Feeling The Pinch!

Well, today finally came and it's a day where we were hit by people we thought needed us the most.

Tom Winsor, a former rail regulator swung upon the police forces of this country with what can only be described as another "Beeching Axe"

The fact that escapes the members of parliament is that the railways of this country are a disgrace, an under funded shambles run by people who only want a profit and it grinds to a halt come rain, come shine.

And they've let a former regulator of this mess attempt to cull money spending within our force.

...I'll let that sink in for a moment.

I won't bleat on about what Winsor has said and what he has found as it's pointless and been done to death by now and the last thing you want to read is yet another blogger repeating what he's already stated.

What angers me the most through all this, is the media and parliamentary spin that the unsuspecting public who are not in any way connected to the force have had to endure.

We have seen a member of the Green Party come out on TV and state, that it's not fair that we have 30 year pensions completely forgetting the fact that pensions are now for 35 years and have been for a few years now.

I watched in dumbstruck awe, as a retired police officer sat there and stated on TV that he has had times where he has finished "5 minutes into his rest day and claimed 4 hours at double time"

First of all, to that retired officer, Thank you very much for that! You have held onto the handle of the blade this government has taken and helped stab it firmly between our shoulder blades!

You've got your pension, you've secured all your rights and you earned your money so what made you even think to go on National TV and practically pull the rug from under our feet on the very people you served with?

"Pull the ladder up Jack, sod the rest" springs to mind!

Whilst I don't deny that there has been some gross over spending in areas of all forces, don't take it out on the front line for God's sake!

The Barclay's Brothers and their little empire, giving themselves massive pats on the back bonuses whilst all this is going on, adds insult to injury, especially when it was mostly the unregulated banking industry that screwed it for every body!

The fact that we get paid for what is a dangerous job again escapes them.  Policing has the highest rate of all occupations for divorce and sickness.

Why?

Simple, long stressful and potentially dangerous hours with the fact that we at the last minute can receive a rest day cancellation for court, urgent policing matters never minding what you had planned with the family.  We can never have a "life" so to speak, as we are constantly expecting it to be cancelled.

You don't see Tom Winsor, Theresa May or David Cameron policing the streets single crewed at 3am.  Or policing New Years Eve on flat rate money because the Bank Holiday hasn't kicked in till 06:00 hrs.

You don't see them turn up to deliver a death message to a woman who's been out of her mind with worry wondering why her husband hasn't answered his mobile.

Or holding onto a child that has been involved in a car crash and watch their life ebb out of them because there's nothing they can do to save them.

Every time something like this happens, I leave a piece of me at that incident.  There's only so much of me to go round.

We deserve the pay we get for what we have to endure!

What has happened today will effect each and every household across the country.  You won't see recruitment drives any more and officers won't be replaced when they leave.  So don't go screaming that no one has turned up to your burglary because pulling items from magic hats only works for Paul Daniels.

How about this one Mr Winsor? Try going to London Underground or other railway companies and try sweeping cuts in something you do know something about.

Then see how long it takes before the capital and the country grinds to a halt again with an all out strike.

Something I envy them for at times!

Here endeth the rant.