AND FINALLY

For a customer-relations masterclass, get over to www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-A193TUloA for a classic demonstration by a 999 call operator. She was responding in July 2007 to a call from someone alarmed that a Met copper had illegally entered his house.

She tells him that the police have every right to be in his home (they don’t), and that she will send more officers to assist – the officer, not him. She ends the exchange by labelling the caller a ‘twat’.

While an internal ‘investigation’ in Dec 2007 cleared their officers of any wrongdoing, this was overturned by the IPCC in Apr 2008 who confirmed that Barry Hargreaves, the breakin’n’entering cop was acting unlawfully. Unsurprising no great disciplinary action followed.

That’s modern Policing style for you, not so much Dixon of Dock Green as Dirty Harry (or Barry). At least in the old days they’d be polite when they were screwing you over...