Sloppy cops

I have blogged before about the disgraceful state of our local Police Station. It looks like the building is a crack den rather than a cop shop. I was annoying a friend of mine the other day (who works for a very senior copper) and they told me that the problem is the NSW Police Force is broke. The garden is maintained by a contractor (I know that), and the contractor has refused to do the work for 2 months now, probably due to non-payment (I know about that too, from talking to a local Police manager about the problem).

What drives me nuts is that the local rag is trumpeting the fact that our command just got four new constables, fresh out of the academy. Great. Four completely wet behind the ears kids with guns. Fat lot of use they'll be. If anything, they'll be a boat anchor slowing down the experienced cops for a good six months.

I just don't understand why the sergeant in charge of this station doesn't get one of the new probies in and has the following conversation:

Sarge: "Well, young constable, are you all settled in?"

Probie: "Yes thank you sergeant".

Sarge: "Good. I have an important job for you. Tomorrow, come to work dressed in work clothes, and bring your lawnmower. Your contribution to effective policing will henceforth be confined to keeping our station looking like a bastion of law and order, rather than a squat for derelicts and drunks".

Probie of course would have a fit, since he has a degree in sociology and has been to the Police Academy for a few months and thinks that things like this are somebody elses problem.



I've given up trying to get the Police to trim the tree out the front of the station that is preventing them from raising the flag properly. They either fly it at full-mast, whereby it tangles in the branches, or at half-mast, which is just plain WRONG.

But none of them have the gumption to pick up the phone and ask the Council to come and trim the tree (it's on public property). The lack of initiative being shown by our thin blue line is just astounding.




Same goes for the small patch next to the station - it's always full of rubbish. Why a probie can't spend 2 minutes each morning doing a clean up is beyond me.



All of the above of course leads to this - graffiti everywhere. If you look down this pathway, you'll see a red car on the road. That car is out the front of the Police station. Little crims and vandals are so confident that they can get away with all sorts of petty crime, that they are happy to carry it out within eyesight of the Police station.



Not that you ever see a cop out walking about. I did see one at the supermarket the other day. Almost fell over in shock.

It turned out he had popped out to buy an icecream. Or perhaps some teabags for the station.