Wishing A Happy Easter to all my Family & Friends

God Bless You at Easter

May the message of Easter bring you hope and joy

Wishing You Happiness and Peace

and some warm sunshine too !!!!

A Humorous Definition of Disappointment

The 6th grade science teacher, Mrs. Parks, asked her class,

'Which human body part increases to ten times its size when stimulated?'

No one answered until little Mary stood up and said,

'You should not be asking sixth graders a question like that! I'm going
to tell my parents, and they will go and tell the Principal, who will then fire you!'

Mrs. Parks ignored her and asked the question again,
'Which body part increases to 10 times its size when stimulated?'

Little Mary's mouth fell open. Then she said to those around her,
'Boy, is she going to get in big trouble!'

The teacher continued to ignore her and said to the class,

'Anybody?'

Finally,Billy stood up, looked around nervously, and said,

'The body part that increases 10 times its size when stimulated is the pupil of the eye.'

Mrs. Parks said, 'Very good, Billy,'then turned to Mary and continued.
'As for you, young lady, I have three things to say:

One, you have a dirty mind.

Two, you didn't read your homework.

And three, one day you are going to be very, VERY disappointed.'

A Sad Day For Free Speech Within The Police Service

I am very grateful to Steve Bennett of The Thin Blue Line blog for his excellent posting on the forced closing down of Inspector Gadget's Blog. I thoroughly recommend you read his superb article to which I have full empathy. Steve is a retired West Midlands Police Officer and his sentiments are echoed by me in every respect. I only wish I could articulate and compose my views in a similarly pragmatic format. Well said Steve and I too am saddened by the demise of Inspector Gadget. With the Government imposing legislation to protect whistle blowers in the NHS in order to provide improvements in service delivery and operational  transparency; it beggars belief that the same does not apply within the police service. Here is the link to Steve's brilliant posting.  

http://thinbluelineuk.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/inspector-gadget-officer-down_15.html

Police Officers Queuing For Voluntary Severance

Hundreds of rank-and file-officers are considering voluntary severance in the wake of the Winsor reforms to pay and conditions, research has revealed.

A pilot study with Avon and Somerset Constabulary has focused on the impact that government reforms are having on areas such as pensions, retirement, redundancy, fitness testing, direct entry and educational requirements.

The survey of 1,400 officers from PC to chief inspector revealed that half were considering alternative employment with more than 400 pondering voluntary severance. 

The research, by the University of the West of England led by Dr James Hoggett, highlighted that almost all of the respondents had no confidence in the long-term government plans and 95 per cent were strongly dissatisfied with the Winsor reviews

The study, commissioned by the Constables Central Committee (CCC) of the Police Federation of England and Wales, stated that officers are not against the need for reform in the service. However, they felt changes should be made in partnership with the police and be independent of politics.

It also identified that morale is low at an individual and organisational level. This was highlighted in a separate survey of officers last November – the results of which will inform Lord Stevens’ Independent Commission on the Future of Policing.

The pilot will be rolled out to the other 42 forces in England and Wales in the form of a survey with 108 questions. This will be sent to all federated members through their police email addresses this Friday (March 1).

Dr Hoggett, a lecturer and criminologist, told PoliceOracle.com that he hoped the research would make the government understand some of the “severe implications” of recent cuts and provide a useful guide for ministers.

He added: “This research provides a secure and validated evidence base to put forward the views of officers and catalogue their issues, which includes the Winsor reforms.

“This can be something that the Police Federation can use to try and negotiate with the government about the issues officers face.

“We have heard a lot from ACPO and the Superintendents’ Association about their response to the changes but not from the rank-and-file officers who are being directly affected by the changes.”

He suggested that the goodwill of officers is being eroded and they are now less inclined to make sacrifices. This would ultimately alter the relationship between police and the public.

Dr Hoggett added: “I was quite surprised that there was such a significant level of agreement in what officers’ concerns were – which focused on their lack of belief in the government’s long-term plans.

“What is frightening for me is the number of officers considering voluntary severance because this throws into question the future of the Police Service with vital skills and experience missing.”

Chairman of the Police Federation for England and Wales Steve Williams said he was not surprised at the results. He added that the report could be presented to the Joint Central Committee to inform their work strategically.

Article courtesy of Jasmin McDermott  www.policeoracle.com