So the latest government shake up of the police is leapfrogging your way into a to post even though you may never have come anywhere near a copper in your whole life.

Absolutely barmy in my humble opinion. The police have a certain culture within their ranks, you only need to spend a little time with plod to work that out, even if you haven’t been nicked. Some things you can only become a part of through experience and the police force is one of these things. If you haven’t pounded the streets, been spat at, verbally abused and had bricks thrown at you, you will never ever understand how your subordinates feel about the job. It is not like any other job where instead of producing widgets the new job produces boxes. Manufacturing and policing are chalk and cheese. Aha, I hear you say, what about an ex-forces chap? There are certainly similarities but let’s face it, reforming the police this way is about as useful as a chocolate teapot!