Ever wondered what goes on...?
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in a beat officers normal day?
Here's the writings of a 2005 beat bobby;
POLICE STATION PROCEDURE
If you want to know where all the police officers are, they are indoors. Many are in offices doing IMPORTANT POLICE WORK and the rest are in other peoples houses taking statements. A few are in cars driving from the office to the complainant’s house or back again.
I spend lots of time in custody, dealing with prisoners and their solicitors. After arresting someone I bring them into custody (if I can persuade them to come to the police station to “get this matter sorted out” I won’t have to go out in the car) and book them in.
The booking in procedure is similar to booking in luggage prior to getting onto an aeroplane, only it takes longer. After a half hour wait, I approach the sergeant and “the circumstances of his arrest are relayed.” The detention is authorised and the prisoner is asked about his general physical and mental health, he is searched and asked if he would like a solicitor and is then placed in a cell. I then go up to the office to wait for the solicitor (this takes between one and two hours).
When the solicitor arrives he inspects the custody record and then we go into a room for “disclosure”. I don’t like disclosure.
Disclosure means telling the defence solicitor certain facts about the reason for and evidence relating to his client’s arrest. Let’s say I’ve arrested SMITH for theft of a motor vehicle; the solicitor is entitled to know the nature of the evidence against his client (whether it is forensic or eyewitness) and details of the vehicle and the time and date of the offence. The solicitor will fish for other details like who the witnesses are, the seriousness of the injuries (in cases of assault) and the exact nature of the forensic evidence (whether fingerprints are found inside or outside the property).
After disclosure, the solicitor and his client go into a private consulting room within the custody area for a meeting: the solicitor will tell his client everything that I’ve told him in the disclosure and this will enable the two of them to cook up a story: “I borrowed the car”, “I didn’t know it was stolen”, ”It was self defence” or (my personal favourite) ”I went into the house to get a drink of water”.
Disclosure and subsequent consultation both serve to make the interview a waste of time (particularly in the petty cases I deal with) and I can pretty much fill out the interview summary form even before the interview has started. During the interview I sometimes deliberately summarise before the suspect has actually got to that point in his story:
“So John, you’re saying that you did hit your ex-wife but it was self defence because she threw a plate at you.”
The solicitor interrupts: “My client has not said that.”
“My apologies. John what happened?”
“I hit my ex-wife because she threw a plate at me.”
“Thank you John. So it was self defence.”
“Yes.”
I’m not saying that denying the expectation of privacy in a police station and stopping “disclosure” to solicitors would help the police in simple cases, but it would save at least an hour in time spent in custody and it would make the interviews a lot more fun.
The other day I did two interviews with offenders in custody, each interview lasted ten minutes, and I then charged them. I was there for three hours.
Here's the writings of a 2005 beat bobby;
POLICE STATION PROCEDURE
If you want to know where all the police officers are, they are indoors. Many are in offices doing IMPORTANT POLICE WORK and the rest are in other peoples houses taking statements. A few are in cars driving from the office to the complainant’s house or back again.
I spend lots of time in custody, dealing with prisoners and their solicitors. After arresting someone I bring them into custody (if I can persuade them to come to the police station to “get this matter sorted out” I won’t have to go out in the car) and book them in.
The booking in procedure is similar to booking in luggage prior to getting onto an aeroplane, only it takes longer. After a half hour wait, I approach the sergeant and “the circumstances of his arrest are relayed.” The detention is authorised and the prisoner is asked about his general physical and mental health, he is searched and asked if he would like a solicitor and is then placed in a cell. I then go up to the office to wait for the solicitor (this takes between one and two hours).
When the solicitor arrives he inspects the custody record and then we go into a room for “disclosure”. I don’t like disclosure.
Disclosure means telling the defence solicitor certain facts about the reason for and evidence relating to his client’s arrest. Let’s say I’ve arrested SMITH for theft of a motor vehicle; the solicitor is entitled to know the nature of the evidence against his client (whether it is forensic or eyewitness) and details of the vehicle and the time and date of the offence. The solicitor will fish for other details like who the witnesses are, the seriousness of the injuries (in cases of assault) and the exact nature of the forensic evidence (whether fingerprints are found inside or outside the property).
After disclosure, the solicitor and his client go into a private consulting room within the custody area for a meeting: the solicitor will tell his client everything that I’ve told him in the disclosure and this will enable the two of them to cook up a story: “I borrowed the car”, “I didn’t know it was stolen”, ”It was self defence” or (my personal favourite) ”I went into the house to get a drink of water”.
Disclosure and subsequent consultation both serve to make the interview a waste of time (particularly in the petty cases I deal with) and I can pretty much fill out the interview summary form even before the interview has started. During the interview I sometimes deliberately summarise before the suspect has actually got to that point in his story:
“So John, you’re saying that you did hit your ex-wife but it was self defence because she threw a plate at you.”
The solicitor interrupts: “My client has not said that.”
“My apologies. John what happened?”
“I hit my ex-wife because she threw a plate at me.”
“Thank you John. So it was self defence.”
“Yes.”
I’m not saying that denying the expectation of privacy in a police station and stopping “disclosure” to solicitors would help the police in simple cases, but it would save at least an hour in time spent in custody and it would make the interviews a lot more fun.
The other day I did two interviews with offenders in custody, each interview lasted ten minutes, and I then charged them. I was there for three hours.
Streetcop said:
in a beat officers normal day?
Here's the writings of a 2005 beat bobby;
The other day I did two interviews with offenders in custody, each interview lasted ten minutes, and I then charged them. I was there for three hours.
PC Copperfield again.
Does PC Dave agree mostly with PC Streetcop, I wonder. Is this a fairly accurate picture ?
Streetcop said:
Surely what's described here is a necessary safeguard to prevent miscarriages of justice?
Remove 'prevent' and insert 'assist' and you might be in the right ball park..
Both, Street.
These came in because of miscarriages of justice, and the apparent refusal of the Police to do anything about it.
autismuk said:
Does PC Dave agree mostly with PC Streetcop, I wonder. Is this a fairly accurate picture ?
Who knows? I don't particularly agree with Pc Dave...but he's not really putting over an opinion really,is he? He's describing some circumstances, quite devoid of personal interpretation.
I just happen to recognise a lot of what he writes and the accuracy and relevance too..
Streetcop said:
Does PC Dave agree mostly with PC Streetcop, I wonder. Is this a fairly accurate picture ?
Who knows? I don't particularly agree with Pc Dave...but he's not really putting over an opinion really,is he? He's describing some circumstances, quite devoid of personal interpretation.
I just happen to recognise a lot of what he writes and the accuracy and relevance too..
Yes, I can well believe it.
I reckon it's all unnecessary. It's probably not actually difficult to come up with a system which provides security for the defendant and efficiency for the BiB.
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