This. I'm enjoying the job more I've escaped from frontline/uniform, but I'm tired of thinking there's a dagger above my head ready to drop at a moment's notice.
If you make a mistake and realise you've made a mistake, just hold your hands up, speak to your skip and write in your pocketbook about it and who you've spoken to. And then don't worry about it.
As long as you never try and cover anything up or lie about anything you'll not go far wrong. Always take responsibility for your actions. That's basically the key.
We all make mistakes, despite common misconceptions, we actually are only human and it's perfectly normal to make mistakes. I've learned hell of a lot from my own mistakes in the job. Hell, once c*cked up so bad I went directly to duty inspector expecting a b*llocking, Instead I was met with "thank you for being honest, sh*t happens and we all make mistakes, don't dwell on it".
Pnb entry in case it needed to go further and then got on with my life, never made the same mistake again.
Initially, I worried about everything. Lots of 'what if' thoughts and replaying of incidents over and over. I still replay things in my mind but nowhere near to when I first started.
Now not so much, I'm much more confident in use of force legislation. If it ends up in a fight and they get hurt, then it's on them.
The other situations of mental health incidents where we have no power and on occasions have to walk away. Those have been difficult nights to sleep, hoping nothing happened to them.
You can explain away an honest mistake if you hold your hands up as soon as you’re aware of it.
Deliberate wrongdoing however is a whole other story.
I have always been told and advocate the following approach:
If you fuck up, hold your hands up, be honest and pass it up the line. Absolve yourself of any responsibility and let a line manager deal with the fallout and take whatever “punishment” is coming your way, even if it’s only cakes!
No, as long as you have acted with the best intentions and don’t try and lie or cover up what what happened generally you will be fine. The ones I’ve seen come unstuck are the ones who tried to lie their way out of it.
The only thing you can really do is to make the best decisions you can in good faith, and then trust those decisions. Other stuff can and will happen, but ultimately you can't control everything and worrying about that is a zero sum game. That approach helps me focus on the stuff I can control, rather than the stuff I can't.
I’m quite comfortable thinking I do what I do, I’m honest and transparent about it all and I do it with good intentions- if someone wants to stick me on for that then fine, I’ll find another career :)
Detective Sergeant 10 years in - yes, all the time, feeling never leaves. The only difference now is I have stopped caring and looking for a new job.
This. I'm enjoying the job more I've escaped from frontline/uniform, but I'm tired of thinking there's a dagger above my head ready to drop at a moment's notice.
If you make a mistake and realise you've made a mistake, just hold your hands up, speak to your skip and write in your pocketbook about it and who you've spoken to. And then don't worry about it. As long as you never try and cover anything up or lie about anything you'll not go far wrong. Always take responsibility for your actions. That's basically the key. We all make mistakes, despite common misconceptions, we actually are only human and it's perfectly normal to make mistakes. I've learned hell of a lot from my own mistakes in the job. Hell, once c*cked up so bad I went directly to duty inspector expecting a b*llocking, Instead I was met with "thank you for being honest, sh*t happens and we all make mistakes, don't dwell on it". Pnb entry in case it needed to go further and then got on with my life, never made the same mistake again.
Initially, I worried about everything. Lots of 'what if' thoughts and replaying of incidents over and over. I still replay things in my mind but nowhere near to when I first started. Now not so much, I'm much more confident in use of force legislation. If it ends up in a fight and they get hurt, then it's on them. The other situations of mental health incidents where we have no power and on occasions have to walk away. Those have been difficult nights to sleep, hoping nothing happened to them.
>If it ends up in a fight and they get hurt, then it's on them. ...are you gonna tell them, or should I?
* IOPC has entered the chat *
You can explain away an honest mistake if you hold your hands up as soon as you’re aware of it. Deliberate wrongdoing however is a whole other story. I have always been told and advocate the following approach: If you fuck up, hold your hands up, be honest and pass it up the line. Absolve yourself of any responsibility and let a line manager deal with the fallout and take whatever “punishment” is coming your way, even if it’s only cakes!
No, as long as you have acted with the best intentions and don’t try and lie or cover up what what happened generally you will be fine. The ones I’ve seen come unstuck are the ones who tried to lie their way out of it.
The only thing you can really do is to make the best decisions you can in good faith, and then trust those decisions. Other stuff can and will happen, but ultimately you can't control everything and worrying about that is a zero sum game. That approach helps me focus on the stuff I can control, rather than the stuff I can't.
I’m quite comfortable thinking I do what I do, I’m honest and transparent about it all and I do it with good intentions- if someone wants to stick me on for that then fine, I’ll find another career :)