BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND
I just wanted to see if anyone else has been shafted by the SMT for the coming Bank Holiday.
What I mean by this is the fact that there is no cover for Good Friday night in the towns. On a Friday we normally have a late shift that work through to 3am to provide officers in the Town Centre for anti violence. This is a vital ingredient for the safety of all officers on duty. An extra busy weekend due to the holiday, especially in the town where I work, and the SMT will be sending the late shift home at 11pm so as not to have to pay the double time, leaving all those on duty at risk and outnumbered.
Looks like the doorstaff will be on their own!!!
From 11pm to 3am there would normally be about 1 sgt and 16 PC’s, this Friday there will be none.
April 1, 2007 at 8:54 pm
Well I’m having it off too!!
The weekend I mean
)
April 1, 2007 at 11:35 pm
Those that are ’selected’ for the Bank holiday working, whether by a draw or by another random manner will be faced by one of the busiest weekends safe in the knowledge that minimum manning levels (if we can still call it that) will be in force. The world still goes around accompanied by those that get a weekend off to enjoy themselves. If you are working and it all goes a bit pear shaped then my thoughts are with you and I wish you a safe return at the end of your shift. Same to everyone else who will be out there.
April 2, 2007 at 7:42 pm
yep
been well and truly shafted in the fair city, in some BCU part of the west country (clue here-it begins with B and its not Bournemouth, its near a bridge the leads to wales)
and yet the public still dont realise that they see so many police officers on friday and saturday night in the town center (around 50) until 3 am is because public order is so easy to police, and therefore so easy to detect. its bollocks that its about public re-assurance. not when the SMT now want us to start detecting 28% instead of 25% of crime. and where is the easiest place to get such detected crimes? from the drunk idiots in the city center…..
if tackling burglary and car crime was that easy to detect it would have the same amount of officers to deal with it at the weekends.
the public have been fooled for far to long, and we, the police officers have been shafted by the SMT tool for too long now.
and yes, its the same for us here at the weekend. no extra staff and a skeleton crew.
lucky us…..
April 2, 2007 at 8:10 pm
Anonamous that Sounds familiar, can’t think why?
April 2, 2007 at 8:26 pm
Happens every holiday on my division. The SMT decide not to pay out double bubble and have next to no cops on duty, thus shafting the public and the very thin blue line that are on duty.
April 3, 2007 at 7:17 am
I’m going in over the weekend on my first shifts (I’m a special), got friday and saturday night shifts sorted. But, because of the bobby/PCSO ratio, I’m struggling to find someone who has independant status to crew up with on the sunday night. Very fustrating, as I know how short staffed we are, and I really want to help.
I’m aware that fresh out of training, I’m not the best choice, to pair up with, but with years of experiance dealing with violent drunks in the nightclubs and pubs I’ve worked, I find it really fustrating I can’t be another pair of eyes/hands about town.
Not knocking the PCSO’s mind, just the way it is.
April 3, 2007 at 11:22 am
Yep – we’re exactly the same. Normally parade 16-18 for a night shift, plaus 6 on a late turn. This Friday we’ve got 14 on tne nights and no late turn at all…. on the busiest friday night for months. Still, you’ve got to laugh
April 5, 2007 at 11:05 am
metplod
can we have some of your staff.
i dont think my entire district has that many people on any one shift.
and i work in a busy city.
surfer bob
April 5, 2007 at 11:10 am
Pc south west
i think you and i work for the same force.
glad im not the only one to think we get shafted.