13 mins on hold to Brixton police....
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Johnny Canuck3
Well-Known Member
By way of counterpoint, my wife came home with my son on Saturday night; I'd been on the computer in the basement, probably talking to you lot. She asked if I'd seen the police activity outside. Turns out there was a police car sitting in the intersection outside our house, with lights flashing, as well as cars in the two closest intersections.
My wife approached the cop in the car: he said that someone had recently ditched a stolen car nearby, and they were trying to flush out the thief with dog squads. About five minutes later, a helicopter with a searchlight was overhead.
They stayed for about an hour, concentrating on the hospital grounds across the street. I don't know if they got their man, but it was gratifying to see that there was a prompt police response in the area.
About a week earlier, my wife had dialed 911, when she saw some dodgy characters ripping the aluminum gutters off the house being demolished across the street. They were running, smashing out windows in order to get the frames. It took the cops about ten minutes to get there, and the guys had left in their van. However, they stopped them in traffic about a mile away.
My wife approached the cop in the car: he said that someone had recently ditched a stolen car nearby, and they were trying to flush out the thief with dog squads. About five minutes later, a helicopter with a searchlight was overhead.
They stayed for about an hour, concentrating on the hospital grounds across the street. I don't know if they got their man, but it was gratifying to see that there was a prompt police response in the area.
About a week earlier, my wife had dialed 911, when she saw some dodgy characters ripping the aluminum gutters off the house being demolished across the street. They were running, smashing out windows in order to get the frames. It took the cops about ten minutes to get there, and the guys had left in their van. However, they stopped them in traffic about a mile away.
editor said:
Sounds fucking awful. I've lived on and, visited estates that don't have a problem with teenagers simply because the older 'wronguns' keep them in line. Not an ideal solution, but it works. In some cases I even wonder if the official law allows the unofficial policing to carry on
agricola
a genuine importer of owls
As an aside, what phone number did you use, and when did you call?
I ask because Brixton's call reciept and call dispatch (along with the rest of Lambeth) has, for the past nine months, been part of the new (centralized) C3i system - its no longer based at Brixton.
I ask because Brixton's call reciept and call dispatch (along with the rest of Lambeth) has, for the past nine months, been part of the new (centralized) C3i system - its no longer based at Brixton.
Mrs Magpie
On a bit of break...
I would imagine the 7326 1212 number....easy to remember for us old'uns (Old Scotland Yard number was Whitehall 1212...featured in British films of yore fairly often)...
anyway...another eyewitness account of the night in question...
http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=5734770&postcount=303
anyway...another eyewitness account of the night in question...
http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=5734770&postcount=303
... and complaining that the police "caused" the joyriders to crash.Mrs Magpie said:
Mrs Magpie
On a bit of break...
Yeah, but she's right about the fire brigade though....I remember when I was locked out of my flat with my baby inside and the gas on (the door slammed in the wind while I was putting the rubbish out) and the fire brigade let me back in with a credit card type thing...I said, oh I thought you'd put your shoulder to the door and I'd have to get a locksmith in....the fireman said, no madam, that's the police.......
The fire brigade may have been happy with their people carrying that sort of stuff ... but it was a disciplinary offence for a police officer (because allegations were made that they had it for planting on suspects, something which I don't suppose arose too much with the fire brigade ...). Yet another effect of the law of unintended consequences ...Mrs Magpie said:
(I once managed to break open a door which, er, wasn't even locked ... well, you don;t think of trying the door handle first, do you!)
yes it is unbelievable!!
(just makes me think that these days you don't want to be a public sector worker like the police or midwives. get the worst press, the biggest workloads, but at least the police is paid better for it)
to be honest let's face it none of the police officers down here in brixton really wants to work here. frankly i wouldn't want to pick the telephone up either...
grim but true.
(just makes me think that these days you don't want to be a public sector worker like the police or midwives. get the worst press, the biggest workloads, but at least the police is paid better for it)
to be honest let's face it none of the police officers down here in brixton really wants to work here. frankly i wouldn't want to pick the telephone up either...
grim but true.
toggle said:
do you reckon?
maybe for the newly qualified to get experience?
i guess it s a bit like being a teacher in one of the most deprived areas or in fact a midwive in a south london hospital...
if i was a police officer i would most likely prefer to work in kent or cornwall or another remote area like this...
toggle
wobbly
depends. did they join the police to see some action or to have to deal with people who live in an area where there is nothing better to do than look out the window every day and report strangers to the police as suspicious characters?
I'd also say that a friend enjoyed teaching a lot more in a school where getting the kids into class was a major achievement than where the parents wanted to complain every time their kid got other than an A
I'd also say that a friend enjoyed teaching a lot more in a school where getting the kids into class was a major achievement than where the parents wanted to complain every time their kid got other than an A
Mrs Magpie
On a bit of break...
A lot of younger cops like to work in inner city areas because it looks good on their CVs and/or because they think it will be more exciting (I was told this by an older Brixton Officer who was born locally).
to be fair to the police, lots of people get told to get crime reference numbers for regular things. I have just reminded a southwark bureaucrat 2 hours ago that insisting that people get reference numbers for a window accidently broken by a kid playing football, or even more ridiculous, when the wind had broken the window (true!) was wasting their time, and people who were reporting serious incidents, or being burgled or something, were being put on hold as a result. I had this thread in mind at the time.
Mrs Magpie
On a bit of break...
Looks like Dee Doocey has beaten us to it! Will be interesting to get hold of a detailed copy of the research ....
* Wanders off to look for a tame Liberal ... *
* Wanders off to look for a tame Liberal ... *
Yeah ... but did they actually do anything ... and if they did, did it resolve the problem (or, at least, the symptom)? ...editor said:
We'll put that down as the symptom, at least, then!editor said:
Mrs Magpie
On a bit of break...
The wall demolished is that of an elderly disabled person I believe....people did confront down my end, but now they've started ramming things, people are scared. The night that the wall was rammed several people called the police. The feeling is that the police don't take crime on estates seriously and if it was happening in a posher area things would be different. The estate landlords leafletted about it (in one of the most badly produced, garish and unreadable forms I have ever seen) asking people to phone Crimestoppers with names (like we actually know who these people are...) and to contact a number at Brixton Police Station....unfortunately they were so busy trying to use as many different fonts and wordart effects as possible they forgot to include the number
Mrs Magpie
On a bit of break...
Yeah, just checked with one of his neighbours....he's very old and not at all well.....the vast majority of people in the bungalows are elderly and/or disabled.Mrs Magpie said:
