Quote:
Originally Posted by gazby
OK, Ive read this thread on and off and found it interesting but this is enough, time for my 2c worth... If you dont wish to read a rant, ***STOP HERE**
Gazby, I have been in this position and it has been covered elsewhere on this forum, I will not be going back over it, (I do that enough on my own thanks) but be assured- it is something every copper prays wont happen to them.
I would ask that you maybe think a bit more about comments like this as basically it appears ignorant.. (and in some ways I find it offensive but I may (actually pigs arse "may", I AM) a little sensitive to this topic.
I certinally dont expect to be assaulted but I also dont dance around about it when it does happen. For those who have met me they will realise I wasnt born this ugly, I had to get smacked to look this way!
I have 28 years in (in my 29th) the job. I have had teeth rebuilt, the cartledge in my nose torn badly when punched(they cannot break my nose as it has a plastic replacement after a childhood accident), Ive had a fractured eyesocket, a fractured skull, I have been stabbed (more slashed actually) on my left side, and numerous small cuts, stitches, grazes, sprains etc.
I have just come back from a 3 month reconstruction and light duties after having a car door slammed on my knee, this hit the knee cap, and this and during the ensuing fight/arrest, I had split my patella into 2 main and a few smaller pieces, chipped the actuall bone, torn the cartledge and damaged the knee covering that the bones rub across when you move. This means I have a permanantly damaged patella (looks like a square knee now!) the bone chip and some of the loose patella were removed (theyd settled in the channel the patella runs in) had the cartledge tidied up and the area where the knee rubs was also tidied but will cause bad arthritis in the near future..
Almost immediately I was contacted by the Govt contractor in relation to rehab. (this is good).
BUT when it went through court, he plead guilty and admitted to deliberately getting me withy the door and targetting the knee after that... he was still only convicted of assault police (not assault cause harm which would be insisted on by us if it were a member of the public)
He was given a $500 fine (which we all know will never be paid) and a conviction (on the other side he also received a sentence that included incarceration, for his other offences, which included illegal use (stolen car), acts endanger life (driving directly at other traffic (playing chicken at night!!)), theft of fuel, theft of goods from a shop, assault on a shop assistant (pushed her over to get away), drive whilst intoxicated and drive whilst drugged....
Does not a soldier also have a choice in his employment??
I have a brother in the Army, I am incredibly proud of him (and all our service men/women) because they choose this carreer path knowing what could be their duty.
the "new world" police you refer to, they are the same police that do the same duties as we have always done, they however now have probably 10x the duties that we used to have when I started. There are less cops on the road than there used to be, especially when you realise that we are responsible for everything now...inspectors under nearly every act...
We still arrest or report people, we still deal with mistreated children or people or animals, we still clean up the messy fatal or deceased person, we still front and tell the relatives, we still enforce the traffic law but if anyone dies for breaking them its still our fault.... and so on...(something that also doesnt help is when your children get picked on at school by other kids (whose fathers/mothers are 'regular customers') and the school comes at it from a "maybe they should expect that" attitude.... a recent meeting between school and parent (in the job) has hopefully corrected that...what has my son/daughter done to deserve that?? Luckily a large number of friends stood up with him and the bully backed off.. good to have mates I suppose)
How they (we) regard the rest of society hasnt changed, we treat everyone withy respect and hopefully we are treated the same way. This is the basis for policing a level of respect both ways. But when someone hears that a cop has done something wrong (and the reason its such front page news is that really it doesnt happen that often) then every cop is suddenly treated with the same brush..., You say you were a fitter, I had a fitter do some work for me once and it was shoddy, unsafe and downright disgusting...does that by means of your occupation also make your work shoddy unsafe or disgusting? I am not implying that But bI hope you get my point, If it works one way it could work both ways.....
as for the "in a lot of cases use their powers to treat us accordingly" by this I assume that you have been treated as a criminal at some stage by Police? Had you commited an offence... if not was what they suspected reasonable from the information they had?
Or did you do as so many do, and immediately start niggling or complaining about Police and their abuse of power and corruption etc....
My favorite is the "why arent you out catching rapists and murderers" line,
I bite my tongue but I swear just before retirement I will reply with " I have my quota of those, today Im after obnoxious ******, thanks for helping me get my quota"
you also stated "no wonder they can "sense" a lack of support from the people they swear to "serve and protect", there is a "them and us" thing happening."
Yes there is, but in a lot of these cases there isnt a sense of lack of support its outright hostility towards us, getting stopped for 90 in a 60 and getting out storming back with "what the **** do you want?" will not normally start things off smoothly but it happens reasonably regularly!
No copper in Australia (unless they were in the USA first) has "sworn to serve and protect"... more along the lines of "uphold the law" and is SA our motto is "the safety of the people is the highest law",(Salus populi suprema lex) Im sure this is similar to that all across australia.
As for the "us" and "them", this is not a deliberate thing and I think you will find isnt as prevelant as you think...
In all this Im not saying all cops are perfect or great, there are some shockers, rude ignorant, full of themselves out there....but they are in the minority by far and usually it is worn out of them over time (if they last).
Summing it up.... I dont pigeon hole people by their looks or by their occupation... BUT I will judge someone pretty quickly by their attitude and manner. Everyone starts on one level where it goes from there is really up to them.
I leave for work each shift knowing that it could all go to crap. But I dont look forward to the chance of getting assaulted.. That said, I understand why some think it should be an equal offence to anyone else. I dont at anytime understand why a firie or an ambo, nurse or doctor shouldnt be better protected by law... should they expect to be or accept being assaulted for doing their job?
The idea of heavier penalties is similar to that used in the USA, it is supposed to make those who take the brief second to think about what they are doing, stop as it isnt worth it... if that works here I dont know but allegedly it is working in the USA...
As an aside, to all those working in whatever field over new years eve etc, have a good safe and quiet new years and a great 2014!
