IAmA Police Officer in Northern England

No luck catching them swans then?

It's just the one swan actually.

Is there a Hot Fuzz fandom among the law enforcement community where you work?

1000% yes. I love that film. I may even put it on later..

Have you ever said "you're fucking nicked sunshine"? I'd say it every day if I was a copper

I know a colleague who shouted "DETAINED MOTHER****ER" once. We've got the body worn video footage saved for when we need cheering up.

If you caught me (a 26 male) smoking pot in a remote yet public spot. What would you do? Asking for a friend.

That would depend on your previous, how you were when I spoke to you, and other factors.

It's safe to say, though, that locking you up would be way down on my priorities.

What was the weirdest person you’ve had to take in?

I took part in the arrest of a guy for murder once. He'd brutally murdered a young girl, a complete stranger to him. When we arrived to arrest him, he was sat in the dark, waiting for us, as if he was relieved. I couldn't pinpoint any particular thing about him, but his whole demeanour gave me the creeps. He made me uncomfortable but at the same time he fascinated me. What makes a human being do something like that.

I've also done a lot of search warrants for sex offenders, and it goes without saying that some of them are incredibly weird.

What do you think about the policemen not in good physical shape?

Is it difficult to be effective on the street if you have a weak body?

I have to say, it can be really difficult, because 99% of the time, your fitness is irrelevant. So much time is spent doing paperwork and investigating stuff, and even most of the people we arrest come quietly. Very rarely do you actually have to run or fight. There's also a lot of roles that are office based, and away from the front line, so setting an appropriate fitness test isn't straightforward either.

Working shifts and not getting a lot of downtime also means it's very easy to get out of the habit of exercise, and into the habit of picking up fast food and not eating healthily, which makes it all too easily to get out of shape. I'll hold my hands up and say I'm not as fit as I probably should be.

Problem is, of course, that that 1% of the time, your fitness could be the difference between getting hurt and not.

Every cop should do their best to maintain their fitness, it's their responsibility, but personally I think we aren't given enough help. In some roles you're given access to gyms, and time to use them, but that's very rare. My station has a gym but it's woefully under equipped and we have to pay to use it. The fire station down the road on the other hand has one of the best gyms I've ever seen, the fire fighters have time in their shifts to use it, and they get the opportunity to eat better, which I think makes a big difference.

The fire station down the road on the other hand has one of the best gyms I've ever seen, the fire fighters have time in their shifts to use it, and they get the opportunity to eat better, which I think makes a big difference.

Think this is down to, as you say, physical condition not being as important for the police as it is for fire fighters. However, it's short sighted to not have a free well equipped gym for police. Police would benefit massively from the freedom, fitness and respect they'd get from looking fit. (Less likely to get oinked at if you're pure chiselled stone)

Lack of funding and an inability to see non-monetary benefits in the thinking from British institutions? I'm shocked, truly shocked.

As a firefighter I’d interject here that the brigade give us fuck all and we fund our own gym through annual fees we pay to the stations sports and social fund, this fund pays for the maintenance and purchase of kit and with less firefighters and higher costs, isn’t as great as it once was.

Really? I didn't realise. That's even poorer than us then.

What do you think of the Spy Cops scandal?

For non-UK people, it has emerged that undercover police officers started relationships and families with activists, passed on details of trade unionists to construction companies to ensure they were blacklisted, and actively sabotaged striking workers especially in the 70s/80s.

I think it was unacceptable, however I think if you're deeply embedded it must be easier to get involved and attached to people. That's where the appropriate measures should have been in place to prevent it happening, so I think it's a system failing rather than a failing of individual officers.

When someone hit my parked car and drove off the police said they went to her house but the gate was locked - so couldn’t do anything more.

Were they just having my life?

I couldn't say, not knowing the details. I know here you'd probably not even be able to get someone to go to the house.

There's just not enough hours in the day and cops in the stations to deal with everything.

You want anything from the shop?

Cornetto

When are you going to sort out the kids that buzz around this area on their unlicensed bikes and quads every night, waking up my wife and baby?

Also, although not your patch, what do you think is needed to reduce the gang crime and moped crime in London? Do you think throwing more officers at it would do the job, or do you think the government needs to give the police more powers to act?

Does it irk you that the police seem to spend quite a lot of resource policing hate crime on the internet? (900+ police officers in London, apparently), or do you support it?

Finally, would you carry a firearm if it was optional for all officers?

Kind regards, concerned citizen in West Yorkshire.

Don't get me bloody started on offroad bikes!!!!

In terms of gangs and crime in London, I don't think it's any surprise that as stop search has been cracked down on, gang crime and possession of weapons has gone up. More officers would definitely be a big help, but I think the issues are more complex and a solution needs to look at the bigger picture.

The major problem as I see it is why kids are wanting to be in gangs. I think the media, music, films etc all play a part, but also a lack of opportunity for young people growing up in poor areas. If every day you are bombarded with images of people with expensive cars, designer clothes etc etc and no legitimate way to ever obtain these things, then joining a gang who's members have all these things becomes difficult to resist.

You have to look at a combination of cracking down on the illegal activities (things like POCA are brilliant for this. Take their designer gear and flash cars off them!!) whilst providing some alternative.

I'd have no objection to carrying a gun, and I'd seriously consider it if offered, but I don't think I've any real need for one at the moment.

I got a some great insight from a friend who got out of gang culture in Manchester.

He said you just start off a group of mates, next you're beefing with other locals (he was a rapper who did diss tracks) next thing you know, people are getting beat up, shot, stabbed. There's retaliations where the wrong person gets hit, expanding the people involved and you are just in it.

You don't aspire to be in a gang, roll with the wrong types long enough, you get caught in the culture. No one wants to be looking over their shoulder, scared to be in certain areas, scared to be in city centre in case you see rivals. Under threat of violence just sitting around with your friends because one of them beefed with the wrong person. Getting beat up because some guys the next district over happened to catch you alone, walking home from the shops.

What he said was an eye opener for me.

That is some good insight. Kids just get caught up and it rolls into something far bigger than they understand.

You say you've seen both ends of the spectrum, the crazy stupid to the darkest shit.. what would you say the craziest and/or the nastiest things you've seen are? Also, mad respect for putting yourself in a position like you have!

Nastiest is always death. I've found people who've been dead for weeks (the smell, oh god the smell) and I've also had to deal with the death of children. They're always the hardest.

Craziest is a harder one. I'll have to come back to that..

Since I was witness to my friend's suicide I've thought a lot about the amount of tragic / violent deaths you and other first responders must have to face. I know it's part of the work but I almost cannot imagine what that must be like.

The ambulance and police officers who first came out were truly wonderful. One officer got me water, tissues and held my arm softly as I was shaking so much. The officer who took the main statement was a real sweetheart too. Drove me and my other housemate to another friend's place and was very good at communicating sensitively whilst taking words down - especially considering I rambled incoherently at her for a couple of hours.

I can vaguely recall one more senior officer coming in soon after who was a bit... brusque, let's say, and made me feel like everything I was saying was wrong - but again I totally understand that's part of the job too (investigating a death) and possibly his way of compartmentalising such things in order to keep doing what you have to do.

Overall though, just wanted to say thank you to you and your fellow officers, even if you aren't GMP* That stuff takes a special kind of service.

*Edit: saw comment below re: Manchester. Thought it was likely my area. Thanks again!

I'm glad you had a positive experience and they made a difference.

Sadly most people will only ever meet us in the darkest moments of their lives, and if they made that moment easier for you to cope with, they did a great job.

Would you care to share any stories related to the following questions?

Have you ever had a “thank God I was there for this” moment?

Have you had the opportunity to change someone’s life for the better and believe that you made a strong enough impact on that person’s life to make them change?

What is your favorite thing about being a police officer?

I am an American, but thank you for your service to your community. You hold a job that is tough mentally and physically, and I commend you for it.

A weird answer for your first maybe, but I assisted with the aftermath of a terror attack last year. Not the actual incident, but I was in the city on the streets the day after, and for the next few weeks, and I am incredibly proud of that. To see how the city came together and to see how positive people can be in the face of such a terrible thing.

I went to a domestic incident a few months ago. She told me that nothing had happened, and brushed it all off. It was obvious to me that she was in fear, so I just spent time talking with her, reassuring her, and giving some advice. She was adamant that she wasn't going to tell me anything, but a few days later she called in again, and reported all the abuse for the last 6 years. She later said it was because she felt I believed her that she could open up. Her abuser is in prison now.

And my favourite thing is the people. Both my colleagues and the public I get to meet. Cops have a unique sense of humour, and if you get on with your colleagues it often doesn't even feel like work.

Oh and driving fast with blue lights and sirens :D

Thank you, thank you, thank you for believing her. I work at an emergency shelter for women fleeing violence and so many times the police don’t do their jobs. I am grateful you did yours.

It's difficult, as pretty much everything here is classed as a domestic, and we go to so many, you fall into a routine of ticking the boxes. Sometimes you can just tell it's genuine though, and this was one of those times.

[deleted]

Those cheap donuts every supermarket does for a standard l1 cake fine, krispy kreme for when you've really messed up!!

What the heck does any of this mean?

Make a mistake, get fined. Fines are paid in cakes for the team.

Obviously for trivial stuff, being late etc. I got cake fined for leaving my phone on top of a van once, which then drove off.

Ex GMP here! How do you feel the force is as a whole since the budget cuts and if it has had an affect what in your opinion has been impacted the most?

Stay safe.

There's a lot less of you turning up to jobs. It's also nearly impossible to get a dog or the helicopter to turn out if you're not in the city now. Pursuits don't get authorised because the nearest traffic patrol is on the far side of the force!

What do you carry with you while you're on-duty?

On me I'll have: *Sepura Airwave Radio *Axon Body Cam *TCH Rigid handcuffs *CS Spray *Taser X2 *Monadnock Autolock Baton *Limb Restraints *Gerber Multitool

And then my pockets are stuffed with a few different forms, notebook and lots of latex gloves. I also get issued a phone, only a crappy Samsung J5, but it has access to the police national computer, and all our local systems which is very useful.

And because of the roll we do our van is filled with various bits of kit for forcing entry to addresses; Enforcer, Halligan tool, crowbars, bolt croppers, lock puller, ladders, shields etc.

Big Red Key?

Oh yes! I do love an Enforcer.

Have you got permission from your superiors to do this? There must be stuff you can’t talk about?

I'll let you know if any questions get too detailed! I'll do my best to keep thing anonymous.

Us Yanks are informed on how the British police operate based on many of the fantastic TV series by the BBC and Channel 4. But given the creative license taken by American TV producers in American cop shows, I'm sure these British shows aren't completely accurate.

What do these shows get wrong? What do they get right?

I think time is the biggest thing. Everyone watches these shows and expects that we can deal with anything and have it all nicely wrapped up within the hour. The shows only seem to ever focus on crime too, and that's actually a small amount of what we do. We spend a lot of time dealing with mental health, concerns for peoples welfare, and protecting people completely unrelated to crime.

Can you elaborate on the last part? Protecting people unrelated to crime? Picking up lost seniors, arranging evacuation during floods, stuff like this?

Yeah, that stuff. Missing people take up a lot of our time, and the majority of them where I work aren't really missing, they're kids in care who don't want to be where they've been placed so go walkabouts and the staff aren't allowed to stop them.

Basically, if there's no one else to deal with it, it gets passed on to us.

Why did you want to become a police officer? How has is lived up (or not lived up) to your expectations?

I think probably for the action and excitement when I was a kid. As I got older, it looked like a good career, plenty of opportunities, decentish pay, job security etc.

It's a job, same as any other, and there are days when I'd rather stay in bed, but I can't think of any job I'd rather do than this one.

I'm an American so the fact that you dont carry a gun is a foreign, but interesting concept to me. Do you ever think it would be nice to have one? Do you ever feel underequipped?

Honestly, no. Guns are so rare here that I'd never use it. I've not so far had any incident where I've thought "I really wish I had a gun right now". I know that's not the same elsewhere in the UK, and officers in some parts of London may disagree though.

There were some coppers in front of me in the queue in Tesco a while ago who all had sidearms (as well as tasers) in holsters. Is that a regular thing? I'm used to seeing cops with automatic rifles at train stations when there are terror alerts, but these guys were just getting some sandwiches.

Edit: this was in Brighton btw so obviously you might not know the details.

If you're a firearms officer, you carry your sidearm at all times. The long weapons will be locked away in a safe in the car.

How many people did you lock up for making mean tweets this month?

Not enough, I'm dangerously close to missing my quota.

Do you ever get frustrated at the CPS for not following up and pursuing to court crimes you've made arrests for?

Yes. Massively.

They're under the same pressures we're under though. They're trying to do more with less.

How are you feeling the effects of the gov's current funding levels?

What do you think the biggest challenges will be for front line policing will be in the UK over the next 5/10 years?

What's your favourite thing about being a police officer?

Every interaction I've had with your colleagues across the UK has been overwhelmingly positive, you're good people doing a tough job. Thank you for helping to keep us safe 💕

We're struggling really. We've not enough staff and not enough resources to do what we'd like to do. Everything comes down to money. It's difficult to even get new equipment and vehicles that work.

I think the biggest challenge is morale. I've said this for a while, but the police force runs on the cops making it work. We rely on cops working through their refs, starting early and finishing late. We rely on people volunteering for overtime shifts, and if that good will goes, which it will, it'll be a massive problem. As more and more cops get disheartened and leave too, the experience levels of cops is disapearing. Some of our response shifts have more student officers than those confirmed in rank already. We're losing that experience and knowledge base.

My favourite thing is working with good people, who are all trying to do our best to do the right thing. If you get on a good team, with good people, it makes things so much better.

Just like the NHS

Like everyone I think.

Apart from the water fairies. They still just play table tennis and sleep.

Have you ever fired your gun up in the air and gone "ahhrgh"?

Is it true that there is a place in a man's head that, if you shoot it, it will blow up?

What made you wanna be a policeman-officer?

Sorry, I had to.

I don't think he has a gun.

I could try it with my Taser but it wouldn't be as exciting I don't think

Southern police officer here, good to see another hobby bobby gone full time. I'm allowed to use that term, I was one too! 😉

How did did you have to wait for your response & taser course?

How do you find the level of experience on shift? At my force it's a constant turnover with most shifts struggling to keep anybody longer then 2-3 years.

For me, response was very quick, I was only a few weeks out of my probation, but now we're recruiting in numbers, cops are being told to expect a year at least. Taser course I've only just got after four years, but they're increasing the numbers, so I know at least one cop only just out of his probation who's done the course.

Yeah, we're seeing this problem now. We have some shifts were there is more students (who can't drive) than confirmed in rank officers! We're losing so much good experienced officers because they don't want to do response anymore.

Hi there! Ex - uniformed public service student and now Forensic Student & aspiring Police Officer. Let me just express my appreciation for you and the job you do, thank you. It's a job that's harder than ever nowadays.

How do you and the people around you deal with the mentally taxing and disturbing things you see and deal with? Lots of Public Service people I've asked usually say dark humour. Do you and your colleagues usr this as a coping mechanism? How is the support from your non-police family and friends?

Thank you for your time

Dark humour is definitely a big one. There's truth in the phrase if you don't laugh you'll cry. I've hesitated sharing some stories in answer to questions on her as cop humour tends to be unique, and other people might not see it the same.

Talking about it helps a lot for me, and that's being recognised more as an official way to help officers who've dealt with things through things like TRIM. Talking about things early on is how you identify if it's just something that's knocked you and you can get over, or something thats gone deep and you need help with. There are things like support phonelines and counseling available, but I think for most cops you're more likely to just chat about it with your mates.

I know which of my friends and family I can speak with. I'm fortunate that I have family who are cops, so they understand, but other family members I keep things from, mostly because they'd worry.

How many garden / household tools have you confiscated as weapons?

Loads. Having a hammer wrapped around your fizog can seriously put a dampener on your day.

There was a post in r/Manchester about a guy who had his bike stolen, found out where the bike was and where the thief lived through ebay/craigslist, and then went to the Police about it who did nothing.

Can you think of a reason why the Police wouldn't solve a crime that had already been solved for them?

Because to get that job to a point at which you can present the evidence to a court with a realistic prospect of conviction will still require a lot of work. Sadly there aren't enough cops to do that work for every job. If someone is taking statements, interviewing suspects and putting files together, they can't be doing anything else.

Jobs where there's no harm to a person, and only property involved unfortunately come lower down the priorities. I know as a victim that sucks, and as a cop I'd love if we could do more, but we're in a position now where we simply can't.

Have you ever watched Donut Operator?

Not heard of that him but I might give his videos a look

What's the goss on Rochdale.
Was it really fear of racism that stalled the investigation?

My knowledge on the issue and the cases involved isn't very good I'm afraid.

If it was fear of racism though, I doubt very much it was on the part of the officers on the front line. The public protection and sexual exploitation units work very hard, and it's a very niche job that attracts people passionate about the things they deal with. Trouble is, that like all other units, they're utterly snowed under, and failings are sadly almost inevitable.

Do you ever need an interpreter?

Occasionally. We have access to a phoneline we can use, and we can arrange for interpreters at the police station.

The vast majority of people I deal with are white British though.

What’s your favorite condiment?

Heinz Tomato Ketchup

Very safe

Although kebabs have to have Garlic Mayo..

Hey!

What was one of your most terrifying crime scenes you have investigated?

As in, terrifying for me? I don't think I've ever actually been scared at the time. Adrenaline usually takes over and you're too busy trying to think about what your doing.

One incident where I thought "****, that could have gone wrong" was a job where a guy had been assaulted on the street outside his flat. We were told the offender lived in a flat across the road.

As we stood deciding what to do, the offender came to the door of the flat block. As we were talking to him, he produced a can of lighter fluid and a lighter and sprayed lighter fluid up the inside of the glass door and lit it, with a big fire ball.

We kicked the door down and I ran in after him. We got to the top of the stairs and he turned, pointed the lighter fluid at me, and tried to light it.

Fortunately, my colleague behind me tasered him, and we all (about four or five of us) jumped on him, and he was arrested without injury! It was only later I realised how close we'd all been.

You just kind of do things automatically sometimes, relying on good training and your instincts.

What’s your opinion of special constables?

I’ve always thought it’s a bit odd to have people doing the job of police officers but on an unpaid basis.

If a future government proposed getting rid of special constables and pledged to increase the number of paid positions to make up the shortfall, would you support this?

Also, you might want to x-post to /r/policeuk. It'd be interesting to see if there's a consensus among police officers regarding the questions being asked here.

I've always been supportive of Specials, I have a lot of time for them, having been there myself and I'll try and help the ones who want it as much as I can. However, I do question some specials' motives, and I've worked with some utterly useless ones. They're a symptom of a failed recruitment and training process though. To be fair I've worked with some utterly useless PCs though.

I think I would support it, just because you can rely on a PC, you can't rely on an SC. You know that you have x number of PCs on shift on Friday night, but SCs come in when they please.

When you and your fellow officers are in full riot gear, with citizens pushing and cussing at you, how are you feeling? What goes through the officers minds?

Annoyed mostly. I don't really want to be there, I'm not taking one side or the other, I'm just there to make sure it all passes off as peacefully as possible. I'd much rather everyone got along and we be able to police it from the van, with our kit in the bags.

I think some people think we want it to all kick off, but honestly, if it gets to that point, I'll be hot, sweaty, and uncomfortable, and I probably won't be finishing on time.

Once it does kick off though, it's mostly adrenaline tinged with a bit of fear. I don't really want a brick thrown at my head thanks.

I’m not a police officer, but I’m an EMT, so I work closely with them. A lot of people talk like all cops are brutes who are always looking to start a fight or make an arrest. Truth is, most of the time emergency services would rather give you a warning and leave you be. Less paperwork, less trouble, more probability of going home on time and getting some sleep.

We all just want to come to work, get paid, go home again.

Personal opinion on the war on drugs? Do you agree cannabis should remain illegal?

I would bet alot of police time goes toward drug crime? Mostly cannabis?

I don't think we spend much time on cannabis anymore. We have different ways to deal with it that don't involve arrest. Personally I can't stand the stuff, but if people want to use it in their own home I can't say I'm that bothered.

The issues for me is that while it is illegal, the cultivation and supply remains in the hands of organised criminals, and usually goes hand in hand with violence, so I've got no issues with dealing with those involved robustly.

Other drugs are more serious an issue though, and drug use is a factor in a massive amount of other crime. We spend a lot of time targetting the supply of Class A drugs, as they ruin lives.

Have you watched Happy Valley? Best UK police show?

Yep. I don't know what it is about it, but yes, definitely the best I've seen.

Have you seen Police Interceptors on channel 5 and if so, what are your opinions on it?

I'll watch it sometimes. I used to love it. It gets old when they try and make a drama over what you know full well would have been very mundane at the time.

What do you think of Hot Fuzz?

Adore it!

What do you think about the Graduate fast track Detective Scheme in London?

I think you learn your trade as a PC. You get your basics of investigation there, and no amount of courses will replace that.

A few questions:

• I'm travelling to the UK for a week of holidays soon and have always keep my now-deceased dad's Swiss Army knife on my keys. I understand that knife laws are very strict in the UK. Is it best to leave it at home?

• Worst excuse for trying to talk one's way out of a driving infraction?

• What's the oddest or perhaps most trivial thing someone tried to steal?

• How much of your work is actually social services?

• What will happen to your job in the coming era of robot cars?

• Is there a generational shift in police ethos being caused by video cameras everywhere?

• What's the eye-roller you have to go through educating the public about because they've been soooooo misinformed by television?

• Finally, those pith helmets are very distinctive, and you should be proud of your heritage. Don't lose them.

You may carry a folding blade, which does not lock in place, and is less than 3" in length. Anything else, and you'll need to have good reason to have it.

Stopped a guy driving like an idiot who said he was running out of fuel so needed to get to the petrol station.

Caught someone walking down the road with a chair, a bottle of ketchup and some vinegar from a pub he'd just burgled once.

We tend to pick up the pieces when Social Services are struggling. We joke about them ringing us at 4pm on a Friday just before they go home to dump the stuff they've not had time for, and it's very, very true.

No idea about Robot cars, I've not really thought about that one..

Yes, I'm not bothered by cameras at all. I'll say and do things I would when not on camera, but the older cops with more service start to panic. Not because they're doing anything wrong, it just makes them nervous. It's took a lot to reassure some people about body worn cameras, but there's still some conspiracy theories about them.

I don't necessarily need a warrant to come into your house, no matter how many times you shout "WHERE'S YOUR WARRANT" at me.

And thanks, I love my custodian. It definitely has it's place.

I’m going to be applying to be a PC as soon as recruitment in my home constabulary opens. Any tips for newbies like me, for recruitment or starting out?

Being a special helped me massively. I got to experience what it was really like, I could make my mind up on if it was right for me, and it gave me loads of examples to use when I applied.

It gave me a realistic expectation of what I was letting myself in for too.

What are the best qualifications to have when trying to join the Police Service?

Common sense!

It's all going to change, and you'll need a degree, which I don't agree with, but for me, as long as you can get by in most subjects you'll do fine. I have nothing more than GCSEs.

Is the route that you took (SC to PC) fairly typical for most people looking to join the police?

It was until fairly recently. At the time I joined, all recruitment for PC jobs was internal, so you had to either work for the force or be an SC to be eligible to apply.

That's changed, and we're recruiting everyone again, but I still think it's a good route in.

Is it true that you/other teams have been tasked with prioritising social media hate crime over burglaries/assaults? Or is it a myth being spread by Facebook cretins

Myth.

Everything is judged on T.H.R. What threat is posed, what harm could be done, and what is the risk.

Have you ever been on a tv show like Police Interceptors, Neighbourhood Blues etc?

No. It's bad enough seeing myself on body worn video footage and hearing my voice on interview recordings!!

What do you think of the American policing system?

The entire American legal system is baffling to me. The federal/state/county/whatever else thing is confusing when you're used to our system.

I think that like here, the majority of cops on the ground are doing their best in a bad situation.

What's the view on the "war on drugs" from Frontline Cops? Do they genuinely believe arresting and charging people for small amounts of common drugs such as cocaine or weed/hash or ecstasy is making any difference at all. And on the same point arresting dealers, surely you must realise another one picks up demand instantly.

Rarely will we arrest and charge for possession. We deal with it by other means now.

And I see your point on the dealers, and yes, it absolutely happens, but the alternative is to just step back and allow them to operate freely. Drugs are a massive factor in a lot of crime, and they ruin lives, not just for those using them, but those caught up in the crossfire.

As someone involved in the sentencing side I'm curious what you think of that from the police side ?.

I think we rely too much on non-custodial sentencing, even for those people it's clear it won't work on. Giving a prolific shoplifter a community order, when they've breached everyone they've had before for example, or fining someone with no money to pay it.

Why do you drive your vans in 2’s?

We don't. Policy says when prisoners are being transported, there should be two officers, one to keep an eye on them, one to drive, but we struggle to do that now.

Might be a weak question but do you find that the majority of lawbreakers are ones that knew the law (grew up there) or from visitors/new citizens that didn’t quite know it?

The vast, vast majority of people we deal with are born and bred here. Half of them haven't left the town they were born in.

I would like more proof on this, anyone can literally order a tactical vest online that says POLICE and if they can't find that, it isn't hard to iron it on. All the gear I see on there is also readily available to the public. I'm not asking you to identify yourself or anything that would put anyone's job or life on the line, but to me this is very weak proof in my opinion.

On to my question in the event you are legit: I hear all the time how laws that severely or entirely restrict firearm access keeps them out of the hands of criminals; how common are illegal firearms over there? IE: Do the laws actually stop people from finding sources or making their own "zip gun" type of weapons or are they still prevalent, just kept quiet?

You can, but you'd struggle for the Taser! I'm verified in other police subreddits, and I'll message the mods more proof if required.

I can only speak for where I work, but firearms are very rare. In fact I can't remember dealing with a "real" firearms, mostly we get imitation stuff and air weapons at most. They're out there, and the criminals do have some access, but it's very hard to get hold of weapons but mostly ammunition. The kind of guns they usually have access to are old and crappy, and the ammo even more so.

i think the big difference is the lack of ready access. From what I see of the US, literally anything could become a firearms incident, you never know who has a gun. That's not a concern here.

What’s your opinion on Tory budget cuts, especially for the police force, and how has this affected the police up north?

As much as I don't like the Tories, I'm not sure how different Labour would have been when faced with the economic disaster we were in.

Cuts in general though have utterly decimated policing. We haven't got the cops to deal with stuff, and if the crime you're reporting isn't a serious one, sorry but we won't even bother looking at it. We haven't got the manpower or the resources to investigate things anymore.

How long have you been serving? Do you think there are sufficient police numbers in your area or have cuts damaged your ability to carry out your duties?

4 years as a PC. I did 3 years as an SC before that.

I think numbers are dangerously low. Cops are going to jobs alone where there should be more of them, and we write off crimes without investigating them because we just don't have the time.

Do you carry side arms on patrol?

Nope. I'm trained to carry Taser, and that was a hard enough course to get!!

Are you a little scared about not having a firearm? Like do you feel equipped and ready to deal with most issues?

Not at all. I've never felt like I needed one.

How do you prepare for The Great Viking Menace? What do the drills consist of? And, is there such a thing as "a good Viking," or are the entire lot of them a smelly, rampaging, pack of hooligan idiots?

Somewhat related: is it true that incarcerated Visigoths demand Bela Legosi Is Dead and early The Cure music be played on loudspeakers? Has anyone ever proposed Public Image Limited be played as a compromise?

Drills are held every other Tuesday, just after Zombie practice. I'm afraid specific details however, are highly secretive.