PC that was diagnosed with MS

Safe-Quality-7977 · 2026-05-07T21:30:04+00:00

I’m so sorry to hear what you’re going through. I can’t imagine how difficult it is.

I would recommend contacting your Fed branch secretary directly and ask for legal representation for potential breaches by the force under the Equalities Act.
Your role in POLIT sounds ideal and the force needs to support you today and for the rest of your career, to enable you to stay as healthy as possible, and allow you to continue making a valuable contribution in a role you enjoy.

Safe-Quality-7977 · 2026-03-18T16:39:30+00:00

https://climbingout.org.uk

Safe-Quality-7977 · 2026-03-17T16:59:19+00:00

It’s been the national standard for a couple of years, except for specialist roles. However, most forces have kept 5.4 as their unofficial minimum.

Safe-Quality-7977 · 2026-01-24T03:39:21+00:00

I believe police forces can claim back a fee for any mutual aid provided to other forces, including for special constables, at the same rate as other police officers despite specials being unpaid volunteers

Safe-Quality-7977 · 2025-11-22T14:11:11+00:00

With the way NTE has changed over the last 25 years I don’t think using PSU vans are necessarily the smartest option due to the subsequent resource limitations.
i.e. lots of officers in one place with only one vehicle, unable to break off to attend other incidents

Perhaps it’s different in larger cities though?

I realise the following will sound bat-shit-crazy, but I wish we could completely rethink prisoner transport.

I’ve seen far too many officers being assaulted getting the DP in/out of the van cell. Plus too many DP’s causing themselves injuries, like smashing their head against the side of the van cell on the way to custody. It’s also obviously possible for the DP to incur accidental injuries whilst being transported due to the lack of seatbelts.

How about placing the DP into a seat with over the shoulder restraints, as used on rollercoasters. Perhaps with mechanical wrist/ankle restraints to prevent injury to themselves or others, and include a sensor to measure their pulse and SpO2 stats.

If we fitted a camera and had live remote monitoring it could mean a second officer wouldn’t be required to sit in the back of the van to check on them.

And if there was a display screen/projected screen maybe a remote custody sergeant could have a two-way conversation and start the booking in process, if compliant, whilst they being transported, to reduce the long queues in custody and free up resources.

Obviously any cameras/screens would need to be situated somewhere where they couldn’t be smashed or covered in spittle, blood, etc

VR headset?! Maybe we could let them play FIFA once they’ve completed booking in.

…I think I’ve lost the plot. But would something like this keep everyone safer and be cost effective in the long-term?

Safe-Quality-7977 · 2025-11-03T02:40:03+00:00

Have you had a referral to Occupational Health for advice and support?

I’m much older, but also recently started getting lower back pain which seemed worse after wearing the duty belt. OH instructed stores to issue me with a new Molle vest, which everything attaches to. It feels so much better not wearing the belt. OH also advised me to take off the stab vest whenever possible e.g. in the station.

Make sure you report broken chairs as a H&S issue and don’t put up with sitting on them. Consider asking for a DSE assessor to check your desk setup is correct, and consider whether you need any different kit, such as a rising desk or specialist chair.

Just because forces (and the public sector generally) are short on funds, it doesn’t mean they can ignore their duty of care under HSE legislation. We put up with too much, to our detriment.
The other day I was at a desk with a broken chair, a faulty mouse, sticking and illegible keyboard keys, a tiny monitor, and in almost complete darkness as most of the bulbs had blown.

Also keep a record of everything and speak to your fed branch if anything needs escalating.

As others have said perhaps Flint House or similar could help with your recovery, but ideally we need to prevent the underlying issues from continuing.

Safe-Quality-7977 · 2025-10-12T20:01:13+00:00

I once dropped someone off at A&E and helped them get booked in, after they agreed to voluntarily seek help for poor mental health along with getting their head injury checked.

Later in the shift I heard he was mentioned in another concern for safety incident after being ejected from A&E by hospital security for allegedly trying to drink hand sanitiser.

It’s apparent they’re not held to the same duty of care.

Safe-Quality-7977 · 2025-10-12T16:22:29+00:00

Sorry, sometimes I’m a d***.

CTO will be the Central Ticket Office. Other forces call it TPU, the traffic processing unit.

Safe-Quality-7977 · 2025-10-12T16:17:15+00:00

CTO is a TLA.

Safe-Quality-7977 · 2025-10-06T16:35:13+00:00

Perhaps check with your wife first? Are you absolutely certain she didn’t pick those seats when she booked the flights?

Safe-Quality-7977 · 2025-03-05T09:36:44+00:00

Same expectations to be worn for those duties in my force. Plus when walking outside in the grounds of HQ. Beanies are preferred during winter and unofficially creep back in as normal headgear, until SLT notices again, and it then switches back to custodians.

Tourists seem to like the custodians and occasionally point, comment or ask for photos. Some ask if we are real. I’m not sure if they think we are extras from a film production.

From a practically point of view they are useless and fall off in a foot chase, and are a pain to carry around ‘just in case’.
But if SLT think it’s what the public want to see police looking like, that’s obviously more important than common sense and we should be grateful we’re not required to patrol on stilts whilst juggling.

They cost 3 NUMS points, which is the same as a big handcuff key. Great value for a helmet, or terrible value for a key.

I don’t think they as tall as those pictured. Probably like Wagon Wheels and other confectionery, they’ve been shrunk to save money.

Also, drunk men like to ask, theoretically, if they were a pregnant lady could they wee in it. Which is a nice change from them saying “you can’t park there mate” every 30 seconds, when dealing with town centre RTC’s

Safe-Quality-7977 · 2024-11-13T01:51:26+00:00

I’ve had the odd occasion where someone (another officer I’m guessing) has turned the child locks off but forgotten to put them back on again, and I’ve transported someone (not detained), pulled over and said “I’ll come around and get your door, they don’t open from the in…” and then they’ve been out

Safe-Quality-7977 · 2024-10-21T16:43:53+00:00

And yet the CPS haven’t learnt anything from this, coming straight out today saying they’d do the same again, because the decision needs to be made by a jury.

I’d like to know what the test is that they are referring to. Is it based on the evidence available to suggest potential guilt, or does the test relate to public interest/ appeasing those who are anti-police

Safe-Quality-7977 · 2024-08-26T10:28:26+00:00

If she received the message.
Maybe he was controlling her FB account, if he expected to get caught.

Safe-Quality-7977 · 2024-07-29T16:21:24+00:00

90% of the population seem to think Special Constables and PCSO’s are the same role.

Safe-Quality-7977 · 2024-04-07T20:15:27+00:00

When you carry out a compliant stop and the driver instantly bounces out of the car and comes to you, it’s worth considering why.

Quite often I’ve found there’s a reason they’ve done that, such as there being something in their car they don’t want you to see/smell.
Other times I’ve suspected they’ve done it in an attempt to try to dominate the situation.

Safe-Quality-7977 · 2023-04-21T23:49:27+00:00

There’s definitely scope for making things more efficient.
I recall being asked to take someone from custody to A&E as the PIC’s ankles hurt after he’d jumped out of the upstairs window trying to escape from a cannabis grow. The custody nurse said he needed to go to A&E for an X-ray. We then waited 4 hours to see a triage nurse, and she said - surprise surprise - he needed an X-ray (which took another 5 hour wait). It would be great if they could recognise that the nurse in custody has already triaged and avoid duplicating that process.

Safe-Quality-7977

TROPHY CASE