several years of medication, weeks of daily home visits from the mental health crisis team and coming close to getting sectioned - twice - under the mental health act. Even now, when I think about it, I can still taste the chlorine-laced vomit as I gave that young lad mouth to mouth.
Still, not the worst thing I’ve seen or dealt with in almost 30 years of policing. That should tell you something, if a dead five year old isn’t the worst thing. I’m not sure how any sane person wouldn’t be affected by any of it, expected or otherwise. As I and others have said, witnessing or experiencing traumatic incidents can cause problems, even just one event. Try seeing and dealing with hundreds and not being affected.
But yeah, what about those poor sods in cyber security, with their paper cuts and lukewarm lattes? f
k. Right. Off.I was macho. I was gung ho. Nothing phased me. Until it did.
I Recall being out on my beat one sunny afternoon. I stopped for a chat with an elderly couple gardening out the front of their bungalow. I'd got to know them over the years. Usual banter took place 'You can come and do my garden when youve finished etc'. An hour later we get a call about an elderly man collapsed. I made my way round and met the Sgt and Doctor at the address which rang a bell. The old chap i'd been chatting to had collapsed and died in the garden - it was declared as a simple sudden death. Within an hour or so of chatting and joking with him , I was alone with the old boy, stripping him ready for his last ride to the mortuary - strange old job!
Traumatic experiences change people.
Anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves.
Those changes may not always be obvious but they are there. They can be subtle (on the surface at least) or dramatic.
When people say they are over it they often mean they have learned to carry the trauma and may not consciously think about it. It is often others who notice the change.
Anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves.
Those changes may not always be obvious but they are there. They can be subtle (on the surface at least) or dramatic.
When people say they are over it they often mean they have learned to carry the trauma and may not consciously think about it. It is often others who notice the change.
Bigends said:
I Recall being out on my beat one sunny afternoon. I stopped for a chat with an elderly couple gardening out the front of their bungalow. I'd got to know them over the years. Usual banter took place 'You can come and do my garden when youve finished etc'. An hour later we get a call about an elderly man collapsed. I made my way round and met the Sgt and Doctor at the address which rang a bell. The old chap i'd been chatting to had collapsed and died in the garden - it was declared as a simple sudden death. Within an hour or so of chatting and joking with him , I was alone with the old boy, stripping him ready for his last ride to the mortuary - strange old job!
That's a peaceful end, a good way to go for him. Although obviously a different matter for his family and for you. I got used to seeing regular patients who you'd get to know and become friends with who died suddenly, as well as the ones who you knew had a limited time left. We had a few suicides over the years, a couple in particular I chatted to the patient's GP about as I worried I'd missed something that could have helped.Cliffe60 said:
I’m not unsympathetic but surely you know what you’re getting into when you join the police?
You think you'll be dealing with drunks, idiots and arresting burglars. You don't think you'll be taking the fragmented bodies of children out of cars, lying in overturned cars trying to keep someone's airway open while you lie on their dead friend and the blood runs down your arm and under your shirt or watching someone burn to death in a van.
I went to three fatals in four days one week. The workload becomes hoffific.
Some deal with it, some can't.
Dibble said:
The job that was my trigger event wasn’t the worst job I’ve been to (as in, the most grisly or horrific).
What it was, was a five year old boy who’d drowned in a swimming pool at a family party. I and other colleagues tried CPR while we waited for the ambulance, unsuccessfully. That was over ten years ago. I had flashbacks, nightmares, alcohol abuse, hypervigilance and a suicide attempt. I can talk about it now, but it took a year of EMDR, several years of medication, weeks of daily home visits from the mental health crisis team and coming close to getting sectioned - twice - under the mental health act. Even now, when I think about it, I can still taste the chlorine-laced vomit as I gave that young lad mouth to mouth.
Still, not the worst thing I’ve seen or dealt with in almost 30 years of policing. That should tell you something, if a dead five year old isn’t the worst thing. I’m not sure how any sane person wouldn’t be affected by any of it, expected or otherwise. As I and others have said, witnessing or experiencing traumatic incidents can cause problems, even just one event. Try seeing and dealing with hundreds and not being affected.
But yeah, what about those poor sods in cyber security, with their paper cuts and lukewarm lattes? fk. Right. Off.
I know where you're coming from with that, I was in bed sleeping before early turn when I was violently shook awake by our neighbour who explained that another neighbour had brought their 4 year old son to my house as he had been found hanging in his bunk bed and they knew I was a first aid trainer. I performed CPR for 35 minutes on my living room floor until a fast response(!) Paramedic arrived. We both worked on him for a further 10 minutes until the ambulance arrived. They scooped him up and rushed to the hospital but he was DOA, every so often I look at the spot where I did CPR and can still see his face. I take comfort in the fact that I did everything I could and that there is nothing I could have done to change the outcome.What it was, was a five year old boy who’d drowned in a swimming pool at a family party. I and other colleagues tried CPR while we waited for the ambulance, unsuccessfully. That was over ten years ago. I had flashbacks, nightmares, alcohol abuse, hypervigilance and a suicide attempt. I can talk about it now, but it took a year of EMDR, several years of medication, weeks of daily home visits from the mental health crisis team and coming close to getting sectioned - twice - under the mental health act. Even now, when I think about it, I can still taste the chlorine-laced vomit as I gave that young lad mouth to mouth.
Still, not the worst thing I’ve seen or dealt with in almost 30 years of policing. That should tell you something, if a dead five year old isn’t the worst thing. I’m not sure how any sane person wouldn’t be affected by any of it, expected or otherwise. As I and others have said, witnessing or experiencing traumatic incidents can cause problems, even just one event. Try seeing and dealing with hundreds and not being affected.
But yeah, what about those poor sods in cyber security, with their paper cuts and lukewarm lattes? f
k. Right. Off.Elroy Blue said:
Cliffe60 said:
I’m not unsympathetic but surely you know what you’re getting into when you join the police?
You think you'll be dealing with drunks, idiots and arresting burglars. You don't think you'll be taking the fragmented bodies of children out of cars, lying in overturned cars trying to keep someone's airway open while you lie on their dead friend and the blood runs down your arm and under your shirt or watching someone burn to death in a van.
I went to three fatals in four days one week. The workload becomes hoffific.
Some deal with it, some can't.
As an A/PS in traffic I attended 5 fatals in one night duty week.
How on earth more of us don’t suffer mentally is beyond me.
Elroy Blue said:
Cliffe60 said:
I’m not unsympathetic but surely you know what you’re getting into when you join the police?
You think you'll be dealing with drunks, idiots and arresting burglars. You don't think you'll be taking the fragmented bodies of children out of cars, lying in overturned cars trying to keep someone's airway open while you lie on their dead friend and the blood runs down your arm and under your shirt or watching someone burn to death in a van.
I went to three fatals in four days one week. The workload becomes hoffific.
Some deal with it, some can't.
Emily's dad said:
Been there, seen it.
As an A/PS in traffic I attended 5 fatals in one night duty week.
How on earth more of us don’t suffer mentally is beyond me.
And I think that’s part of the problem. We only know about the ones who either self identify that they’re struggling, or who are caught by a colleague/friend/family member. There are many many bobbies out there who are on the edge of imploding and they don’t even know it themselves. I personally believe the problem of MH in the Police is huge. Almost beyond measure. As an A/PS in traffic I attended 5 fatals in one night duty week.
How on earth more of us don’t suffer mentally is beyond me.
Wow. Just wow
The way this thread has diverted from people moaning about being in the police to some unbelievable stories and incidents that to anyone outside the emergency services couldn’t even been imagined is incredible
I have had jobs which have had me in some dirty places with unpleasant people and, especially on the road where I have seen people killed in front of me more than once but as I was not actually involved once the emergency services arrived I was basically able to drive away while someone else dealt with the aftermath
Big thanks and great respect to all those who have shared these experiences here
The way this thread has diverted from people moaning about being in the police to some unbelievable stories and incidents that to anyone outside the emergency services couldn’t even been imagined is incredible
I have had jobs which have had me in some dirty places with unpleasant people and, especially on the road where I have seen people killed in front of me more than once but as I was not actually involved once the emergency services arrived I was basically able to drive away while someone else dealt with the aftermath
Big thanks and great respect to all those who have shared these experiences here
Dibble said:
There doesn’t seem to be the same spread of service on response shifts now. I know when I started, the next “newest” officer had about five years, then it was eight, then 12, 15, 20, etc.
On my shift in 1980 in Glasgow we put out about 18 cops if nobody was on holiday, courses, court, etc. About half had less than 2 years service. The rest had mainly 2 to 4. There was a couple of guys who were what we thought if as much older. They were probably aged early 30s with around 10 years in. Frequently someone with 9 months was working with someone with a year and a half.What a job the shift Sgts had!
There great camaraderie as we were all around the same age and almost all single. Some good shift days out and nights out. Also as nobody had the experience to apply for jobs off the shift it was largely unchanged for a couple of years.
But that was a consequence of heavy recruitment after numbers had dropped due to really bad pay in the 70s. By the mid 80s most shifts had a wide spread of experience. I guess it is cyclical. Any recruitment push will fill the shifts with new guys.
Just by way of contrast, I was posted to an inner city station from training school in 1980. The minimum staffing level on a Bank Holiday was 17 PCs. Because it was quite rioty I was one of the last probationers sent there, for many years.
I did 8 years on the group and transferred to another station. On arrival the Sgt told me I would be tutoring, and thought I was joking when I said I had never done it. Because there wasn't anyone to tutor.
Different times, but had it's own challenges. I had nightmares for a while having been chased down the road by a group of knife wielding black men. Happy days though, we worked hard and played hard.
I did 8 years on the group and transferred to another station. On arrival the Sgt told me I would be tutoring, and thought I was joking when I said I had never done it. Because there wasn't anyone to tutor.
Different times, but had it's own challenges. I had nightmares for a while having been chased down the road by a group of knife wielding black men. Happy days though, we worked hard and played hard.
Kaelic said:
Some great but sobering reading in this thread.
I am probably the opposite of what the some of the retiring cops are doing, I am a Network/Cyber security full timer who is becoming a special at the ripe old age of 46!
When people have asked me why, I say why not? I work Monday-Friday full time (but from home) and with child all grown up its time to go and do something for my community, even if it's checking the local park is safe or something, but at least I will be doing some good with my spare time.
I know specials are a bit meh, but even if I am the second person in a normally single crewed car/van I can be there to help the regular or at least (hopefully) help ease the pressure on regulars.
Have a very close friend who went special > regular > arv and he was a big infulence, but I have no aspirations of ever going regular.
One thing I would like to ask is what is the opinion of regulars on specials at the minute? I am hoping to be an asset rather than a hinderance but its going to be a steep learning curve for a couple of years but something I am looking forward to!
Cheers and keep safe!
Good man. Enjoy yourself!I am probably the opposite of what the some of the retiring cops are doing, I am a Network/Cyber security full timer who is becoming a special at the ripe old age of 46!
When people have asked me why, I say why not? I work Monday-Friday full time (but from home) and with child all grown up its time to go and do something for my community, even if it's checking the local park is safe or something, but at least I will be doing some good with my spare time.
I know specials are a bit meh, but even if I am the second person in a normally single crewed car/van I can be there to help the regular or at least (hopefully) help ease the pressure on regulars.
Have a very close friend who went special > regular > arv and he was a big infulence, but I have no aspirations of ever going regular.
One thing I would like to ask is what is the opinion of regulars on specials at the minute? I am hoping to be an asset rather than a hinderance but its going to be a steep learning curve for a couple of years but something I am looking forward to!
Cheers and keep safe!
Cliffe60 said:
I know about a dozen recently retired or soon to be retiring coppers and none have even had a scratch on duty, that’s about 300 years service between them.
I think outside the big cities , the chance of getting hurt , is pretty low.
Depends on the division as well. One division can have 40 incidents and another 200. I think outside the big cities , the chance of getting hurt , is pretty low.
Add in officer sickness, leavers, restricted and then the frequent customers who daily ring up (like clockwork). Then there are those that ring 999 for an update to the update that they had yesterday. Then you've got the police systems and management.
I remember in my old career, I had an IT issue - I rang IT in the US, a guy would answer immediately (and I mean immediately) then tap away efficiently and say 'fixed' or you'll have it by UPS etc within ex hours or someone will be with you within the hour.
In the police you literally bang your head against the computer that loads slower than the ice age Then you raise a query... to be answered in office hours only.
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