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Well, well, this was a different occurrence in my life, but interesting.
At the end of December I received a
letter from the Office of National Statistics. Not to me personally but to my
address. Apparently, it was picked at random and started off ‘Your address has
been selected for the Crime Survey for England and Wales’ and stated that my
contribution to this study was essential for producing information about the
extent of crime in England and Wales, which is used to help reduce crime and
make communities safer.
The same day I had an unrelated visit
by a policeman in uniform who was conducting a similar enquiry, but strictly
about police. He was calling to hand out a pamphlet and to invite opinions. I
might have given him some but the request was to do it on line… which I didn’t want
to do. I told him I wouldn’t and he was okay with it. What was nice though was
being able to chat about the old days when I worked (to his amazement) for ten
years in the CID as secretary and volunteer.
But back to the O of NS. The letter from them informed me that
someone would call to carry out the survey and that I was to check their
credentials before allowing him/her in. It was a lady who called, hell bent on
making sure I knew who she was so that when she called again to do the survey I
would know who I was letting into the house. I also received a phone call from
her (yes, I gave her my number) to verify time and date. It seemed a lot of
preparation just for a few questions.
Did I say a few? In fact, the
interview lasted about an hour.
I was given two books, the pages of
which contained possible answers to questions, each page dedicated to a certain
question. I should choose one (for each question) the lady said, but half the
time I gave my own automatic response. Responses were entered, probably with a
tick or a cross, on her small computer. At first the questions were
understandable and easy but they got more difficult when aimed at the past,
like how many people worked in the building where I was once employed and which
probably no longer exists. I couldn’t see the relevance but it was okay to give
a ‘don’t know’ reply. My opinions of police, crime, and the community were
easily dealt with but it was not up to me to criticise or praise … just state
the facts as I saw them.
The woman made it more difficult
because she spoke softly and, as is common these days, her speech was hurried. I
bet she got fed up with me begging her to speak up, which she seemed unable to
do.
Well that was it, my good deed for
the day but I don’t suppose I will ever see any changes that might be
attributed to me!
Phone call received from the Department, checking on the attitude and behaviour of the lady who visited. I thought that was going a bit too far!
A WEEK LATER
Phone call received from the Department, checking on the attitude and behaviour of the lady who visited. I thought that was going a bit too far!
