Bobby on the Beat

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those who want a return to the old ways of bobbies on the beat are living in a world of blind romanticism. The criminals will not return to their old methods so why should the police? He said: “I can understand the argument of using limited resources where they will have the most effectiveness – but there is also a very good argument about the effect of visible policing and its role in preventing and deterring crime. In the charming Bobby on the Beat, Pamela Rhodes's tales of life as a copper provide a fascinating glimpse of country life now long gone - when seeing a bobby on the beat meant all was well.

PC O’Leary also noted developments in the 'policing family', like the introduction of Police Community Support Officers. He said PCSOs were now fulfilling some of the roles historically filled by police officers.Surprisingly, perhaps, these proposals were met with scepticism by the police: Chief Constable Mike Cunningham, the CEO of the College of Policing, argued that “an investment in police numbers alone will not be enough to meet the future demands we face as a service”. Cuts in public funding and a decline in officer numbers have helped shape the way police now do their job. Unsung local bobbies like PC Kelly are becoming rarer now in police forces where strains on budgets and a move towards prioritising threat, risk and harm mean neighbourhood policing is gone in all but name. But cops like him keep the thin blue line strong and maintain that balance of trust between the people and police which is so vital. PC Kelly sought no credit for what he did and did not seek promotion, although he collected enough evidence to launch several successful careers. He did however once appear in the Independent, guarding a space ship that had “crash landed” into one of the primary schools. He told me once that as soon as he arrived in Harringay ward he realised he had found his place and did not want to go anywhere else. Pamela Rhodes, one of the first British policewomen, tells her fascinating story in Bobby on the Beat.

He said: “We have to use our limited resources in more methodically-based processes because we don’t have the resources to send people out on foot beat in areas where, potentially, there is no crime happening. bobby, slang term for a member of London’s Metropolitan Police derived from the name of Sir Robert Peel, who established the force in 1829. Police officers in London are also known as “peelers” for the same reason. Tom Hayes, Oxford City Council’s lead on community safety, suggested that having a visible presence and a targeted approach could be coupled together.At around this time bobbies were leaving the police force in droves, but then Edmund Davies bumped up the wage and we finally got the kind of salary that we where worth - what a pity they let the agreement slip!