Responder RF/1 Boots Test Drive

First of all let me inform you that I have not been paid to write this or given a free pair of boots to test. This has been written independently, by me, to give you a run down of these new boots on the market as Twitter does not have enough characters to give a review of these boots to @Responder_Boots

First Impressions Straight From The Box:

The box is a stealthy black emblazoned with the Responder logo on the lid. I liked the look as it gave me a secure feeling, almost déjà vu, as if I had bought these before.

The boots were better than I expected. Instantly I was reminded of top end Magnum boots. Similar to the Stealth series.

Unlike some other boots out of the box, there was no mucking about lacing them up, they were already laced up and ready to go, providing I remembered to take out the balls of paper first!

They also have a lovely leather upper for shining. Something I miss on my Lowa's.

The boots went on a treat. I love the side zipper! I've had several boots in the past where I've struggled to either get them on, or get them off. These went on and came off in seconds. The great thing is, you don't have to untie the laces, just unzip and off they came.

On The Feet:

They felt like I had worn them for years, as if they were already broken in. Many boots I've bought in the past take a while to feel right but these felt light and didn't look like cross channel ferries on the end of my legs. I suffer from plantar so I am really picky when it comes to boots especially being in this job which can involve a lot of standing around.

I have an expensive pair of Lowa's but because of feet ache I've had to buy a set of inserts. The shank on the outside arch of the RF/1's give nice support where I need it. Lifting and moving them around feel light, almost training shoe like and nothing like a divers boot.

Test Walk:

The two mile to and from walk to my daughters school to collect her gave me the chance to test these out and see how they perform.

I wore trainers on the way to the school this morning and these felt no different. As stated above, they felt light weight and very comfortable. It was a mlld Autumn day and on the way I walked quickly due to running behind. Arriving at the school, my feet didn't ache and I actually forgot I was wearing boots. Arriving back home, removing them was a synch, in fact 5 seconds per boot. No sweat on my feet, cool to the touch and dry inside. Exactly what is needed. The collar gave excellent ankle support. Just enough, with no over bearing squashing of your ankle, which constantly reminds you that you're in a boot.

Overall:

I've yet to put these to long term test but for first impressions these are excellent boots. They are well worth the price of £29.99. I would have happily paid at least another £20 for these as they compete, in my opinion with the likes of some models of Lowa and many of the Magnum series boots.

A great price for us budget cut emergency service personnel from Responder Footwear

Looks 5/5
Comfort 4/5 (based on first test walk)
Ease of use 5/5
Value for money 5/5
Overall 5/5

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You Won't Hear The Last Of This!

Tory Chief Whip, Andrew "Thrasher" Mitchell has certainly realised that this week, now his alleged words have echoed through the press after his confrontation with Police officers at the gates of Downing Street!

He denies calling the officer an "F***ing pleb" and a "moron" but doesn't deny having a confrontation with Diplomatic Protection Group officers after they refused to open the main gates for him to cycle through, stating they could not be opened for security reasons.

Thrasher has then allegedly gone on to shout "You don't run this f***ing government!" And "I'll have your jobs for this"

This is the usual jumped up snobby public school crap that we have to put up with many a Friday night when pissed up Suit wearing snobs say to us when they've been told to wind their necks in after becoming gobby.

What angers me more, is that, this is the Chief Whip who is meant to be in charge of discipline in the Tory Party. If he's like this, what are the rest like?

This not only shows total lack of respect and a holier than thou attitude towards "lesser mortals" but comes at very bad timing considering the day before two officers were shot dead in Manchester doing their job on a salary considerably less than his.

Just how out of touch are they? They have been silver spoon fed all their lives and live in gated communities so out of touch with reality they believe that they can genuinely speak the way they want to people and get away with it.

These are the people that make key decisions in our lives. And we in the police usually have to pick up the pieces when these decisions go wrong.

The constant attacks on us, cuts, pensions and Winsor reforms without even a buy your leave means that they are only after one thing. Money.

A literal smash and grab.

Then the words said by David Cameron and Theresa May after the deaths of PC Nicola Hughes and PC Fiona Bone.

Many officers including myself believe these words to be nothing but hollow rhetoric. They may have said what was politically correct and, as some have stated to me on Twitter, we would have been angry if they said nothing.

Part of me wishes they had just remained quiet or said the bare minimum. Stating to the press that officers face danger every day and its a reminder of what we do for safety of communities stinks of pure two faced cheek.

They are cutting front line numbers which will weaken community safety, pushing officers to the limit and making us work longer, for less. Bone and Hughes would have more than likely been discussing the cuts and how it could affect them.

We all know what shifts we have to do, last minute changes, extensions, cancelled rest days/leave, missing family celebrations, putting up with abuse and violence from people who hate us, want to fight us and in some cases, kill us.

To have two senior politicians take more away from us, make our job harder for us, then state how hard our job is, is an insult.

Then to have the Chief Whip verbally abuse us, shows just what they really think of us.







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Officer Down

Today we lost two of our colleagues from Greater Manchester Police.

PC Nicola Hughes, 23 and PC Fiona Bone, 32.

These unarmed officers died doing their job with what should have been a routine call.

It is believed that the suspect, Dale Cregan, 29, allegedly lured them to a false report of a burglary in Abbey Gardens, Mottram where they were attacked with a gun and a grenade.

It is reported that after the two officers went into the property which had stood empty for some time, witnesses heard approx 12 shots fired then an explosion.

One officer died at the scene, the other died in hospital after the emergency teams battled to save her.

It is shocking the number of officers that are killed or seriously injured whilst attending "routine" calls.

If an officer is sent to attend reports of gunfire then that officer will be equipped and trained to deal. They will also know what to expect when they get there.

My mate lost his team colleague PC Phillip Walters, from a handgun blast to the chest when he was attending reports of a domestic. He wasn't wearing a vest but even if he was, chances are, at that range it would not have been any good as the vests are designed more against knives.

PC David Rathband, shot, whilst sitting in his patrol car.

PC Sharan Beshenivsky shot attending an attack alarm at a jewellers.

PC Ian Dibell, off duty, shot outside his home whilst confronting a neighbour who was threatening to shoot people.

PC Ian Broadhurst shot whilst dealing with a traffic stop

PC Alison Armitage run down by a car thief in a stolen vehicle.

All of these officers died or in the case of PC Rathband, seriously maimed as a result of attending routine calls.

The debate has been raised again about routine arming of police officers. At this time of austerity it is a difficult choice to make.

Some officers don't want to carry guns. Some, are incapable of carrying guns. And sadly in some cases, there are some I don't trust with a ball point pen let alone a gun.

Psychometric testing is expensive. Kit is expensive and law suits are expensive. If an officer pulls the trigger immediately in the eyes of the all seeing media the officer over reacted and the person shot was an "angel"

Would anyone want to be routinely armed and then find themselves in this scenario?

The question that will be asked is "Would guns have helped PC Bone and Hughes in the attack?"

It looks like they were ambushed and sadly, probably shot before they would have had a chance to draw their weapons.

This is not the USA, remember, where officers regularly unclip their weapon or ready it when attending calls and I hope that day here never comes.

Confusion, fear, anger, disbelief, tactics, training, muscle memory, adrenaline, all take place to an officer during a serious incident.

These can either hamper your response or help it.

A colleague of mine who served in the Cayman Islands Police told me that his colleague attended a routine incident. As he pushed open the door of a house he was confronted with a male pointing a gun at him.

There was a split second shock from both sides but the officers instinct told him to turn and run.

He lived, the bullets cracked against the wood frame and pierced the air around where he had just stood.

However, If he had gone for training and drawn his weapon. He would have been killed.

Those extra couple of seconds to draw the gun would have been too late.

It's a difficult debate. If I'm handed a weapon, it'll go on the kit belt with the other "offensive weapons" I carry. They are tools of the job, it'll just be another one. Many members of the public I speak to, already believe we carry guns and are surprised when I tell them, there isn't one

Remember, the public didn't want us to carry batons, spray and Taser either.


Rest in Peace PC Bone and PC Hughes. You did your duty well.

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Hillsborough

I saw this today quoted by someone on Facebook who I'm glad to say is not a friend of mine and the only reason I saw this is because a mutual "friend" a former PCSO replied. There was a lot more involved with the quote but this is the part that actually made my blood boil and considering earlier today I had a message sent by a friend who is not Job stating that:

"South Yorkshire Police have done a lot of damage to police image"

this just made me even angrier.

The excert is as follows:

Shame on you every member of every police force in this great nation, for you should all now be ashamed of your chosen profession. As you now go about your daily duties, I hope every one of you will feel the distaste that we, the people you are supposed to protect, will have for you as we see you on our streets.

What a positively disgusting and ill educated sweeping statement to make!

I am NOT ashamed of my profession because of the totally inept, corrupt actions of those made over TWENTY YEARS AGO!

I was FIFTEEN YEARS OLD in 1989!

I have officers on my shift who weren't even born when this disaster happened! So, are you saying they should feel shame too?

I chose my profession, to serve, to make a difference and to lock up bad guys!

If the sight of me on the street makes you feel sick, then take your Daily Mail reading behind, back in doors and don't come out!

What sickens me more, is that you will only too quickly pick up the phone to call us and want us to your house in five minutes if you discover a burglary! Of course, yours will be the only crime being committed at the time and it'll be our fault we have no officers to come to your aid as soon as you want!

The dreadful, disgusting actions and lies that were made 23 years ago DO NOT reflect the work of the good men and women who put themselves on the front line day in, day out with little regard from YOU and the public. We face cut after cut, after cut, yet we still, every day, turn up for work to protect YOU!

I am shocked and appalled at the disgusting cover up by those who worked on the Hillsborough disaster. Those that did this should be brought to task no matter who they were. Those families deserved justice and they finally got it. To claim their loved ones stole, obstructed emergency services, urinated on the dead and helpers and to find out that was all a lie, is utterly absymal!

Your attack on the police as a whole is disgusting and is not helpful in anyway to those who are trying to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. It is hurtful and tasteless. You are tarring all police officers with the same brush. We are not robots in uniform, we are human. This is the same problem I get trying to put across to other people who still stare at us as if we have two heads.

You are probably one of these people who sneers at us, where others smile.

I and many officers had great fun with the public over the London games.

You cannot spoil that for me and I refuse to believe that every member of the public has disdain for us.

How dare you speak for all of them.

I still enjoy my job, even if it means one day I may have to come to your unthankful aid.



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Securing Your World*

*As long as there's a profit in it

So it would appear that G4S, the company that was awarded nearly £300 million for securing our Olympic games has failed to deliver the goods, announcing this to the world via whistle blowers with less than a fortnight to go before the opening ceremony.

This has literally meant calling in the troops to fill the 3500 very large gaps left by the inadequate recruitment by G4S.

Let's face it. They've only had since March 2011 to sort this out when they were awarded the contract. During this time, the police and military could have recruited, trained and deployed thousands of personnel.

This has left the police and military seething at this potential meltdown and many military personnel have had their well earned leave cancelled to repair the cock up left by this profit making company.

Whistle blowers have stated, they have had recruits falling asleep, listening to ipods, playing with their phones during essential training and then during practice sessions have missed guns, knives and bombs in the x-ray machine and on stooges.

There is an old saying:

"If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys"

It's been reported that G4S were going to pay these security officers a considerable low wage. Well, that's what happens. If you pay near to minimum wage, you will get what you pay for.

Security on a budget. Why? So G4S can turn over a big profit and please their shareholders.

It's bitten them heavilly on the back side because now they face a massive fine due to cause in their contract with LOCOG, their shares are tumbling (down 9% by the time this went to press) and the possible loss of the CEO Nick Buckles and if he goes there will possibly be a big payout.

Even he stated that he doesn't know if the employees for the games can speak any English.

I don't know what frightens me more, the fact he doesn't know, or the fact they can't speak English.

However, he's apologised so I guess that makes it alright. That's his amount of accountability for-filled.

A few months ago, many very experienced security officers were made redundant by G4S. You have to ask "why?" when they need to recruit for probably one of the biggest events in their company history.

Simple really. They were on a bigger wage and uneconomical for G4S' grand plan of "Profit profit profit"

Many of these security personnel called to get a job during the games and were told "No"

Those that were interested in delivering a professional package were many who had been unemployed for some time. Hoping to better themselves, many found that they were never contacted again, couldn't log onto systems, missing uniform or even sent to the wrong locations or denied a job for no reason at all with "vetting" being the reason.

With less that a fortnight to go, many have still not been vetted or received any uniform or instructions.

Yet, Lord Coe, insists, "security has not been compromised"

What worries me though, is, because of the slack vetting, how many of these guards are illegal immigrants?

How many are terrorist infiltrators?

Only time will tell.

Thankfully the shortfall falls on experienced personnel now as soldiers are manning security check points instead.

It's the total professionalism of the military who are facing massive reduncancies to just knuckle down and get on with it.

They are angry about it and rightfully so as this should be their time with their families or in many cases finding another job.

It's not the first time that G4S have been in the spot light for all the wrong reasons:

G4S subsidiary Wackenhut, in September of 2005, faced allegations of security lapses at seven military bases where it was contracted to provide services. The company claimed the accusations were false and promoted by a union seeking to enroll its employees.

In March of 2006, whistle-blowers employed at Wackenhut released information to the press revealing that the company cheated on an anti-terrorism drill at a US nuclear site. It also performed poorly on another drill at a separate location. The allegations claimed that Wackenhut systematically violated weapons inventory and handling policies and that managers showed new hires spots at the facilities where they could take naps and cut corners during patrols.

In the autumn of 2009, G4S personnel in Australia went on strike, arguing that the company had subjected them to low pay and poor working conditions. The strike imperiled the operations of the court system in the state of Victoria. The guards provided entry-point screening for weapons and bombs in both the County Court and Magistrates Court, as well as additional security in the court rooms themselves.

In October 2011, inmates in Birmingham Prison, which is managed by G4S, were locked in their cells for almost a day after a set of keys fitting every cell door went missing. In another incident in August 2011, G4S staff attached an electronic monitoring tag to the false leg of a one-legged criminal, meaning he was able to go out and leave it at home. G4S sacked the two members of staff responsible.

G4S having already secured many civilian roles in the police, are the company tipped to take on may more.

However, I'm a believer in the "thin end of the wedge" theory and that this is just the beginning.

How long will it be before PCSO's or detectives get replaced by this profit making company who are completely unaccountable to the public, where the police are?

How many more disasters caused by cheap labour employed people will it take before this goverment realise that you cannot police on the cheap?

Whilst I appreciate that the police are not infallible. I would be a fool to say we were. At least we are accountable for everything we do.

We don't run a profit making business and it never should be.

Those in the higher echelons of Parliament need to realise this and accept that maybe this is a taste of things to come if they think contracting out is the way forward.

With rumours of the Home Secretary knowing of this recruitment disaster 10 months ago. Maybe in the next cabinet reshuffle, someone else maybe facing redunancy to the back benches.




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Fatal Shooting of Serving Police Officer

It is with regret that I write this today under the knowledge that PC Ian Dibell a serving Constable with Essex Police died today after being shot whilst assisting in an incident, off duty in a Clacton-On-Sea road.

Essex Police are looking for the man shown in this photo in connection the fatal shooting of PC Dibell and another man left with serious leg injuries.

Peter Reeve, who is shown above is believed to be armed and dangerous.

If seen, DO NOT APPROACH, CALL 999

http://www.essex.police.uk/news_features/homepage_latest_news/reports_of_shooting_in_clacton.aspx

My thoughts and prayers go out to PC Dibell's family, friends and colleagues at this sad time.

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Anti Winsor Network

It's an amazing media, Twitter. People who have never met each other, united for a cause, one that means much to them all.

In this case, it's united against the former Rail Regulator, Tom Winsor. This is the man who once stated to the government that they should keep their nose out of a business [railways] which it knows nothing about.

Mr Winsor, has obviously forgotten his very own words of advice and taken the big fat pay cheque, ironically from the government, in order to slash and cut the police like Dr Beeching did with the railway.

Mr Winsor has never been a police officer, never experienced the stress of the shifts and the dangers that go with it, never experienced the strains on relationships thanks to the sudden extended shifts due to arrests, cancelled rest days which ultimately lead to disrupted family events.

Lately, thanks to a large number of events, protests, football etc. I have had numerous rest days cancelled. I was due to go to a birthday party for my Nephew, a 60th birthday party for my Aunt but due to a lack of officers. I can't go to either.

It's going to get worse. With the Jubilee, Olympics, and mutual aid last weekend in Luton I have kissed goodbye to my last weekend off now till the end of September. The last two were cancelled, so no weekends off for me, from end of April till September.

I work the hours which entitles me to these rest days so when I have them cancelled it winds me up.

Then I see my wage slip at the end of each month. Little or no overtime. A huge chunk taken by tax and my pension, a pension which Ministers and Winsor say is "Gold plated"

Well, I've worked myself to tears sometimes. Seen stuff I don't want to see but have to carry on. Slept in the police station in order to double back due to a late job taking me beyond my hours for little or no thanks.

That pension is payed for Mr Winsor, with blood, sweat and tears. I have been punched, kicked, spat at, headbutted, knives pulled on me, a barrel of a gun pointed at me, hit with metal bars, dogs set on me, petrol bombs, bricks, bottles and stones thrown at me whilst I work the long arduous hours only for you and the media to say I'm fat and lazy and need to be pushed more.

I deal with the aftermath of death. Whether it be from a suicide, murder or car crash. I have been there to pick up the pieces, literally in many cases.

I have brought pain to many families when I tell them that their Mother, Father, Brother, Sister, Partner, Husband or Wife isn't going to be coming home, ever again.

It is a pain that we in the police feel every day. It never goes away and it feels like I leave a piece of me at every scene like that I go to.

How much of me is left to go round?

On May 10th we are protesting to this Goverment that us police officers have had enough. We've been hit hard enough as it is. We understand that there needs to be cuts, but hitting the front line is dangerous and opens the way for the streets to be taken by those who only want to do you harm.

Mr Winsor is playing with fire. He's playing with your safety on the streets. He's taking away what cannot be easily replaced. He's potentially endangering lives as calls could go unanswered, and longer response times.

Times in which you may be desperately waiting for us to arrive.

The government only see pound signs before them. They have no realisation of the potential dangers these cuts could bring as none have been in our shoes.

We have earned our money, leave our pensions and front line alone for us to keep the public safe and we will return you dividends.

I promise.



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