Goodbye and best of luck to all

[DOGMA]

Having started a post some years regarding the role and would it be scrapped, I'm reading it again and the many many posts added by the members of this great site, I read it with great sadness. For my original question has now materialised . Having been in the role from near on the start, in just over 3 months I'll be gone from the police service for good. Not by my hand but one that believes crime only exists on line, and not on the streets. To me my role is not just a job, for me, like a police officer it's a way of life. I never switch off and I'm constantly watching and waiting. For those that are able for now, to keep there jobs in this present situation I wish you the very best of luck. I hope that they make the role into what should have been from the start. What do I do know ? I really do not know, as any job will never come close. As I will no longer be a Pcso I feel it would be wrong of me to stay on this great site, and so I bid you all fair well. Stay safe
Dogma

[powdermonkey]

DOGMA,

I read your post with a mixture of feelings, sadness and anger and with a heavy heart. When you say you'll be gone in 3 months, is that because you've been served your redundancy notice? Was there no option of redeployment into another role?

I said anger because what a waste by the force of some 13 years of experience, knowledge and skills, some of which must be transferrable to another role. Sadness because your years of service seem to count for nothing. How was the decision made as to who stays and who goes?

Whatever you end up doing in the future, I wish you every success.

[DOGMA]

Hi powdermonkey and a sincere thank you. Due to my points I'm guarentted to go. I'll explain it the best I can on how they worked this out but it's been highlighted by even unison that it is unfair and open to abuse. To start they would only look at anything you had done from October 2014 to October 2015. Anything before this did not count. So the awards, emails of well done etc etc counted for nothing if it wasn't in this time frame. They use the Bradford scale to work out sickness. So let's say I had 7 days off in a year in one go, that's 1 X 1 X 7 = 7. I had 7 days in 3 occurrences so that's shot up to 3 X 3 X 7 = 63. Then the sgt marks you on 3 subjects - professionalism, ability to change and I forget the other. The mark is 1 - useless. 2 - your ok. 3 - super hero. I got all 2s disputed being the most proactive officer on my shift. My sgt made it clear tho she does not like me and so I'm out. The sgts best friend who has been office bound for a year got all 3s. Other sgts gave there officers all 3s as they didn't want to be responsible for getting rid of anyone. I even know of two colleagues that have worked together for 5 years, yet there marks were different. I requested a sgt that knows me well did mine but I was told no. I appealed my marks but the person dealing with the appeal is, the one who gave you the mark in the first place? Then there's the next bit. In order to get redundancy money you have to be shown to be applying for internal jobs or zero money. Yet the only jobs internally are for police officers. There are no other jobs and with the points I have, I've resigned myself to the fact I'm gone. Like a lot know my sgt works miles away and rarely sees me so can't judge me properly. It's been done totally unfair and so open to favouritism. Still I've enjoyed my time, they can't take that away

[powdermonkey]

Now I feel angry All those years of hard work and, as you say, getting recognition in the form of awards, is just cast aside.

We use a system called PEN (no idea what it stands for) and you can get either a negative or a positive entry. I've asked for PEN entries when I've had a good result because that's the way the game's played even though I feel a. I shouldn't have to - my Sgt should know and b. it fees like I'm jumping up and down saying look at me look at me aren't I wonderful doing the job I get paid to do, which doesn't sit right with me. Example, a colleague in the town centre saw a chap who was wanted, called up on Airwaves and a PC came and arrested the male. She got a positive PEN entry. For what? Doing her effing job! If that's an example of above and beyond then it says that a standard level would have been NOT to call it up.

A colleague & I are getting a divisional commanders award (sounds posh - it's a certificate, a grip and grin and a cheap buffet!). I mention this not to brag but if it gets ignored after 12 months then I'm starting to feel why bother? Why not be one of those who does the bare minimum? We also have those PCSO's who never seem to leave the office. I feel like asking why they wear hi vis when the lights are on. Trouble is if I do they'd only run crying to the Sgt & I'll get called a bully or similar. These are the ones who rush to make the Sgt a brew & spend most of their time farting about on their own phones texting friends etc.

The other annoying thing is that those PCSO's who've had negative entries will have them ignored.

There are days when I feel that if I got offered a decent redundancy package I'd take it and draw my pension down early and say f*ck it. Those days are coming more and more frequent.

OK. Breathe. Rant over. Look after yourself and good luck.

[wiggum]

Terribly sorry to hear that, but I'm sure you're not down and out.

There's still other forces recruiting if you're willing to have a go, don't know your area but there's always BTP who are of course national and who (for now) aren't as directly affected by the government's spending cuts due to their funding largely coming from ATOCs. All Police Jobs is a great site and updated daily.

[DOGMA]

Thank you to all. I have concidered looking at other forces bit to be honest after my years in service and how they have treated people recently I've become quite jaded with it all. I know that every work place will have the lazy ones, the ones that know the rite people and get all the top marks but speaking to a lot on here and off line it's become evident that a lot of other areas are the same. I think my times up now and probably best to move on and take my experience elsewhere