General Thread

catweasel10

I wouldn't be against joining the Guards, but I have never really considered it, and I wouldn't particularly want to live in Tipperary for any length of time (no offence to anyone from there!). There seems to be a difference in organisational culture between the PSNI and An Garda Siochána, and I think the PSNI would probably be better suited to me.


Delancey, as far as I know, they run Irish classes for those who have not been educated down South (probably in an effort to get a greater mix of people into the organisation). The level of proficiency probably isn't very high, but because it's the first language of the State (although not for most of the population), anyone can conduct his/her dealings with the Guards through Irish. A friend of mine was once stopped by a Guard (I have no idea why, but it mustn't have been for anything serious)and would only speak Irish. The Guard just let him off as he hadn't a clue what my friend was saying.

catweasel10

BoutYe wrote: »

I'll tell you why PSNI over AGS. For me its because i'm from the North and therefore want to work and live in the north.

From what I have been told, the reason for our friends from Mexico is because it is actually easier to get into the PSNI than AGS for southerners (as they tend to be catholic and therefore "benefit" from 50/50) Now i'm sure thats not the only reason, just my experience from talking to people who struggled numerous times to get into AGS and then applied once and got into PSNI.

I've heard that too. Also, I don't know how true this is, but I've heard that they make people run around Croke Park for the fitness test! It's probably a lie.

Cheers for the replies there, guys.

Wasn't trying to sound like a smart ass or anything (I re-read my comment and I think I may have come across a little like that, if so, not intentional). I was just genuinely curious as to why people would prefer PSNI over AGS.

Cheers for the insight.

Shield

BoutYe wrote: »

I'll tell you why PSNI over AGS. For me its because i'm from the North and therefore want to work and live in the north.

From what I have been told, the reason for our friends from Mexico is because it is actually easier to get into the PSNI than AGS for southerners (as they tend to be catholic and therefore "benefit" from 50/50) Now i'm sure thats not the only reason, just my experience from talking to people who struggled numerous times to get into AGS and then applied once and got into PSNI.

Cheeky git. (Please don't report it guys, he's just kidding!)

Alright KKV, my turn:

It may interest you all to know that there are quite a few members of AGS who have tried to get in but didn't get past the Initial Selection Test. There are also a significant number who have left AGS in favour of the PSNI.

Yes, RCs benefit from 50/50 as a result of the smaller number of RCs who apply, but us Mexicans bring an example to the table. An example that is badly needed to instill confidence in communities who have historically been treated as second class citizens.

Us Mexicans are gutsy enough to stand up and be counted as those who want to be a part of the changing face of Northern Ireland. We have the dedication and desire to serve all sections of all communities in Northern Ireland, hard as it may be at times, especially with the accent. It's not easy and none of us ever thought it would be.

Sure, we can all sit back and moan about the past, who did what to who, where and when. Some of the murals up here read: "Never forget the past" but instead, I lean towards Ghandi's philosophy: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world".

I once had someone tell me they felt more comfortable talking to 'one of their own', and the person went on to recommend me as being a good peeler - someone they knew would treat them right - to other people in their community who were very anti-PSNI. That doesn't happen often up here, but when it does, it's reinforces the fact that there is a clear need for good people from all parts of the island, not just local yokels.

It will be a long time before the "one of their own" mindset can be changed, and until it is, I can only encourage my fellow Mexicans to step up, stand out, and join in.

MustBeCrazy

Good points, well made

wanadrum

Well said PSNI

Shield

MustBeCrazy wrote: »

Good points, well made

Oh you...

pathway

psni wrote: »

Cheeky git. (Please don't report it guys, he's just kidding!)

Alright KKV, my turn:

It may interest you all to know that there are quite a few members of AGS who have tried to get in but didn't get past the Initial Selection Test. There are also a significant number who have left AGS in favour of the PSNI.

Yes, RCs benefit from 50/50 as a result of the smaller number of RCs who apply, but us Mexicans bring an example to the table. An example that is badly needed to instill confidence in communities who have historically been treated as second class citizens.

Us Mexicans are gutsy enough to stand up and be counted as those who want to be a part of the changing face of Northern Ireland. We have the dedication and desire to serve all sections of all communities in Northern Ireland, hard as it may be at times, especially with the accent. It's not easy and none of us ever thought it would be.

Sure, we can all sit back and moan about the past, who did what to who, where and when. Some of the murals up here read: "Never forget the past" but instead, I lean towards Ghandi's philosophy: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world".

I once had someone tell me they felt more comfortable talking to 'one of their own', and the person went on to recommend me as being a good peeler - someone they knew would treat them right - to other people in their community who were very anti-PSNI. That doesn't happen often up here, but when it does, it's reinforces the fact that there is a clear need for good people from all parts of the island, not just local yokels.

It will be a long time before the "one of their own" mindset can be changed, and until it is, I can only encourage my fellow Mexicans to step up, stand out, and join in.

Inspiring words. Thank you.

Delancey

jclegs

delancey42 wrote: »

Good luck ironing that one for Drill!

catweasel10

delancey42 wrote: »

Is he getting the baton of honour there?!

BoutYe

psni wrote: »

Cheeky git. (Please don't report it guys, he's just kidding!)

I once had someone tell me they felt more comfortable talking to 'one of their own', and the person went on to recommend me as being a good peeler - someone they knew would treat them right - to other people in their community who were very anti-PSNI. That doesn't happen often up here, but when it does, it's reinforces the fact that there is a clear need for good people from all parts of the island, not just local yokels.

I've heard a similar story from one of the southerners in our squad.

Delancey

The below article comes from todays Irish Times , it illustrates just how tough the financial climate is becoming for UK Police Forces.
My own personal bet is that the days of recruits earning a salary while in training are numbered , my guess is that it's a matter of time before Police recruits will earn only a ' training allowance ' just as Garda recruits do - they currently receive around 200 Euro per week while in training.

Still , not as bad as Canada where I believe some forces require recruits to pay some of the cost of their training - I read a figure of $CAN 10,000 is what wannabees there have to fork out :eek:


New London police recruits to get no pay for 18 months





MARK HENNESSY
TWO-THIRDS of all new police recruits in London will have to work for 18 months as volunteers with no pay, the Metropolitan Police Authority said. The move by the authority, which is struggling to cope with spending cutbacks that could put it £500 million (€575 million) into the red next year, is expected to be copied by other forces around the UK.
Until now the Metropolitan police paid its trainees £23,000 a year. Last year, 2,000 trainees were recruited, this year the figure will be only 900. The move could save up to £20,000 a recruit, human resources head of the Metropolitan police Martin Tiplady told the authority yesterday during a stormy meeting. It was told suitable candidates would be deterred by the changes, leading to a higher crime rate in London. Recruits get 25 weeks’ training and are supervised until they have two years’ service.
Authority chairman Conservative Kit Malthouse said the reforms would mean a “better prepared police at lower cost”; but the changes were criticised by Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat representatives. Decrying the plan as “fundamentally flawed”, Labour’s John Biggs said people would be put off a police career.
A report by the Metropolitan authority last week warned of a fall in police numbers. It said robberies and knife crimes in London were already rising, while detection rates for burglary, robbery and hate crimes were falling. Cutbacks in the force would affect the rest of the UK because it has national responsibilities also, most notably in counter-terrorism.
The authority warned last week that government budget cuts would leave the force with a deficit of £463 million, and risk cutting officer numbers, thereby reducing its ability to fight crime.
The changes in London are but the first signs of difficult times for the 43 UK police forces, including the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Already, the federation has warned that up to 40,000 frontline jobs in England and Wales will be at risk if the government’s plans to cut 25 per cent from day-to-day spending goes ahead.
The UK has 144,000 police officers – a record number after a decade of growth. They are backed up by 80,000 non-police staff in stations, who deal with administration. Aside from the thousands of volunteer special constables, who work up to 16 hours a month, there are 17,000 police community support officers, who patrol the streets but who do not have arrest powers.
Spending watchdogs acknowledge £1 billion could be saved from the overall police budget of £14 billion, but anything beyond that would lead to significant cuts in the number of police deployed.

gigity gigity

Is it possible then that the PSNI could offer full time positions to the reserve and let them bypass the recruitment? May not go down to well but would save a bit on training etc.

gigity gigity

Will our merit numbers change then since people have been taken of the list?

ElizaB

psni wrote: »

Cheeky git. (Please don't report it guys, he's just kidding!)

Alright KKV, my turn:

It may interest you all to know that there are quite a few members of AGS who have tried to get in but didn't get past the Initial Selection Test. There are also a significant number who have left AGS in favour of the PSNI.

Yes, RCs benefit from 50/50 as a result of the smaller number of RCs who apply, but us Mexicans bring an example to the table. An example that is badly needed to instill confidence in communities who have historically been treated as second class citizens.


Us Mexicans are gutsy enough to stand up and be counted as those who want to be a part of the changing face of Northern Ireland. We have the dedication and desire to serve all sections of all communities in Northern Ireland, hard as it may be at times, especially with the accent. It's not easy and none of us ever thought it would be.

Sure, we can all sit back and moan about the past, who did what to who, where and when. Some of the murals up here read: "Never forget the past" but instead, I lean towards Ghandi's philosophy: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world".

I once had someone tell me they felt more comfortable talking to 'one of their own', and the person went on to recommend me as being a good peeler - someone they knew would treat them right - to other people in their community who were very anti-PSNI. That doesn't happen often up here, but when it does, it's reinforces the fact that there is a clear need for good people from all parts of the island, not just local yokels.

It will be a long time before the "one of their own" mindset can be changed, and until it is, I can only encourage my fellow Mexicans to step up, stand out, and join in.

How long have you been in the job PSNI?

Delancey

''Is it possible then that the PSNI could offer full time positions to the reserve and let them bypass the recruitment? May not go down to well but would save a bit on training etc.

While it would save money I think there would be political fallout that could be nasty - still , you never know.
Obviously what the Met are doing is impractical in Northern Ireland for several reasons , you can't have unarmed reservists on patrol given the security situation but by the same token you can't have unpaid volunteers being armed.
It's important to note what happens in the Met has a habit of being replicated in other UK forces and while a huge force of 'specials ' ( that name will never be used in Norn Iron ! ) is unlikely in the case of the P.S.N.I. I think we will see ' innovative ' ways of making budgets go further.

Delancey

gigity gigity wrote: »

Will our merit numbers change then since people have been taken of the list?

No , merit places/scores are fixed and don't alter as people get called up or drop out.

gigity gigity

I have an innovative idea in how they can save money. That is stop paying over the odds sums of money to contractors who in the past have ripped the government of.

JP84

do you only go on to the merit list once vetting and everything is cleared??

or what happens if there are people on the merit list above me who haven't passed vetting yet? would that mean that I could get called before them?

Shield

ElizaB wrote: »

How long have you been in the job PSNI?

Long enough.

Delancey

JP84 wrote: »

do you only go on to the merit list once vetting and everything is cleared??

or what happens if there are people on the merit list above me who haven't passed vetting yet? would that mean that I could get called before them?

No , your place on the merit list has nothing to do with medical or vetting. It can ( and does happen ) that people with good merit scores fail medical or vetting.

If people ahead of you on the merit list are still waiting on vetting to clear then thats good news for you and bad luck on them.
many , many times people with lower merit scores get called before others simply because they have cleared vetting quickly.

gigity gigity

Evening all, im looking to find out a bit more about what its actually like to be a peeler, for example all the job duties and not just the cool stuff like rolling around in souped up landrovers. I have my own ideas of what its like but was wondering if any of you know any decent books that might explain everything?

Delancey

Fair question you raise there gig - I have to admit I don't know of any books that might prove enlightening.
I'm waiting for psni to write his life story

gigity gigity

delancey42 wrote: »

Fair question you raise there gig - I have to admit I don't know of any books that might prove enlightening.
I'm waiting for psni to write his life story

haha yeah memoirs of a copper,would be good. There are bound to plenty of laughs on a daily basis although sometimes they look bored driving around.

Oh and hope the med goes well, im sure your happy to have got the date!

1986j

gigity gigity wrote: »

Evening all, im looking to find out a bit more about what its actually like to be a peeler, for example all the job duties and not just the cool stuff like rolling around in souped up landrovers. I have my own ideas of what its like but was wondering if any of you know any decent books that might explain everything?

Supped up Land Rovers?

Those things have a turning circle of a bus llol but I know what you mean

The R32's or Mondeo ST's would be more fun!

gigity gigity

What do you have to do to get to ride the motorbikes?

BoutYe

gigity gigity wrote: »

Evening all, im looking to find out a bit more about what its actually like to be a peeler, for example all the job duties and not just the cool stuff like rolling around in souped up landrovers. I have my own ideas of what its like but was wondering if any of you know any decent books that might explain everything?

Well the first idea to ruin for you is the souped up landrovers. They are slow, noisey, and if you're in the back then very bumpy Freezing in the winter, sweltering in the summer.

Now, as for a typical day, well each day is different but generally you will get in to work, get changed, have your briefing and get detailed your crew.

Then, depending on calls (which really depends on where you get stationed) you'll have time to do paperwork etc or hit the streets. If there is nothing outstanding I'll tend to get on the computer and see if there is anything urgent needing looking at. Make some phonecalls etc. Then get out of the station and spin about and see whats happening. If you're in a busy station like myself then you wont have much free time.

The cars are generally crap too, the r32s etc are for traffic.

BoutYe

gigity gigity wrote: »

What do you have to do to get to ride the motorbikes?

Move to traffic.

minerdees

Being an armed force does the PSNI have a similar unit to SO19 in the Met. Just asking as that would be where I would see myself going if I get in (that or dog handling cos dogs rule all)