In 2002 this fifty square mile area of parts of the Borough of Walsall in the West Midlands was policed by nearly four hundred police officers and police staff and nearly one hundred Special Constables working from four local police stations. How many are there now as Forces face ever increasing

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A second year of crime-fighting

operational demands and financial constraints? Policing tends to move in cycles and I share the hope of many that police numbers will rise again to the levels that will provide the public with a more effective level of service.

The manner in which police forces communicate has changed dramatically over the years and the use of a whistle and the days of the ‘Pye’ radios when officers carried a  separate  transmitter and a receiver are long gone. (picture courtesy of retired Superintendent Tony Thompson British Transport Police) who were forerunners in the use of multi-channel radios). Historically however the service has always been somewhat fragmented in terms of its approach to information technology as separate Forces pursued their own preferred options. What is the state of ‘joined up thinking’ today as Forces struggle to work within their constrained

budgets?

Mike and Steve will be at Broadway Tower signing copies on ‘Top Secret Worcestershire’, between 10am & 2pm on Saturday, February 2nd. The Tower is a very interesting place to visit – (see the website http://www.Broadwaytower.co.uk), and there are good walks to and from Broadway village and from the tower itself. Why not make a day of it and come and meet us. Looking forward to meeting more of our lovely readers!

Historically the bed-rock of British policing was based on the principle that you joined as a constable and after successfully completing two years probation went on to diversify in the service whether that be within a specialist field, promotion or both. There was a time for learning ‘street craft’, making mistakes, gaining professional skills and learning how to survive in moments of confrontation. It was all about understanding what made the police service tick in terms of culture, ‘can do’ and resilience and what made individuals place themselves in harms way to protect the public. Learning the ‘heart-beat’ of any organisation is rarely found in a manual of guidance. More recently several Forces are looking to recruit direct entrant Inspectors and Superintendents who have previous management experience. Clearly there are examples where this approach has worked successfully but is it the right time to adopt this approach in the UK Police Service. In my humble opinion whilst the service needs good managers what it desperately needs is leaders who know how to ‘press the right buttons’ to successfully lead with ever shrinking operational resources, based on first hand experience,

combined with a strategic understanding as to how to challenge the present Government thinking that providing additional policing powers rises above the need to have sufficient staff to use them.

Today’s offering from ‘One In For D & D’ is ‘Hobby Bobby’.  This used to be a less than affectionate term used by ‘regular’ officers for Special Constables. Decades ago volunteer Special Constables were not always treated with the respect that they deserved. Nowadays that has changed dramatically as the Special Constabulary throughout the UK has become increasingly professionalized to the point where Specials training has reinforced their roles as being an essential part of today’s policing effort. With 25,000 less regular officers in the UK the work of Special Constables serving in various roles has never been more necessary. The picture is of H2 OCU Special Constabulary at Bloxwich circa

2002 – a great bunch of committed individuals who served the local communities well.

Today’s slang word from ‘One In For D & D’ is ‘The Dream Factory’. Traditionally operational officers have an ‘interesting perspective’ about their colleagues who work in Headquarters functions. This is the place where officers believe that senior officers ‘float around in the clouds’ dreaming up new schemes. The perception, whether true or not, is that some ideas originate from other peoples thoughts which are then  re-badged and re-invented on the basis of ‘what comes around goes around’. This is all part of police culture where pessimism is always balanced with ‘can do’ attitudes. So whats changed? – probably not that much.

Rapid entry techniques to premises have advanced over the years but the origins of the phrase ‘Nigel’ can be found in our little book ‘One In For D & D’. Just what is ‘Nigel’? There is a clue in the picture – courtesy of the ‘Express & Star’.

Today’s offering from our little book ‘One In For D & D’ is the phrase ‘turning someone or something over’ which means searching someone or a thing such as an address. Decades ago pick-axe handles, lump hammers or even a strong shoulder or a ‘peg’ (truncheon) were the favoured implements used to force open doors and windows. Nowadays to cope with reinforced and double-glazed doors more sophisticated equipment is used to to gain a fast entrance used by trained officers wearing protective equipment to shouts of ‘Police-Police’ as they enter. We now also live in the days of documented risk assessments and arguably increased bureaucracy. (Picture courtesy of the Walsall Express & Star)

Today’s phrase from ‘One In For D & D’ is the phrase ‘trot on’ which was a command given to police horses during public order training. Many a public order officer on foot in the centre of a cordon has been terrified as the horses broke into a canter before the PSU commander shouted ‘break’ to allow the horses through the cordon. The place to be was on the end of the lines. This term was also used to encourage people causing trouble to ‘go away’ – those failing to do generally found themselves spending a few hours in a cell! Unfortunately West Midlands Police no longer has a mounted section. (picture courtesy of Deb Menzel)

Historically prisoners when arrested were conveyed in ordinary police cars. The experienced officer always advised putting the prisoner in the rear nearside passenger seat with an officer sat next to them to minimise the potential for them to throttle the police driver from behind. Those who didn’t heed this advice sometimes found themselves battling to keep control of the vehicle whilst being attacked! Nowadays many prisoners are conveyed in specially adapted caged vehicles (picture courtesy of BTP media). Today’s offering from ‘One In For D & D’ refers to the slang word for a prisoner which used to be a ‘body‘ and is now more commonly referred to as a ‘PIC’ – Person In Custody.