So, how was YOUR Sunday?
Discussion
Ah, the joys of being weekend CID cover.
The CSI taking the photos at the scene had only managed to get one foot in the reservoir, so she was still half happy.
At least it wasn’t raining. It was bloody cold and windy though. Fortunately, I had a rather stylish combination outfit on. A woolly “POLICE” bob hat. My fleece and Karrimor Gore-Tex coat over my shirt and tie, my suit trousers, and a rather fetching pair of ToeTector wellies, with my trousers tucked in.
But I never seem to be able to find a pair of gloves that will fit both my hands. The ambulance crews normally have the high quality purple ones, but they were long gone. So I had to make do with one medium (split) and one large.
Because the body had been in the water for three weeks or so, it was the same temperature as the water, which, as stated above, was bloody cold. And obviously all the clothing was soaking wet, which makes taking the clothes off and checking the pockets that little bit trickier.
There we all were; the Police, Mountain Rescue and the Fire brigade. The body had been removed and brought to the edge of the reservoir. We knew who it was, and we were fairly confident there were no suspicious circumstances, but the body still needed checking for marks or signs of violence.
So it’s gloves on for me. And then some bright spark chirps in with “You know you can claim fifty quid for doing that don’t you?” Well, yes, I am aware that we can claim ex gratia payments for what are regarded as “unpleasant” tasks such as this, but it hadn’t even crossed my mind until then. And I won’t be claiming the £50.00; it’s just wrong to try and make a bit of cash out of this person’s misfortune. We all showed the person as much respect as you’d expect, although we were at the same time all beginning to get a little pissed off with the rubberneckers who were desperate to come and have a look at the body.
Never mind the fact that the road was taped off, there were Police cars blocking the road, we were behind the MRT Land Rover and they were shielding us with a tarp, but some people are desperate to have a look. It was tempting to offer them a pair of gloves and ask them to help out.
And that’s why the BiB are pissed off. Day in, day out, we do stuff like this. It’s not pleasant, but we do it, and do it professionally and compassionately. We’ve stuck to our side of the agreement, and agreed to abide by the decision reached by arbitration. It’s a kick in the teeth when the other side has said they’ll do the same, and then pull the rug from under your feet by not backdating the pay award as agreed.
Would you like to borrow a pair of gloves, Jacqui Smith, and give me hand here? Thought not.
The CSI taking the photos at the scene had only managed to get one foot in the reservoir, so she was still half happy.
At least it wasn’t raining. It was bloody cold and windy though. Fortunately, I had a rather stylish combination outfit on. A woolly “POLICE” bob hat. My fleece and Karrimor Gore-Tex coat over my shirt and tie, my suit trousers, and a rather fetching pair of ToeTector wellies, with my trousers tucked in.
But I never seem to be able to find a pair of gloves that will fit both my hands. The ambulance crews normally have the high quality purple ones, but they were long gone. So I had to make do with one medium (split) and one large.
Because the body had been in the water for three weeks or so, it was the same temperature as the water, which, as stated above, was bloody cold. And obviously all the clothing was soaking wet, which makes taking the clothes off and checking the pockets that little bit trickier.
There we all were; the Police, Mountain Rescue and the Fire brigade. The body had been removed and brought to the edge of the reservoir. We knew who it was, and we were fairly confident there were no suspicious circumstances, but the body still needed checking for marks or signs of violence.
So it’s gloves on for me. And then some bright spark chirps in with “You know you can claim fifty quid for doing that don’t you?” Well, yes, I am aware that we can claim ex gratia payments for what are regarded as “unpleasant” tasks such as this, but it hadn’t even crossed my mind until then. And I won’t be claiming the £50.00; it’s just wrong to try and make a bit of cash out of this person’s misfortune. We all showed the person as much respect as you’d expect, although we were at the same time all beginning to get a little pissed off with the rubberneckers who were desperate to come and have a look at the body.
Never mind the fact that the road was taped off, there were Police cars blocking the road, we were behind the MRT Land Rover and they were shielding us with a tarp, but some people are desperate to have a look. It was tempting to offer them a pair of gloves and ask them to help out.
And that’s why the BiB are pissed off. Day in, day out, we do stuff like this. It’s not pleasant, but we do it, and do it professionally and compassionately. We’ve stuck to our side of the agreement, and agreed to abide by the decision reached by arbitration. It’s a kick in the teeth when the other side has said they’ll do the same, and then pull the rug from under your feet by not backdating the pay award as agreed.
Would you like to borrow a pair of gloves, Jacqui Smith, and give me hand here? Thought not.
Wacky Racer said:
fourwheelsteer said:
Thanks for doing a job I don't think I could ever do, even for a massive pay packet. I know it sounds trite but respect is due.
+1
the £50 bit seems daft though, what do people expect when they join the plod? its like a bonus for soldiers who get shot at.
My Sundays are always better than this - every day is.
Sight of what the police actually 'do' is lost by the high echelons (government). The police are not alone in being offered a 'below inflation' pay rise (this also affects local government, the NHS...) - but to backdate it to only 1/4 of the way through the year frankly stinks.
People see the police protesting about pay as bad - they lose sight of 1. the fact it's only 3/4 of an already 'competitive' below inflation pay rise and, more importantly 2. the stuff the police actually have to do for their money sometimes...
I wouldn't like to do this stuff for all the Tea in China (and I'm quite a fan of Lapsang Souchng
).
Fair play for doing it for us
.
Sight of what the police actually 'do' is lost by the high echelons (government). The police are not alone in being offered a 'below inflation' pay rise (this also affects local government, the NHS...) - but to backdate it to only 1/4 of the way through the year frankly stinks.
People see the police protesting about pay as bad - they lose sight of 1. the fact it's only 3/4 of an already 'competitive' below inflation pay rise and, more importantly 2. the stuff the police actually have to do for their money sometimes...
I wouldn't like to do this stuff for all the Tea in China (and I'm quite a fan of Lapsang Souchng
).Fair play for doing it for us
.
Would be interesting to hear about an average day at the CPS...
Well I have to give it to you your day trumps mine by a fair bit.
Still I will share some of it, well the 8 hours of it.
Just before 6 o'clock get a call to road accident where the 17 year old driver of mums car had managed to misjudge her speed in a left hand bend cross the carriageway only missing an on coming car due to the actions of the other driver, carried on across a large grassy area down a verge and onto a major trunk road, took out road signs and again narrowly missed by cars on a dual carrigeway where NSL applies due only to the actions of other drivers eventually coming to rest in a mangled heap with bits of the car strewn everywhere.
To top it all she decided to leg it from the scene along with her pal before we arrived with an unknown amount of injuries so to cut a long story short it took a fair amount of time to find her. While I type this I'm only now eating the food I should have got at 6 o'clock.
To top it all I will be back in the office at 9 this morning as I have been cited for court.
Still I will share some of it, well the 8 hours of it.
Just before 6 o'clock get a call to road accident where the 17 year old driver of mums car had managed to misjudge her speed in a left hand bend cross the carriageway only missing an on coming car due to the actions of the other driver, carried on across a large grassy area down a verge and onto a major trunk road, took out road signs and again narrowly missed by cars on a dual carrigeway where NSL applies due only to the actions of other drivers eventually coming to rest in a mangled heap with bits of the car strewn everywhere.
To top it all she decided to leg it from the scene along with her pal before we arrived with an unknown amount of injuries so to cut a long story short it took a fair amount of time to find her. While I type this I'm only now eating the food I should have got at 6 o'clock.
To top it all I will be back in the office at 9 this morning as I have been cited for court.
Everyone else seems to be thinking differently to me, but I'll give you my twopenneth worth anyway...
It's your job for which you receive payment, you don't have to do it, you can just jack it in. Surgeons spend all their day up to there elbows in guts, miners spend all their day down on dusty dark cramped coal faces, fishermen brave the elements in tiny boats (relatively) , soldiers get shot at, I personally spend alot of my day handling chemicals that can cause all sorts of nasty long term medical problems up to and including altering my DNA.
I appreciate it's not a good time but neither is working on the bin lorries. It's what you do, what you get paid for.
It's your job for which you receive payment, you don't have to do it, you can just jack it in. Surgeons spend all their day up to there elbows in guts, miners spend all their day down on dusty dark cramped coal faces, fishermen brave the elements in tiny boats (relatively) , soldiers get shot at, I personally spend alot of my day handling chemicals that can cause all sorts of nasty long term medical problems up to and including altering my DNA.
I appreciate it's not a good time but neither is working on the bin lorries. It's what you do, what you get paid for.
NWTony said:
Everyone else seems to be thinking differently to me, but I'll give you my twopenneth worth anyway...
It's your job for which you receive payment, you don't have to do it, you can just jack it in. Surgeons spend all their day up to there elbows in guts, miners spend all their day down on dusty dark cramped coal faces, fishermen brave the elements in tiny boats (relatively) , soldiers get shot at, I personally spend alot of my day handling chemicals that can cause all sorts of nasty long term medical problems up to and including altering my DNA.
I appreciate it's not a good time but neither is working on the bin lorries. It's what you do, what you get paid for.
It's still a good job people do it though, isn't it, cos' if they didn't where would we be?It's your job for which you receive payment, you don't have to do it, you can just jack it in. Surgeons spend all their day up to there elbows in guts, miners spend all their day down on dusty dark cramped coal faces, fishermen brave the elements in tiny boats (relatively) , soldiers get shot at, I personally spend alot of my day handling chemicals that can cause all sorts of nasty long term medical problems up to and including altering my DNA.
I appreciate it's not a good time but neither is working on the bin lorries. It's what you do, what you get paid for.
And quite often it isn't peoples jobs to do certain things, but they get leant on to do it and so they do it, sometimes paid, sometimes not.
NWTony said:
Everyone else seems to be thinking differently to me, but I'll give you my twopenneth worth anyway...
It's your job for which you receive payment, you don't have to do it, you can just jack it in. Surgeons spend all their day up to there elbows in guts, miners spend all their day down on dusty dark cramped coal faces, fishermen brave the elements in tiny boats (relatively) , soldiers get shot at, I personally spend alot of my day handling chemicals that can cause all sorts of nasty long term medical problems up to and including altering my DNA.
I appreciate it's not a good time but neither is working on the bin lorries. It's what you do, what you get paid for.
You don't get it do you?It's your job for which you receive payment, you don't have to do it, you can just jack it in. Surgeons spend all their day up to there elbows in guts, miners spend all their day down on dusty dark cramped coal faces, fishermen brave the elements in tiny boats (relatively) , soldiers get shot at, I personally spend alot of my day handling chemicals that can cause all sorts of nasty long term medical problems up to and including altering my DNA.
I appreciate it's not a good time but neither is working on the bin lorries. It's what you do, what you get paid for.
The point is he was inadequately equipped, surrounded by rubberneckers, wearing his own clothes, and freezing.
And being treated like shit by the Home Sec.
I was in a hospital casualty ward dealing with the victim of a rather nasty robbery. He'd been hit over the head, beaten around the body and then kicked because he couldn't remember his PIN. He looked as if he'd got a bowler hat in his mouth. I'd got into a bit of a fight with one of the three offenders and only avoided being a casualty when a PC came along and took him down.
While I was interviewing the chap, who'd been singing my praises to the nurse (to be fair, I didn't know there were three offenders, I just saw the one), blood trickled down my forehead and into my eyes and it stung. The nurse gave me a bit of lint and said something along the lines of the fact that she couldn't do my job. A few minutes later the bloke vomited into a kidney bowl, sending his top set of false teeth along the same trajectory. The nurse then fished abut in the bowl, got it out, washed it in a sink and gave it back to the chap. The casualty apologised and was a bit upset but the nurse said it often happened. She caught my eye and we both laughed. I then said, "I've got it easy."
The bit that got to me was if I had to be present at the post mortum, especially if I'd seen the NOK. It sort of gave the corpse a personality. The hosing of the extraneous bits into the drain was always an image too far.
While I was interviewing the chap, who'd been singing my praises to the nurse (to be fair, I didn't know there were three offenders, I just saw the one), blood trickled down my forehead and into my eyes and it stung. The nurse gave me a bit of lint and said something along the lines of the fact that she couldn't do my job. A few minutes later the bloke vomited into a kidney bowl, sending his top set of false teeth along the same trajectory. The nurse then fished abut in the bowl, got it out, washed it in a sink and gave it back to the chap. The casualty apologised and was a bit upset but the nurse said it often happened. She caught my eye and we both laughed. I then said, "I've got it easy."
The bit that got to me was if I had to be present at the post mortum, especially if I'd seen the NOK. It sort of gave the corpse a personality. The hosing of the extraneous bits into the drain was always an image too far.
Annoys me when people where I work get all het up about this and that.
You could actually close the place down and it would make practically sod all difference to be honest. However, close an ICU ward down, or an A&E department, or any other industry that matters, and yet the pay doesn't reflect the importance.
Just look at all this with politicians keeping their families on the gravy train for doing nothing. Makes you sick really.
You could actually close the place down and it would make practically sod all difference to be honest. However, close an ICU ward down, or an A&E department, or any other industry that matters, and yet the pay doesn't reflect the importance.
Just look at all this with politicians keeping their families on the gravy train for doing nothing. Makes you sick really.
Chrispy Porker said:
You don't get it do you?
The point is he was inadequately equipped, surrounded by rubberneckers, wearing his own clothes, and freezing.
And being treated like shit by the Home Sec.
You can't beat the public sector for robbing everyone (dead or alive) of their dignity. Without mentioning any names, places or departments I know of at least one body that was transported from one hospital to another in the back of someones personal volvo estate because there were no ambulances or mortuary vans available. Driving 30 miles with a corpse stuffed in your boot, brilliant.The point is he was inadequately equipped, surrounded by rubberneckers, wearing his own clothes, and freezing.
And being treated like shit by the Home Sec.
Makes a difficult job even harder, you have my sympathy. I only hope that the Home Sec does a U turn and then resigns, but I can't see it happening.
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