On week in...

So far, so good! It's been an easy week, lots of early finishes - I think they're taking it easy on us, calm before the storm and all that. It's all been about induction, and is reminiscent of my previous university experience. The basic 43 weeks will give me an Foundation Certificate in Policing in Partnership with Communities. Sounds impressive, huh? OK, maybe not. It's basically the educational equivalent of A levels, and we have the option to continue on to a Foundation Degree (similar to year one of a Ba/BSc).

My peers are pretty much without exception a sound bunch of people. There's the usual getting to know you stuff, which is progressing nicely. I imagine there will be a few people becoming good mates over the next ten months.

Wednesday was the Attestation day - a big moment in any officer's career. After a tour of our division's facilities, we took it in turns to be sworn in to the office of constable. This was done in front of a local magistrate, plus a range of senior officers. As we're the first intake, it seems a certain amount of fuss is being made. Most of us got our grubby mitts on the rest of our uniform at the end of the day. I resisted the urge to stick it all on when I got home. I did try the handcuffs out on my other half though - no, not for that purpose! They looked and felt like cheap tat, which according to a mate in the job is exactly what they are - £15 rather than his £50 cuffs which were previously issued. Cost-cutting at work, apparently.

On Friday we had a visit from the senior Police Federation rep, plus a Welfare lady. Lots of things to sign up for (and hence pay subs) - I think I've been relieved to the tune of £40 a month, but it all seems fairly worthwhile. PolFed membership, charity donations, life insurance, staff lottery, I've lost track of the full list. Like freshers fair really, but with much more serious consequences. It seems (and there were plenty of tales to back this up) that PolFed are there to haul your arse out of the fire in the event that anything goes tits up. Of course you might have dug yourself a hole too deep to get out of, but it's a comfort to know they're a call away if it all goes FUBAR...

Tomorrow all three courses will meet at my uni for some lectures, and we've been told the local rag may be on hand to record the occasion. Whoopee. I'm incredibly un-photogenic, so I'll be lurking at the back, hopefully well out of sight.