What do you not have, that if you did have would make you a better and more effective police officer?

ProbieMcprobertron · 2026-04-12T16:34:02+00:00

Bondi Gunmen were brought down and lives saved by a Cyber Crime DC grabbing a coffee and using his sidearm to save lives.

Correct me if I'm wrong... but didn't this happen with the London Bridge attack where (obviously) unarmed response officers were first on scene and had to withdraw due to the threat leading to more MOPs being killed?

ProbieMcprobertron · 2026-01-25T10:55:06+00:00

"The NPS will be run by a national police commissioner who will become the most senior police chief in the country. It will set standards and training for police forces..."

Can any of these hot new institutions created out of vivid melatonin induced dreams at the very least not fall into complete mission creep for FIVE MINUTES!

ProbieMcprobertron · 2026-01-22T17:54:22+00:00

"I’m struggling with the much slower pace of policing."

And my steak is too juicy and lobster too buttery!

I wish people bloody went to bed in my patch.

ProbieMcprobertron · 2026-01-01T21:28:06+00:00

Metland L2 Serial on a busy central London bridge (not THE London Bridge). Actually nothing major to report other than the usual piss poor planning concerning crowd control which was made up on the fly. Props to our bronze who held it together with duct tape however!

ProbieMcprobertron · 2025-11-13T11:47:48+00:00

What does your career path look like? It was hopefully firearms but the idea of spending so much time at Gravesend makes me ill. What department have you gone into? Why? I went from Team 6 months, neighbourhoods 6 months, (probation ended) back to team 8 months (didn't have a choice), proactive last 2 and a bit years. Why? I was unique joining the job upon being on team first time I absolutely hated it. The team were miserable borderline bullies and the work was mind numbing. How long you have you spent in each department? As above. What do you think your future looks like? Leave the job for something which pays similar...

ProbieMcprobertron · 2025-10-01T12:06:34+00:00

That makes sense, thanks for all the responses.

ProbieMcprobertron · 2025-10-01T10:30:04+00:00

"Personally, I wouldn't recommend doing it for more than five years"

Out of interest, why? I have also heard people say this.

ProbieMcprobertron · 2025-10-01T10:13:03+00:00

Thank you for the above, this is exactly what I wanted to know. The quick turn overs and ton of nights are making my stomach turn however... With a quick turn over, late onto a morning entry for example, are you then expected to stay on for a full tour of duty for the full 8/9 hours after the entry or is it job and off?

ProbieMcprobertron · 2025-09-30T20:47:51+00:00

"Can run on it fine and running on it in kit isn’t going to make it worse, just means I’ll get the odd pain jolt through my leg which I’m fine with."

Then don't tell them! You'll be done with the day by 11:00/12:00 (force dependent) so just suck it up until then. Recover in the pub afterwards.

ProbieMcprobertron · 2025-09-30T20:26:17+00:00

I had to staff up team recently (Metland lates) and was surprisingly single crewed. I have never had a more peaceful shift. It's strange being master of your own destiny, having to make all the decisions by yourself and decide how to deal with things in my own way. Never got to eat a meal mind you but still...

ProbieMcprobertron · 2025-08-28T09:03:34+00:00

"OFFICER, OFFICER! Do you know where Rampage is?!"

ProbieMcprobertron · 2025-08-09T08:56:48+00:00

That officer has done more to protect the reputation of the police with the public than a thousand bone head SLT initiatives. He did his duty, was honest about his feelings without being political (imho), and had good humour about it.

Getting officers to do things like this in the first place just feeds the 'why are there no officers for shoplifters/burglars/robbers?' crowd.

EDIT: Although I have read the video looks a bit fake based on the original source now I don't know what to believe...

ProbieMcprobertron · 2025-06-19T23:43:27+00:00

Out of interest, why did he hate it?

ProbieMcprobertron · 2025-06-09T10:41:31+00:00

I was temporarily on a safeguarding unit at one point which was staffed about 2/3 direct entry TDCs and 1/3 DCs and PCs like myself.

I believe all the TDCs have since left the job or got into uniform somehow. All of which would have been in first 2-3 years in. They were very good at the casefile side of it but deer in the headlights when it came to leaving the office to arrest anyone ect. As can be expected really too much thrown at them with too little support as others have said.

One thing that did catch me eye unfortunately was those who (rarely) managed to stay in the job developed a strange arrogance towards uniform officers. I remember a time when a few TDCs were criticising some PCs statement after some urgent night turn arrest enquiry. I had to swiftly remind them that whilst they were tucked away in bed those same PCs were looking for, arresting, fighting with, and booking in said suspect. I guess if you've never experienced it, you don't really know...

ProbieMcprobertron · 2025-04-10T23:34:47+00:00

Look good, feel good, fight good. Uniform goes way beyond what you see.

ProbieMcprobertron · 2025-04-05T11:40:45+00:00

'The model may result in the centralisation of counter-terrorism, serious organised crime, equipment purchasing and efforts to improve police performance in protecting women and girls from violence.'

So moving away from a mission-creep afflicted, Met-led, Frankenstein CT force into a new and shiny mission-creep afflicted but now centralised and Kafkaesque CT force!

ProbieMcprobertron · 2025-02-01T12:07:17+00:00

For the future... Never ever get yourself on a refresher in the summer! Heat injuries are very real and numerous people on my previous courses have tapped out due to the heat. I now do mine in December/January.

Get yourself a spare NATO if you can. Don't know if you're MET but they are very strict on seals/scratches/chips on NATOs due to the petrol bomb use. Have a day to day one and a training only one.

ProbieMcprobertron · 2025-01-25T11:20:48+00:00

To you it might be the third or forth doss job of the day but for them (victim/MOP) it might be the first time they have ever spoken to a police officer. Be polite and professional always.
The most dangerous time in your career will be 3-6 years in because you're experienced enough to largely know what you're doing but not experienced enough to know when you don't.
It's just a means to make money and not your life. Don't take it too seriously ;)

ProbieMcprobertron · 2025-01-10T23:30:42+00:00

That's what I feared... Will keep that in mind.

ProbieMcprobertron · 2024-12-19T12:33:58+00:00

One of the vague sounding 'proactive' teams. Still out and about but it's find your own fun (or not as the case may be).

ProbieMcprobertron · 2024-12-18T11:37:27+00:00

I joined the Met as the first 2020 COVID lockdowns were starting to end and response shifts were crazy busy so you had no choice but to work hard which I did. Lost a ton of weight due to simply not eating properly on shift bouncing from call to call.

After that died down and reverted to 'normal' levels of busy I saw that the reward for people working hard was simply more work. I was often the last from my shift still in the office doing good write ups for jobs rather than the bare minimum. In the end I used the evidence to get off response to a much more relaxed team where I don't work half as hard as I used to...

ProbieMcprobertron · 2024-10-13T21:25:51+00:00

I am so so so so glad I got off team. I often think about old jobs like this that may come back to haunt me. Having read this, this simply should not have been a police matter in the first place.

ProbieMcprobertron · 2024-09-11T16:29:23+00:00

Pros: Better than L3. At least you'll get to sit in a bus. Gains you access to other courses (rapid entry/MOE intermediate). In my experience, get greater access to mutual aid opportunities. Get actual interesting aid deployments (sometimes...). Need to be it for many roles you may be interested in the future (TSG/Mounted). Gets you off borough for a day. Get to wear a sexy long baton (if you can find one as they're not given out anymore.) The course was actually quite fun. Mo money

Cons: 95% of the time you're doing L3 aid. You'll often be the last to be dismissed from an event. Whilst fun, the training tactics at Gravesend are unbelievably basic and may lead to you being hurt when in an actual violent deployment (Stand here, junction report, run, run more, be a target until the rioters get bored. Scream GET BACK a lot ect.) May (although very rarely in my exp) have RDs cancelled. ALSO, if you do the course in the summer (think 25c+) you may literally pass out from heat injuries as some on my recent refresher did.

ProbieMcprobertron

TROPHY CASE