The two sides of the Thin Blue Line

At times it can be exhilarating as officers pursue criminals in order to keep the public safe. But there's certainly drawbacks – such as getting abuse from people and working in dangerous situations.

Here blogging bobby Pc Richard Stanley, based in Walsall, shares the ups and downs of life in uniform.

PROS

Make a difference

You'll be in a unique position in which you will be able to make people's lives considerably better. It'll be down to you to help people put their lives back together and it's easy to underestimate how much of a difference you'll be able to make to people at their lowest ebb.

Personal development

With the opportunity to step into people's homes and meet a wide cross-section of the community, you'll find that your world view is challenged and perceptions you may have held about, say, prostitutes and drug dealers, is challenged when you find yourself speaking to them.

Excitement

Driving a police car at high speed, diving through red lights and then chasing a suspect on foot with the helicopter hovering above you can be just a little exciting. You'll get to do things in the first weeks of your service that most people won't do in their entire lives.

Help serve the public

Whilst it may not feel this way all the time, everything you do in the course of your role as an officer will ultimately benefit the public.

Progression

West Midlands Police is the second largest force in the country and as such, there are roles inside the organisation that even I don't know about. We have dog units, firearms units, detective teams, a group of officers whose job it is to ensure planes don't get shot down at Birmingham Airport, football spotters, gang specialists, a helicopter.

Important work

This is the reason I joined, I wanted to do something that I felt to be important and to do it well. I can finish work with the satisfaction of being able to say someone who has been making a victim's life a misery is going to court entirely because of my own work on the case.

Responsibility

You're often going to be the first person on the scene of major incidents, it's going to be down to you to quickly assess what's happening and decide what to do. You may have to prepare cases to go up to Crown Court and give evidence, you'll likely be sent to serious crimes in the first instance and the actions that you take in the first few minutes of arrival can make a huge difference to how things progress further down the line.

More than just a job

Teams tend to be quite close and there's a fair amount of socialising too. Colleagues are friends and if you're feeling active, there's plenty of sports and social activities to pick from. It's a tight-knit community.

Good conditions

The take home pay isn't too bad and there are chances for overtime, there's a decent pension.

The X Factor

Police officers get discounted tickets to The X Factor – joke! From your first arrest to the moment you put on the Chief Constable's epaulettes (when he's not looking), there is simply no other job that comes anywhere close to The Job. That's why they call it 'The Job'.

Sexy uniform and handcuffs . . .

CONS

Going home on time

A 15.00 finish time on the rota means that, right? Oh no! There will be times when you'll find yourself come finishing time still at a custody block on the other side of the force area with a list of things to do longer than both of your arms put together.

Flexibility

You can be called into work at short notice and shift patterns changed with a snap of the Chief Constable's fingers. This won't be a regular thing but in response to extraordinary events (riots etc), you can very quickly find days off cancelled and hours extended.

Danger

Something that lurks around every corner, the work of a police officer is inherently dangerous and we do sometimes get hurt as a result. You will at some point get attacked, car accidents are always a risk and in the course of saving life and limb, you're going to face some very risky situations.

Abuse

There are plenty of people who will hate you for no reason other than the uniform. Shoplifters will abuse and spit at you. You'll be taught new swearwords by prisoners. A thick skin is a must.

Crime in reality

You may think a police officer saves good people from the bad criminals. We do, also though we have to attend when Person A with 70 previous convictions calls to make a very suspect report that Person B with the same amount of convictions has wronged him. Many of the calls you'll attend will be very dubious in nature. This can be frustrating but it's part of the job, for every 'genuine' call there'll be several 'I'm calling the police because I'm locked out of Facebook' jobs.

Stress

One minute you'll be in a patrol car talking about doughnuts, the next you'll be faced with 20 people brawling in a pub and it'll be down to you to sort it out. You'll be required to make decisions there and then and everyone will be looking to you to know what to do.

Boredom

Think standing on a crime scene for ten hours is exciting? How's about watching someone sleep in the corner of a cell for an entire shift whilst on constant observations? It isn't! Whilst there will be exciting moments, you'll have some shifts where the clock moves very slowly indeed.

Missing breaks

A busy night on a response shift might mean your meal will be a petrol station sandwich half eaten on the forecourt being being sent to the next job.

Dealing with the injured and the dead

If you don't feel comfortable with the sight of blood, policing may not be right for you as there can be a lot of it. I've seen crime scenes that give The Saw films a run for their money.

Taking the job home

Some things will stay with you beyond your tour of duty. Whilst there's plenty of good support available, you may find some experiences looking to set up camp in your head.

This post originally appeared in full on Pc Richard Stanley's blog, Policing at the sharp end