Police langauge

Ella46 Unfortunately, it also sometimes changes what is being said.

Love the "archaic pedantry" gracesmum! But you're so right. Some people in think that by using a certain vocabulary, they sound more formal - for example "prior to" "commencement of" and so on.

absent I think that is to eliminate any ambiguity.

What is even odder is that when you make a statement, the policeman who laboriously writes it down or types it with two fingers, rewords what you have said and quite often misspells it too.

In fact, I keep hearing them referring to 'an individual' rather than 'a person' - must ask my police source about this.

Maybe the same reason some people insist on referring to the female gender as "ladies". There is a certain archaic pedantry to police-speak if the stereotype is to be beieved.

I don't know why but many people on the street thought I was a police officer especially around London.
I have never been a police officer in my life.

Frank