Police entering a rented property.

[ukracer]

They are not nor have they ever been a "force". It is the Police Service and you are free to look this up. Very much like @ukracer I am sure will confirm it is the Fire Service, nobody would think of calling it a Fire Force.

I am not sure about that

They will call it anything for the sake of "change"

You can now be in charge of the Fire and Rescue Service even if you used to be a "manager" at Sainsbury's for instance.

I was actually a "Manager" but I know what I would get told if I was to apply for the vacant England managers job. So why the hell you don't need fire fighting experience and qualifications to become Chief Fire Officer is beyond me.

 

[ukracer]

I agree 100% with what you are saying @northwest .
The difference in terminology, whilst apparently subtle, does have a great
impact on how they are perceived. Over here they are often referred to as
"La force de l'ordre", which is quite a menacing term in itself, and most
likely is intended to be.
However, unlike the fire or ambulance services, their role is ultimately
different, and perhaps the line is thinner. At what point should they suspend
being a "service", and focus on being a "force" to maintain order ?
They have to wear two, sometimes very different, hats.

They will always be a Service, (to someone) even if they have to use force.

 

[TEO]

Which is interesting. I can't think of a singe contact with the well off where that has been the case. It is normally the other end of society where they don't have the education to verbalise a grievance and resort to violence.


Not a dig at you or anyone else, just a general observation...
Edit, Nope. I have met many from all walks of life and have never been shown disrespect. Possibly due to the respect I offered to them rather than irrationally despising them because they had more than me?

I've not sure where I put my silver spoon but I chose a different way of life a long time ago. I've plenty of friends with far more in the bank than I have. So, I'm talking of a rational dislike of specific people who've decided that they don't need to pay me; in one case for work which they then went on to show off in a glossy magazine. That sort of backfired on them when it was used as proof in a successful claim.
However, the need to get a lawyer involved, put together all the proofs and all that waste of time did prejudice me against them

 

[ukracer]

Which is interesting. I can't think of a singe contact with the well off where that has been the case. It is normally the other end of society where they don't have the education to verbalise a grievance and resort to violence.


Not a dig at you or anyone else, just a general observation...
Edit, Nope. I have met many from all walks of life and have never been shown disrespect. Possibly due to the respect I offered to them rather than irrationally despising them because they had more than me?

Interesting psychology. I don't despise anyone for having more than me as long as I have enough. BUT that is as long as their method of gaining their wealth was legitimate.

Strangely one of the most interesting dealings I had with wealthy people was when fitting smoke alarms to a house.

House holder already had 4 alarms. Requested 3 more and 1 of those was for his shed.
Obviously loaded. With 2 mercs on the drive and at least 1 kid who also had a Merc.

We treated them as we did everyone. They could have 2 free Alarms. The owner got real stroppy and threatened to complain about me.

Needless to say they didn't...lol

But I hasten to say it's never one size fits all and you get really nice well off people as you do poor people. I treat everyone as I find them...

 

[ajlelectronics]

Interesting psychology. I don't despise anyone for having more than me as long as I have enough. BUT that is as long as their method of gaining their wealth was legitimate.

Something that I have noticed over my lifetime is that the lower end of society and the upper end are both generally decent people with nothing to prove. The ones to watch out for are the social climbers, the "Fur coat and no knickers" brigade.

I ran a mobile chippy in the 80s and went all over Gloucestershire with it. The only area that ever raised any unjustified complaint was one new housing estate, full of 'em.

 

[Robotstar5]

I am not sure about that

They will call it anything for the sake of "change"

You can now be in charge of the Fire and Rescue Service even if you used to be a "manager" at Sainsbury's for instance.

I was actually a "Manager" but I know what I would get told if I was to apply for the vacant England managers job. So why the hell you don't need fire fighting experience and qualifications to become Chief Fire Officer is beyond me.

I saw similar in the car industry, when I started in the 70's managers had worked their way up from the shop floor so understood how everything worked. When I retired a few years ago we had managers who had never seen the inside of a factory but did have a bit of paper that said they were a manager, the difference is if there was a breakdown you couldn't just tell them what the problem was, you had to waste time explaining how the process worked first, all they were concerned about was the loss of production eating into their bonuses.

 

[premmington]

Which is interesting. I can't think of a singe contact with the well off where that has been the case. It is normally the other end of society where they don't have the education to verbalise a grievance and resort to violence.


Not a dig at you or anyone else, just a general observation...
Edit, Nope. I have met many from all walks of life and have never been shown disrespect. Possibly due to the respect I offered to them rather than irrationally despising them because they had more than me?

I would agree - the wealthy landowners and titled gentry - even lords and ladies I have met thru my life - I have found always to be very nice.

I can't think of single instance of getting fighting or nearly fighting with trully landed gentry. People from long lines of wealth.

It is newly rich or DFL (down from London) lot - brokers/bankers/fund managers - which is where all the problems come from in Norfolk - not the landed gentry who actually own big parts of Norfolk (as far as the eye can see).

 

[northwest]

As a lad I used to knock on doors and ask for the milk money, all the really poor people used to have it ready and waiting on the top of the gas cupboard usually and Christmastime you always got a good tip, the wealthy were the same, always inviting me in and especially in winter, letting me "have a warm". It was, as has been already suggested, the middle ground that caused the issues, Oh he didn't deliver a week last Thursday ands all the rest of it, I am sure you can imagine. I used to hat the "new builds" they were full of em.
@brightspark will be able to tell you, the same as I can, the estates to avoid in Teesside if you wanted to keep going and get paid, there is/was one estate near Norton that became notorious (at least in my eyes) for bad payers. It seemed to me it was surrounded by three council estates (not that there is anything wrong at all with council estates) and the sons and daughters were somehow ashamed of their upbringing so aspired to move up the road a bit and buy a house in this new development. So by and large they all thought they were something and had the manners to prove it! :-)

 

[bricol]

"Scum". Definitely a word to use for some.

The absolute scum that keep passing through our town in the early hours, baraclavas on, lifting anything not bolted down, smashing locks off stuff that is, going up dead end farm tracks to break into locked barns, stealing workers tools, equipment, vehicles, animals, putting their business and livelihoodsc at risk.

Police cannot be everywhere at once, so I'm sure it happens all around us too.

"Scum" is the only word for them. Absolute dregs of society, of no use to anyone and never will be.

 

[northwest]

"Scum". Definitely a word to use for some.

The absolute scum that keep passing through our town in the early hours, baraclavas on, lifting anything not bolted down, smashing locks off stuff that is, going up dead end farm tracks to break into locked barns, stealing workers tools, equipment, vehicles, animals, putting their business and livelihoodsc at risk.

Police cannot be everywhere at once, so I'm sure it happens all around us too.

"Scum" is the only word for them. Absolute dregs of society, of no use to anyone and never will be.

The absolute extreme of the problem the issue with as I have personally experienced is that the second you do something about it personally, you will find yourself locked up. Far too many examples of good people being prosecuted for defending themselves/protecting their families and homes for this to be challenged, And at that I am out before this gets locked.

 

[ukracer]

"Scum". Definitely a word to use for some.

The absolute scum that keep passing through our town in the early hours, baraclavas on, lifting anything not bolted down, smashing locks off stuff that is, going up dead end farm tracks to break into locked barns, stealing workers tools, equipment, vehicles, animals, putting their business and livelihoodsc at risk.

Police cannot be everywhere at once, so I'm sure it happens all around us too.

"Scum" is the only word for them. Absolute dregs of society, of no use to anyone and never will be.

Oh its happening everywhere. Whilst there are criminal activities that will happen no matter what, a lot of the things going on lately result from if you have nothing you have nothing to loose.

That said these balaclava +×÷=/ are somewhat a product of the lockdown. When it became the norm to mask up. They have seen how easy it was and how unlikely they are to be caught.

 

[addjunkie]

"Scum". Definitely a word to use for some.

The absolute scum that keep passing through our town in the early hours, baraclavas on, lifting anything not bolted down, smashing locks off stuff that is, going up dead end farm tracks to break into locked barns, stealing workers tools, equipment, vehicles, animals, putting their business and livelihoodsc at risk.

Police cannot be everywhere at once, so I'm sure it happens all around us too.

"Scum" is the only word for them. Absolute dregs of society, of no use to anyone and never will be.

You and I obviously have a similar view of this section of society, and then our police service, do leave their ivory towers, gather enough evidence to prosecute….then doo gooders get involved and they are back out on the streets with a hundred or so offences with a suspended sentence, because they had a tough upbringing and promise to be good boys.

But even worse is the gangsta culture growing with ferrel youth illegally riding around our cities, carrying machetes robbing good honest working people…..these folk need educating the difference between right and wrong, not ignoring!

@addjunkie
Sorry, I've overstepped, I'm sure you don't think that way.
However I really don't think that "scum" has a place in any discussion.

No, you just expressed your opinion biased by your life experience. I expressed mine biased on my experience. No need to apologise. Opinions are like nose’s we all have one.

Once many years ago, my father was away and I left home as the key holder for his business in the event of the alarms going off! About 2am the phone rings, the police, alarms ringing, break in. Id had a few drinks, so get girl friend out of bed to drive me there. Keys in hand. No need for keys whole front door smashed in shutter and all. Went in shut off bells looks at damage / mess missing TVs etc ( Tv / electrical shop). Mr nice plod wanted to breathalyse me as he could smell drink, adamant Id driven there. Idiot hadn't seen G/F sat in drivers seat, of her car. When explained to him he breathalysed her. Shed not had a drink in weeks due to medication. Plod on a power trip.

 

[Robotstar5]

Once many years ago, my father was away and I left home as the key holder for his business in the event of the alarms going off! About 2am the phone rings, the police, alarms ringing, break in. Id had a few drinks, so get girl friend out of bed to drive me there. Keys in hand. No need for keys whole front door smashed in shutter and all. Went in shut off bells looks at damage / mess missing TVs etc ( Tv / electrical shop). Mr nice plod wanted to breathalyse me as he could smell drink, adamant Id driven there. Idiot hadn't seen G/F sat in drivers seat, of her car. When explained to him he breathalysed her. Shed not had a drink in weeks due to medication. Plod on a power trip.

Back in the 80's my younger sister was manager/key holder of a shop that sold cigarettes and a few times plod would come knocking on the house door in the early hours when there was a break-in, I would normally go with her as she had to wait for the boarding up guys to turn up, we had to remember to take a bottle of milk with us as plod would expect a cup of tea or coffee

 

[willie.macleod]

I think one thing which is a theme running through this thread is that of Police Force. They are not nor have they ever been a "force". It is the Police Service and you are free to look this up.

Interesting you mention this, I was chairing a meeting and introduced a retired police inspector and in part mentioned his service in the Scottish police force. He corrected me very quickly in a similar vein to what you said here about using the word service instead of force.

I noted later in the evening he twice slipped up and used the words police force without correcting himself

 

[addjunkie]

Interesting you mention this, I was chairing a meeting and introduced a retired police inspector and in part mentioned his service in the Scottish police force. He corrected me very quickly in a similar vein to what you said here about using the word service instead of force.

I noted later in the evening he twice slipped up and used the words police force without correcting himself

It takes time to change a culture….one day they will let women join the Masons!

 

[northwest]

Mr nice plod wanted to breathalyse me as he could smell drink, adamant Id driven there. Idiot hadn't seen G/F sat in drivers seat, of her car. When explained to him he breathalysed her. Shed not had a drink in weeks due to medication. Plod on a power trip.

This is the problem, my friend is oft given to remarking: "there is no such thing as positive contact with the Police"

 

[addjunkie]

This is the problem, my friend is oft given to remarking: "there is no such thing as positive contact with the Police"

Possibly true, but think this is driven by the vast majority of the worst parts of life and society they have to deal with.

 

[Farside]

Back in the 80's my younger sister was manager/key holder of a shop that sold cigarettes and a few times plod would come knocking on the house door in the early hours when there was a break-in, I would normally go with her as she had to wait for the boarding up guys to turn up, we had to remember to take a bottle of milk with us as plod would expect a cup of tea or coffee

Probably many a romance kindled like that in the wee small hours. Not between you and the plod, obviously, although you never know.

 

[Farside]

Interesting you mention this, I was chairing a meeting and introduced a retired police inspector and in part mentioned his service in the Scottish police force. He corrected me very quickly in a similar vein to what you said here about using the word service instead of force.

I noted later in the evening he twice slipped up and used the words police force without correcting himself

Well, they were a Force long before I was born and long after I left the place, so it's just a habit and frame of mind.

 

[brightspark]

Back in the 80's my younger sister was manager/key holder of a shop that sold cigarettes and a few times plod would come knocking on the house door in the early hours when there was a break-in, I would normally go with her as she had to wait for the boarding up guys to turn up, we had to remember to take a bottle of milk with us as plod would expect a cup of tea or coffee

i was on a callout one night and passed a motorcycle shop that had been broken in to and guess what . plod was also looting the shop putting goods in to his car he wasnt amused as id slowed down and tooted my horn . bet he had nicked some fags while he was there blame the intruder