Plods Progress

1960s
Birmingham City Police
Town fringe 4am. Youths hanging around. Officer in panda car stops for a little chat.

Ladywood after midnight. Tipsy students carrying Bath Road sign when spotted by constable on beat carry sign into Police Station. Desk Sergeant notes down details of “find”. When asked if can be kept if no claimants, replies “Op It”.

Warwickshire Constabulary
Small village midday. Large group of lads. Local policeman on motorbike stops to find out who they are and why hanging around there.

1970s
Met
North London. Old banger is making lots of noise from exhaust. Waved down by bobbie on push-bike. Driver told “I know where this car lives - take it home now and don’t take it out again except to get it fixed”

Earls Court 10pm. Little yellow car driven in dashing style along Ring Road trying to keep up with Austin Healey ahead. Blue car behind suddenly sprouts sirens and blue lights. Flat-hatted crime cop gives driver of little car severe ticking off  “40 in a 30 limit, perhaps. 50 in a 40 limit, maybe. But you were doing 50 in a 30 limit! Don’t do it again, sonny.”

Central London. Armed police officer shoots and wounds passenger in a Mini.

1980s
Met
South London. A bored police officer advises home owner to “Move Home“ after the fourth break-in in 2 months. Takes no details and gives out yet another crime number. Surrounded by the evidence of finger-prints on windows and boot-marks on the remains of the door says no forensic examination will be done because break-ins are “routine low priority crime“ and the policy is to take no action.

Greenwich. Police examining burgled house of citizen arrest his son for possessing a traffic cone.

Greenwich Magistrates Court. Case of alleged assault. Accused not present. He had been “out” when police had called to arrest him. Police roundly castigated by magistrate. No Further Action taken.

Natwest Bank in Earls Court. Customer assaulted in full view of customers and staff. Police called at insistence of victim. Assailant admits assault. Police refuse to take action “It’s a civil matter”.

Sussex Constabulary
James Ashley - naked - shot dead in police raid.

1990s
Avon and Somerset Police
Second break-in within 1 month. Police reckon they knew who did it as local villains out on parole over Christmas. Hand out victim-support leaflets.

Met
Harry Stanley shot dead by police whilst carrying repaired table leg in bag.

2000s
Avon and Somerset
Notification of “Failure to stop after an accident” issued. Police refuse to supply any statements made about alleged “accident” or its precise time or location. When requested to examine car for signs of damage, police say “You might have repaired it”.

Force praised for its ethnicity and diversity policy guidance.

Cannabis found growing in concrete pots outside Bath police station.

Met
Jean Charles de Meneses shot 7 times in head.

2011
Sussex Constabulary
10 Feb - naked man shot and killed in Brighton.

Met, West Midlands, Avon & Somerset
The BlackBerry and Apple Riots - postcode gangs co-ordinate rioting, arson and looting across London,  Croydon, Birmingham, and Bristol using smart phones.

When constabulary duty’s to be done
A policeman’s lot is not a happy one. W S Gilbert

He that goeth about to persuade a multitude, that they are not so well governed as they ought to be, shall never want attentive and favourable hearers. Richard Hooker