These 540 bulbs need planting as soon as possible!
Passed on to us by the Ulverston Community Police Officers they are heading for Ulverston Pulci places.
The location is up to you.
At the moment the idea is to focus them on Mill Dam Playground where they will be followed up with plants grown from seed. Some will also go in the Gill Banks planters!
Want to get involved ? They could perhaps go in a patch of ground near you!
17 comments:
They are not "Police Officers". Those rather bewildered looking people walking round in quasi police uniforms are Support "officers". In my view they are a complete and utter waste of time and money since they have virtually no powers and can't work after 10.00pm.
I do not doubt their sincerity but they are part of a fraud perpetrated by this useless apology of a government which implied that more uniforms on the street allowed for a greater feeling of security.
Remember, the very last thing they are is police officers.
I totally disagree.
They provide a valuable service.
Pity about the bright yellow jacket which means they will never get near minor infringements.
At least people behave when they are around.
I really can't agree. They are utterly, utterly useless. Perhaps my view is coloured by the fact that over the past few years far too many uniforms have appeared on our streets. It seems that every official - petty or otherwise - has to have a uniform.
We used to be greeted at UK airports by Immigration Officers, usually in rather nice suits and ties - now we have "Border Agency Officers" complete with uniforms!
Remind you of any European country, late 20s, early 30s.....
Wouldn't the absence of a uniform lead to accusations of "undercover" operations.
We use uniforms everywhere in our society to signify a role people have in a public place.
Checkout, waiting at tables, stores assistants, parking attendants, students (now there's one I'm not convinced about). We readily accept these uniforms - why not here?
The bottom line is that we've got bulbs - and they need planting - at Mill Dam Playground this next Sunday at 10:30 - I did the hard work of digging the ground last week - on my own - aaaaah!
There are opportunities for further improvements!
PCSOs - undercover operations???? I think not! The point is these pretend cops have no role other than providing an illusion - to some - of "policing."
Waiters and check-out staff have no "power". Police, Immigration staff, parking attendants DO have the power to impose sanctions upon us. With PCSOs we have people able to sanction us, albeit in a very limited way.
A friend of mine recently had his car vandalised, he received a victim support letter (whatever that may be) delivered by a PCSO. The Postie could have delivered that for 20 odd pence, alternatively a proper cop could have dropped it in as he was passing.
I recently came upon an incident outside a local pub. A fight had occured and the perpetrator had been laid out by his victim. He was on his backside on the pavement being "comforted" by a PCSO. He then expressed a wish to go home (not surprising since he knew arrest was immineNT!) our kindly PCSO had walked him half way up the street before a proper cop had to leg it after them in order to arrest him!
Whenever called to account for their perceived poor performance the real cops always trot out "We've no staff". This always bolis down to "we've no money to hire new staff." Cut three PCSOs from the payroll and you have the cash for one fully trained PC! Simples!
By the way, ta for the invite to plant your bulbs but I am to gardening what PCSOs are to Policing, totally incompatible!
Isn't there an argument along the lines that three pairs of eyes and ears are better than one especially if they can do jobs not requiring the expertise of police officers eg delivering a letter especially if they were passing the end of the street.
Teachers certainly appreciate the help of non-trained staff so that they can get on with the job of direct contact with their students.
When it comes to gardening your argument begins to collapse.
Make a hole with a trowel drop a bulb in, cover it up.
It's like eating - I guess you can manage that.
Note:
Do not eat bulbs! Let the soil do that!
O Dear I can see you and I are not going to get on Geoff! People at school aren't students, they're PUPILS! Pupils learn, students STUDY, albeit Applied Handbag Studies and the Philosophy of Football and other useful stuff.
It takes a full time cop maybe 3 minutes to knock on a door and update a victim, end of. He can then go off attending to other business. PCSOs, I repeat, are expensive fripperies. I've got eyes and whats more I'm out a lot more after 10.00pm than they are! If I see a crime in progress or suspicious activity I phone the real cops, end of. O, then I sit back and wait 30 mins for them to arrive coz - guess what? They haven't got the cash to spend on real cops so they haven't the manpower they'd like. The bold PCSOs are by this time at home in bed reading up on their Sherlock Holmes novels. Its a circle innit?
I understand that since the introduction of PCSO's the numbers of Police officers in Cumbria has not fallen. Apparently they were never intended to be police officers and there remit is to assist with community issues that do not need a warranted officer.
It seems to me that as financial cutbacks take place in the future things may change.
Are we saying that if savings are required then we should do without PCSOs ?
Or have you somewhere else that you'd prefer to see cut backs?
Yes, that is exactly what I am saying - ease financial pressure by doing away with PCSOs. That way save cash to pay a full time, proper PC who is able to patrol, on foot, with a helmet, handcuffs, staff and power to arrest at 1.30 a.m.!
Also,having scrapped PCSOs, recruit Special Constables. They are fully empowered like full time cops and do the job for nowt. If letters require delivering or kids need ticking off for minor infringements, send a special, for nothing!
Also, reduce the number of stupid courses cops are sent on these days. Primarily "Diversity" courses. In a past life I've attended these Home Office courses which basically boil down to "how to be nice to black people/gay people etc. This is basically common sense and common courtesy, if you don't have these attributes then you should not be a copper in the first place.
Point made?
No, I'm afraid not! ! !
What I was saying was there are likely to be cuts in the future - complete cuts - no replacements.
I am persuaded that the police at Ulverston know how best to spend the money allocated to them. They obviously find that PCSOs are part of the team they need.
Incidentally in my view good education particularly in secondary schools produces students - young people who are learning to study - on their own - hence Homework.
As a form tutor this approach really payed off as my students had learned how to study and revise for their exams at year 11. As a result they did surprisingly well way beyond the students in the other forms ! !
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I doubt think we are going to agree!
As we can't agree on the pointlessness of PCSOs lets start on the real Police. I was intrigued by your assertion - " I am persuaded that the police at Ulverston know how best to spend the money allocated...". Mmmm. Have they upgraded from Ceylon to Earl Grey, instant to fresh ground, Beano to the Sun, bought a couple more loungers to add to the sofas....you get my drift!
3 incidents in the last 12 months have persuaded me that our local cops are only marginally more use than their PCSO postmen.
1). I witnessed two of them arrest a middle aged lady for a very minor misdemeanour in town. You would have thought murder was committed. She spent a night in the cells, fingerprinted, photographed, interviewed - the full monty. After a bit of thought and a lot of time and money spent she was released without charge.
2). Some weeks later I was in a pub on a quiet Tuesday tea time. Two drunks, big lads in their mid 30s entered, picked on a customer minding his own, they punched him and smashed his mobile. A fight ensued and the drunks were ejected, the landlord closing and locking the door on them.
They then started kicking the door and shouting threats to the effect that when they got in they would rip the place apart and us customers with it. The Police were called, approx 10 mins later they arrived. Screaming sirens alerted the miscreants and they had calmed down when cops arrived. Upshot was the plods put the two of them in a cab and sent them back to Barrow, we the witnesses were not consulted as to were we put in fear, did we feel threatened etc. No say at all.
3). Over Xmas I witnessed another debacle in a local pub. this involved about 8 men on a firms do falling out and fighting. It spilled on to the street, glasses were hurled, blows exchanged, traffic was halted and the language was very fruity. The police were called. About 5 turned up, including an Inspector. They spent 45 mins talking to these morons, all of whom were plainly drunk and disorderly. At one point the main moron was nose to nose with the landlord threating to burn the pub down and arguing as he had justifiably been banned from the pub. The Inspector was, at this point, about 2 feet away. NO action was taken against any of them. One moron started to walk away, he was, as they say, off his face. A cop - I kid you not - assisted him across the road and sent him on his way. Where would he be going - possibly to cause bother elsewhere. Who knows, the cop certainly didn't.
The landlord is not from these parts, he couldn't believe what was going on and how the Police handled it. 8 or 9 drunks disrupt his pub, subject customers to their "language", commit assault, stop traffic, use threatening behaviour towards staff - and they go free! That, plus 2 police vans, a group of cops and several belligerent drunks outside your pub for 40 odd mins is not good for business!
To sum up - arresting ladies is do-able, dealing with big drunk threatening men isn't. Doesn't fill me with anu confidence whatsoever.
Maybe you should start a thread on this Mr. D. Would be good to have others'input and experiences.
Bob you've had a long opportunity to have a go at the police.
What weakens your argument is that you can't find a good word to say for them.
This is dramatically different to my experience of them.
I can see that there is likely to be two sides to the stories you recount. Many people might well see these situations differently.
I await some more accounts of the way the police behave in the town but shall only publish those that are positive, for a while.
As you will be aware from reading this blog, there are a lot of negative people who love using a blog (and other internet forums) to anonymously tear others to shreds.
The average person is not like this and from my contacts in 'real' life, most aren't attracted to spending their time on internet contacts with anonymous people when the alternative of talking to their friends , neighbours and the man in the street, is available, especially in a place like Ulverston.
Sorry you feel that way. I can only give of my own experiences, as you say they are indeed negative but that's the way it is. I'm sure there are 2 sides but, of late I personally haven't seen a positive side.
As to being negative and ripping folk to shreds - seems to me you do a fine job in that regard vis a vis our local politicians. I'm sure these people are doing their best, but they don't by and large measure up to the standards you imagine to be efficient. Therefore you have a go!
I eagerly await some positive comments!
Being positive!
http://geoffdellow.blogspot.com/2009/06/councillors-in-ulverston.html
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Perhaps Bob Peel has inside knowledge gained from his father, who was a police officer in this town. Perhaps Bob has been psychosocially damaged by his time inside Lancaster Castle?
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