Friday night multiple choice exercise

Full test paper and explanatory notes from Plymouth's ‘The Herald’

You and a fellow Police Community Support Officer are undertaking a routine visit to the Ham Drive unit for disruptive children in Plymouth.

Coincidentally whilst you are visiting a 13-year-old boy, who is attending on an educational placement, becomes agitated after a disagreement with staff.

The boy becomes increasingly anxious and aggressive when he becomes aware of your presence in the building now having made the assumption that you are there as a result of his behaviour.

Do you;

A) Tell the tyke if he doesn’t get a grip of himself, tone down his language and act with a modicum of decorum you’re going to give him a clip around the ear. And administer the said punishment if he doesn’t comply and continue to do so until he does.

B) Cry ‘Fie Fie’ and fearing that you might be in danger from this callow youth run to a nearby room with your colleague, lock yourselves in and call for full police back up.

After the story has attracted a degree of interest in the local press (and even a brief mention on Radio 5)

Do you;

A) Feel a deep sense of gratitude to one of your senior officers, a Supt Green, who explained to the press that you had 'defused' the situation by going into another room, which may, or may not, have been locked. And feel vindicated in your actions when Supt Green added that "They aren't encouraged at all to get involved in confrontation," he said. "They aren't trained for, or equipped for, confrontation. They're there to build community links."

B) Wonder what the point of being a plastic plod when you don’t have the training or the powers to deal with annoying little idiots like the one at the Ham Drive unit and perhaps think that maybe the money might have been better spent on more full time or auxiliary officers.

C) Just feel relieved that no-one fell into any deep water.

You have thirty minutes to complete this exercise. You must show your working out!