Big Ray... - Profile

Problem with vetting in that it is only valid on the day you are cleared. Like an MOT problems can arise soon after you get your certificate. An individual who had access to a gun whilst experiencing an emotional breakdown is dangerous. How can you mitigate or diminish that risk? In addition I am told there are 1.2 guns for every man woman and child in America so you could argue that not carrying a gun is dangerous! No easy fix to this problem. Very difficult dilemma and very sad situation

Originally Posted by Steve.Richardson

“fire them ”

Oops, some employees may wish to provoke that response in order to open the tribunal door!

Staffing issues often fall into 1 of 2 categories: Poor Work Performance or Policy Violation.

Theft, poor attendance, time keeping or excessive sick periods are dealt with as part of company policy and are often clear cut. However, performance issues are less easy to define and it is often argued an employee needs better training, advice, mentoring or encouragement.  The employer needs to evidence this!

In order to avoid legal action, poor work performance, bad attitude and corporate terrorism should be dealt with methodically. 

Informal meetings followed by documented discussion. Verbal warnings requiring improvement along with what is expected and within what time scale (often called an improvement notice), must precede written warnings and dismissal. 

Originally Posted by Steve.Richardson

“Does that mean you are free to do a bit of ranting about the probation service now ”

Never say never!

The Probation service has been absorbed in to the much larger Prison Service, they are now called HMPPS (Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service). Massively understaffed and desperate to recruit and train new officers they are clearly developing a new culture and way of doing things. 

Regrettably they don't seem to have invested much time considering why so much experience has decided to leave the service. I did almost 21 years with probation (more than any life sentence), would I go back? Yes, it is a vocation and even though you need a thick skin when working with some of the more interesting characters,  it is a very rewarding role. 

Will I go back? The jury is still out. I like my new job but I miss the old one too. I was hoping to take on sessional report writing with Probation (in my own time) but my new employer argues this would be a conflict of interest and they wont allow it.

My wife likes the new job (because I am less stressed) and she has decided I am never going back! I have decided that I am not ready to burn my bridges yet and will keep my options open! 

Watch this space.

Hi Steve… it’s been a while!

Well, after two years of COVID and the need to work from home most days, I was glad to get back in to the office.  However I then quickly decided to retire from the Probation Service in August last year… I had a week off work then took a Part time job with the Police. I now work 2.5 days per week.
flexible working is great but you have to become very disciplined when your wife is shouting upstairs to you “shall we go out for some lunch and a glass of wine” “I am bored, nobody will know you are not working anyway”

 in other words you need a supportive family who care enough about your work ethic! 

Thanks for the support but I have been stopped for 8 years now... this thread has just tumbled along...it was started on the 29 February 2012.

You are cross contaminating your argument Barney. The thread was looking at the death penalty.  Usman Khan Was never sentenced to death. He initially got an IPP sentence, (imprisonment for public protection).

Ironically it was a Probation Officer who assessed him for dangerousness. He obviously got that right and Mr Khan should have spent the rest of his days in custody. that snipet never made its way in to the papers did it?

However, in 2012 and in response to the rising population in custody the Politicians abolished the IPP sentence and on appeal mr Khan was given a determinate sentence and was entitled to an automatic release at the halfway point. Rehabilitation was not a condition of that release. Indeed I doubt that rehabilitation in this case was ever possible.

my point? Do we lock everyone up for ever? Do we execute everyone we think is dangerous even if they have not committed an act of violence? Who decides? What happens if we get it wrong, do you trust the politicians with the justice system. Are we moving toward recruiting ‘thought’ Police. 

professional assessment is at best a guess of future risk.  in this instance Usman Khan was correctly assessed as being dangerous. The judicial system as a whole failed to heed that warning and the politicians let him out. Rehabilitation had nothing to do with this tragic incident, political rhetoric and point scoring did. 

State driven retribution on behalf of the public.  Tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime. What a great political platform. Tap into to the emotion of the wider public who will then endorse the death of another human being.

before I say anything else, it should be noted that I am not a tree hugging bleeding heart liberal who wants to make excuses for the criminal.

However I have looked in to the eyes of many people convicted of murder. Some are truly evil and should never be released from custody. That detention is not for the purpose of punishment or revenge, it is for the protection of the public.

Others however who made a mistake an error in judgement or were desperate and acted in the moment. They are judged by the courts and punished by society, they are not intrinsically evil and can be rehabilitated.

An interesting fact, most murderers are assessed as posing a low risk of repeating their actions?  Should they be killed on behalf of the victims family? Does that change anything or does society simply create another grieving family?

Like I said I work with some offenders who would be strung up and nailed to tree if the public or the mob were allowed access to them. I have to accept I probably would not Stand in their way!

However there are others who deserve a second chance, they can contribute to society and they do remain genuinely remorseful for their actions. I am not qualified or clever enough to decide who should die or not.

Good news, honesty does pay! The wife appealed directly to Lidl but was fobbed of and the store manager simply argued the car parking arrangements were nothing to do with him.

An appeal was then sent directly to Athena, a true and accurate account of the over stay was given, with evidence and in writing. Within 3 days, the parking charge was cancelled. Well done Athena! 

Even though this was not my ticket I always thought it was going to cost me £90! 
I guess Christmas just came early for me.

When the wife is upset and angry in equal measure because she received a parking charge notice against her car ‘but’ she was not the driver... Athena who are employed by Lidl want £90 for a 20 min overstay in one of their Free car parks. She is caught between a rock and a hard place . Choices;

1) We pay the ticket, I don’t like that idea

2) she dobs the driver in, nobody likes a grass! Or

3) waste our time explaining why the driver over stayed by 20 mins, for a genuine reason and ask is a £90 charge a reasonable response for this transgression. 

anyone want to defend Lidl?

thoughts and any advice welcome.

Because of my occupation I am not allowed to comment or openly express an opinion about Brexit via a public platform. However this did make me smile...