The Occupation That Opens More Doors Than Any Other
One way to build a better reputation as a politician
It takes four years of study before you can sit the test, which is so tough that 70% drop out or fail. For those who succeed, the training increases the size of their hippocampus and gives them a magic memory.
As your knowledge adapts and grows, your brain also adapts and grows.
My training to become a Scottish police officer took half that time, and unless head scratching signifies something, my brain didn’t get any bigger.
I spent my first two months at the Scottish Police College studying the law and police powers, doing practical scenarios, running (slow) and marching up and down a parade square, trying desperately not to stand out.
I returned a year later for a further two months. The rest of the time, it was on-the-job training under the watchful eye of a tutor constable.
Back then, most people respected the police. They knew that the job required background checks before considering anyone. A uniform wandering up a street was enough for people to feel guilty — despite doing nothing wrong.
Today, that has significantly changed.
