Could you be a Copper?

Daughters just started at 19 in cleveland police, i failed(miserably) an intervue for the police at 18, retired in 21 after 30 years in the fire brigade loved every minute of my time, hope shes made the right decision
 
From the Gazette - It's almost time to go behind the scenes at Middlesbrough Police Station with Channel 5's Inside the Force.

The 12-part series - which starts tonight (Monday, February 26) - is set to follow Cleveland Police officers from all over the force, whether it's over-stretched response officers or detectives and dispatchers in the control room. The series promises to take an "unflinching look at the realities of modern-day policing."

In episode one, the action picks up when a mum frantically calls 999 saying her 15-year-old daughter had been stabbed while walking home from school. Viewers will be able to follow the incident from the moment the initial call is received to the arrest of a 23-year-old and the lead-up to the trial.
 
Did it for 2 and a half years as a 22 year old in 2002 - 2004.

It's varied, challenging and eye opening. An incredible experience thats probably stood me in good stead ever since.

It's also very stressful, tiring, frustrating and boring at times. Most night shifts (bar weekends) are a slog. You're understaffed, underpaid and you come across some awful situations.

I was too young at the time, had no real world experience.

In my opinion it's a "vocation" rather than a career. You're never really "off duty", it's long hours, lots of weekends, nights and the expectation is you will put your hand up for overtime on a regular basis. Shifts often don't finish on time as you'll see something or something will kick off (to quote one of my old colleagues "the b***ds know when we're due to finish").

I think you have to love the job to stick with it and it becomes your identity to an extent. That works for some, but not others.

I'm pretty happy doing a far more boring job, but am home every night, get weekends off and I get paid more. But I don't regret the experience.
 
festa5 said:
Did it for 2 and a half years as a 22 year old in 2002 - 2004.

It's varied, challenging and eye opening. An incredible experience thats probably stood me in good stead ever since.

It's also very stressful, tiring, frustrating and boring at times. Most night shifts (bar weekends) are a slog. You're understaffed, underpaid and you come across some awful situations.

I was too young at the time, had no real world experience.

In my opinion it's a "vocation" rather than a career. You're never really "off duty", it's long hours, lots of weekends, nights and the expectation is you will put your hand up for overtime on a regular basis. Shifts often don't finish on time as you'll see something or something will kick off (to quote one of my old colleagues "the b***ds know when we're due to finish").

I think you have to love the job to stick with it and it becomes your identity to an extent. That works for some, but not others.

I'm pretty happy doing a far more boring job, but am home every night, get weekends off and I get paid more. But I don't regret the experience.
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Would you say the entry age should be raised?
 
Norman_Conquest said:
Would you say the entry age should be raised?
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There's a case for it I'd say. Although some 20 year olds are old beyond their years and probably cope pretty well 🤷

One of the biggest problems at that age is having the confidence to stand up to older colleagues or superiors. I never experienced anything illegal, but there are different ways of doing things and, although it was rare, there were times I wasn't always comfortable at how things were done.

Not surprised at some of the stuff coming out the met. Think they recruit a lot of youngsters who I suspect end up just going along with some of the toxic culture.
 
No, looks like far more trouble than it's worth.

Maybe after a couple of promotions when you are far away from front line policing it might be alright but there are far easier jobs available I tjonk

Fair play to any police officers out there.
 
festa5 said:
There's a case for it I'd say. Although some 20 year olds are old beyond their years and probably cope pretty well 🤷

One of the biggest problems at that age is having the confidence to stand up to older colleagues or superiors. I never experienced anything illegal, but there are different ways of doing things and, although it was rare, there were times I wasn't always comfortable at how things were done.

Not surprised at some of the stuff coming out the met. Think they recruit a lot of youngsters who I suspect end up just going along with some of the toxic culture.
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I would say a lot of that applies to most jobs that young people go into.
 
I did it for 30 years, man and boy so to speak, enjoyed most of it but also found that the further up the rank structure you go the more cut throat people are, to the point it becomes all about their careers, to the detriment of what policing is fundamentally about.

The lads and lasses on the front line by in large do an incredible job and the selfless commitment at times was very humbling.

Add far as Cleveland Police is concerned,I think the leadership lost it's way some time ago and needs a huge culture change.
 
I did for 30 years in Thames Valley Police. Interesting and varied career. Made many life long friends, others, I wouldn’t cross the road to say hello to!
Never in a million years did I imagine as a teenager, I would join the police but enjoyed the vast majority of my service.
 
Got a nephew in and a few ex-Forces mates on the beat. Met one a few years ago, he looked a right mess, hair was lank and as scruffy as fook. Said mate look at the state of you, he just winked and said drugs squad. Closest I got was working in the big house for 5 years.
 
Norfolkred1 said:
Got a nephew in and a few ex-Forces mates on the beat. Met one a few years ago, he looked a right mess, hair was lank and as scruffy as fook. Said mate look at the state of you, he just winked and said drugs squad. Closest I got was working in the big house for 5 years.
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I used to worked in a police station a few years ago. The undercover ones stood out a mile. There would be 50 people with very sensible haircuts and one who looked like Neil out of the young ones.
 
Not a chance. I've known a few coppers and they have to deal with stuff that I wouldn't want to, all the time. It's no wonder so many of the ones I know end up jaded and with a very poor view of people.
 
HarryVegas said:
Not a chance. I've known a few coppers and they have to deal with stuff that I wouldn't want to, all the time. It's no wonder so many of the ones I know end up jaded and with a very poor view of people.
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That's my mate Mike, exactly. He doesn't trust anyone these days, not even me and we've been best friends since nursery school.
 
There’s elements of being a police officer that really do appeal to me, like bringing scumbags to justice. But it’s well known they’re understaffed and underpaid. Traffic policing would be my choice, but know the downside would be serious road incidents. A member of the fire brigade delivered first aid training and the examples they gave were heartbreaking.

I watch police documentaries on TV and it seems they do a heck of a lot of mental health and social work.

I did start to retrain as a health inspector because I wanted to shut crappy takeaways down, but midway through the degree a H&S opportunity came up. I think if I had my time again I’d do health sciences as soon as I left school, apparently a national shortage in this discipline.
 
Sheriff_John_Bunnell_ret said:
I used to worked in a police station a few years ago. The undercover ones stood out a mile. There would be 50 people with very sensible haircuts and one who looked like Neil out of the young ones.
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I hadn't seen him for a few years and it was in a shop, thought he had gone off the rails, he was always a good actor.
 
Sir Robert Mark, when brought in to clean up the Met, remarked "A good police force is one that catches more crooks than it employs." I'm not confident that Cleveland always passes this test in the most senior ranks.
 
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I can form an opinion on people quite quickly with very little to base it on.

So probably not!

Then again I’m right a lot more than I’m wrong.
 
Who would want to be or want their son or daughter to be a copper in Middlesborough after watching that tonight. Every cell full of people off their face on God knows what - violent angry with no hope or rehabilitation and rinse and repeat every day. What a God awful depressed and deprived lost and broken hopeless society we have created. There is some comfort in being ignorant of what on earth is going on right under our noses but if things don’t change we won’t be able to ignore it for much longer.
 
Nope, not in a million years.

Some of the things they have to do / see work on must be soul shrivelling and they have my support for their effort, I also lived in some pubs that were mental at times and when it kicked off and they sent help I was grateful my parents survived the hellstorm.

But, some of them are vindictive a$$holes and I've been on the end of a couple of kickings for no reason than they could get away with it and they knew it. Yes I was a lippy git but the response was overkill.
 
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