Selfie-loathing
Police ad is a crime against common sense, says The Villain
Quiz time, friends – what do you think are the most important values in a senior police officer? Bravery, honesty, intelligence, compassion? Right, and how about narcissism?
I ask, because my eye was caught by a jaw-dropping recent recruitment advert for the post of deputy chief constable at Humberside Police.
The ad stood out for a number of reasons. Firstly, its awful, clip-art design. Then there was the headline ‘New Year, New You’, which as well as being painfully clichéd is also more reminiscent of Weight Watchers than the boys in blue.
There was also the reminder that applicants should include their name and force in their application. Now, in my opinion, if candidates for the role of deputy chief constable have to be reminded to include their name and force in their job applications, perhaps they’re not quite right for the job.
But by far the most offensive aspect of the job ad was the requirement that potential applicants submit a ‘selfie’ of themselves to express their interest. Yes, you read that right – a SELFIE.
It won’t surprise you to learn that in everyday circumstances I find selfies to be a particular blight. But in a job ad? And in a job ad for the post of deputy chief constable?
Humberside Police claimed the selfie request was valid because the force is seeking candidates who are comfortable with new technology. And in itself, this statement gives us some clues as to why our police forces might be struggling to keep up with cybercrime – because ‘mobile phones’ are still considered a new technology. Well done, Humberside Police. Mobile phones have recently celebrated their 30th anniversary. I’m surprised they didn’t ask applicants to send in their favourite etching.
Besides, I’m pretty sceptical about the claim that this is about demonstrating a grasp of new technology. I suspect this is more about Humberside Police trying to be ‘down’ (ugh) with the youth demographic of their turf. And frankly, it looks like it’ll be about as successful as if they’d released an anti-crime rap or some police Top Trumps.
It’s hard to understand why Humberside Police didn’t just put out a call for decent candidates with the right skills and profile.
Instead, they’ve tried to capture the shitegeist, and entered into a dismal exercise that will do nothing to help identify the right person for this role. What it might achieve, however, is unearthing the most vacuous, pouty truncheon-wielder this side of a Chippendales show. And while that might please some folk, it might not mean they’re the best fit.
Furthermore, recent research also suggested that men who share selfies are more likely to have psychopathic tendencies – which I’m sure are already in plentiful supply among our police forces.
Oh, and one final thing. If Humberside Police want candidates with a grasp of new technology, it should have asked for applicants to post their best scores on Grand Theft Auto. At least that might have had some relevance to the job.
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