Its one of those jobs. You're meeting folks at their worst and frequently their lowest point in their lives. My Dad wasn't a village bobby - he was CID. Ex St helens ruby payer, ex Irish Guardsman tank driver - he was as tough as I'm soft.

He never spoke much about the job, but my Mum told me he always thought he'd got it wrong and killed someone. He was arresting a paedophile and spoke harsh words to him. The guy drowned himself.

I tell you a weird story.

I wqas never really posh enough for folk clubs. I splashed about in the shallows of showbiz - and that's how I met the comedian Tich Cooper, a Grantham lad - he's still gigging 12 months a year in Teneriffe.

Tich had been ambulance driver -picking up the bodies off the M1 near Nottingham. Great comedian - very employable.

One day he told me - Al - you know the weirdest thing about this job is that it doesn't matter. If you're a crap comedian and can't make people laugh, it doesn't matter. it really doesn't. No ones any poorer , any the worse...and yet. People will get SO angry if you're a crap comedian. I've seen people physically attacked because they bombed on stage.
Whereas when I was an ambulance man, I saw people who killed the people they were supposed to be caring for - by being too stupid, incompetent, or lazy to do their job. And afterwards , almost inevitably the relations of the deceased would come up and thank them for their work. That's a job where it matters what you do, and how you do it.

And the thing is.... I dunno. I 'm not sure there is a point....except moral superiority over people who do these jobs stinks.