DO WE WANT A UNIFORM AT EVERY CORNER?

I suppose it started in the NHS........surprise surprise.  At first there were nurses. A patient would have the assurance and comfort knowing that the person in a pristine newly laundered uniform and white head covering (usually female) was a qualified State Registered Nurse who in addition to pursuing her health care duties would also make your bed, bring your meals and generally be available to assist recovery morning noon and night undertaking even the most menial functions.  And then there came  the State Enrolled  Nurse who had gained a lesser qualification than her  S.R.N. colleague and worked under her supervision.  And lo! It came to pass that voices from the one at south west  number ten decreed that all nurses be university educated.  So we all give thanks to these travellers from the East and South who have forsaken their homes and families to minister to the sick and aged of the United Kingdom assisted by minions who undertake the tasks too lowly even for them. 

The teaching profession was not far behind in the employment of low paid “assistants” employed to provide additional one to one help where the classroom teacher was considered too busy to help little Johnny reach the required fluency in reading.  These assistants are now classified as jobs in  themselves and undertake tasks that were unenvisaged when they were first deployed; tasks that were thought to be the teacher`s preserve.   

Police Community Support Officers have been on the streets since 2003.  They were initially classified as “support”  personnel for warranted police officers.  No formal qualifications are required for this job which pays new recruits c£16,000.  Unsurprisingly many police forces on reducing budgets whilst cutting numbers of  quality warranted officers are making up with quantities  of PCSOs.  Now; as if that it is not enough various constabularies eg Lincolnshire are actively seeking volunteer unpaid PCSOs to fill their ranks.  It is one thing to have volunteer warranted police officers i.e. special constables  but “employing” unpaid uniformed street patrollers is a  step far too far.  Adding to the thousands of  current council employees who can issue fixed penalty notices  for parking, minor traffic , dog fouling, spitting, litter and other offences  has uniformed state authority  gone mad all in the name of austerity?