Baby Police?

I can't say I'm really surprised by this story about the Police Authority in Thames Valley employing two 16 year olds as PCSO's (Police Community Support Officers).

Apart from a fear of funding which has forced Thames Valley into this possibly unwise direction, it beggars belief that these kids, for that is what they are, would receive any respect from the members of the public.

They are unable to buy alcohol, yet can supposedly take drinks off people, as of the 1st October they cannot buy cigarettes, but will be expected to help enforce the smoking ban. They do not have a driving licence but are expected to Police the streets and deal with parking offences.

Lets face it, they have zero life experience, they know nothing other than school life and possibly how to skive lessons. What experience can they offer or bring to the job?

The real Police Officers do have some modicum of common sense, they are able to asses the situations that arise, they have an ability to step aside, to be impartial, can you honestly say you believe a 16 year old would have that ability? FFS my 23 year old son would have difficulty, not because of his intelligence but because he just doesn't have the life experiences needed to help do the job. How are they going to cope with a domestic argument in the street or any argument taking place outside a pub, how can they be expected to deal with drunks, drug dealers, petty thieves, who one can bet would eat them for breakfast. How are they going to be able to detain a thirty year old football hooligan?

I can see these kids, getting wound up by the kids they went to school with, tormented, taunted and having the piss taken out of them. They do not have the maturity to let it flow as water of a ducks back. So many problems they could and would cause, situations they would worsen by their inability to understand or be impartial. So many dangers that they would have to face simply because they do not have the social skills or basic awareness to be able to cover themselves.

As I understand it any one under 18 cannot be a witness to any legal document, so how can they issue fixed penalty notices? Would this not open a loop hole for people to get out of paying the fines? How would a court view their testimony against a normal upstanding person of the borough? Who would a magistrate believe a snotty 16 year old, who has had 5 weeks training in aspects of the law and Policing, (who would no doubt be bent over and fucked most royally by any decent solicitor) or a usually upstanding member of the community?

Any tickets issued by these kids would be subject to question at each and every opportunity, and ultimately would lessen and cheapen the "role of the Police", in our communities.

This should have been a non starter right from the offset and the fuckwit who actually employed the kids should be horsewhipped.