I met a guy called Paul today at work.
Discussion
0a said:
DoubleSix said:
Well perhaps, perhaps not. But we could all play Ghastly Job Top Trumps for next few pages quite easily I'm sure.
I know a few surgeons who have saved countless live - you wouldn't know it. I know lots of nurses whom I admire greatly, any praise is met with "it's just what we do". And on, and on etc etc
But a Policeman will rarely let it be forgotten what an important job they job imho. Sorry, for not falling in line.
My line of work is E-commerce. The only time I have been close to death is visiting my great uncle who had died a few hours earlier and pissed himself, and paying my respects to my Grandfather in the funeral home. Both pretty 'neat deaths' though. I know a few surgeons who have saved countless live - you wouldn't know it. I know lots of nurses whom I admire greatly, any praise is met with "it's just what we do". And on, and on etc etc
But a Policeman will rarely let it be forgotten what an important job they job imho. Sorry, for not falling in line.
I welcome the OP's post. Brain surgeons and nurses are welcome to post as well!
The Police are generally respected in this country (despite what some might believe) and enjoy the legal framework of their chosen livelihood as a shield to some extent. Others have to wipe the spit off themselves without the satisfaction of immediate incarceration of the offender.
Edited by DoubleSix on Saturday 27th June 14:32
These threads always go the same way in the end. A fascinating insight to be shared by many from different lines of work with their own examples only for it to be ruined in the end by haters.
The hardest person in the world to impress is an anonymous internet poster. They've seen it all, done it all, know countless people who have done it better, had it worse blah blah blah. They can't wait to tell you that whenever they can, even more so if they hate the occupation of the person posting.
Leave them to it.
The hardest person in the world to impress is an anonymous internet poster. They've seen it all, done it all, know countless people who have done it better, had it worse blah blah blah. They can't wait to tell you that whenever they can, even more so if they hate the occupation of the person posting.
Leave them to it.
DoubleSix said:
0a said:
DoubleSix said:
Well perhaps, perhaps not. But we could all play Ghastly Job Top Trumps for next few pages quite easily I'm sure.
I know a few surgeons who have saved countless live - you wouldn't know it. I know lots of nurses whom I admire greatly, any praise is met with "it's just what we do". And on, and on etc etc
But a Policeman will rarely let it be forgotten what an important job they job imho. Sorry, for not falling in line.
My line of work is E-commerce. The only time I have been close to death is visiting my great uncle who had died a few hours earlier and pissed himself, and paying my respects to my Grandfather in the funeral home. Both pretty 'neat deaths' though. I know a few surgeons who have saved countless live - you wouldn't know it. I know lots of nurses whom I admire greatly, any praise is met with "it's just what we do". And on, and on etc etc
But a Policeman will rarely let it be forgotten what an important job they job imho. Sorry, for not falling in line.
I welcome the OP's post. Brain surgeons and nurses are welcome to post as well!
Anyone can post on PH, it's a democratic platform in that respect. I don't think the idea behind the original post was to state that the Police have a more difficult job than other professions. It just gave some insight which as an unwashed member of the public I was glad for. My (relatively well paid) job doesn't involve anything like what the OP posted. I'm pleased it doesn't.
0a said:
DoubleSix said:
0a said:
DoubleSix said:
Well perhaps, perhaps not. But we could all play Ghastly Job Top Trumps for next few pages quite easily I'm sure.
I know a few surgeons who have saved countless live - you wouldn't know it. I know lots of nurses whom I admire greatly, any praise is met with "it's just what we do". And on, and on etc etc
But a Policeman will rarely let it be forgotten what an important job they job imho. Sorry, for not falling in line.
My line of work is E-commerce. The only time I have been close to death is visiting my great uncle who had died a few hours earlier and pissed himself, and paying my respects to my Grandfather in the funeral home. Both pretty 'neat deaths' though. I know a few surgeons who have saved countless live - you wouldn't know it. I know lots of nurses whom I admire greatly, any praise is met with "it's just what we do". And on, and on etc etc
But a Policeman will rarely let it be forgotten what an important job they job imho. Sorry, for not falling in line.
I welcome the OP's post. Brain surgeons and nurses are welcome to post as well!
Anyone can post on PH, it's a democratic platform in that respect. I don't think the idea behind the original post was to state that the Police have a more difficult job than other professions. It just gave some insight which as an unwashed member of the public I was glad for.
I merely deigned to suggest those who found it eye-opening would do well to consider others in general as it shouldn't really come as a surprise to anyone that people die alone, that it's unpleasant, and that someone has to tidy it up. Tip of the iceberg really.
Without multi quoting DoubleSix and some other replies, I'd have to agree with him on the surgeons/nurses thing. I remember seeing a BBC (I think) documentary a year or two ago about surgeons working with children and babies. Truly humbling and their successes and failures obviously had a profound effect on them. The failures probably more so, I guess.
I don't regard myself as a hero, although I've done some vaguely heroic stuff in my service. I've saved lives. I've protected people by putting myself in between them and their attacker. I've worked ridiculous hours to get some frankly bad people charged and put in prison. I've seen/sifted way too much child porn.
Yes, it's a job I chose. I didn't realise 20 years ago how much it would affect me though. Naïveté on my part? Probably. But for someone who hasn't experienced it to say "It's just a job" is either trolling or extremely naive. Any experience affects us. It's human nature. Unpleasant experiences can have a greater negative effect.
The other line that is frequently trotted out on here is "No one made you join the Police. It's loads worse being a soldier in Afghanistan". Undoubtedly so. But no one forced those soldiers to join up either. Or is that "Just a job" too? And, as it happens, I've also served in the Royal Navy on active service as well.
I don't regard myself as a hero, although I've done some vaguely heroic stuff in my service. I've saved lives. I've protected people by putting myself in between them and their attacker. I've worked ridiculous hours to get some frankly bad people charged and put in prison. I've seen/sifted way too much child porn.
Yes, it's a job I chose. I didn't realise 20 years ago how much it would affect me though. Naïveté on my part? Probably. But for someone who hasn't experienced it to say "It's just a job" is either trolling or extremely naive. Any experience affects us. It's human nature. Unpleasant experiences can have a greater negative effect.
The other line that is frequently trotted out on here is "No one made you join the Police. It's loads worse being a soldier in Afghanistan". Undoubtedly so. But no one forced those soldiers to join up either. Or is that "Just a job" too? And, as it happens, I've also served in the Royal Navy on active service as well.
DoubleSix said:
Agree we do. And I have no objection to the OPs post.
I merely deigned to suggest those who found it eye-opening would do well to consider others in general as it shouldn't really come as a surprise to anyone that people die alone, that it's unpleasant, and that someone has to tidy it up. Tip of the iceberg really.
This is S, P & L, and due to my line of work, I thought some people may find the account interesting. It's probably not the kind of thing most people will see/experience. The UK population is about 64 million. There's about 120,000 police. I've no idea of the size of the armed services these days, or the other emergency services, NHS, voluntary sectors like RNLI or MRT, but even at a guesstimated ~1 million, that's still a vast majority who won't see the underbelly. I thought some might find it interesting and of course, I expected some less favourable/negative posts. People are of course entitled to an opinion.I merely deigned to suggest those who found it eye-opening would do well to consider others in general as it shouldn't really come as a surprise to anyone that people die alone, that it's unpleasant, and that someone has to tidy it up. Tip of the iceberg really.
I can't really comment on a surgeon's/firefighter's/nurse's/social worker's/soldier's day though. I can only talk from my own experience. I do realise the Police don't have a monopoly on crappy jobs, but as I say, I can only talk about what I know.
DoubleSix said:
Whilst I probably wouldn't have the gumption to put it quite like that I kind of get what this chap is saying.
Society is full of unsung heroes, many of whom don't have the weight of the law at their disposal and whom quietly do very challenging jobs.
Police do seem to like to remind us all how lucky we are to have them and the OP's post is only just the right side of indulgent if I may be forgiven for saying so. A rotting cadaver isn't fun, but as in the example I gave earlier I personally don't think it compares to what many other people do on a daily basis without recognition in modern UK - and to be fair to Dibble he also said as much too.
Perhaps those of you falling over yourselves to heap praise could spare a thought for the hospital porter, care worker, underpaid nurse or office cleaner who starts her shift as her children arrive home.
The Police have a tough job but lets keep some perspective here.
AT LAST Society is full of unsung heroes, many of whom don't have the weight of the law at their disposal and whom quietly do very challenging jobs.
Police do seem to like to remind us all how lucky we are to have them and the OP's post is only just the right side of indulgent if I may be forgiven for saying so. A rotting cadaver isn't fun, but as in the example I gave earlier I personally don't think it compares to what many other people do on a daily basis without recognition in modern UK - and to be fair to Dibble he also said as much too.
Perhaps those of you falling over yourselves to heap praise could spare a thought for the hospital porter, care worker, underpaid nurse or office cleaner who starts her shift as her children arrive home.
The Police have a tough job but lets keep some perspective here.
someone who 'gets' what I'm saying
GloverMart said:
dingg said:
you officers are ALL taking it too personal
if you do not like the job
DO SOMETHING ELSE
someone else will fill your boots.
Give it a rest, nobody asked for you to post this drivel time and again.if you do not like the job
DO SOMETHING ELSE
someone else will fill your boots.
By all means have your opinion but you are spoiling what is a fascinating thread by your childish posts.
DoubleSix said:
Well perhaps, perhaps not. But we could all play Ghastly Job Top Trumps for next few pages quite easily I'm sure.
I'm sure we could & there's a few instances in my time in the job that might make interesting reading. But watching 'Coast' tonight reminded me of this. I suggest it tops the lot. And they were all volunteers.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeIX0VnUMKo
Edited by paintman on Saturday 27th June 18:42
LocoCoco said:
0a said:
dingg said:
you officers are ALL taking it too personal
if you do not like the job
DO SOMETHING ELSE
someone else will fill your boots.
Is there really any need for this post?if you do not like the job
DO SOMETHING ELSE
someone else will fill your boots.
Having friends and family as police officers, I've heard some horrific stuff.
One was an RTA near to Christmas in a very isolated part of Cambs, near the Norfolk Border. A car had gone of the road and rolled down a steep embankment, before landing on it's roof in some thick bushes.
The car was eventually found and recovered with the driver 5 days later. They'd been dead for 4 days, which meant that they may have been conscious and in a very bad way -broken leg/arm/head trauma for up to 24 hrs.
Probably the worst one was the case of a mother who experienced severe post-natal psychosis and believed her newborn baby was "possessed" and needed to be cleansed.
I won't go into too much detail, but suffice to say, when the woman and her husband were arrested, after threatening to kill a social worker, and the body was discovered in a cupboard, the crime scene was apparently so gruesome that one officer went off sick and never returned to duty.
One was an RTA near to Christmas in a very isolated part of Cambs, near the Norfolk Border. A car had gone of the road and rolled down a steep embankment, before landing on it's roof in some thick bushes.
The car was eventually found and recovered with the driver 5 days later. They'd been dead for 4 days, which meant that they may have been conscious and in a very bad way -broken leg/arm/head trauma for up to 24 hrs.
Probably the worst one was the case of a mother who experienced severe post-natal psychosis and believed her newborn baby was "possessed" and needed to be cleansed.
I won't go into too much detail, but suffice to say, when the woman and her husband were arrested, after threatening to kill a social worker, and the body was discovered in a cupboard, the crime scene was apparently so gruesome that one officer went off sick and never returned to duty.
Edited by jogger1976 on Sunday 28th June 11:31
Reminds me of a story from East London years ago. A new stretch of dual carriageway was under construction and someone had gone out one evening to practice his off road motorcycling skills by trying to ride over a huge pile of sand. The next morning he was found at the bottom of the pile dead, apparently of a broken neck. But although his neck was broken it turned out he had actually died of exposure.
paintman said:
DoubleSix said:
Well perhaps, perhaps not. But we could all play Ghastly Job Top Trumps for next few pages quite easily I'm sure.
I'm sure we could & there's a few instances in my time in the job that might make interesting reading. But watching 'Coast' tonight reminded me of this. I suggest it tops the lot. And they were all volunteers.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeIX0VnUMKo
Edited by paintman on Saturday 27th June 18:42
Dibble said:
Paul is one of many people who still stalk my imagination. Not maliciously, they are just there.
I've just found this thread.I don't visit PH much these days. Well, not as often as I used to anyway.
I've got a few people who lurk in my head too. In particular a (young) female murder victim.
I won't go into the details but the scene was the worst I've ever seen - and I've seen a few. It was horrific.
It was a "domestic" but it was the most violent act you could possibly imagine. I found the husband in the garage. He had committed suicide by gassing himself using the fumes from his car exhaust. It was a while ago and it was quite an old car, even back then.
I had to pick up the female, put her in a body bag, accompany her to the mortuary, strip her, label her clothing, put her in the mortuary fridge.
Did it bother me ? Not at the time. Not really. You deal with it then you put it to the back of your mind and get on with it. You carry on. I did.
I've seen a lot of death. Police officers see death regularly. It is part of the job.
But - and here's the thing - I've been diagnosed with PTSD.
Not as a result of that murder or anything else I was subjected to but as a result of a serious assault - a career ending assault - on me.
What I have found, after basically losing the plot and going through hell (because PTSD will not just affect you, it will affect everyone around you including the ones you love) is that the thoughts of all the other stuff come back more often.
I know you have been diagnosed with PTSD and I know the circumstances because you put them on here.
PTSD is not something you just get over. It is a nasty b
d and it will affect every aspect of your life. I'm sure you know that.I don't know you personally and I don't know how you are mentally today.
But you have posted details of a particular nasty job - in great detail.
Maybe you are ventilating, just getting it off your chest and writing about it to get it out of your head.
Maybe you are putting the details on here to show the less well informed what police officers have to deal with.
I really don't know.
What I do know is that you don't want to fall down again. I know how bad that is.
If you are struggling or if this job has affected you a bit more than you think it should (or at least more than it would have done previously) then tell someone.
That is not meant as a criticism of you - far from it in fact.
But the police service is s
t at helping officers with mental health problems. You probably already know that. You have to help yourself. But there is help available.If you are all good - then great.
But everyone has their limit and PTSD is not a sign of weakness. It is an illness brought on by traumatic events that most people will never experience.
It took me a while to get my head around that and, at first, I didn't want to accept that there was something wrong with me. I thought I should have been stronger.
To all those who say "if you can't deal with it, get another job" ...
f
k off. You have no idea.Edited by Red 4 on Sunday 28th June 19:13
Red 4 said:
Dibble said:
Paul is one of many people who still stalk my imagination. Not maliciously, they are just there.
I've just found this thread.I don't visit PH much these days. Well, not as often as I used to anyway.
I've got a few people who lurk in my head too. In particular a (young) female murder victim.
I won't go into the details but the scene was the worst I've ever seen - and I've seen a few. It was horrific.
It was a "domestic" but it was the most violent act you could possibly imagine. I found the husband in the garage. He had committed suicide by gassing himself using the fumes from his car exhaust. It was a while ago and it was quite an old car, even back then.
I had to pick up the female, put her in a body bag, accompany her to the mortuary, strip her, label her clothing, put her in the mortuary fridge.
Did it bother me ? Not at the time. Not really. You deal with it then you put it to the back of your mind and get on with it. You carry on. I did.
I've seen a lot of death. Police officers see death regularly. It is part of the job.
But - and here's the thing - I've been diagnosed with PTSD.
Not as a result of that murder or anything else I was subjected to but as a result of a serious assault - a career ending assault - on me.
What I have found, after basically losing the plot and going through hell (because PTSD will not just affect you, it will affect everyone around you including the ones you love) is that the thoughts of all the other stuff come back more often.
I know you have been diagnosed with PTSD and I know the circumstances because you put them on here.
PTSD is not something you just get over. It is a nasty b
d and it will affect every aspect of your life. I'm sure you know that.I don't know you personally and I don't know how you are mentally today.
But you have posted details of a particular nasty job - in great detail.
Maybe you are ventilating, just getting it off your chest and writing about it to get it out of your head.
Maybe you are putting the details on here to show the less well informed what police officers have to deal with.
I really don't know.
What I do know is that you don't want to fall down again. I know how bad that is.
If you are struggling or if this job has affected you a bit more than you think it should (or at least more than it would have done previously) then tell someone.
That is not meant as a criticism of you - far from it in fact.
But the police service is s
t at helping officers with mental health problems. You probably already know that. You have to help yourself. But there is help available.If you are all good - then great.
But everyone has their limit and PTSD is not a sign of weakness. It is an illness brought on by traumatic events that most people will never experience.
It took me a while to get my head around that and, at first, I didn't want to accept that there was something wrong with me. I thought I should have been stronger.
To all those who say "if you can't deal with it, get another job" ...
f
k off. You have no idea.Edited by Red 4 on Sunday 28th June 19:13
Thanks Red 4.
It was a little bit of venting (in as much that I've found writing it down helps me process it). I also thought some people on SP&L may find it interesting, while realising that others wouldn't.
As for "my" PTSD, I'm ok. I know the inside of me own head better than I've ever known it before. I know the danger signs. I've had some tough times - indeed, still have some ongoing stress (house sale) - but at the moment, I'm ok. I don't for a moment think I'm permanently "cured", certainly not while I'm still in the cops. But I think I'm I a much better place to recognise the fake ups and to deal with it.
Previously, I'd have been a lot more bothered by some of the negative comments on here. Now, I really don't care anywhere near as much. Different people have different opinions. I might make some people think, but there will always be some who will do the equivalent of fingers in their ears, going "La la la la, can't hear you". Meh. Their problem, not mine.
Thanks again. Much appreciated.
It was a little bit of venting (in as much that I've found writing it down helps me process it). I also thought some people on SP&L may find it interesting, while realising that others wouldn't.
As for "my" PTSD, I'm ok. I know the inside of me own head better than I've ever known it before. I know the danger signs. I've had some tough times - indeed, still have some ongoing stress (house sale) - but at the moment, I'm ok. I don't for a moment think I'm permanently "cured", certainly not while I'm still in the cops. But I think I'm I a much better place to recognise the fake ups and to deal with it.
Previously, I'd have been a lot more bothered by some of the negative comments on here. Now, I really don't care anywhere near as much. Different people have different opinions. I might make some people think, but there will always be some who will do the equivalent of fingers in their ears, going "La la la la, can't hear you". Meh. Their problem, not mine.
Thanks again. Much appreciated.
Dibble, thank you for your (very well written) posts. I hope you found them as cathartic to write as I found them interesting to read, and I applaud your honesty. I do wonder quite how well the Police have got to grips with stress and PTSD, because I believe the majority of employers, mine included, are light years behind understanding mental illness - especially that caused by the jobs their employees do.
Look after yourself Dibble, and thanks again.
Mike.
Look after yourself Dibble, and thanks again.
Mike.
Dibble said:
Thanks again. Much appreciated.
You're welcome.I hope you didn't think I was trying to teach you how to suck eggs - when I posted my reply, I'd only read your opening post. From reading the rest of the thread it's clear to me now that you've got things under control or, at least, you are coping and know how to identify the warning signs.
I'm glad to hear you're O.K.
I understand what you mean about knowing your own head better now. Like you, I've had treatment and, at times, some very intensive input from mental health professionals (including the crisis team). They really know their stuff. They get you to think about things you hadn't considered before and look at things from a different perspective. Most of it is logical but you hadn't thought about it before (if that makes sense).
For me, the situation isn't great. I've also got physical injuries (which are getting worse) which I find difficult to accept and adjust to.
Like you, I don't really give a monkey's what some people on here think.
Until you've been there and done it, you have no idea.
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