Wow, what an interesting conversation here.

Strugglingstudent:

Being a Sergeant in the Police force and now doing a part-time PHD from Cambridge Uni. Did you also take your LLB and LLM during working in the force?

Based on the fact that you are doing a PHD, the title that you are writing about, I presume that your Thesis is around 80,000 words, on the topic of the legality of Essay writing services? Do you think you're going to get enough material for that, and who would actually take part in your study, the students or the companies? What is stimulating about this topic exactly? Why not read the T & Cs of these companies, seems like it is the way in which the students use the sites that is the issue and also the guidelines that the Universities set! It is quite interesting that a Professor of the University of Cambridge would approve such a topic without having written a proposal on the topic. Also interesting to note that Cambridge offer Part-time PHD courses!

Don't you think it would be much more worthwhile and more meaningful to your line of work if you did your study based around your collaboration with the Internet Watch Foundation since this is exactly the area that you are working in your present job? After all, it was you, who stated, 'believe me I deal with obscene material every day of my working life.'

I found it quite disturbing when you wrote: At least the comments of WB raised a laugh in the office when they accessed the images to see if they were offensive. Surely every image that you view should be taken seriously, isn't it your very office that is there to protect children?

It seems that if you are doing proper research on this site then you would have not launched into a deep and complicated topic, rather you would have started a discussion to assist you with your 'thesis research', how are you now going to go about doing that when your telling everyone that you are a Police officer and your going to ask all the students and essay writing companies on here whether what they are doing is legal?

Although anything is possible, something is just not exactly right about the way in which you are posting and the fact that you work in such a very responsible role yet you are typing so much, please if you are working as someone who roots out internet pr0n on the net, spend your time wisely doing that and not looking at this site! The times that you have made your posts look like you are doing your PHD research whilst in working hours.

Nice post.

Actually, just like you strugglingstudent I'm also new to this forum! Only as a poster, I've been visiting and reading it with interest for some time. Just thought I'd use this particular forum for my first post as it's quite interesting.

I can and could easily look into WB posts and question them to, not an issue. It's just that on this particular thread he does not seem to be hiding behind a persona.

FrostatMidnight, 'correct, you don't necessarily need to write your PHD on something which is not directly related to your occupation, however, how in the world can CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY, enroll a student who is working in the Police force for x number of years to do a PHD on a topic matter not related to anything that the student has an idea about, or something which will not have any benefit to anybody? Maybe somewhere like The Open Uni would entertain that perhaps, however I cannot see Cambridge doing so.

Would the tutor approve it based on the fact that some Oxford students are writing work for Essay writing companies?

Personally In addition with a LLB, LLM and PHD in Law I would not expect someone to go to the trouble of paying all the fees over 3-5 years to do a PHD and then have the intension of going on to do the full 30 years slog in the police to retire at 60 for 'better job opps'. Would it not be just better to use your pension and go on holiday and play around in the garden?

strugglingstudent who works hard everyday states that they chose not to do about online chil pr0n as, quote: quite frankly I like to escape this when I return home from work at night. If they quite frankly like to escape from another to do with these types of things then why are they having such dedication writing long and complicated responses on this forum?

Is this person going to survive another 20 something years in the force doing this particular job?

Going back to your thesis topic, you have now stated that you have "been using information from here to delve into the various different companies to establish their policies on the selling of essays and what efforts they take to try to prevent students submitting the work as their own." Does it not strike you that Essay Writing services are perfectly legal otherwise the companies would have been closed down a long time ago and the various places such as the search engines which help to promote them would not be doing so? Just seems such a pointless topic to research.

Thanks for the reply strugglingstudent,

Please reply to my other points when you get chance!

Quote: The topic may seem pointless to you however it does not seem pointless to the number of sixth form students that failed their courses last year for using essays written by essay mills and submitting them as their own work.

Surely the A-Level students using these sites should not be submitting the work as their own, that constitutes plagiarism. they are meant to be model answers, correct?

FrostatMidnight - Yes, one can do anything one chooses and it is no one elses business as long as it is not causing harm to others. Again I am just suprised that such a prestige University such as Cambridge Uni is enrolling students in this fashion based primarily on fees and not talent! Strikes me as odd, I must ask a admissions officer from Oxbridge to post on this site.