A Few Questions: Women in CP

mts

In my humble opinion, one should not get hurt on any course. Bruises and scratches OK, but certainly not a black eye etc. It happens, yes, but does not aid anything at all to the training or learning experience.

To the topic at hand.

Regardless of gender, those with no experience need to start at the bottom, end of story. This could be at #2 or 3#3 on a CP team, could be driver or of course the doors.

The reason for this is quite simple; one needs experience and one does not gain enough experience on a short course.
The police/military/other requirements is also easy to understand. Some questions arise: WHat does working in the Met, Marines or TA have to do with walking a client down Oxford street?? The answer, at first glance, absolutely nothing.

Looking a bit deeper though the follwoing comes to mind:
1) Teamwork has been drilled into them
2) Operational thinking and problem solving under pressure has been drilled into them
3) With conflicts seen by the HM Armed Focres over the past few decades, chances (if i'm not mistaken) are the indivicual has been in a real fire situation and know how they will really act when the preverbial hits the fan. One never know how they will act until it happens for real. I have seen tough guys freeze up and the quiet guys take control...one just never knows.

It is for reasons stated above that indeed experience in the Pol.MIl/Other is preffered over none.

This does not mean that one should not get into the market without this experience, just be aware of why it will be more difficult for you.

Women in CP.
Personally i see absolutely no reason why a female cannot be as good a CPO as a male. In fact, when working on covert assignments i tend to prefer females.

Can a female handle a situation as well as a male? Well, the fact is women are physically weaker than men, they have different frames. Can they handle a situation though? Damn right they can.

Women definately have a place in CP as far as i'm concerned.

m

shakespeare

I have been in this industry considerably longer than yourself and worked with many teams which contained female CP's. Your comments are wrong and not based on fact."You are definitely at risk of assault" ??? FFS grow up.


I would say that slander towards a company on a public forum is a no-no. I am not defending the company you mention, but I will mention that personal issues should be taken up with them directly, especially considering the seriousness of the issue you mention.

I would also say that "anyone can be anyone on a forum", you could be a training provider slating another provider to fill your own courses for example.

If I were the company you mention and found out your comments where false, I would find out when you did the course, your name etc and black list you with every employer in Europe.

As for slating of male CP's and saying they are more likely to be violent towards women.........WTF? I sense you are an extreme feminist with a chip on their shoulder, either that or this is a wind-up....

mts

If it was an instructor it is a professional issue, not a personal issue and if the "threatened" her with any form of abuse it should be shouted loud from the highest rooftops. ANY form of abuse should not be tolerated and should definitely not be hushed up.

All the above said however, if it was a threat of abuse as opposed to making a pass, was it reported to the authorities or to the company management? If not then certainly nothing should be said on the open forum, just as Shake said.

As the famous playwright just wrote above, it is a very serious accusation and made about a serious and respected training provider.

m

niand

Hi Annie, of course bruises are part of it, I had bruises the size of fists after my course, I was quite proud of them actually. But sexual harrassments are NOT acceptable, not in this job, or in any other job. You are welcome to think I'm foolish, if my "foolishness" protects someone and helps them, then I don't mind. I wouldn't want anyone to have to go through that. Maybe I should have email the thread starter privately about it, but then others wouldn't benefit. If someone had warned ME beforehand, then I could've chosen another training company, and possibly done better.
I do agree that if you're a female in this business you seem to do better if you are naturally more inclined to be friends with males than females (I'm wording it as diplomatically as I can). But there should still be the occasional job for you, even if you're not that type of woman.

annie

You are foolish for openly slating a company and naming names in an open forum quite frankly the most stupid thing you can do. I do not think however you are foolish in your motive of wishing to protect others but you need to do that privately, or else run the risk of being blacklisted as a troublemaker as shakes has pointed out.

A training company runs on reputation to a high degree, and they all, even the worst ones have to adhere to certain standards, and give you the opportunity to complain to themselves and also other bodies who govern them. If you had this issue then you should have taken up your complaint with the appropriate governing bodies and had the matter dealt with properley. I suggest that bringing your complaint to a public forum is not the appropriate body.

As far as jobs for women who possibly don't like men well sorry to say they don't exist! IT IS A MALE DOMINATED INDUSTRY!!!! If you have issues with men you are very possibly in the wrong industry.

Please don't take this as a criticism because i am trying to be helpful here, and save you from making what could be a very costly error in your future career, and also save you from a very pricely law suit for slander.

The company in question is not a small time company, and you also need to be aware that there are many people who read these posts on forums that don't actually post. What you write will have consequences so i'd suggest future caution.

Sexual assault or the like is a crime, report it to the appropriate authorities, do not slander people publically! Again i suggest you need hard evidence, and whereas i do not doubt your claims, I also know that you need proof before going forward with such claims.

niand

Annie, since we're getting off the topic I've sent you a private email.

shakespeare

niand,

Thankyou for your private message:

This is the message that was sent:
***************
Hi Shakespeare, would you mind telling me where you work? If you don't want to
mention names or exact details you can say the rough location and type of job.
Then I can avoid applying for/going to work there. I think that would benefit
both of us. Thanks, Niand
***************

Don't worry about that niand, somehow I don't think we would cross paths seeing as you havent had a single day's work since April 2007....

You have shown your total unprofessionalism and utter disregard towards others by slating a company (who may or may not be guilty) in a public forum. The reaction against this by other members isn't due to the company being established for some time, but due to the fact it could be anyone you decided to slate, and if you are wrong then you could damage someones company or career very quickly. I think most people would agree with me on this point.

Your allegation carries huge weight and consequences for those involved, innocent or not.

I suggest you take a matter such as this to the company concerned through the courts, instead of throwing an allegation on a public forum (unless of course you are willing to publish/post the details/action taken against said company, to substantiate your claim?).

The company you mention should be given the opportunity to respond to your allegations mentioned in this thread, maybe you should contact them directly, inform them of this thread and allow them the opportunity to defend/plead guilty/whatever?

niand

OK...I hope you realise that means I have no way of avoiding you, since I don't know where you are...? I might end up on your team. It's your call.

annie

And i enjoyed reading it very much...... and i actually do not think we were off topic at all, it was highly in keeping with those questions asked actually!

Firstly 'us types of women' the ones who have worked hard at our training, done our time at the bottom of the ladder and have built our own reputation within the industry are no diffrent from any other type of woman, apart from we accept that as a male orrientated industry we have to make a little extra effort when dealing with the very few knuckle dragging idiots that we encounter, it's just like any other walk of life....there is always the silly man who thinks we are fair game because we have a pair or top bollocks (well some of us do anyway, sadly im a tad short in that dept myself)!

You are living in a fantasy land if you believe that you can do this line of work and not encounter men!!!! You need a serious wake up call, and claiming that all women CPO's WILL get sexually abused is absolutley shocking! Lady for one if you had anything about you then you would make damned well sure no man laid hands on you in any way you found innapropriate... i pity your GP or dentist i have to say.

And please do not try nd suggest to me as you did in your PM that the law favours men and they are all a big brotherhood because you are preaching to the wrong female there, I'm at law school and have been a while, i know the law, i work with it everyday and your claims are those of someone who feels very aggreived at a personal situation. You have come on here and publically named and accused a company and one of their trainers, and now you no longer wish to discuss it apparantly. Why not? I know that if a female had come to me when i was training manager and informed me of such a thing i would have made damned sure it was investigated thoroughly.

A few bruises and an sia licence does not make you a CPO. In fact once you get out there in the real world that is when you really become a CPO, and sadly for you by restricting your area of work to only working with women and not men you may be a very long time at the bottom of the ladder.

Whatever you claim happened do not sit there and scare the life out of a female who is considering this line of work, and has asked for opinions. Yes you have given an opinion, one that quite frankly has set the industry for females back ten years. Women in CPO does not just mean 'YOU' do not endeavour to speak for all of us and do not dare to generalise that we were all abused, because that is utter rubbish.

I seriously suggest that the starter of this thread disregards your childish and quite frankly ridiculously slanderous claims and maybe takes note and advice from those who have actually worn their SIA badge for a real purpose........ And you yourself should go away and take a very long hard look at why you are involved in this business, and please stop bringing the good name of female CPO'S into question....... And do not PM me again if i have anything to say to you i will say it publically, because for a start i have my facts right and am not inviting a lawsuit....... What you have said openly on this forum invites a law suit against the owners and workers upon this site who do this for free to assist everyone in the business