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To use an over used cliché, Christmas had come early. We picked up our uniform this weekend, which had arrived at the training centre in several huge boxes filled to the brim with assorted bits and pieces, handcuffs, batons, badges, silly hat etc.
Trying to set up the kit belt was much fun. Considering we’re all adults, the whole left/right thing probably shouldn’t have caused as much confusion as it seemed to, with bits of kit ending up upside down, inside instead of out, or the wrong way round. My excuse was I was tired. It was especially entertaining, I found, trying to work the handcuffs into the holder. It seemed to involve about 10 minutes of desperate struggling, complete with the facial contortions and grunting, to fasten it up, and on successfully doing so we were then told that they needed the serial number off the cuffs.<_<
Being as all the kit was literally thrown into the boxes, it came out creased, folded, and not very neat and tidy. This posed a problem as I don’t think I had ironed a shirt in about 1½ years, probably ironed trousers once or twice and have certainly never polished anything in my life. Oh, and for those on this site who would like shiny metal numerals, don’t. They are a complete bitch in every single way; maybe it is minor OCD but I had to rearrange mine, trying to line them up, ensuring the space is exactly right etc. so often that the epaulettes are probably see-through. And its still not quite right.
The weekend was essentially more law training, so aside from being issued kit nothing that exciting happened save a few dodgy stop and searches (I discovered that trying to do all the stuff you’re supposed for GOWISELY in that order was really quite silly) and some interesting arrests, as well as the fried breakfasts and Sunday roasts.
Trying to set up the kit belt was much fun. Considering we’re all adults, the whole left/right thing probably shouldn’t have caused as much confusion as it seemed to, with bits of kit ending up upside down, inside instead of out, or the wrong way round. My excuse was I was tired. It was especially entertaining, I found, trying to work the handcuffs into the holder. It seemed to involve about 10 minutes of desperate struggling, complete with the facial contortions and grunting, to fasten it up, and on successfully doing so we were then told that they needed the serial number off the cuffs.<_<
Being as all the kit was literally thrown into the boxes, it came out creased, folded, and not very neat and tidy. This posed a problem as I don’t think I had ironed a shirt in about 1½ years, probably ironed trousers once or twice and have certainly never polished anything in my life. Oh, and for those on this site who would like shiny metal numerals, don’t. They are a complete bitch in every single way; maybe it is minor OCD but I had to rearrange mine, trying to line them up, ensuring the space is exactly right etc. so often that the epaulettes are probably see-through. And its still not quite right.
The weekend was essentially more law training, so aside from being issued kit nothing that exciting happened save a few dodgy stop and searches (I discovered that trying to do all the stuff you’re supposed for GOWISELY in that order was really quite silly) and some interesting arrests, as well as the fried breakfasts and Sunday roasts.
