Where Has The Police Force Gone?

Last updated on September 21st, 2023 at 04:55 pm

Reading Time: 4 minutes

When I joined the Met in 72 it was a very different animal to what it has become today.  Some of the changes have been an improvement, many, in my opinion, have not.

The first thing I noticed was that the instructors were SCARY, especially that Drill Sergeant, Sid Butcher, who seemed to think that I couldn’t march properly.  He was right of course.  He threatened me all kinds of dire consequences but he succeeded in getting me to closely resemble a march.

Out to Division, my reporting Sergeant was an old sweat from the Palestinian Police with a metal plate in his head.  Never upset him I was told.  I saw what happened to people who upset him, but we just seemed to click, chalk and cheese.  “You’re an enigma son” was the best ‘compliment’ I ever got out of him, but he was good.  All kinds of ‘wickedness’  was waiting for new probationers, including (allegedly) the Station Stamp for WPCs. Yes I did say WPC, I was never renowned for Political Correctness.  I would like to think that I was polite and respectful, but Politically Correct?  Possibly not.

Some of the very first Inspectors I met were brilliant, I won’t repeat some of things they said to me, but it was character building and exactly what every fledgling Police Officer needs to hear, for any number of reasons.  I had a Chief Inspector who delighted in reducing people to tears, but I came to learn that (in his way) he wasn’t a bully.  What he wanted was for the officer to turn round and tell him to F*** Off. No bollockings, no discipline, for that one won his everlasting respect. Old School, right or wrong, it was right for me.

Some of you who knew me then might remember a Welsh Indian Chief Superintendent.  All kinds of crap was rained on him by the lower ranks because he was the worst example of an officer promoted beyond his ability, several times.  I could tell you many tales of life with him at the helm, but most of them you probably wouldn’t believe.

My first two years were hard. No sitting at the Drivers’ Table in the Canteen (yes, we had a good one), day duty invariably meant School Crossings, Shoplifters, Reserve Room duties, but most importantly learning one’s craft.  Fast cars and glamorous postings were for after the magical 2 year period, where if you passed, you were trusted with all manner of important jobs, Driving Courses, Specialist postings, looking down on Probationers and “Wind Ups”.  Instead of being the butt of Wind Ups one was allowed to participate at other Probationers’ expense.  But it was fun but the Job most definitely got done first, that was always the main priority.  Nowadays there’s seldom time to down a pork pie never mind have fun between assignments.  If we handed 6 jobs over to the following shift there was a shit-storm to follow, unforgivable.  Nowadays I can imagine dozens of jobs being handed over to the next shift.  Too many calls and not enough cops.

I had a serious wobble at about the 15 years and told my Inspector that I wasn’t coming in to work and he could do whatever he ******* pleased about that.  Don his name was.  He was brilliant, he appeared at my house, alone, and sorted me out in the best possible way.  He got me to see that it was ‘just’ a wobble and what could we do about it?  A change of direction within my career, a hilarious application to work at Buckingham Palace that didn’t go very well, and I was back on track again, different role, different responsibilities and fully re-energised.  After that point I never looked back.  If I ever meet up with Don again I shall surely buy him a large pint or two.  I owe him a lot.

We had our Gene Hunts, Jack Reagans, a few Jack Frosts and even fewer Barnabys.  Dixon of Dock Green existed but he really wasn’t very well.  Did I like working for Hunt and Reagan?  You bet I did.  I knew exactly where all the lines were drawn, I knew what was expected of me, and I knew what I had to deliver and how to deliver it. In the 90s I was introduced to the newest breed of DIs and DCIs.  Not for me I’m afraid, and those people were destined to be the Senior Management Team of the future.

It was about the same time that the Met started universally going down the pan.  PCs started calling their Sergeants John (or whatever their given name was), things became too pink and fluffy.  Having been given an assignment some officers were heard to say “I’d rather not do that, can’t you give it to somebody else?”, ‘bosses’ would surround themselves with their friends rather than take who they were offered, or choose the best people for the job, Chumocracy had arrived in the Met and it made me uncomfortable, calls would go unanswered and (Once) I even witnessed officers finishing their meal rather than turn out for an Urgent Assistance call.

Slowly and almost imperceptibly, the really senior officers changed from being proper cops to academics and weasels.  Not all, but very many.

From the late 80s to the present time the Met has tragically gone from being the envy of the world to (almost) a laughing stock.  Who do I blame for that?  May, Camoron and Winsor most definitely.  Hogan-Who must shoulder a large part of the blame too.  Too late speaking up in his last month before retirement,  the Winsor ‘reforms’ was the time when any true leaders needed to be heard.  I certainly didn’t need to turn the volume down there.

I do need to get my glasses out.  Where exactly has the Metropolitan Police Force gone and what is this thing that has replaced it? How did that happen?

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6 thoughts on “Where Has The Police Force Gone?”

  1. I just came across this site and it brought back fond memories of “WA” in 1979. The old sweats included an area car driver, “Smudger” Smith, 366W Dave Kellie and Mick Martin. Those days have gone for ever and the job has changed as have times. Not sure I’d do it again though.
    I seem to remember something unsavoury happening with a drill instructor of whom Sid Butcher was one. I can’t remember the name of the other guy but I do hope it was only a rumour and not actually true, what one or both were accused of.

    1. I don’t think anything happened to Sid Butcher, I vaguely recall hearing something about one of them, but it wasn’t him.

  2. I too remember Sgt Butcher and enjoyed my 5 years in the Met before transfer to a rural constabulary. The biggest shock I had was the loss of a cameraderie in the Met that made a shift a great place to work. I joined a world of back stabbing and totally undeserved old fashioned deference to senior ranks.

    1. retiredandangry

      I’m sorry to hear that. Now that I can talk to officers from the Counties I too realise what a different world the Met was, in many different ways

  3. Alan couldn’t agree more!
    Went through a very similar start to my Service but on a central division.
    Had some very good Inspectors on relief and some outstanding DI’s and DCI’s whilst on crime squad.
    Not to mention some true leadership from old school Commanders etc.
    My days on the SPG were very memorable because of the leadership and loyalty of my colleagues and Senior Officers.
    They trusted your professionalism and backed you up.
    Sadly I watched all that change and it is so very sad to see a truly great Police Force being reduced to a shadow of it’s former self.
    I mean no disrespect to the present day rank and file Officers who I believe still possess the core values that we all had but lack the structure, support and loyalty of the so called management.
    Sadly so very few show any leadership or loyalty to their Officers and certainly do not deserve to lead and are a liability!
    With a few exceptions!
    Thanks Alan for speaking out on behalf of so many of us.

    1. Agree totally Gordon. I have no problem with the Ground Floor, or possibly even the 1st floor, but the current generation of senior management is so far removed from an old school Leader. They don’t trust, have to delegate because most can’t do and they inspire nobody. If I recall the very first time I began to see the cracks was during the riots when we hacked, kitted up, all the way from Q to Brixton only to be told when we got there to remove our shields and not use any of the tactics we had been taught at PO/DSU training, but just stand there and take it. Wrong on so many levels

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