leonard nipper read dies aged 95

[JDHUNTING 1,817]

49 minutes ago, Nicepix said:

I agree about the raising of retirement age for manual workers. It is short sighted and ultimately costly to the public purse. But if you want to pick a fight over the public service pensions that include the armed forces, civil servants and other employees then blame the Governments that you voted for. They brought in the schemes and anyone could apply for a job with a final salary pension. But, don't forget that there is a compulsory levy of 11% of every police officer's wages to contribute towards the pension and the wages don't compare to many other industries. They had to make the pensions good to attract applicants as the wages were pi$$ poor.

That might have been true in the 70's it's certainly not from the 90's on public sector pay is higher for comparable jobs. It's a bobby's job as they say. Not a dig at you btw, there just always seems a hard luck tale with public sector workers when in reality they have no clue how good they have it.

[WILF 47,489]

To be fair, you’d want a few quid or some perks to have to go out and deal with the very worst humanity has to offer every day .......no wonder so many coppers booze.

I don’t think I could do that, imagine nicking some utter scumbag or a child molester and working those type of cases every day......not being able to just stave their f***ing head in.

The mental strain must be immense.

[Nicepix 5,650]

1 hour ago, JDHUNTING said:

That might have been true in the 70's it's certainly not from the 90's on public sector pay is higher for comparable jobs. It's a bobby's job as they say. Not a dig at you btw, there just always seems a hard luck tale with public sector workers when in reality they have no clue how good they have it.

Of the 16 who joined on my intake in 1987 eleven of us took a pay drop from our last jobs. I was a milkman, another was a plumber and there was one from the RAF amongst the group. Then when they told us that 11% was deducted at scource it became very difficult financially especially as you start on a low pay scale and it gradually increases over the first twelve years. The last changes I remember were the 2006 Act and that eroded pay scales even further and took away some of the perks such as the Rent Allowance and free meals when you were on training days. They then reviewed the position about three years later and reduced the overtime rates.

I certainly wasn't in it for the money and some of the shift patterns I worked over the years were crippling. In fact at least two of the shift systems were illegal. There were bobbies, mainly CID, who milked the system with spurious overtime but most on the response units overtime other than football matches and the various public service strikes overtime was very hard to come by.

[JDHUNTING 1,817]

8 hours ago, Nicepix said:

Of the 16 who joined on my intake in 1987 eleven of us took a pay drop from our last jobs. I was a milkman, another was a plumber and there was one from the RAF amongst the group. Then when they told us that 11% was deducted at scource it became very difficult financially especially as you start on a low pay scale and it gradually increases over the first twelve years. The last changes I remember were the 2006 Act and that eroded pay scales even further and took away some of the perks such as the Rent Allowance and free meals when you were on training days. They then reviewed the position about three years later and reduced the overtime rates.

I certainly wasn't in it for the money and some of the shift patterns I worked over the years were crippling. In fact at least two of the shift systems were illegal. There were bobbies, mainly CID, who milked the system with spurious overtime but most on the response units overtime other than football matches and the various public service strikes overtime was very hard to come by.

Like I said pal no offence but always a hard luck tale, a lot of public sector workers have no clue about working for an organisation that has to turn a profit or close ive seen it with my own eyes up close and personal many times.simple as that.

[Nicepix 5,650]

I agree with you. Before I joined aged 31 I'd been a Production Controller at a textile mill, a Relief Manager at Currys and worked in a car salesroom, plus a few years doorstep delivery so I'd experienced quite a bit of variety. But many of my colleagues had joined in their early 20's and some had come straight from school via the Cadet scheme. A lot of the newer senior officers were recruited on a fast track system straight from University. They hadn't a clue and yet within 6 or 7 years, none of which involved putting hands on collars, they were running departments larger than many local industries. 

I'm not blind to the faults of the police forces, but you said that the police wages were better than private companies. They weren't and are now even less so. A bobby didn't get a pay rise for the first two years then a gradual increase in increments up to 12 years. That is half way through their service on reduced pay. If you want to look at enhanced pay scales look at banks, and the ultimate money for old rope; charities.

I didn't join the police for the money or to make a profit for the organisation. I joined to make people's lives better and in my own small way I did. But when I left in 2011 it was a different organisation and different priorities to when I joined. I have a little saying that goes: I left the police in 2011. But the police had left me long before that. Catching criminals was way down on the list of priorities by 2011. I was a fish out of water.