Blogger on the beat

The Independent did a special today on blogging policemen. I was surprised at the eloquence of many of the blogs, perhaps indicating that a more intelligent type of person is naturally more at ease with technology. However, I believe my surprise reveals a contradictory stereotype I, and possibly many others, have of English policemen.

On the one hand I still cling to the comforting image of our local PC (Jerry Blood was his name) as a kid who came to our school to warn us of 'stranger danger'. He was a friendly, firm figure who I was always trained to seek out in loco parentis. A kind of stern servant.

On the other backhand, there exists in my mind the figure of the racist, sexist, thuggish (and probably quite thick) policeman portrayed often in fiction and more frequently in real life undercover type programmes. These images seem to co-exist in my mind and make me feel shifty whenever a bobby passes by from a combined feeling of fear and guilt.

What is certain is that the police force was never something I aspired to and I always rather viewed it with distrust and a bit of contempt. After all, they're not firemen, are they?

Only one policeman in the Independent's selection wrote with disturbing pleasure about dealing out a nasty blow to a rioter and one felt they had really had to search to provide a contrast to a range of, on the whole, very interesting, sensible and often funny writers. Most of them wrote of the frustrations of dealing with the general public, timewasters, abusive drunks, unrealistic nostalgia addicts (like me) who think more policemen on the street means less crime (the writer pointed out that all criminals needed to do was wait til they passed).

One writer wondered where Iain Blair had got to after being so visible in past months, while another debunked the myths of TV fiction and revealed that he pretty much acted as investigative team, clerk and public liasion in one.

Apparently the Met are very nervous about these bloggers and have pretty much banned officers, at least, from blogging. But the window into someone's life provided by a blog is worth a hundred times more than any outreach 'Community Officer' programme. Although I still have no burning desire tbo become a policewoman, it's from a greater appreciation of the difficulty of the job. Oh and the racism, sexism, brutality.... ;)

Finally before my battery runs out, our lovely government is trying to push through quick legislation curtailing the Freedom of Information act. Organisations will be able to refuse to issue you with information on the grounds of it being 'too expensive'. This breaks their very own pledge not to do this. I urge everyone to go to The Campaign for Freedom of Information and have a look. The Guardian's site is also very good. Perhaps we can make a petition?