Unit Beat Policing (1968)

plod films presents....

[@Lucan44.40]

All looked very good on paper but soon discovered in practice , it didn't work, not enough manpower. Liason with the D.O. never existed. The station sergeant was known as the "Olympic torch." ( he never went out). Panda car drivers just spent the shift in the car going from call to call, subsequently losing contact with the public. The pye" pop up" radios were very basic, and the first thing that happened in a scrap, the receiver fell off, usually down into your tunic.😂 But we joined the job to be coppers serve and protect the public. There was a terrific camaraderie. No way would you let your colleagues down or intentionally bring discredit to the force. Back in those days, we shared a boundry with Cheshire Constabulary and called them the "Gurkhas." ( they never took any prisoners.) 😂 Halcyon days, though I wouldn't have missed them for the world...😢

[@SunofYork]

Load of crap. I joined Leeds City Police in October 1967 and it was corrupt. I reported my shift who smeared my car with human faeces on night shift. I resigned and joined West Yorks who were much cleaner. Leeds Police were disbanded.

[@scroggins100]

Totally agree. God, I shook some door handles in my time. Prefered a bike on a summers night mind you and thank god for the kettle in the signals man box on a winters day.

[@Lucan44.40]

@@scroggins100 Did you deliver the pawnbrokers leaflets on nights.😉

[@SunofYork]

@@scroggins100 I really liked the batman cloak.. it was warm and did keep the rain off... I used to stop off at the doughnut bakery at 5am and get hot raspberry jam doughnuts (free)... They liked the extra security so it was mutually beneficial.... I took em home to her indoors at shift end... 6am ...and we sat up in bed eating them..

[@scroggins100]

@@SunofYork " thoughts, Sid Castle a big lad and handy. A terrifying sight in his cape and bike clips at full tilt heading for the Market Place. Second one.. I am going on earlies and in the middle of the road is a huge Purple Hare!! I stop and it hoped in, so I took it home and put it on the end of the bed.. Wife woke up being kissed by a very big hare.. Hysterical seeing her crossed eye saying "oh Hello". Happy days eh..

[@derranthefunnyguy]

In 1959 police officers had to check in with the station at police telephone boxes on a regular basis because police radio's hadn't been adopted yet, its wild to see what only 10 years of difference made.

[@oz_medias]

Cars had radios but beat cops didn't

[@astra-rb6sz]

My Dad remembers the police man on the beat on foot testing the shop doors etc.

[@oilburner225]

I can also remember this, a time when us youngsters were taught to respect eveyone (particularly a policeman!)

[@TS-1267]

... Aye and a Jolly Hard Wallop and when you got home Your Old Man Would 'Brain' You. Grinning on the other side of your face... Toodle Pip Old Bean 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿😂

[@ivanarmstrong137]

I started the job in 1987, and this practice still existed. Woe you left a broken window after a nightshift for the oncoming dayshift. Last thing you did before heading back in to finish duty.

[@SunofYork]

@@TS-1267 "Bray" you you mean

[@Nick-xf5hr]

Yes checking shop doors, the pay was never fantastic .

[@getaswordactual8766]

1:25 that quote is as relevant now as it was in 1968...just goes to show that times may have changed but the issues remain in Policing Vs Public perception

[@chas1759]

My former work place Chester police station.

[@skiddmark7153]

So sad what politicians have done too this country..this is almost like watching a comedy sketch from monti python.

[@gmodplayerxd6886]

Yeah. Cops aren't the friendly people in the streets knowing everyone as their friend, now they just want to get paid.

[@robharding5345]

Absolutely !

[@Gecko....]

What's wrong with the country exactly? Today we have social justice, accountability, equality, employment rights, minimum wage etc. Nostalgia is the great deluder, people see one-sided picturesque footage like this and think it was representative of reality. Crime rates peaked in the mid 1990s and today they are similar or lower than in the 60s-70s-80s. Violent crime today is about the same as the 60s and lower than the 80s. It's a myth this country was a utopia in the past. I prefer today's police, they have a lot of problems but at least they aren't all ex-army bully boys who used to rule through fear, beating up people extrajudicially. There was little accountability for police in the 60s so they could do what they like. People always believe the past was better, they forget all of the hardship, boredom, sadness, anxiousness and just remember their highlight reel.

[@robharding5345]

Well if you can't see the state of our country @@Gecko.... , there is little point in even talking to you, Oh by the way, your crime statistics are way out of kilter.

[@Gecko....]

@@robharding5345 Silly arrogant comment, dismissing me because you can't argue with actual points. Whats the state of the country? I'd rather live now than any other time. We have the best quality of life. The best technology, the best employement rights, the best medical care resulting in us living longer than ever. My stats are accurate and you can research them easily for yourself. Google UK crime rate by year then go to images and see the graphs. It's a common misconception we have the highest crime now because of media hysteria and the fact lots of crime is recorded and put on the internet. Violent crime has dropped dramatically since the 1990s and is now at comparable levels to the 1960s.

[@darrensmith6999]

Cracking little documentary and some great Anglia action ! Thanks for posting (:

[@essexandy189]

Blimey you thought it was bad then even worse now don’t even come out for theft or other what they call minor offences

[@russthebiker]

That Chief Inspector at the end wears a very distinctive set of medal ribbons A man with plenty of real world experience

[@robharding5345]

With the amount of crime and mistrust of our police force, this old system would be laughed at today, But for most decent people who can still remember this policing method, it worked very well. back in the 60's the police were respected, like the teacher, the family doctor,and most other community servants.

[@RebeccaTurner-ny1xx]

Back in the 60s the police were rightly hated and distrusted by Black, LGBT+ and working class people who could all expect to be beaten up or framed for an offence they didn't commit. As for low-paid workers on strike, they knew whose side the cops were on.

[@Gecko....]

Nostalgia is deluding your memory. Crime rates peaked in the mid 1990s and today they are lower than in the 60s-70s-80s. Violent crime today is about the same as the 60s and lower than the 80s. Police were not respected in the 60s where I am from. They were seen as bully boys, all ex-army who ruled through fear.

[@bertiewooster3326]

@@Gecko.... Not in relation to the horrendous overpopulation in the UK today chum go back to ONS stats and get accurate repeat accurate figures.

[@robharding5345]

@@Gecko.... Not at all, I was there, and I'm here now, so I have the experience to prove your nostalgia theory is completely false,

[@zeddeka]

Crime is actually lower now than it was back then. It's amazing how some people get so paranoid as they get old. I think that's really the explanation - as people get older they airbrush the past and lose contact with the present.

[@StudiosNYC54-tl9pt]

I remember wagging junior school on a few occasions in the 50's, I had my school uniform on and I saw a policeman and in order for him to not see me I quickly evaded him by taking a different route, it was not out of the question then for the police constables to come striaght to you to ask why you were not at school, I was 7 in 1959.

[@arkle519]

Oh wow! You know, many of us would have strange fearful visions of policemen coming to our house to take us to school if we were skipping it. Some cartoons even mocked the idea. I guess it wasn't totally unfounded.

[@antonyosborne5261]

I actually remember when the police cars had a bell on the front instead of a siren!!

[@keithjohnson7677]

So sad this worked the change with the car down hill from there.

[@paulbelfastlimerick]

"Over and Out" aaaaaaaaargh! They are mutually incompatible terms. However, this was a great documentary.

[@markpunt9638]

And those Pye Picket phones had such a very, very short range.Okay to relay back via a vehicle but otherwise pretty hopeless

[@eatiegourmet1015]

No, they each have defined meanings in 'radio talk'. "Over" is when you've had a say and allow for a response. "Out" is when one is done speaking on the conversation. "Over and Out" = 'that's all, I'm hanging up now'.

[@interesting2491]

@@eatiegourmet1015”Over and out” is the same as “out” in regards to the following procedure after both pro-words

[@jameshutton8422]

I rember the days of foot patrol, checking the shop doors during night's. I didn't get my basic drivers course for 2 and half yrs and that was a week long course, now they get an hour assessment after a few months and allowed to drive area cars. Tea spots for "intelligence gathering " and community relations, walking the beat you also saw more than sat in a car.

[@MaxJames597yompfitness]

Gone from constabulary law enforcment to police commissar political revenue extracting

[@skrumbleton3745]

“Going down to the primary school see if I can find anything about the man with the _tellyscopp_ “ Man if my accent was that strong I swear

[@RcNerd]

Today cops are not fit for purpose 😂😂😂

[@garethhelliwell9736]

You could say the same about certain members of the society.

[@keithammleter3824]

Ford Anglias! t must have been a trial at times carting off big burly crims. A friend had an Anglia. It was a tiny car, not much room inside.

[@tjm3900]

They were knon as Panda cars. They were not generally used to transport criminals.

[@Horizon344]

21:16 CC Henry Watson, an accountant before he became a copper. Quite surprizing that all those playing parts were coppers, I thought they were actors given how comfortable they appeared before the camera reading lines from a pre-prepared script.

[@PhillRobinson]

I remember the old PYE radios. They were a little deaf to be honest.

[@markpunt9638]

Only mW of output as well

[@equaliser2265]

We still need foot patrols and lots of them.

[@Daisy-023.]

Did police cars back then have any lights or sirens??

[@jackspringheel9963]

There'd be an Area Car (double crewed) which would cover several units, that might have blues and twos.

[@davidwolstenholme4676]

im 80 i remember the hard life but at least it was normal so were the people

[@JCD275]

Wow a copper walking the beat!

[@xaviert.123]

Blimey you reckon this is Yorkshire? Strong accent back then

[@Tommy-Atkins]

Chester 👍

[@xaviert.123]

Cheers @@Tommy-Atkins

[@sonyaturova6538]

Hi! I'm making a video about the police for my course - can I use this footage in it? Thanks

[@Aut0five]

yes

[@Scouser89Liverpool22]

That looks like Chester, a wonderful city

[@leoroverman4541]

Good old Pye radios, ever defective, rack in my nick read Defective radios and some wag had scribbled for defective constables😀

[@BarbaraPineda-v9p]

The yrs, 1960s I baby boomers, aged 6s yrs, old I agreed perfected timed, yes, also dreadful, timed, too

[@DS-od1kb]

The auditor is a typical pen pusher.

[@kenneth2656]

I remember when you could buy a decent second hand Ford Anglia for £45

[@johnphillips1683]

Coppers' caps without the Sillitoe check round them always look odd to me.

[@motog5s477]

I've always thought the Sillitoe check made a copper look rather slobby and unkempt. A bit like when they removed the belt from the tunic.

[@bolshevikproductions]

FM” I was born in 1968

[@eamonnevans8005]

A fascinating insight into a time when British policing actually worked. Odd that there was no mention of female officers.

[@Carroty_Peg]

You might want to put these two things together

[@jfi368]

Amazing how many people blame the police and politicians instead of the criminals themselves !!!

[@Sidneyyoungblood75]

That's because successive left wing politicians have convinced society that criminals are just hard done by victims of a cruel society and institutions. The same left wing types who have no poisoned every institution and aspect of society where decent ordinary folk are to be criminalised as much as possible and scumbags decriminalised routinely. That's the fucked up mentality of a leftie

[@annpeerkat2020]

@@Sidneyyoungblood75 you seem to have covered it all there sid. Are you 75 years old... or just a wet behind the ears born in '75? Commiserations about the demise of your heroic political party if you're in the UK... or good luck to the world if there's another trumpian era!

[@dockaos924]

Not quite the nasties they are today

[@darenward5256]

Not very realistic, noone was shouting abuse at em 😂

[@tsr207]

Whenever this type of film is shown numerous comments say how wonderful the policing was then - well, growing up in the West of Scotland during this time period I can tell you people avoided the police (and I mean totally innocent people with no intent) like the plague ! People would cross the road not to speak to them ! Much better today.........

[@banksarenotyourfriends]

Hear hear, I can remember my dad telling me that as a young boy he'd been 'moved on' out of the bus station when he was waiting to get a bus home one afternoon. When he protested that he was just trying to get home, the copper took off his glove and slapped him with it! Police were maybe feared more back then, but certainly not all of them were respected.

[@bertiewooster3326]

Well it was in Scotland chum what do you expect.

[@dariowiter3078]

​@@banksarenotyourfriends😳😳😳😳😳

[@grahamegaw-mc3bw]

@@bertiewooster3326It’s not only in that aspect that Scotland is different.

[@michael1968-m9b]

happier times back then

[@operatorjeffdeathstar7759]

Not a fucking chance...people were dirt poor...

[@zeddeka]

No mate, you were just young and naive.

[@unter1103]

​@@operatorjeffdeathstar7759 you potty mouthed chimp you are implying someone has to be rich to be happy?

[@vincekerrigan8300]

​@@zeddekaPresumably you didn't live in those times, so don't make assumptions when you don't know what you are talking about. Admittedly things are better today in the material sense, but as you get older you realise that the material aspects of our way of life are not necessarily the most important.

[@aflaz171]

If only we had the crime then now!

[@williamwalker705]

Hard to think good policing existed

[@mathewgrover6455]

How life then moved at a slower pace. No angry people, no mobile phones. Everyone looks contented

[@DS-od1kb]

And kids were abused indoors during Jim'll fix it.

[@jnuttso1]

Brilliant thanks 😊

[@robnewman6101]

Wow.

[@EdVanMeyer]

The good old days

[@PharoahJardin]

Very sweet!

[@tonyhelliwell321]

This is how we operated in the Royal Military Police in the 80's. We had a two man patrol that covered a 9-5 Police station in a local town, a Long Range Patrol that covered Hamburg, Hanover, Lubecke and any UK Govt building or military establishments in the are. Then we had a local patrol. For the garrison we were in and the local towns. In the duty room we had a desk nco, duty Sergeant and a German interpretor. We often did joint patrols with the German Police. We had black MK5 Cortinas back then.

[@williamtraynor-kean7214]

Hope you never used "over and out".

[@tonyhelliwell321]

​@@williamtraynor-kean7214 Our radios (Storno types) never worked he had to phone in or messages were left for us to call in at certain bars or German Police stations in our patrol areas

[@annpeerkat2020]

@@tonyhelliwell321 I knew of a few fellas post war in customs, who were very skilled in the art of "calling in at certain bars."

[@davedavis4269]

Unfortunately we’ll never see these days ever again 😢

[@andrewsimm633]

But you have to thinks it's better now with all the technology advancement and medical advancent. But I'd rather have the police now then back then. Modern equipment especially the armed police definitely have more of them.

[@zeddeka]

I'm glad they're gone. Horrible times when the police were utterly corrupt, but there was hardly any scrutiny of them as there is now. It was only in the 1970s when police corruption just started to be taken seriously

[@travis9062856]

⁠@@andrewsimm633 Criminals too use modern technology. Not only to help them commit crime but also to also help them avoid and combat the police. I remember an officer telling me one drug dealer he regularly dealt with first started his criminal career in the gang he was in as a 13 year old bunking off school on the top of housing blocks using a whistle and children’s play radio from Argos to warn all the drug dealers on the housing estate that the police were around if any came by. That was in the mid 2000s so just imagine what technology criminals use now

[@reluctantheist5224]

Why? Are you a criminal?

[@johnniethepom7545]

It's like watching an episode of Z cars .

[@johnathandaviddunster38]

POLICE PIE CHART!!!

[@johnathandaviddunster38]

TASER PRACTICE ON PIE CHART!!!

[@oilburner225]

That could be taken literally, back in the 60's our local beat officer was a rather large gentleman. The local criminal fraternity said that to escape from him was just a brisk walk, no need to run. 'The Police Pie Chart' was taken literally by this particular Policeman, pork pies, mince pies, etc etc

[@lindalonergan7887]

When policemen were exactly that.

[@bertiewooster3326]

Just distant history now foreigners now do the plodding , tattooed, weedy short and fat plods ...it goes on useless poor training unfit fat untidy = modern plods of today.I know

[@JD-eq4dp]

Well, perhaps you should join up and show them how it's done.

[@deanplant1500]

So true when men had to be 6 foot and responsible and respected not like the idiots now !!!!

[@deanplant1500]

@@JD-eq4dpshut up child adults talking

[@RebeccaTurner-ny1xx]

Yes. Back when this was made, white coppers were handy with their truncheons against dark-skinned 'foreigners' who were, of course, all guilty until proven innocent, right? Shame that these days, coppers have to have something called 'evidence'.

[@bertiewooster3326]

@@JD-eq4dp Far too clever to be a plod chum.

[@stephenfreestone7956]

When they say beat they actually mean beating people up

[@RebeccaTurner-ny1xx]

They called it 'going on the beat' as if a copper came back from a patrol without the blood of a Black man on his truncheon, he was roundly derided by his fellow coppers.

[@rob_1359]

What utter stupid nonsense

[@coops1964]

Pathetic comment.

[@johnniethepom7545]

​@@rob_1359. They really believe this cr@p . Tales of how they can live for free in the sunshine of the Caribbean, picking fresh mango tree while walking home with a basket of freshly caught fish and all the Ganja you can smoke from the bush.

[@annpeerkat2020]

0:32 shows the investment police made in the pursuit vehicles of the day! Front hub generator, so mr plod could pursue at high speed with little noise or rolling resistance, with lights ablaze.

[@bolshevikproductions]

Forking Dibble and nosey Parker’s causing troubles.