Positive Police UK - New blog

Hello, this is a new blog site which is connected with Facebook page Positive Police UK. Which I was kindly invited to be part of the admin team. 

The idea behind this blog, is for people to step inside the world of Policing where we are hoping to get guest bloggers from different aspect of the Police Service to talk about their roles, their likes and dislike, what they do in their spare time, whether it writing books, running charities, or doing Triathlon. 

When people talk about the Police the first thing they see is the uniform and what it represents, not the individual, hopefully this blog spot will allow you to see the individual as well.

To start this blog off, I will tell you about my role within the Police Service.

I am a civilian CSI formally know as a SOCO (Scenes of Crime Officer).  I always wanted to be in the Police, but when I was younger and starting on my career path, there was a height restriction, which no matter how many times I did stretching exercises could never achieve, so it appeared my dream had be dashed.   So I did the next best thing I joined the Royal Navy ...well the uniform was nearly the same, black skirt, black jacket and white shirt and tie the only difference the hat ...well you have to remember this was the 1980's.  In 1995-1996 they were asking for volunteer redundancies, I was at a point in my life, I felt I wanted a change as the Navy I joined had change, women were now going to sea, I wasn't sure if that what I wanted to do, but staying a non -seagoing Wren  I had very little chance of moving up the promotion ladder, so I put in my ticket.
 
What was I going to do, in the big wide civvy street, I still thought I would love to be a Police officer, but at the same time at 35 thought could I compete with the 19 years old in training etc.  Then one day I walk into an office where there was a friend of mine,  a LREG (which is a Navy Police officer) he was studying a booklet. It was a booklet on a residential course to become a Scene of Crimes officer. I hadn't a clue what a SOCO was, ( unlike today where everyone seems to know what a CSI is). My mate told me about it, apparently this kind of work  had recently opened in the Police Service for civilians instead of just Police Officers.   Hmmm interesting !

 

 



I was accepted for redundancy and given my final date of 1st April 1996, now I had decided on a new career path, the information my mate had told me about had peaked my interest.  So I sent off for details of the course,  the course was a residential course of 9 weeks at a place called Harperley Hall, (in the aptly name) Crook Co Durham.  It cost over £7000 for the course and there was no guarantees that I would get a job at the end of it.  Prior and during the course I wrote to all the Police Forces in the UK, to enquire if any jobs were going, I had a few replies and ended up having a few interviews, one while I was still on course, the other afterwards. After the completion of my course, I had a interview with the force I am with now, the result was I had employment.

I started working as a SOCO on 20th January 1997, when you first start you are placed with a mentor, this is to learn your area as well as alleviate initial nerve to whether you are doing it right,  which are bound to occur. 

As a newcomer, I was prone to the occasional prank/stitch up by my fellow workmate. Not long after I joined a office full of men, they decided an opportunity had arisen to attempt to embarrass me to see how I would react, a right of passage I think.  One of the jobs that we have to do is photograph injuries sustained by victims of assault, in the office I was base, the victims of assault attended the station, where we had a studio for such photography.

This one day, one of my colleague turn round to me and stated there was someone in for injury photographs his name was Mr Joe Bloggs (change to protect the innocent) the normal procedure is to read the incident  to find out what you are going to photograph, but in this instead the colleague said go and collect him I will get the printout, so off I went to collect the gentleman,  and lead him back to the office, as I walked ahead, and Mr Bloggs work very gingerly and slowly behind me, I thought nothing more about it, just thought he might be a bit stiff from injuries sustained,  eventually we got into the studio,  I ask him to position himself in front of the back screen and I turn my back on him to the load the camera with film (yes it was prior to digital cameras) while I had my back turned, I was explaining what I was going to do.  I finished loading the camera turn round, to find Mr Bloggs had stripped bare from the waist down in all his glory! all I could do was say was you're a bit keen aren't you, I was intending to take a photograph of your face first to show that the injured area belongs to you. Then gave him a wink and a smile, which prevented any embarrassment, to which he laughed, thankfully.   What had happened was he had been involved in a fight with a female who had decided to use her stiletto heel as a weapon and her target was his testicles, no wonder he was walking slowly and gingerly as there was a lot of swelling.

 After I took he back to the front desk I came back to the office to find a room full of grinning males and plenty of laughter when I told them what happen. To be honest I have a few more cases of "please can you put the mouse back in the hole situations (with males and boxer shorts), when it has come to injury photographs since.

 

 Unlike the TV series it isn't all murder central, our jobs range from that of criminal damage to major incident.  The buckle and braces part of our job is still the burglaries.  It also isn't as glamorous as it appears on TV, with high heels and designer sunglasses, more like wellington boots and hairnets. Also they haven't invented smelly vision yet, as one of the worst part of the jobs we have to do are the smells that come along with it, even most experience CSI can have something trigger their gagging reflex.

 

There is also the emotional  affects some of the jobs you deal with.  When at the scene your professionalism kicks in, you do your job to the best of your abilities.  But in those quiet times at home, the impact of what you have just dealt with can kick home.   My personal nemesis is that of any crime or incident that involves a child.  I can deal at the scene or post mortem, but during the quiet times I sometimes have to shed  a tear or two to ensure the case doesn't stay with me.

 

After 17 years I am still enjoying my job, not saying at time like everyone else I have my bad days, but when you get results it is really worth it. 

 

Well I hope you have enjoyed the 1st blog from Positive Police UK.  If you work for the Police service in any shape or form and fancy being a guest blogger please contact us at Email positivepoliceuk@gmail.com

 

You can find us at https://www.facebook.com/POSIPOPOUK