WHAT A COMPLETE TOOL
WHAT A MUPPET
Paul Routledge of the Daily Mirror has quite obviously had a bad experience or found himself on the wrong side of the law, because this article he wrote for today’s issue of the Mirror has absolutely nothing intelligent about it what so ever. Almost as if it was written by a juvenile delinquent who is trying to throw some mud and make it stick.
He bleats on about how the protest in London was an illegal strike by the Police!! Please Mr Routledge take your head out of your ass and grow up!! Unlike tabloid journalists we have standards, integrity and a degree of professionalism!!
Don’t try to say how 950 officers attending from Manchester constabulary can throw doubt on the fact that the Police are understaffed, people are entitled to have time off work!! remember we have to work 7 days a week and will have rest days on a week day.
And for your labelling the Police as impertinent, surely that is the pot calling the kettle black!!!
Incase the Mirror delete the post. Here it is.
I’ve had enough of police whining
Paul Routledge 25/01/2008
Wednesday was Burglars’ Holiday, courtesy of the massed ranks of police officers who took the day off to invade Westminster.
More than 20,000 coppers wearing silly white baseball caps deserted the thick blue line to protest about being given a pay rise.
I wonder who was protecting us while they exercised their unlawful right to hold a one-day strike in the capital. Their law-abiding mates, I suppose.
This work stoppage must have been illegal because it can’t be true that every one of the 25,000 protesters took a legitimate day off.
And they are forbidden by statute to strike. The Manchester force alone sent 950 officers to London. Yet police chiefs are always moaning they are undermanned.
The opposite is plainly true. I suppose the protesters will make up any lost dosh in overtime. The average copper makes £2,900 a year that way, at an annual cost to the nation of £440million.
That’s on top of their salaries, which go up by around a thousand quid every year, on top of the 2.5 per cent rise that upset them so much. There comes a point when we have to say “enough is enough”, and they should calm down and accept they cannot have everything they want.
That point has now been reached. Most workers would envy the policeman’s salary, his fat, index-linked pension, his early retirement and his generous sick pay and his immunity from prosecution when he shoots dead a mildly inebriated Scotsman for the crime of carrying a chair leg in a public place.
The same police who demand the right to lock up people for 42 days without charge, and possibly without even saying what they are supposed to have done. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, the politician who says cops can’t have their cash, is still willing to believe police chiefs need SIX WEEKS to interview suspects.
This business of unelected police bosses telling the elected government what its policies should be has to stop. And the place to stop it is the House of Commons, where MPs are being asked – no, told – to back new detention laws.
Aside from the merits of the case, it’s good for governments to be defeated occasionally. Taking ministers down a peg or two does wonders for their egos. But this time it would be sound policy too.
Tony Blair tried to keep suspects detained for 90 days, and had to settle for 28. MPs should keep it at that – if only to put the impertinent police in their place.
January 25, 2008 at 5:51 pm
What a tool………other words fail me because people will believe him.
January 25, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Sorry I forgot the word tool has already been used so my post is hardly original, so………What a totally uneducated, ignorant, ill informed bitter man.
January 25, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Hardly journalism is it. A man with no facts and a minimal ability to string together a few words about a subject he knows nothing about, priceless but not worth losing any sleep over.
January 25, 2008 at 6:10 pm
If anyone wants to tell the Mirror what they think of this article email
feedback@mirror.co.uk
January 25, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Do people really pay money to read a that sort of article?
January 25, 2008 at 6:26 pm
“The same police who demand the right to lock up people for 42 days without charge”.
Er… no Mr Routledge, actually I think you will find that front-line officers aren’t the same people pressuring the government over this.
He doesn’t seem to know the difference between front-line cops and senior management. Nor can he work out that only about 10-20% of police numbers are front-line and on duty at any one time, which means 80% can take the day off without “striking”. Oh dear.
January 25, 2008 at 7:03 pm
He shouldn’t have given up his day job to take up amateur journalism.
I would be petty and say that he must have received a ticket for driving with a mobile phone in hand or not a wearing a seatbelt, but he is clearly above that.
My money is on him beating his wife during a drunken domestic for which he got locked up. Hence his hatred of all things Police.
January 25, 2008 at 7:15 pm
I just don’t like the tache, it’s so 70’s.
January 25, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Journalist…Daily Mirror…Tool…say no more…!!!
January 25, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Having Policed the street riots, the miners strike, greenham common and the tory party conferences, I know that the political left hate the Police. What do you expect from a confirmed leftie like Routledge.
The current government has a limited life span. The next election will be make or break for all the ‘opposition’ parties and it looks as if the battle lines are being drawn up already. You can expect more of this rubbish.
The only thing that both puzzles (and worries) me is why the labour government want to pick a fight with you over pay with all the other problems in the country.
January 25, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Deary me you do wonder at some people don’t you. I know 5 year olds who could write a better researched article, eejit. And yes. the tache is rather unfortunate.
January 25, 2008 at 9:29 pm
What a f***wit. The pric*
January 25, 2008 at 10:21 pm
He does have a couple of facts right! I am looking forward to my pension and I’m intending to retire before my 50th birthday (if I make it, it’s a long way off).
However I’ve never demanded the right to lock anyone up for 42 days (although lets be honest that’s better than most sentences these days and it would be great), my salary won’t be going up £1000 on top of my 1.9% pay rise, our overtime budget is non existent (long story of a misplaced decimal point that would raise hairs and eyebrows if I could be bothered to type it) and I don’t carry a gun and have no intention of shooting anyone drunk, Scottish or otherwise.
Obviously the victim of some horrific treatment at our hands as ‘Bobby’ suggests, however taking a good look at his picture I think probably not the mobile phone theory. Bottle of scotch for the first person who gets him for failing to register a change of address!!!
Second bottle for the first person who says to his face ‘should have gone to Specsavers’!!!
(Just to clarify they will be very small cheap bottles of scotch as I can’t afford anything decent due to under under inflation pay rise and having to carry out boring day to day things like trying to feed my family and pay the mortgage and bills on a house that cost more than I can really afford, due to the necessity of living in a half decent area due to my occupation)
January 25, 2008 at 11:23 pm
Don’t forget if you want to contribute to a book about the police just click on my name above to email me.
January 25, 2008 at 11:24 pm
That didn’t work so please email me at
police_book@hotmail.com
January 26, 2008 at 1:46 am
Reg Routledge, a face made for crime watch if ever there was one. He is as bad a journalist as Kevin Maguire. May a plague of chavs descend upon there houses. Take a look at Guido Fawkes http://www.order-order.com to see just what a load of corrupt lying lot of shit the left really are.
January 26, 2008 at 9:16 am
I was reading the Guardian’s Media jobs page the other day. They were looking for a journalist to join their on-line team. When I had a look through I saw ‘must be able to write entertainingly’, but I didn’t see anything about good journalism skills – ability to research a story, get facts right, or string a coherent sentance and argument together.
Quite.
January 26, 2008 at 12:28 pm
If it wasn’t for the sad fact that a lot of people would be reading that article and nodding in agreement then that would be hilarious!! Someone quite clearly who has never enjoyed the benefit of having a day off midweek so they can go shopping (or any other activity for that matter) when everyone else is at work – apart from the unemployed chavs that is.
January 26, 2008 at 1:09 pm
He looks a lot like that serial sex offender I visted last week in HMP …
January 27, 2008 at 5:32 pm
I go for the “wife beater with a small prick” theory.
January 28, 2008 at 12:51 am
Just a pointless old dinosaur trotting out verbal diarrhoea
January 28, 2008 at 10:14 pm
I bet he is laughing his bo%%ocks reading this blog, if he has any that is. Surely it is a wind up, please, it must be.
January 29, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Look, you’re all cops propping up each other’s views. Take a look outside the institution. Paul Routledge is horrible and doesn’t deserve to be in print. BUT, he might have a hotline to the British public. And a lot of them think they get a raw deal from the police – not just the chavs and the famed underclass but some of the rest too. Why are cops tooling around in cars looking for teenagers piddling in waste bins? It’s an easy nick, especially when they’re radar-ed in by the CCTV crew. Mostly people don’t give a stuff about the occasional pedestrian pee, what they want to see are the police being courteous and bothering to attend when a car is stolen or there is a burglary. And don’t blame the government – or any government. The Police have enormous poltical power and are not afraid to put it about. 20,000 of you on the street protesting at Westminster was a huge own-goal, especially during a time of economic melt-down. Yes, you do put your lives on the line – the officers who shot the Brazilian didn’t know at the time they had the wrong man – as far as they knew they could have been blown up and they deserve credit for their courage. But there are an awful lot of public service staff who take huge risks too, nurses, doctors, armed forces, charity workers – you’re not the only ones – and don’t forget the nurses et al pay the taxes which fund your salaries. And you have a fantastic retirement scheme. Join at 18, leave at 48, trigger the pension and in to that comfy job in the security industry. Spend some time on non-police sites puh-lease and get a broader view. That’s all, I’ll wait for the abuse to arrive now.
January 29, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Which muppet is he ?
One of the ones who sit up in the balcony slagging everyone else off ?
January 29, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Drugsblogger, you won’t get any abuse we don’t usually behave like that but ultimately we are human and from time to time get angry. You are however ill informed. I don’t ‘tool around’ looking specifically for kids piddling in waste bins but some people who phone us see it as a major issue and on many occasions are not averse to ‘beefing up the facts’ to get attendance. In our senior officers never ending quest to please the labour stats machine we are expecte to respond promptly so our response times stats look good.
Whilst we are then responding to that nonsense the next call for the stolen car goes unanswered – thats the publics problem. The expectation of the public has been raised so high by the media and government we have no chance of ever meeting them, cue disgruntled public – you can’t have it all, period. The same can be said of many other public services too. There is some belief that there are lots of police officers on duty at any time twiddling our thumbs but I can assure you that this is not the case despite what Mr McNULTY would have you believe.
Other public workers do take risks but not to the same degree. In addition we however on occasion have to cover many of those public services you mention when they run out of staff or the wheel comes off (except the military of course who do an exceptional job). A good example is paramedics who on many occasions when we desparately need one there are none left – I can’t say ‘Oh well’, I’m off, but we on more occasions than not also run out of staff – simple. All this is in addition to being expected in my ‘down time’ to patrol the streets preventing and detecting crime. Working Time Directive – you re having a laugh, refreshment break – can’t remember the last one I had. I don’t canvass for sympathy, or expect any interest whatsoever in my grumblings from people such as yourself I just get on with it. If you don’t like the reality of the situation then don’t read blogs.
As for the retirement scheme I am fed up of hearing that argument. I pay 11% of my salary into the scheme. For a top rate PC thats nearly £400 a month. I don’t see ‘any’ other group of workers paying the same amount (I stand to be corrected) – certainly not MP’s who get a nice ‘free’ pension, bigger than my pension and thats even if they get booted out an election!!
As for retirement, the life expectancy of a retired police officer is far less than other groups of workers, so despite paying 11% into a retirement scheme there are few that see a return on their investment.
As for Routledge his article is just factually incorrect. Yes have a rant, indeed have your own point of view BUT base it on fact! Why let facts get in the way of a sensationalist story I suppose. Perhaps I’ll try making up a load of nonsense at my next court case and hope that the magistrates read the Daily Mirror where the truth is clearly irrelevant.
January 29, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Drugsblogger… why did you raise the point about nurses paying tax and therefore our wages?? We all pay tax as well so we pay their wages…. does that mean I should bitch about nurses working on quiet wards who could be down in A&E piecing people back together and reducing care and resus times? No, not really, and I personally think all emergency services, nurses and army personnel should get paid at least 30k as they all do a f&cking great job for no recognition, respect or reward – not that thats why we join our respective professions anyway.
Ever been in A&E on a saturday night where you’re lucky to get seen in less than 4 hours unless you’re seriously injured? I have, as a patient whilst on duty (snapped ankle, stabbed, needle prick, bottled and punched to name a few) as well as very occasionally to protect the staff from drunk and violent abuse, and as escorts to victims who could and occasionally have died. This is the reality of what we do, not willingly sat on our arses or trying to collar annoying juveniles because its an easy nick. We are in constant harms way for no other reason than the job we do, but we accept that as a risk.
There ARE NOT thousands of Police officers on duty at any one time to deal with things contrary to whatever that prick Mcnulty or the glorified school teacher say, if you live out of london in a town or city then you’re lucky if you have more than ten on a night duty, if one of them gets an arrest their off the street for a minimum of 3-4 hours, if its a violent bod you could tie up 3-4 officers for the same amount of time becuase we have no choice.
Two things massively hamper our efforts to help people like you (seemingly intelligent and mildly interested in what goes on around you) one is Sanctioned Detections – government imposed targets meaning drunk idiot pissing on your doorstep is ‘worth’ as much as a burglar. This is not something we can decide not to count or be accounted for, its a result of lots of busybodies wanting to know EXACTLY what the police are doing for ‘their taxes’ and therefore we have to account for everything, which wastes more time as we should be out and about responding to, and hunting for burglars, rapists and car thieves.
The other main reason is Safer Neighbourhoods Teams – government initiative to give “the public a direct link to their police” these guys and girls DO NOT respond to calls for burglars or cars getting damaged, they attend meetings so Mr and Mrs Miggins know that a powerless PCSO or a warranted Police officer is taking interest in their desire to stop youths pissing in their doorway every night. Not that they usually work nights. Safer Neighbourhood teams tore away 75% of officers who were on response teams, and they are a scam by Labour who tried to spin their way out of quite legitimate calls from the public for more Police officers on the street.
We don’t NEED more Police officers, we have enough, what we need is the courts to back us up occasionally, all the officers engaged in stats collation or government required non-jobs back on teams, and to be able to deal with people in the manner that they understand (ie not people like you, I’m on about the bastards who understand and respect nothing other than fear and pain) without fear of being prosecuted maliciously or furtively because the liberals think we shouldn’t be treating people like that.
And as for pension, if you want a gucci pension and the opportunity to retire before you’re 50 then go and look for one that you have to pay for as we do (11% every month after tax for 30 years and then the joy of facing a life expectancy of 5-6 years after retirement at 48 if joined at 18). I would suggest scottish widows or liverpool victoria as a good start.
January 29, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Er Southwest, I’ll have you know, I couldn’t find you because you were on the wrong side of that damn channel!
January 29, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Metcountymounty – that was a great piece of writing, can I use that on my Blog?
Drugsblogger – why should we spend some time on other Blogs? it’s not like we don’t get to hear the public bullshit on and on and on all day/night while we sort out their lives/bring up their kids/ deal with them because they can’t take their drink/ sort out their selfish addictions etc etc for them anyway! we really do not want to then read all about it again at home. Police blogs are for cops to whinge – the “power off” button is on the tower if you don’t like it!
January 29, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Drugsblogger I think I can speak for us all when I say it’s all been said!!
You are on the other side of the fence or you would appreciate what we are saying.
January 30, 2008 at 12:35 am
guv, it was a bit of a rant but fill your boots if you want!
January 30, 2008 at 9:03 am
I have just come off a nightshift. Town of near 20,000 people.
Only two of us on duty. Nearest skipper was 18 miles away.
We cannot be everywhere at once drugsblogger. Don’t have a go at the cop on the street.
We do pay a lot of money into our pension. 11% of our monthly wage. It isn’t free.
I think you’ll find that on the whole, cops do face a day to day risk that many members of the public would pale at. After all, many of the calls we attend to are what other professions or members of the public will not deal with as there is some risk.
January 30, 2008 at 1:03 pm
A juvenile as an easy nick.
Made me laugh…
Southwest, I’ve emailed the mirror, but heard nothing back. Yet.
Metcountymounty, you should get yourself a blog started mate.
January 30, 2008 at 1:26 pm
i’ve thought about it but it would probably be Rantsville Tennessee and I’d just wind myself up!! Plus I’m not exactly well known for keeping my gob shut at work so our friends at Tintagel house would want a word after a while I think!!
January 30, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Maybe people could use this to make an official complaint. The fed could do the same if anyone from the fed is reading.
http://www.pcc.org.uk/complaints/process.html
January 30, 2008 at 7:08 pm
I hope non of you have read the Telegraph today. There is a piece by Simon Heffer about why the public see the police as there enemy. He seems to be the right wing version of paul routledge.
January 30, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Mancmonkey I just found it online, here.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml;jsessionid=S0BGLGZ12TPQPQFIQMFCFFWAVCBQYIV0?xml=/opinion/2008/01/30/do3001.xml.
To be honest I am sick and tired of reading these kind of stories and fed up with trying to re-educate people to the truth. Trouble is most ordinary decent folk only see us if they are speeding or if they are a victim of crime (if they are one of the lucky ones).
The rest are criminals in some way and they all have little time for the Police.
There will always be people who will judge all Police from one incident that has almost certainly been twisted and blown out of all proportion. There will always be news stories like these.
Like a friend of mine said to me ” the philosophy of policing in one sentence”.
January 30, 2008 at 8:24 pm
How many of you have complained to the Press Complaints Commission about Routledge’s rubbish? I have and I know a few others who use the Police Oracle forums have too.
Enough people complain about us – it’s time to put the shoe on the other foot and then kick idiots like Routledge up the backside with it. Metaphorically of course!!
January 31, 2008 at 2:01 am
Routledge was spouting political hate, perhaps because of the police involvement at the miners strike. (Actually there can’t many Officers left who went on the miners strike- in 1984, – quite a few Officers probably weren’t even born)
Heffer has a point in that this government is forcing the Police to behave in ways that alienate them from the ordinary people and the people who would be naturally pro-Police, ie middle England, feel that the Police are more interested in being politically correct than catching real criminals. Like the ‘Fear of Crime’ ithis public impression does not have to have a factual basis, the important thing is the perception.
Can we have another march to protest about the way the Govt have ruined Policing??
January 31, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Rubbish sells papers…..
February 21, 2008 at 2:57 am
Good heavens, I always considered the Daily Mirror to be mere ‘gutter press’, but that diatribe by Routledge is succinct and accurate beyond reproach. Excellent.
February 21, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Howard you have made your level of intellect quite clear!!
The word COCK comes to the forefront of my mind!!
September 23, 2008 at 7:21 am
If you go to the first link for this article you will see a list of this mans articles. I did not look at the one about the strike, nor did i look at any of the other pieces. Looking at the headlines told me that anything contained within was not worth the time. The headers remind me of the comedy headlines you see spinning onto screen in a Hollywood spoof. Sensationalist twaddle.
If i were you people i would not link to the article or read it. The more hits it gets the more popular the article seems and thus justifying it in this “journalists” mind.