Bob

Doing a couple of A-levels does not mean someone's educated...unless finishing basic school is considered educated these days :/

Now, that's not the same thing as saying someone needs training or special skills, is it.

SultanOfSwing

Do they even still do A-levels? I thought they'd all been dumbed down to those half-arsed AS-levels now you know, because if exams are too hard, perhaps only smart people might pass them and whoever heard of rewarding academic prowess at a centre of learning ... ?

I mean, really.

Bob

Seems unfair to clutter a healthcare thread, which was serious, with this cross post about cops, so moved them in here.

As you were.

Bob

I think you can still do a full A-level, or just double up the AS.

SultanOfSwing

I suppose everyone's doing crap like media studies, sociology and politics these days, instead of real subjects like science and maths

Anian

What does a beat cop need A-levels for? Seems like it would be an arbitrary requirement to have anything above GCSE level. A greater understanding of the law should be required for anyone who really wants to rise up through the ranks, but other than that it seems pointless.

lansbury

I had a laugh when I read his usual asinine comments. When I joined I was one of very few, I recall about 3 who did not have a degree. I passed out of Hendon as top student from my intake. So much for not being educated.

hungryhorace

The issue I have is that those at the lower ranks do not understand the 'big picture' of policing. That is, policing by consent. I once had a couple of PC's follow me home through my village as they thought I was speeding. I wasn't. I have a black box in my car that records every aspect of my driving, so I knew I wasn't speeding.

Yet, one of these coppers still decided to pull me over outside my own home and attempt to lecture me on speeding. I pointed to my black box with video recorder and informed him to not bother talking to me any further as I had not been speeding and the evidence was in that black box and already uploaded to my cloud server. I then asked to see calibration certificates for their panda car, whether a vascar/provida was fitted to allow a ACPO certified speed check. The copper then informed me that I seem to know 'a lot' about the law, essentially questioning WHY did I know so much about traffic law. He then proceeded to run a PNC check on me. When the background check came back, whatever flag was on (I had recently undergone DV clearance) it seemingly told him to leave me alone and he went packing without talking to me further.

It hadn't occurred once to this police officer than I may happen to be a lawyer (i'm not) who may know a little more than him (a lay person) about the law of England & Wales[1], he just assumed that I must have something to hide. It's that sort of behaviour that alienates people from the ever helping the police.

Bigger picture.

[1] Rule #1. NEVER ask a copper for legal advice. Ask a qualified lawyer.

hungryhorace

Um, not sure how to tell you this, but 'Hendon Police College' is not a university. If you regard attending Hendon Police College as being 'educated', well, i'm sorry, but that's highlighting the problem right there. Probably why you still don't understand how a s172 works.

Anyway, your experience is frankly irrelevant as to those you were with who did or did not have a degree. The only statistic that counts is the country wide stat I quoted earlier.

Hotscot

Horace...you're certainly building up quite the "fan" club.

jibsymalone

Horace, Lansbury never even attempted to compare Henley to a University! He was merely comparing himself, (with NO formal degree) to the majority of students in his class, (WITH formal degrees) and how he managed to pass them academically.
I believe he was referring to the fact that holding a degree does not necessarily mean you are more intelligent or have a greater capacity to learn (something I encounter almost daily), and providing personal evidence to back this up.

Come down off your horse a bit, I am struggling to see that high!

hungryhorace

As I say, those are just the 'police' exams. They're not going to demonstrate actual performance in the field. Heck, I'm sure even Simon Harwood (a stain on the police service) could have passed Hendon.

md95065

Even bigger picture:

Rule #0. Don't be an asshole - to anyone - not even (or perhaps, especially) to an "uneducated" policeman ...

SultanOfSwing

Only thermodynamics may have a zeroth rule.

lansbury

Lets keep it easy so I can understand.