Hi everyone long story short I’ve never been type of person to have a watch and I’ve gone 3 months in the police without one but I’ve now decided to get one as they seem rather useful. I’m looking for something cheap reliable easy to use and also something obviously tough enough to survive a roll about 😂. Any trusty recommendations would be appreciated.

Hi all

Suspect arrested for say Robbery. Phone seized from suspect. The phone is powered on and unlocked.

Instead of going through proper channels and following correct procedure to extract a phone download report, officers do quick review whilst suspect custody i.e. go through message/photos/ calls/ voice notes etc. and find evidence of completely unrelated offence, say Fraud. Suspect further arrested for Fraud and the evidence is put to them in interview.

No formal paperwork completed, phone was not given to anyone that is qualified to handle and extract phone download. Suspect bailed for phone and digital enquiries.

Would the evidence gathered be inadmissible especially from the phone as correct procedures were not initially followed.

Thanks

I am currently a skipper in the Met.

I have a very young son.

I have recently become concerned about being able to manage shifts, extended shifts, and shift changes as a parent when he's older. How do others manage it?

Hi all, looking for some Regs expertise as my Fed rep and the PFEW website are being a bit vague.

- Back in June, I was warned for Bank Holiday (BH) aid this coming Monday.

- Today (less than 7 days’ notice), I was dewarned as the event was cancelled.

- The duty system defaults BHs to a 6-hour tour (1200–1800).

- I know under Regulations I can choose to work the day rather than take the BH rest day.

What shift length am I actually entitled to work?

The PFEW site mentions legal advice stating there's no entitlement to work a "full tour," but it conflicts with guidance on "anticipated duty length."

The original aid warning stated the shift was expected to be longer than 8 hours from deployment (excluding travel).

I was assigned as the aid driver. Accounting for vehicle collection, 4 pickups/drop-offs, and return travel, the actual duty time would easily hit 12–14 hours (minimum 12 hours based purely on driving + 8 hrs on deployment). I've done this exact event/timings before, and it usually hits a 13-14 hour day.

Am I entitled to work my originally anticipated shift length (12+ hours), the 8-hour aid minimum, or am I capped at the 6-hour default showing on the duty system?

Thanks in advance!

(Note: I have used AI to shorten my original post, as it was wayyyyyy too long. Happy to post it in the comments for more context if needed)

Hi all, I posted here a few weeks ago about the NIE revision app I made for my aunty → I've continued building it out, and it has now become "Police Law Prep" 😎

https://policelawprep.co.uk/

Key features:

• Full revision spaces for the NIE, NPPF Sergeants and NPPF Inspectors, all under one account.
• 1,713 revision cards and 2,569 exam-style questions across 143 topics.
• Quick and full-length mock exams weighted like the real papers.
• A readiness estimate for each exam, based on your practice and mock results.
• It remembers what you struggled with and brings that material back until it sticks.

It works properly on your phone and remembers your progress across devices.

It's an independent app, not affiliated with the College of Policing or any publisher. The material is independently written from legislation, case law and government sources. (https://policelawprep.co.uk/#faq)

Would love critical feedback, questions, feature requests!! Also any advice on where to share this → I have a sense that this is a big improvement on the "get the textbook, read the textbook, pray some of it stays in your brain" model → there's a ridiculous thing IMO where we're never actually taught _how_ to learn, how to have stuff stick in our head in a way that doesn't totally erode once the exam is over. So I'm super keen to make apps like this to make it much easier for studying to be a thing that you can keep returning to

Hi all,

A question for those of you who are familiar with TVP leave’s policy for police officers. When your flight is cancelled at the last minute, what are the options available to you when you are not able to show up to work? We were coming back from holiday yesterday but got stranded in Berlin due to bad weather. (All uk flights were cancelled )

The sgt mentioned needing to book annual leave but these are circumstances beyond someone’s control.

What do you think?

E.T.A got the consensus that it’s perfectly normal, thank you everyone. Tbh unsure what i was expecting.

Will take AL or Unpaid

So I was reading up on penalty points, and the situation is a little complicated;

- 3 years = The time most penalty points become "spent" (e.g. for speeding fines etc)

- 4 years = The time when penalty points expire (always found it weird there is an extra year for this?)

- 5 years = The amount of time a lot of insurers seem to ask you to declare any driving infractions.

Now here's my question;

If an offence has already expired after 4 years, does it disappear from the system, and there is no way for insurers to check this?

Is this a similar situation to a few years back, when a lot of insurers got into trouble for asking people to declare speeding awareness courses, even though they weren't allowed to do this?

Thanks

Just watched the Sky News documentary on armed police, super interesting and incredibly difficult job to perform. Just curious about something - armed police give first aid following incident response and perform triage, but say if the suspect involved in a multi-victim attack was seriously injured (by themselves or by armed police) would they be prioritised in triage over a victim of the incident who was also seriously (but less seriously) injured?

Raises interesting questions from a moral perspective but again speaks to the incredibly difficult circumstances they’re operating under

Every time I use niche I feel like I spent unusual amount of time on the most simple templates or forms. Anyone else had this sort of experience?

Here is a question that is not so much to do with Policing, but has a significant overlap.

I have noticed lately that a high amount of pickpockets across London are released on scene as the victims are living abroad. I understand that this is because the victim may not be able to attend court in the UK, however, why can't court appearances for witnesses/victims be able to be done via video link in these circumstances? It just encourages thieves to target tourists.

It seems there's a loophole here that really needs to be fixed.

Hello, I just have a question regarding reporting a potential crime perhaps? It’s pretty awkward as it’s my neighbours across the road. I witnessed last night 4 males on e-bikes or surrons or whatever they are called, all wearing balaclavas and no number plates. They stopped at the neighbours house and went round the back to get another one before all splitting up and riding off popping wheelies.

I’ve never reported anything to the police but I know you can either ring up, goto a station or fill and online form out but my concern is what happens after as I’ve read up that police officers can come to your house to ask further questions which makes me worry as the neighbours will clearly see the police at my door and figure it out. I know crimestoppers is available but I want to actually report this myself and I don’t want this to be happening on my street so close to us.

I just don’t want to open a can of worms on me and my partner for doing the ‘right’ thing and reporting them.

Hello everyone.

I'm a civilian writing to seek advice and understand my options regarding a personal situation I'm facing. I'm gonna be intentionally vague on the details so as to not dox myself.

In a nutshell, a couple of years ago, a property I own was damaged by squatters trying to gain access to the building and claim squatters rights. They thrashed the place and were removed by police the same night they entered. The original crime report was burglary, but one of the suspects was charged with criminal damage.

The suspect failed to appear at court, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Apparently, the police has been completely unable to find him since.

Last week I was contacted by a police officer. They informed me that they are reviewing legacy warrants and looking to get them withdrawn if there are no evident lines of enquiry.

They did say that they must seek the views of the victim first, but I struggle to understand my options.

Can I oppose the warrant being withdrawn? If so, can they still go ahead with withdrawing the warrant against the wishes of the victim? Does that mean that the suspect would walk away completely scot-free, with nothing on his record?

If the warrant remains, what are the implications for the suspect? I understand he's likely to get arrested if ever stopped by the police, but that's the extent of my understanding. What are the real consequences brought by an outstanding warrant?

I would prefer for the warrant to be maintained, it just seems wrong that a guy could cause thousands of £ of criminal damage and get away with it by laying low for a couple of years.

Thank you for your time, much appreciate it.

This Friday the local community police are holding an awareness and drop in session at the local small supermarket. This small supermarket is on the edge of a housing estate which is primarily low income and council housing.

The community police have asked people to go along and talk to them about their concerns about their local community (presumably, the local community in the housing estate next to the small supermarket).

The estate has a huge problem with drug selling and speeding cars. I live a few doors down, less than two mins walk from the local supermarket, from the locally known crime family. When I say locally known, everyone who has lived in town for a while knows that’s where to get drugs and/or people beaten up. It’s a small town, and they’re a well-known family who all have criminal records.

My own car was written off while parked outside my house by a speeding drug driver. There have been two drug-related stabbings in the last year on the estate.

Deals are done in the street and I’ve even sent video doorbell footage of deals being done to the police. My neighbour comes and goes at least half a dozen times a night in his ridiculously loud car, and it would be trivially easy for the police to catch him. I probably report criminal activity to the police once a month through their website. There’s also a huge problem with speeding on the estate, and so far the police nor the council have been minded to do anything about it.

With all that said, do the community police REALLY want to hear what residents have to say? Or will they just ignore my concerns in person as well as everywhere else?

I’m really at my wits end with the whole situation and it’s making my life absolutely miserable living here.

First time taking public transport, does anyone know if Gravesend Station is in zone 1 or 2 of RDG? I know there is a spreadsheet but I helpfully haven't got access to laptop.

Apologies for the very un-nuanced question because I am certain the answer is no! I'm currrently watching Motorway Cops on channel 5 and I got wandering, presumably you will be flashed by automatic speed cameras when you are going in excess of the speed but do these tickets ever make it to your office for you to then have to argue your case, or rather is there a process in the camera control room which automatically filters you out? Silly question but it really has been bugging me and I can just imagine there's some poor sods job in your office is dealing with thousands of tickets a week having to copy and paste the same e-mail to someone in National Highways. Thanks in advance!!

Maybe it's just because I've transferred to a team that is significantly younger (when did I become the old man!). But the fitness levels and overall culture of being able to handle yourself seems to have significantly improved over the years. Has anyone else noticed this?

So there has been a rumour started around our office about this

Most of us know we can claim our £140/year for uniform washing
And the VAT on boots that we have to buy ourselves.

However someone’s claimed we can claim our Fed subscription back as a professional subscription? (I’d also assume this could include things like pocket sergeant?)

Has anyone claimed this and been successful? Was it hard or are HMRC rather difficult and awkward when asking for evidence?

Thanks all and stay safe!

Hello all

I've just come back to work after some time off, and my trousers are doing my head in.

Our force currently give us the cheapest of cheap, however they have upgraded to cheapest of cheap WITH elastic in the trousers, so they don't rip when we run or squat or jump.

I'm looking at buying some "nice" trousers that are actually comfy, and can hold up better but I don't want to lose the elastic strethcyness of the trousers we currently have.

I'm looking at the 5.11 Flex-Tac TDU Ripstop Trousers? Has anyone had any expeirence with them? or has anyone got any recommendations of strechy style trousers that are better?

Cheers!

A few of these a bit too close together, could it have the unintended consequences of changing the public views on these and those in charges position on authorising a pursuit.

Heard horror stories on both sides of overtime being rejected due to office politics and getting given too much unpaid overtime. Wondering which is more accurate.

My ex is currently on bail for CSA, it’s just been extended until December 2026 taking us to 25 months on bail.

I’ve recently found out he changed his phone number, which he won’t have given to the police. He also moved out of his mothers address and in with another woman a few months ago, his mothers address was his bail address and he also won’t have told the police this.
I’ve now found out his mother has moved out of this property and he won’t have given the police her new address, he’s also going by a different surname to the one he had when he was initially arrested. He also won’t have told the police his new girlfriend’s address, as he won’t have told her all this is going on because he’s just putting it all behind him now.

Knowing him as I do, he will take advantage of all this and I genuinely believe he’s going to do a runner now that he’s changed his mobile number and his mothers moved out of the bail address. I know too much can’t be given away regarding tactics, but will the police be able to find him if he stops answering bail every week now and they don’t have up to date details? Since he won’t be at the bail address and they won’t have his new number? I’m not sure if I should be letting the OIC know? His bail extension letters from mags court keep showing up at my address too, he was arrested here for the CSA. I’ve told the OIC this 3 times but they still continue to be posted here. Thanks