Do the police want our help, are there systems and/or the people they employ just absolutely crap?
Let me tell you a wee story about a trivial occurrence.
A week or so ago I’d gone on one of my regular trips to Ikea and on the way I saw a van parked entirely on the pavement blocking it totally to the extent that a mother with a child in a buggy had to step onto a busy road to get past. I’m sure this happens everywhere every day and I’ve never before been bothered to anything about it. But when I passed the van a couple of hours later still in the same place I decided to phone the police.
I stopped in a safe and legal place – honestly, constable, phoned and got through to Lothian & Borders Police Central switchboard.
Voice 1: “Do you have the van registration number?”
Me: “No, but I can tell you exactly where the van is.”
Voice 1: “We need the registration number. All I can do is put you through to PoliceAssist”.
Me: “I want to report a van that is park very illegally. [OK, I know, it’s either legal or not]
Voice 2: (at PoliceAssist): Do you have the registration number?
Me: “No, but I can tell you exactly where the van is.”
Voice 2: “I’m sorry but we need the registration number.”
Me: “But I can tell you where it is.”
Voice 2: “We need the registration number because the first thing we would do is to contact the registered owner.”
Me: (in utter frustration) But I can tell you exactly where it is. But if the police aren’t interested in using this information then that’s their decision. I can’t do any more.”
Voice 2: “Where is the van parked?”
I won’t bother you with any more direct quotes but, after all this, I was able to pass on the information.
I know it wasn’t crime of the century and that, in all probability, my info wasn’t followed up but why did I have to go through that rigmarole?
In the “old days” a policeman would have scribbled down some notes and within a few minutes a PC (police constable, you fool) would have been there. The old days were much simpler before systems were invented.
5 comments:
And in those days the Constable would probably have known the miscreant (no, not 'perp', they hadn't been invented!) by name. Times change.
What was the van's registration?
Probably, I should go to the pub and find out if anyone has access to the DVLC database.
No one can think any more. It's all proceed by numbers.
I had the same run around when my car was broken into some time ago!
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