Constable vs Police Officer

Hi

The common perception is that a constable and a police officer are one and the same thing.

They're not.

A Constable is a man who has taken an 'Oath of Office' (to the Queen) to uphold the common-law and 'keep the peace' on behalf of Her Majesty. He deals with matters of Law as it pertains to the 'man' and has nothing to do with matters of the 'person'. It is not a job, it is a duty. One is not hired, one is 'appointed'. One is not paid (as such), one 'serves'. It is a tradition that goes back centuries and it is the Constable who we have traditionally turned to when we feel threatened, wronged or injured. It is a position in society respected (traditionally) by most of the common folk and, i suspect, the image most people have in mind when they decide to sign up for the position. Unfortunately it's not too long before they find out that they have actually taken on the role of a revenue generator, a 'land-pirate' - the Policeman, or Policy Enforcer.

A Policy Enforcer is, in effect, several jobs rolled into one. Imagine a tax collector mixed with a traffic warden and a shop security guard. With performance targets to achieve which ever way they can get away with. This position requires no oath, as it is not an Office it is merely a job. The Policy Enforcer is not held to the same standards as a Constable, and has none of the powers or authority of a Constable to detain, question or arrest a 'man'. However, a Policy Enforcer can do pretty much anything he likes to a 'person' with next-to-no fear of reprimand or sanction.

It is clear that no decent man or woman would want to be a Policy Enforcer, and yet the Controllers need them in order to fleece the public. So what they did was squeeze together the Office of Constable with the job of Policy Enforcer (without telling anybody) and called the resulting monstrosity:

A 'Police Officer'.

Questions?

OK. .interesting .

Hi

Stick around Tattykat - it gets even better!