That and the press always seem to take joy in publishing failures of any of the emergency service.
Before everything gets out of hand here, I think the post indicating that Police drivers are reckless is a pretty stupid one to make.
Also, as reported eagerly by the Press, according to the Thatcher Government in 1989, 'the Ambulance Service is not an Emergency Service', so the Ambulance Service has to be exempt from such criticism by the Press.
Expanding off-tangent slightly, please forgive me;
I think the indirect running down of each of the Emergency Services is a general policy of every government in power, just prior to wishing to cut that services pay award.
They did this with the Ambulance Service (how many service personal now work 12 hour shifts instead of 8 hours, and how many have conditions of employment forcing staff to work unpaid overtime as a matter of normal operations?), they did this with the Fire Service, and now they intend to do the same with the Police Service.
It was immediately on the cards as soon and an unknown Home Secretary was appointed by Mr Brown, someone who could cut and slash the Police Service without any previous (or future) stance, or personality. A complete nobody to do the dirty work to the Police.
The previous kudos to be derived by previous incumbants of the Office; of direct Union bashing of Unison/NUPE, and latterly the FBU, couldn't be done to the Police Federation. If it backfires against the Government, a political career would be over, so appoint a nobody to the role, and see if it works out alright. See if I'm wrong.
On each occasion, the other services recognised that a single service was being screwed, yet did nothing to support it, not even strong words of support, and on each occasion since, the other services have stood by and watched it happen to someone else, because that someone else stood by and watched it happen to them.
You'll find no Paramedic sorry for the changes in Firefighter terms and conditions, or vice-versa, and the same will happen to the Police.
We are all our own worst enemy, and the government of the day knows it, so just accept it and shut up, because YOU know that YOU will not really do anything about it, and will gain no support from any quarter, not even the other blue light services (excluding the NHS Service that just happens to attend emergencies).
I'm not bitter, I'm well out of it, I'm just pointing out the reality.
I'm urging some of you out there with a career in the Police Service to take note, since my eldest intends to join the Police after University, if there's a Service worth joining after 2009.
