This is the replacement page for a blog I once had- oldwilliam.blog.co.uk. That page has been taken over by someone else that looks to all intense purposes like a commercial outfit.
When that blog was mine, I had nearly 1500 visitors a week. I wasn't particularly witty, or intelligent. All I did was describe the job I did as a response team officer in Camden, London.
It caused a bit of a stir. Quite a few local and national media became interested and started quoting me. Again, not because I was witty, charming or suave, but because I painted a fairly brutally honest account of what it was like on the thin blue line of response policing. I posted stories about people who had died, described the amount of paperwork that some jobs required, frustrations of lacking equipment.
This caused a few problems. It appeared what I said on occasion was contrare to what the official position of either Camden Borough or the Metropolitan Police was.
Now it was not my intention to put cats amongst pigeons. I thought I was being helpful to the public. For example, on one post I stated that there was only 3 response officers left to cover my section. I said this because I thought that whilst it was not an ideal situation, it may go some way to helping Camden residents understand why when they called police, the service they would expect may not have materialised.
Unfortunately, as I found out when I was summonsed to an office occupied by a person of considerably higher rank than I, this in the grand scheme of things would not have been useful. Firstly, there were other support units both from within Camden and outside Camden that would have been deployable (albeit probably not to the more routine calls that a response officer would be expected to go to), which I didn't mention.
The second argument is about perceptions. I have had no media training, but I found out pretty quick when I found myself being quoted here and there that media reports can by careful use of quotes, completely misrepresent what you were trying to say. Unfortunately, the news media are commercial enterprises, which sometimes undermines their true journalistic intent, because their stories have to sell.
Part of the problem was I made myself identifiable. It was fairly simple to check the duty rosters, and then match things up to jobs I had described. It wouldn't have taken long to find out exactly who I was. Concealing identity wasn't something I thought about really.
I was a cross between a rabbit in headlights and a mad scientist wondering what the hell I had created when I was called into the chief's office. To his credit, I think he knew I wasn't out on a martyr mission, and I wasn't trying to stir up trouble. Whilst I had posted about how frustrating I found certain procedures I hadn't been that vitriolic or condemning. I hadn't been personal about anyone either. (The evening standard did quote me nicely describing a software program as unwieldly and unworkable though....) I think it's because he knew that I wasn't trying to cause problems that I wasn't subjected to formal discipline. It was made clear though that it should stop.
I was anxious to show compliance so I rang my brother, told him the password and told him click the "delete whole blog" icon. In hindsight, I wish I hadn't, just removed all the posts instead, just so I could see what the reaction would be from the readers. But I'll never know. A few intrepid types have tracked me down to this dusty corner of blogland.
I have been tempted now I am "outed" as far as my work goes (but still anonymous to the majority of readers), to continue with this, in a citizen journalism style, because I have to be honest, there is something nice about having a lot of people being interested in what I have to say. But it's not realistic. I couldn't report about any crime incidents I deal with, as it could impede fairness at any subsequent proceedings (what if a juror or magistrate read the blog?) I couldn't offer criticism on anything, for as I now know despite it saying "not an official police site" a journalist hack would quote me from here, saying "but front line officer says policy x doesn't work" to senior management at press briefings, in order to try and get a rise out of them.
I would have to spend so long thinking about each post that the whole idea swiftly faded.
I still keep an eye out on all the other police blogs, every so often. David Copperfield (coppersblog.blogspot.com) has caused a right old ruckus, even getting himself mentioned in parliament. But its not for me any more.
So in the meantime. If anyone ever has any questions about policing, whether in Camden or otherwise, leave a comment. I'll pick it up soon enough and try to answer it!
Stay safe y'all
