This is the official blog of ex-Sgt Ellie Bloggs. I was a real live police constable then sergeant for twelve years, on the real live front line of England. I'm now a real live non-police person. All the facts I recount are true, and are not secrets. If they don't want me blogging about it, they shouldn't do it. PS If you don't pay tax, you don't (or didn't) pay my salary.


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Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Not very PC, not very PCSO






Of course, an Acting Sergeant wouldn't find either of the above particularly funny. Or a reflection of any officer's true feelings.

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'Diary of an On-Call Girl' is available in some bookstores and online.

29 Comments:

Anonymous Dr Melvin T Gray said...

I somehow doubt you understand the intention of these sketches which was to mirror an identical 'police' contempt for government and public.

24 September, 2009 07:57

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Don't be too harsh on PCSO's - they have a job to do also - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Lhx3DVGvLA&NR=1

24 September, 2009 10:04

 
Blogger Conor said...

At least PCSOs don't shoot civilian police workers while teaching firearm safety.

24 September, 2009 13:34

 
Blogger Unknown said...

Do they reflect your feelings then PC Bloggs?

24 September, 2009 16:35

 
Anonymous FatherJack said...

Melvin T Gray said "...I somehow doubt you understand the intention of these sketches which was to mirror an identical 'police' contempt for government and public."

How do you know this Melvin? Do you speak to Mitchell and Webb on a regular basis? No....I thought not. Just a faceless gobshite with nothing better to do.

24 September, 2009 17:54

 
Blogger PC Bloggs said...

Readers, if you're going to post mindless abuse on my blog, can you please have the good manners to address it to me?

Any more readers printing comments here meant for other bloggers will have them and all future comments deleted. Thank you...

24 September, 2009 22:19

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I work with quite a few PCSOs. A few are excellent people doing their best with a wierd hybrid role. The rest are worthless uniform carriers.

My boss says if the team had a quarter the number of PCs as PCSOs, the team could do ten times more.

24 September, 2009 22:28

 
Blogger Neil80 said...

PCSOs are just a rather cynical government ploy along with the likes of Teaching Assistants at creating a sub-professional strata which is far cheaper, not to mention less well represented by traditional trade unions and other professional bodies, which can over time, beginning with the more mundane tasks, take on more and more of the role of the professional.

The Government wanted to look good by having an increased police prescence and better teacher to pupil ratios but didn't want to meet the cost of employing more professionals. This was their soloution, tried and tested in the NHS wich has had Nurses, intended to support Doctor's, and then Auxillary Nurses who are unqualified.

The problems are many. Firstly the professionals feel threatened. I remember working at the Post Office many years ago as a temp. I was often asked if I'd thought about becoming a 'Proper Postie.' In this setting I was doing an almost identical job however, the small differences, such as lack of uniform and lack of a permanent round, led to the existing staff protecting threir position from low-cost casual labour by inventing this term 'Proper Postie' which accentuated the differences between them and the temps and which suggested that the temps were doing a less skilled job. Interesting that Robert Mitchell makes a similar play about being a "proper Police Officer." Now I'm not suggesting PCSOs do the same job, but it just shows there is a similar kind of sentiment existing between existing Officers keen to protect their roles from intrusion by differentiating.

Other problem. People doing these jobs often get a raw deal. Low pay and low status are joined at the party by a protracted career ladder i.e anyone wishing to become a Police Officer needs to put in the time as a PCSO.

Maybe I'm just too cynical!

25 September, 2009 00:03

 
Anonymous Inspector Gadget said...

Thank you for your support on my blog. Nobody will spot you crossed dressed (or in a cassock), heh!

25 September, 2009 06:36

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sad thing is they are actually more expensive to employ than Cops in the short term. In my farce they're on about £19K a year but due to health and safety reasons have to be double crewed most of the time so thats £38k doing half the job of 1 Cop on £35k. Another prime example of utter incompetance shown by this Labour Government.

PC A Hunn

25 September, 2009 17:23

 
Anonymous FatherJack said...

To PC Ellie Bloggs:

PC Bloggs said: "Readers, if you're going to post mindless abuse on my blog, can you please have the good manners to address it to me? "

It wasn't mindless Ellie, it was carefully considered and addressed to whom the criticism was aimed ;-)

25 September, 2009 23:01

 
Blogger Unknown said...

I directed a question to the author of the blog.. but feel I've been somewhat ignored..

27 September, 2009 18:27

 
Blogger PCDC-Copper Bottom said...

The whole concept of the PCSO is flawed (IMHO)...

It was Snr Blunkett doing what all MPS do best- 'smoke and mirrors'... new concept... great idea that will change the way we work - blah de blah...

I worked out that getting rid of the PCSOs on my area would give us 40 extra REAL Police officers... 13 per sector... almost doubling our 'personpower'.

Still... it could be worse...

BTW- I have no issues with the actual people... they are fine and a lot try their best... but they are quite useless in the law enforcement arena...

I could be one...

27 September, 2009 21:10

 
Anonymous Pete said...

AC/DC Cooper's Bottom:

Are YOU are *real* police officer?


.... somehow, I tend to doubt it.

27 September, 2009 21:20

 
Blogger emily said...

hilarious. love mitchell & webb.

27 September, 2009 22:31

 
Blogger PC Bloggs said...

Paul - I haven't ignored you, I've chosen not to reply :-)

I post articles to provoke debate, inform my readers, but more usually just to entertain. The fact that comments can be posted on my blog is great for feedback, entertainment, and the occasional bizarre stalking episode, but ultimately what you infer from my posts about my real opinions and feelings is up to you!

27 September, 2009 23:45

 
Blogger mindfulbeader said...

I just took this as a piece of hilarious lunacy with the power to make me think about the actual situations behind it. As such, thankyou for posting.

28 September, 2009 08:52

 
Blogger PCDC-Copper Bottom said...

'fraid so Pete...

big force too...

20-year man...

why do you doubt? I though my post was quite balanced...

28 September, 2009 15:14

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

copper bottom (like a kettle...)

not threatened... if they had arrest powers, worked nights, drove cars, did public order, firearms, traffic, cid, child protection and sex offenders- I might...

but they dont... so I am not...

I am just a bit fed up of the waste of money...

28 September, 2009 19:36

 
Blogger Joker said...

Nertz, that looked like a Battlestar Galactica spoof at the end of 2. I just don't seem to be able to catch the latest series at all, just the original radio version...

29 September, 2009 10:41

 
Blogger JuliaM said...

Fail to see the connection between Patricia Levy and Fiona Pilkington, I'm afraid. Other than the volume of cals.

Patricia Levy is tormented by the demons in her own head. The police can do nothing for her.

Fiona Pilkington was tormented by real, physical beings, who were tormenting others in the same street (perhaps the blog author thinks they ae nuts too?). The police did nothing for her.

01 October, 2009 18:42

 
Blogger JuliaM said...

Whoops, wrong post.

01 October, 2009 18:42

 
Blogger Sergeant Simon said...

Substantive sergeants clearly wouldn't be amused either. Never realised Mitchell & Webb had done these sketches. Must find more!

02 October, 2009 07:32

 
Anonymous Civvie Despatcher said...

Hmmm... while these are hilarious, I do tend to jump to the support of PCSOs. They do different work from police officers, which frees PCs up to do the work that they are trained and paid to do. I don't like to see PCs wasting their time on tasks that a PCSO, PSO or civvie controller like me could be doing.

Some of our PCSOs do excellent work, and are an incredible mine of information and intelligence on our regular scrotes and their mates.

14 October, 2009 16:22

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Was that "comedy" sketch supposed to be funny? We (a security company in Canada) have just adopted UK police uniforms. You better send somebody over to nick us, eh?

01 November, 2009 03:49

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It was certainly interesting for me to read that article. Thank author for it. I like such topics and anything that is connected to this matter. I definitely want to read more soon.

22 November, 2009 02:04

 
Blogger Unknown said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

07 December, 2009 12:05

 
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20 December, 2009 04:42

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Don't stop posting such themes. I love to read articles like this. Just add more pics :)

23 January, 2010 02:52

 

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