From the bacon patrol...
well... the British Transport Police if you wanna get down to the nitty gritty. I'm one of the baby civvies who has to type up offenders* onto the PNC (database of suspects, etc). The system itself is 30 years old, but with 1.2 million offenders, each with 15+ pages on their nefarious deeds, and nil funding, it ain't gonna get improved in a hurry. As a result, it also cocks up on a regular basis.

So it does again, at about twenty to 5.. I call the service desk, open 9-5, explain the problem at much length, while the little jobsworthy twunt puts me through proverbial Mastermind. "Could you sort this?" I finally ask, after about 20 mins. "No, it's down to the database staff. You'll have to fill out an email." "So what's the address?" 5 mins later, he finally rattles off one. We don't have external email, which is just what he's given me, and then he hangs up. Time? 5.01.

This is just one experience. Almost _all_ PNC staff are like this - lazy, insufferable and rude little bastards, whether they're civvies or true blue bacon. And it always seems to be the PCs who are the winners of the Jobsworth award - the same that we all discover, who will wander the streets with this kinda information, and then take genuine delight in seeing non-members of their sacred clan squirm and/or rant.

Strangely enough, I like my job a lot. Most of the coppers I work with and talk to are nice people who're a fair bit embittered by the shite they see and the shite they take. But there are exceptions... and we somehow seem to get the worst and most. Just grit your teeth and remember: they'll be getting the crap today, and tomorrow, and for another 20 years - and they've chosen it. Hope that brings some comfort.

I like girth, and so should you.
**returns to major lurkage**

*read "chav"
(so1ace, Wed 18 May 2005, 22:30, Reply)