I'm sat on the big brown leather sofa. The sky outside is grey, with the odd glimpse of blue and cotton wool clouds. I can't hear the waves because there's music playing on low (currently In the end by Linkin Park). The dog is asleep in her bed. To my left is a cup of tea in my "keep calm and carry on" mug, sat upon a coaster from my local Police, and my mobile. To my right is a pile of paperwork, a bottle of oramorph, my passport, a small wad of foreign currency, an ashtray, my fags & lighter, a copy of PACE and a notepad with a list of criminal cases that I need to finish going through for a friend.
It's been a strange couple of weeks, some of it good and some not so good. Between helping some friends through their Sgt's exams, helping some friends through some difficult times in their lives, the anniversary of a good friends' death & trying to get help for the family of an ex Soldier who lost his final battle, I've been trying to deal with my own problems. Sounds strange, but I'm glad that I had other things to deal with. I'm great when it comes to helping others and giving advice, but when it comes to my own problems I'd rather ignore them!
There are times, however, when I've not been able to ignore my problems. I'm lucky in knowing that I have 4 really good friends who are there for me should I need them. I'd be lost without them. The past 7 - 10 days, I've discovered that I have another set of friends that I'd be lost without - my Twitter friends.
There's a handful of them that I think the world of, yet I'd not know some of them if I fell over them in the street. They might not recognise me either, but if I needed them I know they'd come running to help. They are my Police friends. Some of them are funny, some strange (in a good way) and others just downright insane (once again, in a good way)! Yet one thing applies to all of them - they are wonderful human beings.
Last night, I joined in with them in a "tweetathon" to voice opinions on the Winsor Review and to attempt to bring the impact it will have, not only to the Police, but members of the general public, to the attention of Twitter and the media. It was a fabulous thing to have been involved in, even though I'm only a civvy. So why do I support the Police so vehemently? I'll give you an insight.
I've got a lot of friends who are Police Officers, but I'm biased towards them because they are my friends. They are not the ones I want to focus on. The ones I want to focus on are the ones I don't know. The ones that have helped me over the years when I needed them.
The Officer who showed compassion and told me off when I wanted to let rip on the thugs that beat my baby Brother up because he was "on their turf", the same Officer who found those responsible for his attack.
The Officer who treated me with care, compassion and gave me a cup of tea and a hug when my ex beat me to within an inch of my life. The same Officer that stayed with me at the hospital, took my statement at my own pace, made sure I got home safe and checked up on me at regular intervals.
The Officers who took my statement when a neighbour beat his girlfriend up and injured his baby, whilst I sat and sobbed as I went over the horrible sound of a baby screaming in agony, unable to do anything to help.
The Officers who dealt with me when I was sexually assaulted, went through the CCTV footage, gave me tissues as I sobbed giving my statement, put their hand on mine to reassure me I was doing well, searched for the male who did it, found him and took me through the process (despite me knowing the process).
The Officers who dealt with me after a gang came through my living room window, armed with machetes, baseball bats and a samurai sword because they thought the house was the house of someone they had a gripe with, and not 2 flats. The same Officers who made sure I had somewhere else to stay, made sure that my property was secure, made sure I was uninjured physically, kept me up to date with the case and helped me to get somewhere else to live as soon as possible so as to avoid any recriminations for me testifying against those responsible.
The Police Officer who dealt with me when I was injured in a car crash, who came to the hospital to check on me, laughed with me (or was it at me) because I was high as a kite on morphine and entonox, and has subsequently called to make sure I'm back to "normal".
These are the Officers that I owe a debt of grattitude to, along with all the other Police Officers that I haven't met. The Police Officers who work long shifts, get assaulted, spat at, called a whole range of horrible names, deal with the dregs of society when others run in the other direction, who can't do right for doing wrong, who are hated because of the uniform they wear and the job they do - all so that I can sleep soundly in my bed and feel safe when I go out.
I know that not all Police Officers are good people (I'm not that naive), but the media only ever focus on the "bad apples", despite the fact that they are a very small minority! I hope that by raking up some painful memories, I can help to show that the majority are amazing individuals who deserve our respect - Gods know they've earned it!!
Like you I live by the sea and am in my early 40s
ReplyDeleteThankfully I have never been a victim of a serious crime, my only experience of the police as a victim was when I was flashed at by some weird guy many years ago.
But I am a copper's wife and as such I do have an understanding of the job of police officers and what might be lost if the police cuts and the Winsor Reform do happen.
Thank you for writing this blog, it must have been difficult recalling those experiences but it really helps explain the vital service that Police Officers do and what we risk losing and I am sure the Officers you've met and those you haven't really appreciate your support.
I'll look out for you at the next tweetathon!