A Policeman's Lot

A still from the Welsh Running man video

Today a score or so North Walian police officers downloaded their version of the Running Man Challenge to youtube.
It's not the most entertaining " police" video of this latest Internet craze but you can't blame them for trying.
It's nice seeing the thin blue line having a bit of fun for a change.
Historically, nurses and police get very well.
I think we share the same gallows humour as well as experience of seeing people often at their very worst.
Police officers have come to the aid of nurses in trouble many a time.
and many a time nurses have treated police personnel for their trouble.
I have always been a fan of the  boys ( and girls ) in blue.

I was chatting to two police officers who live in the village the other day. We were all listening to a domestic argument in a nearby house. " Domestics" , I was told with some authority, were often the most thankless and at times dangerous disturbances to be called out to.

I can't think of anyone else but police that have to deal with such miserable aspects of a job.

Years ago, I was once part of a psychiatric nurse team who had to retrieve a sectioned patient from their house in the community. We were accompanied by four extremely large Yorkshire policemen and my job in the whole event was to look after the syringes of intramuscular chlorpromazine . Sedation which I had to inject into the patient's buttocks if all went tits up.

Then I was only 23 and rather slight in stature. I also wore a very unflattering  thick woolly jumper which made me look like a presenter of a  1980s childrens' tv show. I couldn't have been less of an asset to such a venture if I'd put on a gingham dress and platted my hair, but there we go.

Nowadays the police have all sort of equipment and protocols to follow in such situations as I am sure psychiatric nurses now do. Then , I chose the biggest and most manly policeman and stood behind him.
" Are you the lad with the drugs? " the policeman asked me when I peeped around his biceps to see what was going on
" yes " I gulped weakly
" Keep behind me, don't get in the way and if you need to jab the guy, I'll call you" he instructed carefully. He sounded like Freddie Truman
I nodded, white faced and shivered helplessly when he added
" and prick me with that needle and I'll fucking batter you!" 



34 comments:

  1. LOL! He sure meant business!
    Did you have to use the needle?

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    1. No , the patient was very meek and was transferred to a secure unit

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  2. I love the last bit of this post….can't quite imagine you as a weakly 23 yr old ! Hope that your nether regions have recovered from their intrusions yesterday. X

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  3. Freddie Truman came to our house for tea once. I was instructed to get his autograph. I didn't even know who he was.

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  4. OMB! drama! the police officer's lot is a thankless and dangerous one.

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  5. Sue, I had a similar experience ... my parents had a newsagents shop and one of our customers was Irish playwright, Sean O'Casey. He used to get Mum to deliver his tobacco to his flat in our village and one day he phoned for it and she willingly obliged. So she said, "You can come with me and we can get his autograph!" So, being a good girl, I obliged and went with her. Mrs O'Casey (Eileen) came to the door. "Please," said my mother, "Could Mr O'Casey oblige by signing my daughter's autograph book?" and off Mrs O'C went to ask the great man. Not only did he sign it, but he came to the door, wearing his little velvet embroidered smoking cap and said Hello to me. But I'd not a clue then who he was and, of course, it was my Mum who wanted his autograph!
    Love your story, John, it gave me a laugh at the end of a very busy day!
    Margaret P

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    1. Lol margaret your sean o'casey story eclipsed it x

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    2. Just a PS to this, John ... I still have the autograph book with his autograph in it.
      Margaret P

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  6. https://youtu.be/nGOKi3nIDrc

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    1. Not even a personal comment now? Sheeeesh

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  7. What a memory. Pirates of Penzance?

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  8. Love your story. You are a wonderful writer.
    The police have a thankless job.
    My Brother was in Law Enforcement for the U.S.Forest Service. The guns, drugs, car crashes, fighting and more guns, lost people ... and then he had the Drug Cartels to deal with on top of that. Beside rescues, fighting wildfires he was also a smokejumper at one time.
    He also has lots of great stories but some awful ones too.

    cheers, parsnip

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    1. I am sure ....its a thankless job........with little respect nowadays

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  9. Lovely post John....x

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  10. I think the gallows humour is a survival necessity. I assume you didn't prick the policeman with that needle...

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  11. Kind of a pricky thing to say to you .. :)

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  12. I shall now have to look-up 'running man challenge'.

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  13. I wouldn't be a police officer for anything in the world. But I'm glad there are others who are willing to do the job!

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  14. I always like the idea that for a short while at least Freddie Truman was related to Raquel Welch.

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  15. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  16. A prick in the buttocks sounds most unappealing to me. I would rather have a cup of tea any day.

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  17. It is hard to imagine you as meek or timid, we see you more as the charge in take control type.

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  18. I was going to ask but it was asked and answered. great story John.

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  19. Thank you for both story and history!! Policecorps are always in the heat, doing too much, too little, being too few or too many, interfering when they shouldn't and being absent when they should be present. They do need some healthy, honest support. Who would be prepared for what they have to face??
    And having that in mind, it's not hard to understand why he gave you a piece of friendly advice!!!

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  20. Yep, my sons sense of humour has definitely changed since he joined the police force!!

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