Come to the UK Norm and become a PCSO

LOL

Yeah, join the MET - not only are we THE force to join, but you get this amazing badge aswell:

And you have a LLOONNG waiting list (3yrs+ I believe)

Please tell me this isn't true, a waiting list that long to walk the streets in uniform with no powers whatsoever

Its all about the badge it looks so like a blue peter badge you can get into over 200 attractions free!

Buy one and get one free into Alton Towers!!! yippee..............well there has to be ONE perk to the job!!!

Can't do that anymore. People sell them on Ebay, so the BBC have stopped all free entry untill they get a new photo ID system into place (not that i watch Blue Peter)

Hmmmmmmm

So basically if there was a shop theft and a PCSO was nearest whilst on patrol they would attend and 'secure' the scene etc. untill a police officer arrived???

Yeah. I wouldn't mind them coming by. They can help me restrain the offender (ok, possibly risking positional asphyxia) until an officer with cuffs turns up.

In many cases the offender would become compliant not realising initially that it wasnt a proper police officer who'd turned up. The best example of this goes back to my CCTV days where the guys in the shopping centre our control room was in had 2 offenders kicking off on them in a shop. I had a new trainee on with me who took over the cameras and I went downstairs to assist them.

One of the offenders was restrained but the other guard was struggling with the other one, wearing his lovely blazer and multi-coloured tie. ("customer services" uniform that most shopping centres have adopted)

I walked in with a black NATO jumper and epps on, she saw me quick and was complaint because she thought I was police! Once i'd got her on the floor she kept saying "officer, these security bas****s keep beating me up. She was REALLY annoyed when I told her I worked for the same security company!

Quality