I will accept that my negative views of the police somewhat influenced my previous post on this subject, so I will have another attempt here.
It is clear to most, (or at least I would hope it's clear, senior police officers and politicians maybe too far detached) that large swathes of the decent, law-abiding public no longer have any faith or trust in the police. A lot of people, who not so long ago saw the police as on their side, and were reassured with the sight of the police, now view them with suspicion and even fear.
However, I accept that there are individual police officers who do not like the present situation, and they can't change it on their own. So, decent officers, if you would like to change things for the better, what would you like from the public to help you?
Note: when I say public I do not mean the genuine scum, I mean the good guys, hard-working, tax-paying, law-abiding, frustrated majority. (Is there a phrase available to describe such a group?)
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ReplyDeleteOK - here are my thoughts - as a member of the public...
* Realise that there are ways to pass intelligence to the police that do not require you to disclose your identity - Crimestoppers for instance... Even if you're not prepared to go on record, the intelligence can be useful...
* Don't abuse officers - it's not big, not clever, and doesn't achieve anything. If you are civil with officers, you have every right to be treated with civility in return. If not, you're only going to either antagnise the police if you are a suspect, or disincentivise them from doing anything if you are making a complaint.
*When the police tell you that your kids are a problem, whilst you shouldn't automatically accept everything you're told, don't just dismiss it either. Maybe they have something?
*On a similar note, realise it's YOUR job to raise your kids - not the police, and not society's.
Now come on - any officers want to make a suggestion?
Martin
Please realise - if you are not prepared to go to court, then in most cases we cannot prosecute. Its not our fault. Its the law.
ReplyDeleteAlso bear in mind that if you haven't seen who committed the crime then just because you have a dispute with someone and are "sure" they did it doesn't mean we can just lock them up and put them before the courts. Its as frustrating to us as it is to you.
Please remember I am a human being and being a police officer is a job. Don't treat me as a "uniform" because of your prejudices/bad experiences. I try to treat everyone with the same courtesy and politeness (at least initially) - is it too much to expect the same from those I deal with?
Please also bear in mind that I have no crystal ball and I do not know you. I cannot tell whether you are an innocent member of the public or the world's biggest gangster. The fact that you tell me you are innocent/tax-payer/not involved is unfortunately not enough, and you may have to wait while I sort out the situation.
If you see me wrestling on the ground with someone in a public street please help me. I might not have had time to call in my location.
(Thanks off duty bouncer ;-))
That's a good point you made about going to court - while anyone should be able to use the police to intervene in an emergency, it's time people realised that if you expect the police to act, then you ought to back them up - not by unconditional support, but by doing your duty. If the copper has grabbed hold of the scroat who robbed / assaulted you, then do your job and turn up in court.
ReplyDeleteYou make another good point about prejudice, and it's true - people do feel a certain prejudice with the police these days. I certainly do, and I'm the sort of professional law abiding person the police wouldn't have a problem with...
Getting over the prejudice is a two way thing though - we as members of the public need to learn to give every officer a fair ride on first meeting - and every officer needs to bear in mind that this prejudice was born of the shoddy standards that some officers were allowed to project. And they *were* allowed - we never seem to hear the police critisiing the police, even when clearly deserved.
As the the final point, yes, people should come to the aid of an officer in need of help - but I can also understand why some people would hesitate - Rolling around on the floor is not a good position to be in when the copper's mates turn up - it's easy to see how you could get hurt that way... Still, help the officer - but ask for a hug at the first wail of a siren!