macca Posted 24 October 2013 Posted 24 October 2013 I have been watching an old episode of the TV show Heartbeat, set in the 1960's. The episode I saw had the police sergeant as a typical old-style copper who seemed to think that he could get what he wanted by yelling and shouting at people. The louder he shouted, the more likely people were to comply. It almost seems a bit laughable to see someone bawling and screaming at other officers and the public but that's exactly what it was like back then. Many years back, when I had just left school, I worked with the police for a while and I saw many instances of red-in-the-face, foaming-at-the-mouth sergeants, spitting real venom at wrong-doers and others too. If someone got called in for a 'talking to' or a 'telling off' it must have been a horrific experience. It wasn't just members of the public either. I saw numerous young police officers on the end of a tirade and having to stand there and take it. Some of the young coppers came out after a rollicking almost wetting themselves (in one case, literally - but that's another story!). Did it really work, I wonder?
Fox92 Posted 24 October 2013 Posted 24 October 2013 Heartbeat was actually one of a few programmes that I enjoyed watching on TV. I just think, personally speaking, Policemen look more like Policemen then. I look around nowadays, some look unfit, some have beards and look scruffy etc. They should be clean, lean and have that bit of edge to them imo.
Zingari Posted 24 October 2013 Posted 24 October 2013 From what i remember the police were nowhere near as fearsome as they were portrayed in the 50's, 60's and 70's especially to youngsters(i can't comment on hardened criminals) There has been some exaggeration imo Yes they took you to one side and possibly gave you stern word ,playful slap or kick in the pants and posibly took us home to parents , but the was at least some interaction with them . I can remember as kids we were quite friendly with local bobbies and we had a few laughs and jokes with them.
davieG Posted 24 October 2013 Posted 24 October 2013 Sounds more like some of the foremen/chargehands I encountered during my apprenticeship than any copper I ever met. Confrontational management was still the accepted style in the 60s. A bit like some stewarding down the City
MooseBreath Posted 24 October 2013 Posted 24 October 2013 Isn't crime at about its lowest rate ever? Though that's probably more to do with technology making people more docile and the fact that everyone knows you're being watched and monitored pretty much every minute of every day in one way or another.
Zingari Posted 24 October 2013 Posted 24 October 2013 Isn't crime at about its lowest rate ever? Though that's probably more to do with technology making people more docile and the fact that everyone knows you're being watched and monitored pretty much every minute of every day in one way or another. i doubt that, it may have dipped in the past 30 years , but that is from a very high level The chart shows recorded offences per 100,000 people in England and Wales during the 20th century. The history of crime in the 20th century is dominated by the even sharper rise in offences recorded by the police since the late 1950s. During the 1960s there was acceleration in recorded crime: it was the only decade in the century where crime doubled. Crime continued to rise according to this measure for much of the remainder of the 20th century, with an average of over one million crimes recorded each year in the 1960s, increasing to two million during the 1970s, and 3.5m in the 1980s.
Alexikokopops Posted 24 October 2013 Posted 24 October 2013 Isn't crime at about its lowest rate ever? Though that's probably more to do with technology making people more docile and the fact that everyone knows you're being watched and monitored pretty much every minute of every day in one way or another. i doubt that, it may have dipped in the past 30 years , but that is from a very high level The chart shows recorded offences per 100,000 people in England and Wales during the 20th century. The history of crime in the 20th century is dominated by the even sharper rise in offences recorded by the police since the late 1950s. During the 1960s there was acceleration in recorded crime: it was the only decade in the century where crime doubled. Crime continued to rise according to this measure for much of the remainder of the 20th century, with an average of over one million crimes recorded each year in the 1960s, increasing to two million during the 1970s, and 3.5m in the 1980s. Using the crime survey we're currently experiencing the lowest rate of crime since it started in 1981. The survey aims to work out actual levels of crime rather than just reported crimes.
Zingari Posted 24 October 2013 Posted 24 October 2013 Using the crime survey we're currently experiencing the lowest rate of crime since it started in 1981. The survey aims to work out actual levels of crime rather than just reported crimes. yes i know it's dropped in the last 30 odd years , but "old style policing" implied the style from the 50's and 60's. To an old git like me anyway
Alexikokopops Posted 24 October 2013 Posted 24 October 2013 yes i know it's dropped in the last 30 odd years , but "old style policing" implied the style from the 50's and 60's. To an old git like me anyway True, I just thought I'd throw the crime survey in the mix If you assume a correlation between the survey and reported figures then we're at similar levels to the late 70s
Guest MattP Posted 24 October 2013 Posted 24 October 2013 Crime figures might be a bit deceptive now though as people don't even report it unless they need a crime number or it's a very serious offence.
Alexikokopops Posted 24 October 2013 Posted 24 October 2013 Crime figures might be a bit deceptive now though as people don't even report it unless they need a crime number or it's a very serious offence. Not sure if that was aimed at me or Zingari but the Crime Survey was designed to try and overcome that issue.
Zingari Posted 24 October 2013 Posted 24 October 2013 True, I just thought I'd throw the crime survey in the mix If you assume a correlation between the survey and reported figures then we're at similar levels to the late 70s actually that sounds about right to me . My gut feeling without seeing any figures was that we had low crime in the 50's and 60's and an explosion in crime in the 70's 80's 90's and it's settled down again to a fairly high rate compared to my youth , but not as bad as it became in the 80's. .
MooseBreath Posted 24 October 2013 Posted 24 October 2013 Police to have cameras mounted on uniforms http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24662243 Nice stats on incident reduction in there but surely it's only going to make police officers less approachable and therefore less effective and more detached from society? I imagine if you're in a panic about something and want help from a police officer the last thing you need is to be worried about what you're saying and how you're behaving.
Samilktray Posted 25 October 2013 Posted 25 October 2013 I just think, personally speaking, Policemen look more like Policemen then. I look around nowadays, some look unfit, some have beards and look scruffy etc. They should be clean, lean and have that bit of edge to them imo. I can't stop laughing at how daft this is
broughtonblue Posted 25 October 2013 Posted 25 October 2013 Heartbeat was actually one of a few programmes that I enjoyed watching on TV. I just think, personally speaking, Policemen look more like Policemen then. I look around nowadays, some look unfit, some have beards and look scruffy etc. They should be clean, lean and have that bit of edge to them imo. Got to agree with the last paragraph
macca Posted 25 October 2013 Author Posted 25 October 2013 I just think, personally speaking, Policemen look more like Policemen then. I look around nowadays, some look unfit, some have beards and look scruffy etc. They should be clean, lean and have that bit of edge to them imo. The scary sergeants were the reason that the officers were well-turned out back then. As I said in my original post, the young coppers were often left shaking when they emerged from a ticking-off and I've seen new recruits inspected as if they were in the army - straight tie, length of hair, polished buttons, shiny shoes, even colour of socks!
Vardinhio Posted 25 October 2013 Posted 25 October 2013 The bodycams have been under trial for quite sometime now, they are not always switched on but can be if required.
Rincewind Posted 25 October 2013 Posted 25 October 2013 It is hard to compare yesteryear with today. Society and the way people live, their values and the wider sources of information available. Technology has improved detecting skills and communication. Old police methods suited the times. If todays resources were available to coppers a few years ago a few of you would have had ASBO's by the time you were 10.
Vlad the Fox Posted 25 October 2013 Posted 25 October 2013 I can remember a few years back at the footy there had been a small skirmish a few people I know had got caught up in. They were stood with this boy of a copper looking like he'd be 8st wet through, about 5ft tall and shaking like a shitting dog. He had no presence, just standing there looking lost.
FoxesAreBlue Posted 25 October 2013 Posted 25 October 2013 I can remember a few years back at the footy there had been a small skirmish a few people I know had got caught up in. They were stood with this boy of a copper looking like he'd be 8st wet through, about 5ft tall and shaking like a shitting dog. He had no presence, just standing there looking lost. Probably my brother. He's a copper and matches that description.
DANGEROUS TIGER Posted 26 October 2013 Posted 26 October 2013 Got caught scrumping in the fifties by a big "bobby" wearing a cape. Frightened the life out of me as he roared he telling off. My friends and I always tried to avoid them. I think we would rather have faced a fiery dragon.
Zingari Posted 19 November 2013 Posted 19 November 2013 ignore all those statistics folks , they're probably just a pile of shite http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25002927 i think many of us have suspected as much though.
DennisNedry Posted 19 November 2013 Posted 19 November 2013 ignore all those statistics folks , they're probably just a pile of shite http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25002927 i think many of us have suspected as much though. The police are full of shit... what else is new?
notnow john Posted 19 November 2013 Posted 19 November 2013 Got caught scrumping in the fifties by a big "bobby" wearing a cape. Frightened the life out of me as he roared he telling off. My friends and I always tried to avoid them. I think we would rather have faced a fiery dragon. What colour was his cape?
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