Is London the new Afghanistan??
 

The rates are better...

Daily Mail

How unlike the Daily Mail to focus on some divisive aspect of society to fuel a sense of bitterness, entitlement and vitriol in their readers, must be a new owner...

Like most people, I fully support our emergency services. However, the Rozzers are really pushing my support at the moment. Be it their resistance to reform, pensions, their treatment of a Home Secretary invited as a guest to their conference and now this.

I've never said it before, but I find myself thinking 'F**k em' on increasingly regular intervals recently.

I'm big enough to form my own opinion. If it's true, it flagrant opportunism by an increasingly out of touch police force.

Excellent, I look forward to receiving my cheque for having to s--t alfresco in a hole in the ground in the God-forsaken wastelands of southern Iraq, or at best in a plastic box full of effluent gently simmering in the desert sun. Sharing a bathroom in a hotel... luxury!

CL, i find myself sharing your view - the sight of a fat rozzer wobbling around Ludlow, wearing belt-kit that wouldn't look out of place in South-Central Helmand Province, and knowing that his 'allowences' would make a significant proportion of a young soldiers salary, do not make charitably disposed towards them...

That's right chicken leg, we're all raking it in. Never mind the freeze on pay increments, below inflation annual rises, overtime rates cut (and noone ever hot paid for a phone call) and pension contributions up to 14% plus a raft of policies which are obviously aimed at culling expensive experienced officers. No wonder the home secretary got a poor reception. We'll take our share of cuts but we're being hit again and again.

Reminds me of the old Hard Lying Allowance that we received for nights aboard HMS Sabre, a Fast Training Boat. I don't think it was more than 30p/day in 1979. (30p ~ about the price of a pint).

Is London the new Afghanistan??
 

I don't know, is it?

The following combat indicators may help us to decide:

1. Full of Islamic terrorists able to operate with impunity?
2. Pretensions to a multi-ethnic society, but more sectarian bile coming out of the most 'diverse' districts?
3. Ruled by an incompetent jirga of district councils, squabbling along tribal/party political lines?
4. Armed security forces clattering around in armoured police vehicles and helicopters to create a ring of steel for the fighting season/Jubilympics?
5. Endemic corruption at all levels of the industrial/military complex, from contractors to mayoral candidates?

Answers on a postcard please!

Tashengurt,

We are in a similar boat. Pay freeze. No overtime pay. Pension cuts. Redundancies. Etc. I suspect that we are just a little bit jealous that we have to take this on the chin - without so much as a by your leave - whereas police officers are permitted to vent their frustrations in public.

Don't take it personally. If I took the sh!te written on any of the Scottish threads, I'd never be back. (Some might say 'good riddance')

Duncs:ok:

I think you've hit a few nails firmly on the head there TR!

Went to see the 'Hammers' at Upton Park for the first time in a while last year, and walking down West Ham High St after the game I felt like I'd been transported to Ruwi High St:(

FFS the allowances highlighted by the Mail were introduced by the GOVERNMENT following their so called independent report into police reform pay and conditions by Tom Winsor. Winsor recommended changes to allowances when working away from home so don't blame the police for being paid what he recommended.

As another poster has already said the police (along with countless other workers I might add) have been subject to a pay freeze and pension increases so every pound earnt in o/t or allowance during the olympics will only go to make up for something we have already lost. If you really want to kick the police then don't forget that every PC left working in their own areas during the summer will also probably be expected to work a lot of extra o/t in order to make up for the constables being sent to London...or do you think we should work their duties for free?

As for barracking the home secretary has anyone heard how the house of commons normally acts during PMQ's particularly when whips try to drum up support to drown out the opposition. A few hundred disgruntled bobbies at the fed conference were just making their feelings known in a similar way.

I don't know what's worse. The crap that the DM publishes as 'news', or supposedly intelligent people actually believing this sort of nonsense.

As for the rest.

Pensions- Contributions rising to 14.2% of gross wage. Working till 60 (chasing 18 year old feral scum..that'll work). Pension is worth half what is was. When I was in the mob, how much did I pay into my pension...not a lot!

Resistence to change- Cameron is privatising the Police. Look at the jobs currently on G4S website. Look at the roles West Mids are putting out to tender.

Fat, lazy Police- Right! 70% of the people I work with are ex-Forces. During my dark blue career, I saw plenty of fat, lazy wasters. I don't condem every one in a uniform as such.

I've been shot at, attacked with knives and screwdrivers, had ribs broken twice....never got some much as a stubbed toe in the mob and I had a damn site more time off as well. Let's stop pretending that everyone is stuck in a **** hole in Afghanistan.

The Armed Forces and the Police are fair game for Cameron, because neither can do anything about it. It's pretty disappointing to see some of the inane comments on here. And from a Daily Mail story (it's certainly not journalism)

I wonder if the troops (and sailors and airmen) seconded to the Olympics will get the same allowances.

Duncs:ok:

A pig just went past my window at an altitude of 100 feet Duncs. Nail on head hit just right I fear.

Cameron is planning on divide and conquer. It seems to be working.

Perhaps all those of us giving up our weekend in a few weeks for a Help for heroes event should think again. Then again, we clearly are not as petty and pathetic as some on here.

Civil Servants and Local Government Officers are in the same boat but without the chance to claw some of it back.
Local Government Officers also had their pensions screwed in the last years of Bliars reign, work longer, pay more, get less and two years later Mr call me Dave Millionaire Camoron wants to do it all again.

However, I suspect my for the the Police is much like most posters experience of public servants: -
A little truth mixed with a load of horsesh1t that becomes folklore.

Doc C

I don't disagree that a bobby's job is demanding, potentially dangerous and at times, very frustrating. What I do object to, is the suggestion that they have it any worse than many other public sector workers, including those that typify the clientele on these pages. I also object to what appears to be an increasingly militant attitude fron the Police Association's.

And like I said in my second post, I don't need the DM to shape my political and society views.

I don't believe any public sector workers should receive extra pay for the Olympic period, whether they be TFL workers, emergency service workers or the Amed Forces. If you expect extra money for when you have to work extra hard, I assume you will be happy to give some back during quieter days, weeks or months of the year?

If you want performance related pay, join the private sector or start a business.

Its not extra pay for the Olympics, its pay that the government has implemented following Tom Winsor's review into police pay and conditions. It is pay which would be paid for any operation which means staying away from home whether its a riot, football world cup, political party conference or even a royal wedding. It is not performance related pay in any way.

It is also very difficult for the police federation to do anything remotely close to being militant because a) we don't have the right to strike b) the fed is a completely useless organisation which thinks a strongly worded letter of protest is enough to influence government policy.