I hereby do solemnly and sincerely and truly declare and affirm…
April 1, 2007
Firstly, massive apologies for my apparent disappearance. This was mainly due to being very busy with moving, starting the new job and endless trips to B&Q to furish my new gaff, and also a protracted battle with BT to get internet access – an organisation even more inept than the Home Office? Quite possibly.
So, week one of basic training is over and I can’t actually remember if we’ve done anything useful. We’ve had a number of introductory lectures which hint at the course ahead, but nothing too exciting apart from having a play with the uniform and some radios. I think this 23 week course is going to be a slog – even after only 5 days, I’m fairly sure just my allocation of forms and handouts has put pay to a number of Scandinavian forests.
My new colleagues seem a varied bunch, which I suppose can only be a good thing with the equally diverse communities we’ll be serving, but I still look at some the the 5 foot nothing girls (and guys) and wonder how they’ll cope with the PCP-sozzled 7ft homicidal maniacs I’m so looking forward to meeting on the mean streets of wherever. Still, until we’ve learnt how to use the impressive looking kit we now all have they’ll probably fare just as disastrously as me.
I hadn’t looked forward to the rigmarole of the attestation (swearing in), but I have to admit my cynicism about “responsibility and professionalism” quickly evaporated after listening to the likes of the magistrate and the Assistant Chief Constable. I guess I can be a little proud of myself for getting this far, and it did make me realise that the long slog would probably be absolutely necessary if I’m to learn what the hell I’m supposed to do with all this power I’ve now got.
Scary stuff.
