BS: Thank you men & women in blue

Subject: RE: BS: Thank you men & women in blue
From: GUEST,mauvepink
Date: 16 Apr 11 - 10:47 AM

About 8 weeks ago I was going out to a club. As I was joining the motoroway I saw ahead what I thought was a deer crossing the carriageways as a shadow broke up headlights on the opposite lane. I was taking my foot off the accelerator just as it became apparent it was a person, with outstretched arms, facing oncoming traffic in lane two. I swerved and so did the lorry behind me (How he never sideswiped her was a miracle and his reactions were just remarkable). I dove over to the hard shoulder and stopped, ringing 999 on my mobile as I began to run back to the (what was now apparent) young woman who was still stood in the middle lane facing into on-coming traffic. A Royal Mail truck was trying to block lane one and I told the operator I intended to go out and grap this young women to drag her back to the hard shoulder and safety. This I did. I looked bak later and realsised how stupid I had been just walking out into traffic but at the time I needed to get her off the road.

By the time I had got her to the hard shoulder the driver of the lorry who had swerved to avoid her was there and another young man. It turned out the young man was an off duty police officer who had stopped to help and give assistance if need. I was so glad as I was really concerned that I could have been done for assault in dragging this woman off thye road. He and the lorry driver were just great. We were with her about 15 minutes before the Police patrols got to us. The off duty Bobby and the lorry driver were kind and caring. Another truck had stopped and lit the carraigeway with emergency lighting. All we could do was hold the young woman secure, having but her on the hard shoulder, as she was struggling to get back into the road. She was only 18 and so very distressed. She kept asking me to get the men away from her and all I could do was reassure her that they were there to help. We had no idea what had happened to her.

The first patrol to arrive had in it a burley policeman and he came straight up, no questions asked, and grabbed the young woman's arms, handcuffing them behind her back! I thought he was doing this so we could get her up and into his car for safety... but no. He then left her with us and went back to his car! We asked could we get her in his car and he told us to leave her where she was until other officers arrived. I'll be honest: I was quite shocked at this. He had handcuffed her and had she got free from us she could have gone back into the road with him responsible for her safety!

The next patrol car arrived and the Policeman in that was really good. He immediately wanted us to help him get her away from the road and into a vehicle. He was very different from the first man on scene.

My point is there are good and bad in all. The young bobby who stopped, who could have drove on, was wonderful (just as all the other men were who eventually assisted). None of them were getting paid to do what they were doing and all risked something to do what they did. The first paid person on scene whose job was to secure the woman's safety... well, frankly I found very disappointing in attitude. He may have had operational reasons so I cannot judge. But his colleague, the second on scene, was wonderful and did what you would expect. Some people risk a lot when they are not being paid to do such a job. The off duty bobby would take no praise for his help. The second Officer on scene was kind, courteous and efficient. He also gave thanks to all involved.

Long story, I know, but it's not the first time I have been grateful for off duty people to render assistance (I was coming home from Yorkshire one day when a guy jumped off a bridge about mile in front of me. It was an off duty pair of ambulancemen and a bobby who also stopped that day)

The moral to this story? Don't be about half to a mile in front of me on a motorawy! lol

The Police generally do a great job but they have more powers than any of the other emergency services so it would be nice to also include the Firemen/women and the Ambulance personel who also risk their lives daily for us.

mp

Subject: RE: BS: Thank you men & women in blue
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 15 Apr 11 - 03:17 PM

Goodness knows it's an extremely difficult job they do, subjected to drunken abuse, physically attacked, masses of daft paperwork, and resented by speeding motorists (who should know better). Searching filthy drug-dealers' flats and informing someone of a death can't be scintillating either. I admire them, and I could never have done their job.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank you men & women in blue
From: GUEST,999
Date: 15 Apr 11 - 01:49 PM

I`ve met and worked with one helluva lotta good cops and only ever met a very few jerks. They would be jerks whether or not they wore the blue, whether or not they were cops.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank you men & women in blue
From: katlaughing
Date: 14 Apr 11 - 11:19 PM

It was a cop's wife who saw my 3.5 year old daughter sitting on the curb and took her in for the morning until they could find out who she was and belonged to. They went shopping with the cop's baby and she generally had a very good time. She wasn't scared. She'd gone into my mom's, climbed the step stool, and dialed the operator, but couldn't tell her any info except that we worked at a radio station. Then she got bored and walked to the end of the street.

My mother and husband got their wires crossed, so she'd been dropped off at my mom's to be taken to pre-school, but mom was already at work, as was I. I didn't know she was "missing" until I went to pick her up. I was SO scared and, then, so gratefull to find her being so well cared for. I met the cop at his house, met his wife and got my daughter back. It could have ended so differently.

One thing we've always been sure of with my grandson, from early on, he KNOWS where he lives, address, names, phone numbers, etc. so it did make an impression on my daughter, plus we stressed it after that.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank you men & women in blue
From: Bert
Date: 14 Apr 11 - 10:17 PM

I was talking with some friends a while ago and they started running down the police.

So I told them of this time I was driving down Ute Pass one Christmas Morning. There was a cop there standing in the middle of the road slowing down all the traffic. If he hadn't done that I would have hit a patch of ice and been in real trouble.

This cop had given up Christmas Morning with his family and had saved me and many others from a nasty wreck.

After that it turned out that we each had at least THREE stories of good encounters with the police.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank you men & women in blue
From: jacqui.c
Date: 14 Apr 11 - 04:30 PM

It's a pity that more stories like these DON'T get into the news.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank you men & women in blue
From: katlaughing
Date: 14 Apr 11 - 03:08 PM

Welcome lhg, thank you!

Subject: RE: BS: Thank you men in blue
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 14 Apr 11 - 02:46 PM

Very heartwarming. Like you, I also hope the poor soul can find peace of mind with some help from the appropriate quarter. Well done those Police Officers!

Subject: RE: BS: Thank you men in blue
From: lefthanded guitar
Date: 14 Apr 11 - 02:40 PM

Yes, thanks for the edit Kat.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank you men in blue
From: gnu
Date: 14 Apr 11 - 02:23 PM

Agreed.

Subject: RE: BS: Thank you men in blue
From: katlaughing
Date: 14 Apr 11 - 02:04 PM

Great story and yes, we do need to remember and recognise such. May I edit your thread title to include the women in blue?:-)

Subject: BS: Thank you men and women in blue
From: lefthanded guitar
Date: 14 Apr 11 - 01:47 PM

This is sort of an odd post, I know, but last night I witnessed an near tragedy which I've never seen in my life and that I hope I never witness again. Someone from the next building was threatening to jump out the window. I had heard some broken glass,I guess they had broken the window, and I then saw three police officers (men and women) outside on the street. Over a period of say 20-30 minutes, they coaxed the would be jumper back into their room.

I just want to thank these officers for saving a life- this won't be in the papers because there was no 'news' -a tragedy was averted and I hope the person who was so distraut finds a new lease on life somewhere down the road. There will be no headlines to announnce that a life was spared and a neighborhood made to feel safe. We only hear about the truant officers in the news, but it reminded me that there are heroes
in everyday life who do their job as a matter of routine.