Written in a darkened room, somewhere in the UK, this blog is intended to provide an insight into the world of those that keep your streets (and mine) safe at night; the serving men and women UK policing. We do our best to protect the communities we serve under difficult circumstances, but it’s getting harder every day.
We don’t always get it right its true, but we always try our best. And yet the Government, the public, the media all want their pound of flesh on the rare occasion when it goes wrong. They, however, are not the ones who are expected to run toward the chaos with barely effective kit and insufficient resources in the belief that it will all work out in the end.
The Minimum Cover Blog combines mixture of personal experience, factual accounts, a modicum of fiction here and there to ease the literary process and protect the innocent.
I hope you enjoy my posts; maybe they will provoke a few thoughts; maybe they will start a debate or two. I look forward to hearing your views in the comments.
Thanks for reading.
M.C.
NB: The author of this blog does not necessarily endorse the views of those that choose to comment on articles published here. All views expressed within articles not externally referenced are those of the author and not of any Police Authority or Constablulary. All views expressed in externally referenced content are the responsibility of the originating author.
July 21st, 2011 at 22:44
The police are the public and the public are the police. Just you get paid to do it full time.
Now when we get back to those principles and the decent ones amongst you stand up against the corrupt ones, we might start getting back to some semblance of normality.
September 18th, 2011 at 03:22
Love the blog mate, a good read.
Check mine out! I’m an Aussie hopeful recruit. Blogging about my journey!
http://www.thinblueline.info
Let me know what you think!
C
September 19th, 2011 at 20:42
take the uniform away and you guys are just flesh and blood. everyone makes mistakes, particularly the minority who forget they are just flesh and blood underneath the uniform! sadly your job has suffered from the same problem that the forces suffered, politicians sticking their noses into business that they know nothing about. the police should be about policing, not figures and targets
November 5th, 2011 at 10:29
Sadly there are too many of you sitting on your backsides all day pretending to be cops, even more sad is the fact that the majority who do are there by choice and have no intention of being a real police officer. Kudos to all those who do, it’s much appreciated. As for the majority, they should pay you the civvy rate and give the saved money to those truly at the sharp end.
April 8th, 2012 at 21:34
Couldn’t agree more with this. I am a copper with 18 years service and I attended a training course at HQ recently. I saw a sign on one of the doors introducing a Sgt in the Training Dept. He was a PC on the training department when I last knew him 15 years ago.
So there is me – worked the streets for 18 years, APS for 18 months and knocked back for promotion twice because I failed the interview board (incidentally being interviewed by 3 people who didn’t know me or had ever worked with me despite glowing reviews from my supervisors) – and there is this man. Never spoken to a member of the public outside of the organisation nor worked past 5pm on a Friday in his life – yet he is a Sgt?
Great isn’t it?
December 13th, 2011 at 22:50
Looking for an example of a blog that had far more hits than mine, even though 10,000 was a big milestone for me, I found yours. IF you don’t mind, I will link your “milestone” article to mine.
I wanted to add my two cents because when I read what this was about, then the above comments, my blood began to boil. My father and uncle were policemen in Chattanooga, Tennessee (USA). More than that, they were volunteer reservists, not paid patrolmen. They did it to make a difference. My father even died on patrol as a security guard – doing what he loved – at age 46 (1991).
I thank God for those who put on or carry a badge. Sure, there are those who willingly disgrace the honor and trust given them, but they are the exception, not the rule. Without them, we would be in a heap of trouble, not the other way around.
And my hat’s off to you guys…brave men and women who go into battle against the enemy without the firepower our policemen usually carry on their sides. You are our heroes, no matter where you serve.
And in response to “M” who said, “The police are the public and the public are the police. Just you get paid to do it full time,” let me just say “ordinary people don’t usually risk their lives to protect the rights of scum spitting in their face.” Policemen may be “the public,” but they don’t get paid enough to do what they do.
God bless.
December 13th, 2011 at 23:08
Thanks for the support – of course you can link to my blog. Your comments are appreciated.
Take Care
MC
April 8th, 2012 at 11:42
These people that want to get rid of the police and over emphasise the consent argument: let’s disband the police completely. Good luck with the results. MC, I hope that your daughter has readjusted after what happened. Take good care. You never know, I might be standing beside you….
June 30th, 2012 at 12:50
The video about police reforms isn’t there. Can you send me a link?
June 30th, 2012 at 18:25
Try again….youtube was having a bit of a meltdown!
January 11th, 2013 at 10:48
Hi there
I’m trying to get in touch about a project I’m starting work on and wondered if you might be able to help. Might you be able to get in touch? Many thanks.
April 27th, 2013 at 11:26
MC – do you actually work within the Police or are you retired? Your last post re: BTP PCSOs suggests you are well out of the loop?
April 27th, 2013 at 15:33
I am proud to be a serving officer.
The post was about PCSO’s in Avon and Somerset not BTP.
Concerns that PCSO’s might be dragged away from their core business to become gap fillers for shortages in response officers make me concerned about current issues rather than being out of the loop.
The reference to BTP was a passing one – their work is very different to other county forces – and was simply included to show that additional powers are a reality for some