| Motoring Discussion > Thinking laterally to solve a problem | Miscellaneous |
| Thread Author: Westpig | Replies: 9 |
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New Sat 18 Feb 12 15:19
Thinking laterally to solve a problem - Westpig
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Imagine this scenario, if only these chaps could apply this amount of logic to their work we'd be laughing. Muggins here gets promoted from Police Sergeant to Inspector. It took some considerable time to achieve, many years...due to the utter ridiculousness of the then promotion system ...role acting in a hotel bedroom suite???..(and obviously my own failings). I get posted to a large old fashioned N. London police station as the Sector Inspector i.e. in charge of community issues (not at all what I wanted, but hey ho you do as you are told). That station was a satellite station i.e. all the admin, senior offcers, CID etc are at an HQ type station and this one is much quieter, although at that time it did still house 1/3rd of the Borough's uniform response team, who paraded there for 24/7 shift work. Also there is a civilian manager who is part of the Borough's senior management team. This woman is an awful harridan and one of the most incompetent people i've ever, ever worked with. I took over the post from my predecessor, who for 2 weeks showed me the ropes. It helped that we knew each other, in that we used to work together as sergeants at a previous nick. On my taking over, we were at the end of a re-furbishment of the building and re-tarmaccing of the back yard. My predecessor had well and truly looked after the contractors. In the corner of the yard, was a parking space marked 'Sector Inspector'. So as that was me, unsurprsingly I parked in it. Occasionally one of the PCs would park in it first before I got in at 8am ish...in which case i'd find them or their sergeant tell him/her it had taken me 24 years to achieve this rank and I was fully intent on grabbing all the privileges that went with it...at which point they'd laugh and get the vehicle moved. One morning I came in..and there in that bay was parked a tatty little blue Fiat Panda. One of the senior PCs was walking past (ex-army, called a spade a spade, no nonsene type) and he said "no problem guvnor, I know whose car it is, i'll get it moved" and off he went.... ...up to the first floor management offices, next office to mine, to tell the civilian manager of senior management status (which I was not) to "shift your car, the guvnor's in and you're parked in his space". Well of course she didn't..and i parked elsewhere as no one had turned up..and I was oblivious to the fact it was her car. So when i get to my office, there she is in all her glory. She asked me to attend her office (only next door) and tries to do the full dressing down bit...which although I hadn't been there long, had managed to suss her out, so wasn't having any of..and before long had to tell her "For christ's sake (her name), there's people dying in the world and you and I are talking about a parking space. I had no idea it was your car and am not prepared to dsicuss it any more, if you feel that strongly about it, do a written report to the Borough Commander and we can discuss it with him, but make sure you get it right otherwise you'll make yourself look more foolish than you have already" and off I went... ...then three days later 7/7 happened, so i spent the next 6 weeks almost permanently on 'Aid' to Central London as I was the new Inspector and they hadn't rostered me in much covering the 24/7 emergency stuff, so I was free to do it. One long boring 12 hour shift night duty, on 'Aid', I regaled this story to the sergeant from my Borough posted with me, who i'd never met before..a larger than life, straightforward Glaswegian, who obviously had the respect of the PCs. He listened intently, then at the end said "That's disrespectful sir, that's not right. You've worked hard for those pips, very hard. Don't worry, leave it with me, i'll get it sorted." Well of course I did worry. What on earth was he going to do? Three days later, I in drive in at 8am..and there sat in my bay is a marked policed car. No problem, police vehicles get priority over private ones anyway, so i'll park somewhere else...but no need...sat in the canteen doing some paperwork is a young PC, who waves at me, drops what he's doing and comes outside to the car park and says he'll move the police car. I thought it was his posted police car. After he'd moved it, he walked past me locking my car and said "Good to see the system is working". I said "System, what system"? his response "Oh Sergeant (Glaswegian) has sent us all a memo. On Night Duty we are to park a police vehicle in your parking bay, anything marked that isn't being used, then on the morning shift one of us will move it when you come in, because (her name) being a civilian isn't authorised to drive police vehicles, so won't be able to move it herself and none of us will". ....and they did....for several weeks. What was even more funny, over at the HQ station for a management meeting I walked past the Superintendent in the corridor..who said "innovative way of sorting the parking problem at (station), (my name)" and off he went smirking...then at the meeting with my boss, she said "I hear you've solved the parking at (station name)" and laughed her head off....so they all knew anyway. |
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New Sat 18 Feb 12 15:49
Thinking laterally to solve a problem - Old Navy
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We had a similar situation in a Navy base. During the time when the IRA were a problem on the mainland no vehicles were allowed to be parked within X yards of any building. When the rules started to be bent a car was obtained from a scrap yard and left at a prominent spot near a building. The standard procedure of setting up an exclusion area and making public address system announcements for the owner to move it obviously proved ineffective. After the bomb disposal team had used one of their robots to blow the boot and doors open the parking problem seemed to resolve itself.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sat 18 Feb 12 at 15:50
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New Sat 18 Feb 12 16:09
Thinking laterally to solve a problem - zippy
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When I first started work at a large Govt. office many years ago you were forbidden to reverse your car against the building - engines were allowed. This was because they thought someone may plant explosives in the boot of cars. Several people ignored the rules and one day a tow truck arrived and started to pull the cars that were parked incorrectly out of the bays. The number of people that rushed down the stairs to move their cars was a sight to be seen! |
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New Sat 18 Feb 12 16:19
Thinking laterally to solve a problem - Old Navy
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>> This was because >> they thought someone may plant explosives in the boot of cars. >> Thats clever thinking, any bomb would blow the engine through the wall. Moving a bomb a car length further away won't make a lot of difference to its effect, try 50 yards, even then the glass from the windows would probably kill you. Last edited by: Old Navy on Sat 18 Feb 12 at 16:21
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New Sat 18 Feb 12 16:24
Thinking laterally to solve a problem - zippy
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I was only 17 at the time. I did as I was told! But you are quite right, in hindsight, perhaps it was a gesture or a ploy to identify cars that didn't belong! |
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New Sat 18 Feb 12 16:25
Thinking laterally to solve a problem - Bromptonaut
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>> When I first started work at a large Govt. office many years ago you were >> forbidden to reverse your car against the building - engines were allowed. Signs gave same instruction at 'Crown Buildings' where I started work in 1978. I was told it was to prevent fumes from idling engines getting in through vents/open windows. |
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New Sat 18 Feb 12 16:32
Thinking laterally to solve a problem - Runfer D'Hills
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There are certain job environments which seem to attract employees with that sort of mind set. As in if we haven't got a rule to cover it we'd better invent one ! "Did I see you submitting a chit for TWO Biros this week Mr Brown? The very nerve of you man.You'll be wanting to leave your car in Mr Smith's parking space next I'll be bound!" :-)) |
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New Sat 18 Feb 12 16:43
Thinking laterally to solve a problem - zippy
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>>Did I see you submitting a chit for TWO Biros this week Mr Brown? Ha, our photocopier takes a note of who you are as does the printer. Big brother is watching! |
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New Sat 18 Feb 12 16:46
Thinking laterally to solve a problem - Clk Sec
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>>In the corner of the yard, was a parking space marked 'Sector Inspector' Some might view it as a minor squabble, nothing to get worked up about. Just let the other person have the parking space if they turn up at the station before you, and it’s yours if they don’t. But the problem is, where does it end. Might they have wanted another of your hard earned privileges next week, or the week after. I expect so. Last edited by: Clk Sec on Sat 18 Feb 12 at 16:50
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New Sat 18 Feb 12 16:59
Thinking laterally to solve a problem - Runfer D'Hills
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>> Big brother is watching! My wife works in the regional head office of a major bank. The tales she returns with as to the pettiness of what is allowed and what is not would astonish most people. I'd not last 5 minutes without inviting "Big Brother" to swivel I'm afraid. :-) |
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