Once upon a time I wanted to be a Policeman.
Not some flashy version like the guys in Starsky & Hutch, but a bobby on the beat with helmet and truncheon.
I knew everything that needed to be known about becoming cop and would tell all and sundary, including the Chief Inspector of Nottingham who was a friend of my parents.
And yet here I am, years later, about as far removed from being a policeman as you could possibly get.
Given the state Nottingham is in with crime, this is probably a good thing, but this got me thinking, where are the next generation of coppers going to come from?
I ask this because we seem to be a World obsessed with material possession … a World that is increasingly judging someone by what they have, not what they’ve done or believe … a World that is more focused on themselves than on the community they live in … a World that views graduates as better employees than people who left school.
Where the hell are the next Policeman, nurses, plumbers going to come from … and do we really want society thinking [wrongly] they’re made up of people who weren’t good enough to get a ‘good job’.
Given adland loves helping out charities [which is a worthy cause, but more often done as it offers creative freedom than anything more worthwhile] maybe it would be good if they also started looking at ways they could help other industries … especially those find it hard to compete both interms of financial rewards and a lack of stigma attached.
Of course they won’t, because Government business is a lucrative business – so it’s in their interests to just promote the problem rather than solve it – but if we all want to live in a society that is safe, clean and healthy … maybe it’s time we started talking, promoting and rewarding these jobs with the level of respect they deserve because even though I may earn more than an average bobby on the beat, I know who I think contributes more to society and I know who we’ll seek out when we get into some sort of trouble.