Blunkett's Bobbies lock themselves in room in fear of a 13-year-old

[AB Asks]

The community support officers were carrying out a routine visit to a children's centre when one boy started arguing with a staff member. The officers then hid themselves in a room and locked the door and waited for the real police to arrive. The purpose of these community support officers is to offer 'visible public reassurance'. What do you think? Are these 'officers' a total waste of time? Or are they good at what they are trained to do and we can't expect them to go beyond their call of duty?

[jake-the-peg]

Link?

Oh how silly of course it's the mule
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles /news/news.html?in_article_id=511492&in_page_i d=1766&ito=1490

They even use the term "blunkets bobbies" you're so impressionable Ed!

[Gromit]

We have alraedy discussed this, two posts down

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question51 5319.html

If the editor obviously hasn't bothered to read the questions posted in this section, how is he/she able to do their job?

[jno]

I suppose reading the Mail is all that's required, Gromit. Perhaps AB could hire Anotheoldgit as a special advisor on questions that need asking; it would save time and repetition

[naomi24]

Jake, does the fact that it's reported in the Mail mean it isn't true then?

[Gromit]

naomi24

Well, they are not 'Bobbies' for a start, so it is pretty good going to get the lie into the headline.

[anotheoldgit]

It would seem that everyone but you Gromit knows that they have been referred to as "Blunket's Bobbies" since Ex Home Secretary Blunket introduced them.

They have been referred as such by The Telegraph, The BBC and The Times to name just three. So please change your tune Gromit, your constant Daily Mail bashing is getting a little boring.

[naomi24]

Gromit, what a very silly and pointless argument you make. My question was, is the story a lie? A simple 'yes' or 'no' will do.

[kwicky]

Blame it on the trendy left wing d0-gooders in our society. At school teachers are not allowed to discipline pupils, parents are not allowed to smack children, etc.

Probably if the aurgument had continued the officers wiould have been charged with assault. Community officers are not employed to instill discipline into youngsters. We are seeing the results the trendies have inflicted upon us.

[Gromit]

anotheoldgit

The Telegraph prefer 'Plastic Police' which is just as bad, as the point is they are not Police.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jse ssionid=IMK2YCWFPFJEHQFIQMGCFFOAVCBQUIV0?xml=/ news/2008/01/31/npcso131.xml

You would not expect the Police Station Cleaning Lady to have to tackle a violent teenager, and the status of the PCSOs is the equivalent to her.

Let me repeat:
They are not the Police. They have not been trained liked Police. They do not have the same powers as Police. So don't be surprised when they do not act like Police

[naomi24]

Gromit, since you've answered old git, and not me, I take it that's a 'no' then?

[Lil O'lady]

Have any of you guys been around in a unit when a kid has kicked off?
If not, let me advise: this is not your kid or your school. Put yourself out of the way and let the staff deal, then normal human relations resume afterwards.
The visitors did not damage the child by keeping out of the way -what did you want them to do, lynch it from a tree there and then?
And BTW, let's castigate the reasons why that child ended up in that unit, not the folk dealing with it on a daily basis.

[Gromit]

naomi24

This is how the incident was reported in the Plymouth newspaper. The incident sounds totally different before it has been through the holy Daily Mail's sensationalising right wing spin machine.

"Supt Green said the PCSOs "took the decision to take themselves out of sight" in order to allow trained staff at the unit to deal with the boy before police arrived.

"It was clear their presence in uniform was what was aggravating the youngster," he said. "By taking themselves out of sight they were defusing the situation. They've done the right thing."

http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/displayNode.js p?nodeId=133464&command=displayContent&sourceN ode=133158&contentPK=19737918&folderPk=78031&p NodeId=133174

[naomi24]

Gromit, so you, personally, are happier with a version from a local newspaper. Fine - but that doesn't make it right - and it doesn't make the Mail wrong. It just means that the Plymouth rag's version is more acceptable to you. By the way, I am not a Daily Mail reader, but the constant slurs on here against the Daily Mail, and its readers, from people who think they know it all, and think they are far wiser than anyone else, becomes pretty tedious - hence my original question.

[Gromit]

naomi24

Absolutely. If a news story occurred in my area, I would hope the report from a local person would be more accurate and truthful than a politically motivated re-write on a desk 250 miles away in London.

The Harold Shipman story unfolded in my town. The drivel, lies, insensitivity and crass behavour of the tabloid national press was in stark contrast to the professionalism of the local papers.

[naomi24]

Gromit,

Yet again you're missing the point. Very few incidents reported in the national press occur locally to you, and I doubt very much that you have privileged, in depth, information on most of which makes national, or even local, news. Nevertheless, you continually disparage the Daily Mail and it's readers. Heaven forbid, but one does somewhat gain the impression that, according to you, they are nothing short of gullible fools, and consequently their opinions aren't worthy of consideration. The art of civilised debate is completely lost on you.

[naomi24]

should have been its readers.

[Gromit]

naomi24

"My question was, is the story a lie?" YES it is a lie

The Police said
"It was clear their presence in uniform was what was aggravating the youngster, By taking themselves out of sight they were defusing the situation."

The holy Daily mail said
"Two 'Blunkett's bobbies' hide in room when confronted.The Blunkett's bobbies shut themselves away until real police officers arrived to rescue them."

If you prefer not to believe the Police, that is up to you.

[naomi24]

Gromit,. how is it a lie? They did shut themselves away until the police arrived. Of course the police will say that they were diffusing the situation - what else would you expect them to say? By the way, there's no need to shout.

[Gromit]

naomi24

"what else would you expect the police to say?"

I would expect the police to tell the truth - always.

There is a a difference in interpretation...

The police said "they did the right thing, they were defusing the situation.'

This has been reported in the right wing press as - they were scared. They were in fear. They were cowards, They are not up to the job.

PCSOs are law enforcement on the cheap. They are not real police. They are nothing more than community prefects. But the alternative under the present funding to these 'fake coppers' is a copper walking down your street once a month.

Unfortunately, the idea was that they were to SUPPORT the police, but what has happened is that the police have abdicated their duties and they have become a REPLACEMENT to the real police.