This report on BBC South Today last night caught my attention:

Police Community Support Officers are supposed to help keep law and order in the South, but it's now clear some of them are themselves breaking the rules.

The figures we've obtained show that, in total, 20 officers across Hampshire, Sussex, and Berkshire committed a mixture of criminal and disciplinary offences while on duty last year.

The criminals incidents are theft, and an incident involving a police vehicle (although in that particular case there was no criminal prosecution).

Among the disciplinary offences, which make up the vast majority of cases, a PCSO reported for duty drunk. There are also incidents of falsifying a statement, inappropriate conduct in the community, and honesty matters.

BBC South Today

It's worth pointing out that 20 officers represent a tiny percentage of all PCSOs in the South. But still - theft?! Falsifying a statement?!! Reporting for duty drunk??!! Who are these bastions of community service? How the hell did they get the job in the first place? It's all most amusing. I am particularly tickled by the phrase 'honesty matters' as a euphemism for what english-speaking people call 'lying'. There's nothing like public sector jargon to raise a smile.

To continue the theme but change the tone, the Lib Dems have dug out some less amusing statistics:

• There were 1,063 serving police officers in 41 police forces across Britain who had criminal convictions
• This includes five officers who were sacked by the force but reinstated by the Home Office
• There are 77 serving police officers with convictions for violent offences who have kept their jobs: 59 with convictions for assault; 14 for violence against the person; two for battery; and one for wounding
• In the last five years, just 45 have been dismissed from the police for violent offences
• 96 serving police officers have convictions for offences of dishonesty: 36 for theft; five for perverting the course of justice; three for fraud; and one each for dishonesty and forgery
• In the last five years, just 37 have been dismissed from the police for dishonesty
• 210 officers have been dismissed or required to resign in the past five years as a result of other criminal convictions

Makes you proud to be British.