Police response to missing child....

iwanttosave_2

The police in general seem to be getting a bashing here and its rather unfair. I think the police are a bit like teen mums, you only hear about the bad ones so forget there are thousands out there worth their weight in gold.

I have NEVER had a situation involving the police where they didn't act unproffeshional or blase about anything. I owe alot to the police from when my son went missing, I phoned 999 and I had 8 vans trawling the esate within 10 minutes at the most, a helicopter and dozens of officers and PCSOs searching.

For the person who wouldn't p1ss on an officer if they were on fire, be thankful they are a better person that you 'cause I am sure they would on you.

hollydays

Yet its ok to bash a PCSO?(NO I am not a pcso)

Poppy9

hollydays wrote: »

And does that station have a phone outside for the public to use?

I doubt it because it wouldn't last two minutes on that estate! As you approach the estate they have signs like a safari park

"do not open your windows"
"do not stop"
"if you breakdown stay in your vehicle and wait to be rescued":rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:


but I'm sure they would offer the station phone or their own personal mobile to be used instead.

Poppy9

hollydays wrote: »

Yet its ok to bash a PCSO?

I don't know whether you are just being argumentative or whether you are trying to make a point here?

I haven't bashed PCSO, Police Officer, or the missing child. Pointing out that PCSO have not had the same level of training or same duties as PO is relevant.

hollydays

Surely not though if its not open to the public?Its a police station in the Community-but its not open to the public,you say.So it doesnt have a sign that says "Police" and the public wouldnt go there for help? Very confusing this..In the main I am pro police and would go to their aid if i ever could.

hollydays

Poppy9 wrote: »

I don't know whether you are just being argumentative or whether you are trying to make a point here?

I haven't bashed PCSO, Police Officer, or the missing child. Pointing out that PCSO have not had the same level of training or same duties as PO is relevant.

Probably i didnt like the inference that we could blame it on a PCSO.There are good and not so good pc s but hey lets say it might have been a PCSO-that solves the problem.

uktim29

fwhorn wrote: »

The officer it was reported to has an obligation to act on it, not fob the person off with phone in the crime. A child of 12 years of age was missing, this should set alarm bells ringing not the end of shift bells.

He was obviously the only one there and the station was CLOSED. Do you think that he should just work continously and never go home? He gave another option of reporting it.

Fwhorn, do you get to go home from work at the end of the day or are you still at work now? If so, isn't it nice to finish once in a while?

Don't you think that even the emergancy services might actually at some point need some sleep?

Did you know that other people in the world, yes even the ones wearing a uniform aren't actually robots but people, they can't actually work forever?

Or I suppose you'll say "well that was important, he should have done that one". Say that took 2/3 hours, can he go home then?

Then what happens when person number 2 turns up just as last time as he was about to go home, what if the original post was person number 2.............Do you see what can end up happening?

Poppy9

hollydays wrote: »

Surely not though if its not open to the public?Its a police station in the Community-but its not open to the public,you say.So it doesnt have a sign that says "Police" and the public wouldnt go there for help? Very confusing this..In the main I am pro police and would go to their aid if i ever could.

Yes they say Police and it's obvious they are police bases by the cars outside. It maybe that people think it's open and manned and as I've said they do get people banging on the door (it's a fire exit door as the entrance door is inside the gated compound for vehicles and is only accessed by security card) but not for emergencies (well OH hasn't had one to date). It's not the staff inside fault that management have decided to have unmanned stations. I suppose you could say they've just replaced the old police boxes. These weren't manned and people didn't go there for help, they found a phone and rang it in. Most people in an emergency dial 999 they don't go out and look for a police station.

If people ring 999 and it's not an emergency but they want/need to see a police officer they will be directed to the nearest public police station which is manned to deal with callers.

oldbill1969

I think that the point of the OP is being lost now, the arguments whether it is a base or a public station is irrelevant. The fact that a frantic parent made her way to the Police station and asked for help, only to be told she would have to phone the matter through herself is both unhelpful and counter productive.
The officer at the very least should have tried to reassure her and taken the initial details whether they were PCSO or Support Staff.As I have stated in my earlier post if it was a Police Officer she spoke to full details could have been obtained and the child's status circulated over the airwaves. The fact this wasn't done meant the OP left with a very poor perception of the Police and who can blame her, let alone the extra distress it caused in an already stressful situation.

hollydays

Agree I digressed- and i apologise for that-but it wasnt primarily the issue of the station-but the issue of the PCSO i wanted to address,they shouldnt be a whipping boy.