Staffing is a huge issue where I work. I have no doubt it is elsewhere as well, but up north, here in bonny Scotland, i can be a bigger pain in the rear at times.
When, as is sometimes the case, I am single crewed, there's precious little I can do with regard to interviewing, arresting or detaining and charging.
What I'd like to do at times like these is get out in the car, be proactive and get some traffic cases under my belt. I genuinely enjoy roads policing, and so it's a source of great frustration to me that I can't issue FPNs and deal with offences without corroboration. It's a bigger pain that in England and Wales cops can.
It's the same legislation - Construction and Use and RTA 1988 generally, but has to be applied differently up here.
I feel hamstrung by this, and this the Scottish Executive ought to look at it. by removing the necessity for corroboration with regard to Road Traffic Offences, and applying the legislation as it is further south, I believe a huge amount of man hours could be placed proactively back on the streets, without the need to fund one additional, new cop.
Just a thought, chaps.
Thursday 28 February 2008
Tuesday 26 February 2008
This year, I will blog more.
It's been a while, for various reasons, study, and just hard work still at work. With a bit of luck I'll update here more frequently now.
I've been reading a number of job related blogs, including the ubiquitous Gadget, who speaks sense in bucket load quantities, Bloggs and Copperfield. Those, plus the forums I occasionally inhabit all speak of the trials and tribulations of chasing sanctioned detections at every opportunity, alienating the public and trying to keep the bosses smiling.
It's maybe a wee bittie better up north of the border where it appears that discretion when dealing with some offences is still an option, but do I think this will last. I don't know. We are becoming more accountable to statisticians and accountants than before, yet they haven't managed to find a way yet to quantify that more cops on the street reduces both the fear of, and likelihood of crime occurring.
It seems to be that it's only worth considering if it's measurable. Not convinced on that one.
Rant over - back soon.
I've been reading a number of job related blogs, including the ubiquitous Gadget, who speaks sense in bucket load quantities, Bloggs and Copperfield. Those, plus the forums I occasionally inhabit all speak of the trials and tribulations of chasing sanctioned detections at every opportunity, alienating the public and trying to keep the bosses smiling.
It's maybe a wee bittie better up north of the border where it appears that discretion when dealing with some offences is still an option, but do I think this will last. I don't know. We are becoming more accountable to statisticians and accountants than before, yet they haven't managed to find a way yet to quantify that more cops on the street reduces both the fear of, and likelihood of crime occurring.
It seems to be that it's only worth considering if it's measurable. Not convinced on that one.
Rant over - back soon.
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