Policeman’s self-appraisal goes viral

Police officers are not famous for their sense of humour or fun. And filling out self-appraisal forms for a performance review fills most of us with a mixture of dread and annoyance.

But both of these assertions have been turned on their heads after a police officer posted his 2013-2014 self-appraisal on Twitter — and it’s gone down a storm.

Whether or not it was submitted to his superiors remains unclear, but we admire the officer for taking a tongue-in-cheek and lighter approach to the annual box-ticking exercise. Some highlights of the form are below — we feel ‘PC Smith’ has a lot to answer for…

– Serving the Public: “I am really good at this skill. The other day in the chip shop some guy asked me to pass the vinegar which I did without hesitation or regard for my own safety. That’s like serving innit.”

– Openness to Change: “Over the 19 years I have served as a policeman my police costume has changed many times and I have not grumbled once even though I miss my old jumper. PC Smith constantly moans about how tight his trousers are.”

– Service Delivery: “Some guy had his car and stuff nicked and was all like ‘can you help me?’ I said ‘sure no worries dude’. Then I got all his stuff back from the baddies by doing really good police stuff and shouting ‘You’re nicked’. PC Smith cried at my excellence.”

– Professionalism: “After four months of dedicated training I am pleased to report I can touch my toes without bending my knees. PC Smith can’t.”

– Decision Making: “There was a really important decision that needed making and I was like ‘Let’s do that then’. As a result of my action loads of people were saved and a helicopter didn’t crash.”

– Working with Others: “When I come to work there are lots of other people in the police station where I work. Does that count?”