PCSOs Not Trained to Save Drowning Children
 

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Manchester | Police defend drowning death case
Perhaps a British member can explain, but what exactly are PCSOs? Are they some kind of supplemental force to the police or what?

PSCO's are just fake officers, or one's that are not quite good enough to make the actual force.

Yeah, PCSO's cannot arrest people or do anything really important.
You can read more about them here if you are intersted.

I don't know why everyone is making a big deal out of PCSO's not being able to swim.
According to the Metroplitan police website, even normal police officers are not required to know how to swim.

Sounds bizarre that Britain would have a type of fake police officer. Is it just a way to save money and give the public a false sense of safety or something?

Kind of interesting that they have a "force" of failed officers...

Isn't the first thing they tell you to do in any sort of safety training to not risk your own life if you probably won't help the situation?

Do they have citizen's arrest over there? Maybe they could arrest people that way, lol.

But what about the right thing to do? What about compassion and reckless selflessness? What about the human condition?

...

Yeah, fuck it.

Well, if you dive in to save a drowning child and you don't know how to swim, then you're not being very compassionate to the person that has to try and come to rescue both of you.

So I'm confused... were they actually unable to swim or did they just not have some certificate that says they're allowed to rescue people out of the water?

It takes less than two weeks for anyone to learn how to swim. I learned in a week when I was 7. People need to get on the ball here, our planets surface is 70% water for christmas sakes.

There is no such thing, stop watching Battlestar Galactica.

As for what happened, its messed up, but if they're not certified or trained then theres no point in risking their life to save someone in a situation they're not able to help with. Asking two people who can't swim to save a third is just stupid.

In pretty much any part of Britain, the police have neither the money nor the manpower to do everything that they need to do. They certainly don't have the money to do the little things people used to expect like maintaining a visible police presense in your neighbourhood.

PCSOs are a solution to that... of sorts. They don't do any real good, but they make people feel better because they see a 'police' presense.

Where does it say these guys couldn't swim? All I see is that they don't have training for the situation. Which doesn't necessarily mean they can't swim.

Unless I missed something fairly obvious. :/

I agree.

If my job description didn't mention I had to swim, I wouldn't do it either.

It may also have been a liability thing, as well. I'm not sure about Britain, but in America, if one person tries to help another, and something goes wrong, the person who tried to help can be sued. Unless there are 'good samaritan' laws in place, of course. Its dumb.

Just because somebody knows how to swim, doesn't necessarily mean they are able and capable to be a lifegaurd or even know CPR.

I can swim...enough to save myself. And that's all I'm doing.

This still doesn't mean that you're not an asshole for not trying.

Well they said the kid was submerged in a pond, meaning they wouldn't really know where he is. But the water was 6 feet deep? I mean I could literally walk through that shit, kicking around looking for Jordan. it's not like it's a deep as lake and you would need goggles.

Is that why on "The Incredibles" when he saves that guy who tried to kill himself , the saved person sued him?

aye. If you try to save someone, and screw up, then you can be sued for not knowing what you were doing, even though the person could have died if you hadn't helped.

So anyone who's not a PCSO can do whatever it takes to save someone without ramifications? Mostly people don't worry about not knowing the medical procedures, they just do what they can to help. Ironically, like Jordon.

Here in the States, most local governments have what's called "Good Samaritan" laws, where if you try to help, you're usually exonerated if a disasterous situation occurs. I just don't get how police (or even rent-a-cops) from an England, which last I checked WAS AN ISLAND, don't know how to swim. Even so, they're kids man, if I saw two kids drowning, I'd go for it for sure and just make sure I'm getting enough oxygen in the process.

Let's keep this in perspective here. A child is drowning, and the first thing some of you people worry about is "will I get sued?"

Crap. I agree with Brady for once. I feel so dirty. ;_;