This was a first! To celebrate the inaugural Attestation of Haringey Police Constables.
I’ve been before to passing out parades at Hendon – when new recruits complete their initial eighteen week training. But after that – they are allocated boroughs – and after two years probation become fully fledged Police Constables.
This was a ceremony to celebrate the completion of their probation. Thirty-eight young (and some not so young) men and women (and there were a lot of young women) recited the Attestation itself and then came up to receive their certificates.
Congratulations to all of them.
I spent an hour after the ceremony talking to some of the constables and their families. A hugely bright cohort – they were full of ideas about a whole range of things in the police – of which I have since made copious notes.
On Wednesday I will be attending on behalf of the Home Secretary the 25th Anniversary of the Death of PC Keith Blakelock. There will be a parade and a wreath laying. A sober reminder of how those who serve do literally put their lives on the line to keep us safe.
So we should be all the more grateful that so many young people want to enter the police service and do it for all the right reasons. It was a very heartwarming occasion.
Lynne Featherstone 
It’s a shame that female police are subject to such pathetic fitness tests.
I’m not against females getting a discount and perhaps having slightly lower standards of fitness, but the difference in the standards required is ridiculous.
In fact it’s quite demeaning to women to pretend they are so much weaker and slower than men, and of course it’s discriminatory to the men who have to genuinely stay fit otherwise be out of a job.
Except for drug offences, more lenient treatment generally of women by the criminal justice system, including a higher proportion cautioned, a lower proportion charged, and for those convicted a higher proportion receiving non-custodial sentences, and a lower proportion actually imprisoned
Average prison sentences longer for men than for women for similar offences.
In prison better treatment, women have better conditions and are allowed to wear own clothes from the offset and privileges having to be earned in mens prison.
Often punitive treatment of fathers who do not strictly obey court orders, eg. the separated father who was jailed for waving at his daughter across the street, but usually no punitive measures against mothers who regularly defy court orders.
Domestic Violence is a fun one, government data shows it is NOT! Men beating up women yet little to no government funding go towards helping men. of the 400 public funded shelters for women only 8 will help men on occasion. Of £40 million given to local authority for tackling domestic abuse it is measured by performance indicator BV225, a measure of support given specifically to women so no incentive to help men. Heck 1 out of 5 men who call police for help with domestic violence finds themselves arrested.
I can carry on like this for a very long time, but will just finish there is still some in-equality against women, there’s a lot of inequality against men. Where is the Male voice? We have an equalities Minister the great and powerful Lynne Featherstone who I have never heard mention anything about the rights of men. In fact heralding in the past how much more needs to be done to help women.
It deleted the first part of my comment.
@Harriet har man Don’t you realise that is how equality works. You discriminate to help the group you think is more deserving. Not realising all discrimination is wrong. I understand women face discrimination, but so do men difference being no one cares and its encouraged. Despite being equalities minister for everyone.
We are seeing ever greater use of all women short lists for elections. Along with having a womens Minister Theresa May no Mens minister. I understand there are more men in parliament (although no formal barrier for women) it is most unusual for men’s issues to be raised, let alone properly debated. Legislation hostile or discriminatory to men therefore does not get the scrutiny or critique that it deserves. Without their own champion, therefore, men are at present at considerable disadvantage in gender conflict issues.
Women have a greater right to Healthcare then men. NHS spending gives a 75 million screening programme for breast cancer. Along with 10 times more funding for breast cancer research then for prostate(which is only recently got that). I understand Breast cancer affects 10,000 more people but that doesn’t justify the massive disparity. Especially when in the last 20 years mortality rates for women have dropped 30% where contrast with men they have risen 18% for prostate cancer.
Privacy concerns are also not being addressed. 8% of nurses are male and more women are entering general practice then men. How many men would feel comfortable talking to a women with a problem downstairs? Yet we hear about embarrassed women and provisions for women all the time and in everyday of life i.e women only sessions in publicly funded swimming pools (which will still have male life guards :S )
Excellent points Jamie. I see Lynne has just done yet another female related equality post. I guess it must be a vote winner to only help women.
edit – scrap that last sentence. Today’s post is actually concerned with equality for all for a change.