Police Officers Guide A Handbook for Police Officers of England Scotland and Wales
1st Edition
Jeremy A Green
BA Hons
Foreword
Being a police officer is an extraordinary job done by extraordinary people. It is a job never that ends not for Public Holidays or Christmas day. The job requires a group of people who can work around the clock and work shifts. The variety of roles is huge and is a career and a job for life for many. You may start as a Constable and end up as a Chief Constable. You may move out of uniform into CID or into one of the specialist branches such as firearms, traffic, dogs or mounted; the opportunities are wide and varied.
A police officer has a complicated job and requires numerous skills and that is what this book is aimed at doing. By going through some of the skills required and giving an insight into what being a uniformed police officer is all about.
Thanks to Jayne Walters for her excellent training and support with this book. Graham Collington as well as being a good friend is always on hand for helpful advice and guidance, Kelly Warwick and Dave Wesson the best beat team you could work with and finally my Wife & family.
Copyright
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Police Officers Guide
Jeremy Green
Copyright 2011 by Jeremy Green
Smashwords Edition
CONTENTS
1 - UK Law Enforcement and its History
2 - Becoming A Police Officer
3 - Training
4 - On Duty
5 - Law and Offences
6 - Domestic Violence
7 - Witness Statements
8 - Scenarios
9 - Career Development
CHAPTER 1 - UK LAW ENFORCEMENT AND ITS HISTORY
Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland (administration of Police matters is not generally affected by the Government of Wales Act 2006). Geographical Police areas are arranged to match the boundaries of one or more local government areas. There are four general types of body, the first mostly concerned with policing the general public and their activities and the rest concerned with policing of other, usually localised, matters. There are 43 police forces in England and Wales formed of more than 140,500 police officers, 14,000 volunteer Special Constables and 13,400 Community Support Officers. Scotland has 16,675 police officers and Northern Ireland has 10,330 police officers.
Territorial police forces, who carry out the majority of policing. These are police forces that cover a 'Police area' (a particular region) and have an independent Police Authority. The police Act 1996, the police (Scotland) act 1967 and the police (Northern Ireland) act 2000, prescribe a number of issues such as appointment of a Chief Constable, jurisdiction and responsibilities, for police forces in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.
Special police forces, which are national Police forces that have a specific, non-regional jurisdiction, such as the British Transport Police. The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 refers to these as 'Special police forces'.
Non-Police law enforcement agencies, whose officers are not police officers, but still enforce laws.
Miscellaneous forces, mostly having their foundations in older legislation or common law. These have a responsibility to Police specific local areas or activities, such as ports and parks and before the passing of recent legislation such as the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 were often referred to as 'Special police forces'; care must therefore be taken in interpreting historical use of that phrase. These constabularies are not within the scope of the legislation applicable to the previously-mentioned organisations but can still be the subject of statutes applicable to e.g. docks, harbours or railways. Until the passing of Railways and Transport Safety act 2003, the British Transport Police was such a force.
In the United Kingdom, every person has limited powers of arrest if they see a crime being committed - these are called 'every person powers', commonly referred to as a 'citizen's arrest'. In England and Wales, the vast majority of attested constables enjoy full powers of arrest and search as granted by the police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. All police officers are "constables" in law, irrespective of rank. Although police officers have wide ranging powers, they are still civilians and subject to the same laws as members of the public. However there are certain legal restrictions on police officers such as the illegality of taking industrial action and the ban on taking part in active politics.
Territorial Police Constables
Most police officers are members of territorial police forces. Upon taking an oath for one of these forces, they have jurisdiction in one of the three distinct legal system - either England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. A police officer of one of the three legal systems has all the powers of a Constable throughout their own legal system but limited powers in the other two legal systems. Certain exceptions where full Police powers cross the border with the officer are when officers are providing planned support to another force such as the G8
Conference in Scotland in 2005, officers of the Metropolitan Police who are on protection duties anywhere in the United Kingdom and when taking a person to or from a prison.
Special Constabulary
The Special Constabulary is the part-time volunteer section of a statutory police force in the United Kingdom or Crown dependency. Its officers are known as Special Constables (all hold the office of Constable no matter what their rank) or informally as Specials, SC or SPC.
Every United Kingdom territorial police force has a Special Constabulary except the police Service of Northern Ireland, where it is called the Reserve: however, the Royal Ulster Constabulary did have its own Ulster Special Constabulary, which was disbanded in 1970. The British Transport Police also has a Special Constabulary; in the Crown dependencies, the Isle of Man Constabulary and the States of Guernsey Police Service have Special constabularies, but the States of Jersey Police does not.
The strength of the Special Constabulary in England and Wales, as at 31 March 2008, was 14,000, and currently stands at around 15,000 with about a third of these being women and over 3% ethnic minorities. There is a push to raise this number to 20,000 through extra government funding. Special constables usually work for a minimum of four hours a week, although many do considerably more. Special constables might receive some expenses and allowances from the Police service, including a "recognition award" or “Bounty” of up to £1000 in Scotland. Some forces in England have this too but the work is otherwise voluntary and unpaid.
Special constables have identical powers to their regular (full-time) colleagues and work alongside regular police officers. Most special Constabularies in England and Wales have their own organisational structure and grading system. For example, some use section Officers as opposed to Special Sergeants and the structure does vary from force to force. Special Constabularies are headed by a Commandant or Chief Officer, who are themselves Special Constables. Within Scotland, and a number of forces in England and Wales, plus the British Transport Police, Special Constables have no separate administrative structure and no grading system.
Special constables generally wear uniforms identical to that of their full-time colleagues. In some constabularies, their shoulder.
(or collar) number may be prefixed with a certain digit or they may have additional insignia on their epaulettes. This is usually a crown with the letters SC underneath it (although some forces just use the letters). Formerly, male Special Constables did not wear helmets while on foot patrol but wore patrol caps instead, but in most forces they now wear helmets of the same design as full-time officers. Some forces also issue Special Constables with a different hat badge from that of their regular counterparts although this is now extremely rare.
Historically, Special Constables were often seen as inferior and resented by regular officers, as they were sometimes seen as “hobby bobbies” and not proper police officers. During the 1980s Specials were often considered to be preventing regular officers from earning overtime pay. Today, Specials and regulars have a much closer relationship (many regular officers having started their police careers as Specials) and Specials are a supplement to any police force. Some regulars and Specials work together as a team and of course, Specials are an important part of Neighborhood Teams.
A sizeable proportion of regular officers have served as Special Constables before joining the regular force, and this is encouraged by recruitment departments. Allowing Special Constables to be paid for their work has been a contentious issue, with mixed comments from all sides. Some people think that as Specials are doing much the same job as regular officers they should be paid the same, but others think that this would attract the 'wrong' type of person (those motivated by monetary gain as opposed to those who are community minded).
This greater acceptance of Specials has led to them being found working in such areas as Public Order Units (PSU, or Police Support Unit) or Roads Policing, and some Specials have been response trained, which allows them to use blue lights and to pursue other vehicles.
NPIA
In April 2007 the policy on the Special Constabulary was transferred from the Home Office to the NPIA. The NPIA is a policing organisation acting as a central resource to the Police service, working for ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers), APA (Association of Police Authorities) and the Home Office to improve the delivery of policing. Alongside driving improvements in the Police service, it is responsible for managing critical national infrastructure and developing wider links to support the adoption of proven ideas from outside sources.
Other Constables
There are many constables who are not members of territorial police forces. The most notable are members of the three forces referred to as 'Special police forces': the British Transport Police, Ministry of Defence Police and Civil Nuclear Constabulary. These officers have the 'powers and privileges of a Constable' on land relating to their work and in matters relating to their work. BTP (British Transport Police) and MDP officers have additional jurisdiction where requested by a Constable of another force, in which case they take on that constables jurisdiction. Upon request from the chief police officer of a police force, members of one of the above three forces can be give the full powers of constables in the Police area of the requesting force. This was used to supplement Police numbers in the areas surrounding the 2005 G8 summit at Gleneagles.
There are also many acts which allow companies or councils to employ constables for a specific purpose. Firstly, there are ten companies whose employees are sworn in as constables under section 79 of the Harbours, Docks, and Piers Clauses act 1847. As a result, they have the full powers of a Constable on any land owned by the harbour, dock, or port and at any place within one mile of any owned land. Secondly, there are also some forces created by specific legislation such as the Port of Tilbury Police (Port of London act 1968), Mersey Tunnels Police (County of Merseyside act 1989) and the Epping Forest Keepers (Epping Forest act 1878).
Thirdly, under Article 18 of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government Provisional Order Confirmation (Greater London Parks and Open Spaces) act 1967, London Borough Councils are allowed to swear in council officers as constables for "securing the observance of the provisions of all enactments relating to open spaces under their control or management and of bye-laws and regulations made thereunder". These constables are not legally Police Constables and have no powers to enforce criminal law other than those afforded to every citizen.
Police Civilians
In England & Wales, the chief police officer of a territorial police force may designate any person who is employed by the Police authority maintaining that force, and is under the direction and control of that chief Police officer, as one or more of the following:
Community support officer (commonly referred to as a Police Community Support Officer), Investigating officer, Detention officer, or escort officer.
They have a range of powers given by the police Reform act 2002, and their chief police officer decides which of these powers they may use. Unlike a Police constable, a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) only has powers when on duty and in uniform, and within the area policed by their respective force.
Until 1991, most parking enforcement was carried out by Police-employed Traffic Wardens. Since the passage of the Road Traffic Act 1991, decriminalised parking enforcement has meant that most local authorities have taken on this role and now only the Metropolitan Police employs Traffic Wardens, combining the role with PCSOs as "Traffic Police Community Support Officers".
In Scotland, Police Custody and Security Officers have powers similar to those of detention officers and escort officers in England and Wales. Similar powers are available in Northern Ireland.
Persons Accredited
Chief police officers of territorial police forces (and the BTP) can also give limited powers to people not employed by the Police authority, under Community Safety Accreditation Schemes. A notable example is officers of the Vehicle and Operator services Agency, who have been given powers to stop vehicles. However, this practice has been criticised by the police Federation who described it as 'half-baked'.
Members of the Armed Forces
In Northern Ireland only, members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces have powers to stop people or vehicles, arrest and detain people for three hours and enter buildings to keep the peace or search for people who have been kidnapped. Additionally, commissioned officers may close roads. They may use reasonable force when exercising these powers.
Under the Customs Management act 1979, members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces may detain people if they believe they have committed an offence under the Customs & Excise acts, and may seize goods if they believe they are liable to forfeiture under the same acts.
Other Civilians
Many employees of local authorities have powers of entry relating to inspection of businesses, such as under the Sunday Trading act 1994 and powers to give Fixed Penalty Notices for offences such as littering, graffiti or one of the wide ranging offences in the Clean Neighborhoods and Environment act 2005. Further such powers may be given under local bylaws or local acts of Parliament. These are often street wardens or dog wardens.
When carrying out an investigation, staff of the Independent Police Complaints Commission has all the powers and privileges of constables throughout England and Wales and the territorial waters.
Employees of the Serious Organised Crime Agency can be designated with the powers of a Constable, Revenue and Customs officer and immigration officer. These designations can be unconditional or conditional: time limited or limited to a specific operation.
Employees of the UK Border Agency may be Immigration Officers and/or customs officers. They hold certain powers of arrest, detention and search.
In England & Wales, water bailiffs employed by the Environment Agency have certain powers in relation to enforcement of fishing regulations. Scottish water bailiffs have similar powers. There are also seven types of court officer - two in Scotland and five in England & Wales, commonly referred to as 'bailiffs', who can enforce court orders and in some cases arrest people.
Traffic officers are employed by the Highways Agency and maintain traffic flows on trunk roads and some bridges and tunnels. There are different types of traffic officer, and they are appointed under separate acts. They have limited powers to direct traffic and place road signs.
Wildlife inspectors have certain powers of entry and inspection in relation to wildlife and licenses relating to wildlife.
Employees of public fire and rescue services have extensive powers in the event of an emergency, and more limited ones in certain other circumstances, such as investigations into fires.
Prison officers have all the powers, authority, protection and privileges of a Constable when acting as prison officers.
Hisory of UK Police
There have always been criminals but we did not always have cops. The history of the UK police force is a varied one. Here is is a very simple timeline showing how UK forces developed.
The long arm of the law The first steps in policing the country came in 1361 with the Justice of the Peace Act. In each county, three or four men were appointed to 'arrest, take and chastise' offenders.
Revolutionary changes the industrial revolution caused a huge influx of people from the country to cities. With it came poverty, which caused a law and order crisis. Into this chaos came Henry Fielding, who formed the first paid police force, known as The Runners.
The Bow Street Runners were a small, plain-clothed force that started in 1750. They sought help from the public by publishing descriptions of criminals. By 1805, The Runners were joined by the Bow Street Horse Patrol, who helped to clear London of highwaymen. Similar to the unofficial 'thief-takers' (men who would solve petty crime for a fee), they represented a formalisation and regularisation of existing policing methods. What made them different from the thief-takers was their formal attachment to the Bow Street magistrates' office, and that they were paid by the magistrate with funds from central government. They worked out of Fielding's office and court at No. 4 Bow Street, and did not patrol but served writs and arrested offenders on the authority of the magistrates, travelling nationwide to apprehend criminals.
When Henry Fielding retired as 'court' or Chief magistrate in 1754 he was succeeded by his brother John Fielding, who had previously been his assistant for four years. Known as the "Blind Beak of Bow Street", John Fielding refined the patrol into the first truly effective police force for the capital, later adding officers mounted on horseback.
Although the force was only funded intermittently in the years that followed, it did serve as the guiding principle for the way policing was to develop over the next 80 years: Bow Street was a manifestation of the move towards increasing professionalisation and state control of street life, beginning in London.
Contrary to several popular sources, the Bow Street Runners were not nicknamed "Robin Redbreasts", this epithet being reserved for the Bow Street Horse Patrol. The Horse Patrol, organised in 1805 by Sir John Fielding's successor at Bow Street, Richard Ford, wore a distinctive scarlet waistcoat under their blue greatcoats.
Peelers and Bobbies In 1822 Sir Robert Peel entered the Cabinet as home secretary in the government of Lord Liverpool. He distinguished himself in this post through a series of penal reforms, including the reform of criminal laws and the reduction of the number of crimes that carried the death penalty. In 1829, convinced of the need for improved methods of crime prevention, Peel reorganized the Bow Street Runners into the London Metropolitan Police force, thereafter called “bobbies”, after his first name.
With the Metropolitan Police Bill of 1829. He approved a force of 95 constables, 88 sergeants and 20 inspectors. By 1856, over 200 police forces were established in England and Wales. These were the true forerunners of modern policing, as we know it.
Uniformed truncheons people hated the new Police so much that uniforms were designed to make them look like civilians. Wearing dark blue coats and a collar with their Constable's number hence the name collar number still used today. They carried truncheons and a rattle to raise the alarm. By 1864, helmets were introduced and whistles replaced rattles.
History of the Special Constabulary
The history of the Special Constable is a long and honourable one. From time immemorial, ordinary citizens have been called upon to assist the regular forces of law and order.
Traditionally, in the days before Robert Peel introduced professional policing, the Constable of a town or village swore in fellow citizens when a situation arose that he alone could not handle, such as on market days or in times of public unrest.
While the idea of the citizens or populous policing itself dates back to Anglo-Saxon times (with English common law requiring that all citizens have the legal obligation to come to the assistance of a police officer) it was not until 1673, when Charles II ruled that citizens could be temporarily sworn in as constables during times of public disorder. This ruling was in response to rising public disorder relating to the enforcement of religious conformity, and any citizen refusing to acknowledge the call would have been subject to fines and jail sentences. The 1673 act was enforced for centuries after, but mainly used to call up constables in the north of England.
Public disorder of that nature was renewed during the industrial revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries, which was coupled with falling living standards and starvation. In 1819, mass meetings calling for Parliamentary reform took place across England, including 60,000 demonstrators rioting in Manchester, where a Special Constable was killed. In light of these events, in 1820, an Act was passed allowing magistrates to recruit men as Special Constables.
The earliest legislation relating to Specials was the Special Constables Act of 1831. This officially gave the chief police officer of a district the power to appoint Special Constables on a temporary basis as a result of specific occurrences. This meant that in the 1840s during the time of the protest marches and demonstrations of the political reformers known as the Chartists, many thousands of Specials were enrolled.
During the First World War, the national emergency and the recall of many regular police officers to their regiments led Chief Constables to enrol many Specials. The Special Constables Act 1914 was passed, allowing the Chief Constable to appoint Specials even though “a tumult, riot or felony had not taken place”. The outcome of this act was to establish Specials as a permanent feature throughout the war, as opposed to being the temporary force of earlier years. An Inspector of the regular Police was in charge of each district. The superintendent of each of the regular Police Divisions was in overall command of the Specials on the division.
In addition to foot patrols, Specials also carried out a number of mounted patrols, with the officers acting as traffic Police. Where possible a full uniform with peaked cap was provided and for off duty wear an enamelled lapel badge for civilian clothing was authorised. Many men also wore a badge inscribed “On War Duty”. Normally these were issued to persons with reserved occupations. The badge could prevent the presentation of a white feather for cowardice by those misguided members of the public swept away in the patriotic fervour of the early war years.
After the war, decorated truncheons were presented to all Specials, bearing the name of the individual and the coat of arms of the city or borough that he had served. In the 1920s, the Specials were largely disbanded, although the value of their service was not forgotten and the provisions of the 1914 act were reinforced by the 1923 Special Constables Act. This confirmed the permanent nature of the Specials and allowed for the employment of them in naval, military and air force yards and stations. It also removed some restrictions on the appointment of Specials in Scotland. Also laid down at this time were regulations regarding the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses. However, Specials were enrolled again a few years later during the General Strike of 1926. While civilian volunteers manned buses and the army provided escorts for food lorries and other supplies, many thousands of Specials were required to help maintain vital services. Many volunteers received no uniform, merely an armband, and after the event decorated truncheons were presented by some towns and cities to those who had served. The next great test came during the Second World War when again the call for volunteers was answered, often by men too old for the armed services, but willing to help out on the home front. They topped up police forces depleted by the return of men to the services and stretched by extra duties such as civil defence, air raid precautions and the supervision of foreign nationals - friendly or otherwise.
After the war, the Specials remained as a permanent complement to police forces and have remained so until today. At present Special Constables attend a basic recruit training course at a training school. The training includes criminal law, first aid and traffic regulations. Some forces undertake mock court hearings and staged accidents to help to liven up training and boost the Specials’ confidence. After training they are posted to Divisions under the guide of a tutor, and are usually required to complete a professional development portfolio. Tours of duty are normally four hours a week as a minimum and, while unpaid, allowances are available and out-of-pocket expenses are reimbursed. Their uniforms and equipment are the same as those used by the regulars.
Police Vehicles
The original Police vehicles In 1858, the first police vehicle was horse drawn, later secure Police vehicles were introduced. They were called originally Black Marias; a Special area in the yard of Bow Street Police court was reserved for the loading and unloading of Marias. From horse drawn the police moved towards motor vehicles the first was used by the Flying Squad. This was a 1927 Lea Francis with the registration A 209, the registration is still in use today. This car was followed in by 1933 by a Fordson Van. Since then the police have had a variety of vehicles from Jaguar, Woolsey, Austin, Daimler, Ford, Mini, to name a few including the iconic Ford Zephyr and Rover SD1.
Today it is a mixture of Volvo V70 T5/D5, BMW 3 and 5 Series, Vauxhall Astra and Vectra, Ford Focus and Mondeo these being the more common cars used by the various police forces. But you may also see Subaru Impreza, Mitsubishi Evo, Range Rover, Land Rover Discovery, Jaguar XF and Skoda Octavia Vrs. Along with cars some police forces have a variety of motorbikes and van’s some forces have lorries as well. In 2010 the government started a list of preferred suppliers Ford being the first on the list followed by Vauxhall, Hyundai, Jaguar, and Peugeot along with some Audi, BMW and Mitsubishi cars.
Policewomen
It wasn't until 1914 that women joined the Police ranks when men were away fighting in World War I. In 1915, Edith Smith was sworn in as the first policewoman with powers of arrest. Initially women were known as WPC (Women Police Constable) and later the W was dropped so that regardless of gender all police officers are now known as PC (Police Constable).
The modern Police service is a varied, multi-layered, responsive institution working to ensure the safety of the public.
The police force is changing. These days it is not just made up of officers and staff, but is augmented by volunteer Special Constables and highly focused Community Support Officers. All three branches walk beats, work closely with the public, and fight crime in their own ways. Forces are working together more closely to share resources and reduce costs. The future may see forces join together to form “Regional” forces or the “Super” force.
CHAPTER 2 - BECOMING A POLICE OFFICER
So you want to become a police officer? How do you go about it? What does it mean?
The best place to start is what you will be expected to do and what you might find you will do being as a police officer.
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force. Police officers are generally responsible for apprehending criminals, maintaining public order, and preventing and detecting crimes. Police officers are sworn to an oath, and are granted the power to arrest and imprison suspects, along with other practices.
You can either decide to join as a full-time police officer or become a volunteer officer known as a Special Constable.
Special Constabulary Role
The Special Constabulary forms part of the neighborhood policing teams, working alongside regular police officers, PCSOs and their partners. The primary role of the Special Constabulary is specifically to provide a high visibility presence (therefore reducing the fear of crime), dealing with anti-social behaviour and gathering and acting upon community intelligence.
As a Special Constable you will be part of the neighborhood team, as part of a larger government initiative. Some Specials do all of their time with these teams whilst some do a proportion of their time with them and the rest being spent with what is known as Response or Reactive. These are the police officers who respond to 999 calls from the public which can be anything from a Road Traffic Collision (RTC) to a fight at a local pub or a theft from a shop.
Any constabulary will ensure that you are fully trained to deal with policing problems that are affecting local communities. As a Special Constable you hold the same powers as a full-time officer – powers throughout the whole of England and Wales.
How to Become a Special Constable
To be eligible you must meet the following basic criteria:
You must be a national of a country within the Eur opean Economic Area or, if a national of a country outside the EEA, have the right to reside in this country without restrictions.
You must be 18 years of age or over.
You cannot be working in an occupation that would conflict with your duties as a Special Constable. Some of these occupations include: Traffic Warden, Security, Licencee, private detective, and magistrate. Anything that may bring you into conflict with your role as a police officer is worth checking. Contact your local force for their list if you feel you current job may be an issue.
If you meet the criteria you can either contact the local force directly, or speak to the Specials recruitment officer. Many constabularies have downloadable application forms and information on their website. You can simply fill out the form, print and post or email it to the recruitment section of the force you are applying to.
As a Special, most forces will expect you to be willing to undertake duty time to the equivalent of a minimum of four hours per week, which is the standard minimum. You must be willing to undertake an initial training course and attend regular training at your chosen division or station, in order to maintain your skills.
As a serving Special Constable you will personally benefit from:
New experiences – you can expect to enjoy much of the variety that comes along with Police work.
New people – you will be working as one of a team and the experiences you share in working closely together can lead to lasting friendships. You will learn more about life and human nature than most people will ever see.
New skills – you will learn new skills and develop existing ones, such as problem solving, negotiating, decision-making, coping with pressure, communications and inter-personal skills. These skills will help you not only as a Special, but also in your daily life, as well as in your current workplace. This will be supported by the force’s appraisal system.
Most forces will pay your travelling expenses from home/work to your Police station and also offer a boot allowance of £50-70 or more. Some forces are now running bounty schemes for the completion of set hours or objectives. An example is a £500 tax deductible bounty for doing 300 or more duty hours in a year.
Full-time Regular Officer
Full-time officers do pretty much the same roles and duties as Special Constables although the options open to them during their career are wider and more varied. All police officers start as Police Constables regardless of age and experience. Then after their probationary period they can apply to join the very varied
Traffic Police, Armed response or a Beat Manager are open to those that want to stay in uniform you may want to become a detective and move into CID. Other highly sought after roles such as dog handler, mounted or air support.
Some police officers may be trained in special duties such as; counter-terrorism, surveillance, child protection, VIP protection, and investigation techniques into major crime, such as fraud, rape, murder or drug trafficking.
Being a police officer is a 24 hour 7 days a week 365 days a year job. That is broken down into shift work an example of a typical set of shifts might be:
2 days 7 till 4pm
2 days 3 till 12am
2 days 10pm till 7am
Followed by 4 days off.
As can be seen you work at all hours of the day and night at weekends, even Christmas day. The shifts can be difficult to get used to and your first night shift can feel like the longest night ever.
A local police force will deal with emergencies and non-emergencies within certain agreed times and if you’ve been a victim of crime, they will agree with you how often and for how long you will be kept informed of progress on your case.
All police forces across the whole of the England and Wales have signed up to provide the same level of service to their communities. This means that it will be easier for the public to have their say on how they Police the local area, and guarantees that wherever they live, they can expect the same, high level of service.
Wherever anybody lives, they can get the following information by searching for their neighborhood policing team on their force website:
Contact details of the Neighborhood Policing Team
Details of the next Neighborhood Policing meeting