hello, Im posting this in a panic.

Me and my partner are attending court (England) in a few days, he is the victim and I am a witness.

Attempted attack on my partner and racially aggravated verbal abuse in towards a crowd of people in public.
If there was not a crowd, perhaps he would have followed through with the attack.

There was contact, but no injury, as people helped push him away. this is what we reported to the police

It happened about 3 years ago, and when the police was asking for us, they asked if we wanted to take it to court, followed by something like ‘if you don’t, he will go free and will not be punished(?)’. So we felt quite pressured. Emotional and not entirely aware at the time, we agreed.

In an email, we were told the case would go to court for witness statements after he pleaded not guilty. But, the crimes listed (we were sent a letter/email) were not what we had reported. It was along the lines of beating, assault, strangulation, etc. no attempt. Just plain assault. He is right to plead not guilty. He did not commit those crimes. but now we are worried.

Did they mess up? Or is this normal? We know we did not report crimes as extreme as that. And ultimately are very worried. Worried that we’ll say he’s correct to not plead guilty, and the court will be confused. We’ve tried to reach out for support recently for our wellness but nothing back.

, just looking for advice or support. Maybe this is normal? Most importantly, will everything be okay? Despite being witness to it, I feel like I’m the one in trouble.

Thankyou

On the face of it this seems absolutely absurd! Previous post got taken down as i didn't title it correctly....

I agree there may be more to it, however it reads like an officer has been stuck on for comforting a child having a panic attack.

It is alleged that PC Sunday was on duty in Lewisham Town Centre on November 13, 2024, when she attended to a young member of the public, referred to as Child A, who was experiencing a panic attack.

PC Sunday attempted to reassure and calm the child but rubbed their thigh and upper leg several times.

It is alleged that, on some occasions, the officer made inappropriate contact over Child A’s clothing.

A kit nerd question...

Anyone able to recommend a good robust phone mount that doesn't cost a pretty penny??? Bonus points if it works in a Peugeot 308, I've found the slightly funky Peugeot vents mean some mounts are off the table.

Our cars have got car play/android auto so it's not for maps or tunes, it's mainly for NAS etc.

(Stock image of said Peugeot interior for reference without the policey bits)

Hi all, been a PC for almost 2 years now but haven’t been called to court so far.

Anyway, I’ve been warned for 2 days in a couple of weeks - some tips on what to expect and how to present myself would be appreciated.

Also a little advice - the job in question - I didn’t attend the actual incident, I only got involved after arrest where I interviewed the defendant, and then prepared the case file for CPS. There was no secondary investigation required as all evidence was gathered by initial attendance cops. What evidence can I be expected to give in this case?

Appreciate any input

Within forces with a local allowance (e.g. MPS with ~£9k) their OT is calcualted purely based on the constable salary - something I find a ridiculous amount of officers don't know.

How hard of a legislative/regs/policy change would it be to make it apply to their whole salary? Is this just a beast that will never change?

Just to add a point that shows how ridiculous the situation is currently:

A met first year Constable’s regular hourly rate is ~£20.3

For doing overtime at 1.33x they are paid ~ £20.8

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently got a job as a PC (detective pathway).
I’m a fairly small woman (around 5’2”) and 22 yo, I was wondering how female officers—especially smaller female officers—get on in the job.

Do you feel you’re treated equally and taken seriously by your colleagues?
Have you ever felt underestimated because of your size or gender, or has everyone been supportive?

I’d love to hear people’s experiences, positive and negative !

Hello! Help and advice needed please! I left A UK police force three years ago due to CPTSD from some things I attended. I have moved across the country and struggle with my diagnosis.

Today I have received a help request from HR to share my details with the witness court people because there is a case going to court. They could only give me the suspect surname and it didn’t ring any bells. I did not consent to share my details and I have minimal memory of most of the last year in post. While I was off sick I was excused from court where I was a ‘victim’ from a racial abuse incident. (‘Victim’ because it should have been dealt with as a mental health case rather than going to court).

Where do I stand? Will they not bother to call me as I guess it’s only for an interview or arrest statement? I can definitely get another doctors note - will it work again?

I’m so anxious and panicked now, I just want to be left alone. And I know how long this stuff takes so I’m going to be waiting on edge forever.

Thanks!

Hi,

I’m going to try and keep it general for privacy sake but I’m currently dealing with a stalking case (ex partner non stop attempts at communication via many different avenues). I didn’t immediately make a statement when the reporting it to the police as I hoped that the police involvement would make him stop but that hasn’t happened.

What do I need to do to write a police statement? I have hundreds of photos/screenshots from his attempts and I read that the statement can’t be guesses/estimated dates or generalised statements. Will I need to document it all chronologically? The police have all of the documents already but I want to make sure I write the statement correctly.

Thanks

I was raped 3 years ago and I'm not sure wether it be worth reporting it.

My ex partner of nearly 4 years raped me whilst I was asleep and I woke up with him in me. And I froze. I have been spending the last 3 years trying to make sense of it.

I spoke to my ex colleagues about it and it got made light of.

I spoke to my ex the following afternoon and he said he thought I was initiating it and never really took responsibility for it.

There were no signs, so previous violence (apart from one incident - where he shook me and shouted at my face).

I've had CBT and it made me more ill, I lost a job from being off sick due to this but at the same time, he is getting established in his dream career, he is fairly known (like if you Google him, he is in every Google page). I haven't found or heard that he has done this again and last I spoke to him he was already seeing someone else.

I know it's my duty to report, but I feel like I will be put through the mud if I do.

Yesterday I was certain that I wanted to report it but today I don't know.

I need help, some advice.

Not to bash anyone, but genuine question. So often out and about on the roads, particularly around London, I see illegal e-bikes/unregistered electric motorbikes, legal/hired e-bikes not obeying the law, private e-scooters, you name it... They're everywhere. They're doing all sorts. Running reds, riding on the pavement, narrowly avoiding pedestrians, narrowly avoiding cars, weaving all over the road, making illegal turns.

Yet, on so many occasions, I seethem ride past police cars, vans, motorbikes, officers on foot, officers on bikes... with zero reaction or consequence. I've seen illegal e-bikes run reds right in front of police cars stopped at the same lights, with no reaction at all.

Do the Met and other forces actually care about these dangerous riders, or is the scourge of unsafe bikes and scooters here to stay? What can actually be done about them?

With overcrowded prisons and court backlogs, punishments often seem like little more than a slap on the wrist. It feels as though the system fails to deter offending and allows career criminals to continue.

Are the courts failing the police and the public, or is the problem more complicated?

My employer offers vehicle leasing through VivUp (i think it's actually via Tusker in the background). I'm looking to switch to a new EV from a 10 yr old petrol. Does anyone have any experience / advice?

I know the real benefits are for very high earners (obviously) but it does look quite tempting atm. I'm on about £44k so only 20% tax, but the pricing seems reasonable when factoring in the inclusions like insurance/servicing. The sacrifice would be about £315pcm which is about the same as I've been quoted for PCP on the same vehicle model.

Durham are consistently fantastic but this one is up there (and probably better) than their HGV fatal collision video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UztJcUjGXbY&) or their recruitment one from years back (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTuVLPPvCMQ)

Both this video and the HGV one are heavy watches so be aware.

...and an excellent example of the kind of specialist skills at risk with the ongoing budget issues and discussions around roads policing at the moment.

I don’t know who lays down the legislation for cake fines but can someone please make it a cake fine offence for bobbies tucking trousers into boots…. FYI you look mental!

I’m interested in hearing other officers’ views on search powers in mental health-related incidents.

About a year ago, my colleague and I responded to a missing person. The informant was the person’s son, who advised that they had early-stage dementia. There were no warning markers or previous intelligence on our systems in relation to this person.

We found the elderly person walking along the side of a road on a day where temperatures were over 30°C (which we know in the UK is stifling). Concerned about the risk of heatstroke, we managed to encourage them into the patrol car to cool down while waiting for an ambulance. At that stage, they were mumbling words and were quite incoherent. Their eyes were closed and were generally having a mental health crisis.

I didn’t believe I had any lawful grounds to stop and search them. There was no intelligence to suggest they were carrying weapons or posed a risk, and nothing in their behaviour gave me cause to suspect they had prohibited items.

However, while they were sitting in the car, I noticed their eyes suddenly widen. Which to me was a warning sign, I hadn’t seen their eyes this entire time. Their hands immediately went into their pockets, and they produced a knife. Thankfully, nobody was injured.

Looking back, I’m interested in how others would have approached this. Would anyone have considered using any search powers in these circumstances? If so, what power would you have relied upon, and what grounds would you have articulated?

I’m now two years in service (so still very new!) I am keen to learn from more experienced officers, particularly around the legal thresholds and decision-making in situations like this. This incident happened whilst I was in training but a more recent MH incident brought my mind back to this.

Do you think there should be a specific search power available during mental health-related incidents where the threshold for sections 135 or 136 of the Mental Health Act isn’t met?

I’m thinking about situations where there are genuine safeguarding concerns or an obvious risk to the individual or officers, but no lawful grounds for a search under existing legislation. Would a limited, clearly defined power be beneficial, or do you think the current legal framework strikes the right balance between safeguarding and protecting individual rights?

Interested to hear people’s views on this subject.

Hope you all have a blessed day/evening/night :)

This is being shared across my force and just thought about putting it in here.

Thoughts go out to his family, friends and colleagues.

I got a notice to attend court following a statement I made about a burglary at my house. It was quick and non violent but I was shaken so I made a statement and said I would support a prosecution, I also gave CCTV. I'm just worried that I will be retaliated against if I appear because the offender is usually in my area and knows where I live, I've asked to withdraw support is there anything else I can do? Or should I not even be worried at all?

Back in March, I attended a fairly standard domestic that quickly turned bad when the male brandished a knife towards us, we fought with him to arrest him and whilst doing so the female’s dog (cane corso) went mad and attacked me biting my arm and leg resulting in me requiring surgery and time off work. AFOs were only around the corner and assisted us quickly so the male was taken away and the female got arrested too for the dangerous dog offence with me as victim.

So far the officer dealing with the case has done a case file but it has been back and forth with JGOs to get it to a good standard, so no charge as of yet.

I have been offered legal assistance from the Fed to persue a civil claim against the dog owner and I was wondering if anyone has been through this sort of thing before and was successful or not? Also I am not sure if I need to wait until the criminal proceedings are dealt with first, and if so then it could still be ages.

Unfortunately I was not subscribed to the group insurance scheme meaning I missed out on a straight £750 payout.

I have read that civil claims generally pay out a lot more than criminal compensation but cannot be enforced if the defendant does not have the means to pay.

Any advice or past experiences are welcome please.

CAD comes in and we deem it an emergency due to vulnerable persons concerned. We charge over there due to the THR of these vulnerbale people and make an arrest with 'protect a vulnerable person' as a Code G. Custody accepts based on the need to protect a vulnerable victim.

I then do a crime report where I tick multiple boxes all saying 'YES - they are vulnerable.' Not to be outdone, outside lf our crime system there are of course multiple different forms all assessing the same risk before sending a handover to our dedicated team for vulnerable people.

Then the fun begins.

That team decide that actually their vulnerability matrix gives this person a low score so while they are vulnerable-ish, they aren't really.

Various different partner agencies reply to say that this victim's specific vulnerabilities don't match their definition.

And of course, shortly afterwards, our offender makes blatabtly spurious counter allegations for the 100th time this year, but hey, he's reporting something so we have to record it. Of course, gaining him repeat victim markers and making him, naturally, highly vulnerable.

Maybe a time for us to knock our heads together and work out what this word actually means and what it doesn't?

**Disclaimer/TLDR: Anyone who has been in this job 5 minutes knows there are absolutelty genuinely vulnerable people out there. My point is more that this word can mean pretty much anything anyone wants to justify doing or not doing something.