“Welcome to the real world.”

I may be paraphrasing slightly but I am absolutely sure that words to that effect have been used countless times over the years by senior ‘old sweat’ cops to their junior colleagues. I also see mention of the ‘real world’ many times on social media accounts of serving officers.

I’m also sure that I’ve probably tweeted or blogged something similar myself in the past.

Which got me thinking… what is the real world?

Without getting too philosophical, it is of course all relative. One persons perception of the world is completely different to another. We all view things in slightly different ways and you only have to look at the varied opinions on just about any subject in the world to see that.

The ‘real world’ a police officer experiences is completely unique and unparalleled in society. To such an extent that I think it is actually us who are the strange ones (stay with me). Most cops I know joined the job to help people and most cops I know joined up while in their early to mid twenties. Full of the joys and naivety of youth. After training school and once deployed on a shift the job begins to change you and it happens very very quickly. Your eyes are opened to a world you had never comprehended before. You spend the majority of your life working evenings and weekends witnessing first-hand the worst society has to offer. As time progresses you start to view things differently. Your view of the world becomes tarnished as you are exposed to more pain and suffering. You also become suspicious of almost everything… which makes you an effective cop but doesn’t cross over all that well into civilian life. Couple that with being constantly lied to by almost everyone you meet and the ‘real world’ is a darker place than it ever used to be.

The danger then lies with you becoming too cynical, too jaded and too negative towards everything.

The thing is, being a police officer really is more than just a job. I know that’s a cliché but it’s true. Almost straight away it consumes your entire life and there is then a steep learning curve of adjustment. You are forced into making sacrifices just to be able to go to work. Your family see you less, you can’t socialise with your friends like you used to because you’re working and you have to think twice whether to answer someone when they ask, “so, what do you do?” I’ve known cops create a whole back-story about a fictitious job they do so they don’t have to admit they are a servant of the crown.

Funnily enough, I actually went to a new barbers for my hair cut this week and was asked the dreaded question… I sat there for what felt like an uncomfortably long time whilst I weighed up what answer to give.

Do I tell the truth?

What if he doesn’t like the Police?

What if he wants to report something?

He might have had a speeding ticket recently?

What if he makes a mess of my hair out of spite?

That all seems crazy when it’s written down (especially that last bit) but it does flash through your mind. You can’t help it. The rational part of me knows it’s crazy. The guy was a professional after all. Even if he didn’t like the Police I’m sure he would do his job properly…. just like most cops do their jobs properly every single day.

It still amazes me to see just how much policing in this country is the cause for comment and debate. The culture in the UK is such that everyone has an opinion on what we do. Which is generally a good thing. It just can become predictable.

“I pay your wages.”

“You should be out catching real criminals.”

“You must have been bullied at school.”

“Haven’t you got anything better to do?”

“I know my rights.”

I could go on. Then there’s the disapproving looks whenever I happen to be buying myself some food whilst on duty. With comments muttered under the breath, a shake of the head and a tut. As though cops should be super human and go without food during their 10 hour tour of duty. What is rarely seen by anyone though, is how often that food goes cold or to waste before you get the chance to eat it. Or you eat it on the hoof in the patrol car or at a computer… only to get a snotty email from Health & Safety to tell you how unhygienic it is to eat at a computer.

Today, in fact, whilst on duty I decided to treat myself to a portion of fish and chips. I queued up and waited my turn amongst the disapproving looks and muttered comments. I paid my money (full price) and carried my meal to the car for the short journey back to base. As I drove away, I was flagged down by a member of the public who told me a car was facing the wrong way on a nearby A road exit slip and he thought it might be stolen. Despite being able to smell the ridiculously tempting aroma of fish and chips I drove straight to the incident. It was a run of the mill single vehicle collision with no injuries so very straight forward to deal with but time consuming nonetheless. After completing the paperwork I managed to quickly eat the now lukewarm fish and soggy chips whilst sat in my car… trying to hide it every time a passing car drew level with me. It’s not the first time that has happened either.

Again, there is nothing remotely remarkable about me. I do the same as countless other cops up and down the country. I have no doubt that someone will read this who has done the exact same thing today.

The important thing, in my opinion, is not to lose sight of the good in most people. The silent majority who rarely have any interaction with the Police and who still do hold us in high regard. Don’t let our interaction with the same 10% of society murky our view of the rest. That’s what then causes us problems. We hide things away from the public with the intention of protecting them. We don’t trust that they can handle the truth regarding what we do and why. We adopt a stoic silence which just invites more criticism and scepticism.

We just need to remember that the world we live in is far removed from your average everyday member of the public. The reality TV cop shows don’t portray real policing… even those that try to convince you otherwise. I would be very cautious of a TV camera and at the back of my mind would be the constant question of how the footage would be edited and how I would be portrayed. That’s just human nature. Then there’s the fictional police drama which has been a firm favourite on our screens since forever. I can guarantee that every single serving officer will have watched something on TV and said, “that’s not how it happens.” Real life bureaucracy doesn’t make good television I’m told.

At the risk of repeating myself yet again, I can assure you that every single frontline officer I know is out there doing their bit to try and make the difference they joined up for. They do moan about things and it’s well publicised how we all feel about the cuts we have faced but we’re still responding to your 999 call and doing what we can. The cogs keep turning because we keep them turning. Even in the face of adversity. My entire service has seen the most challenging times ever experienced in modern policing. Austerity measures, increased accountability, increased expectation and responsibility to cover other agencies. The buck ultimately stops with the Police and that’s what the public see constantly in the media.

But what do we actually do every day?

In response to one of the obvious questions I mentioned earlier we do go out and catch real criminals. In fact, we are quite good at that despite what you are led to believe. The problem is, we have to do so much that is not crime related. If someone isn’t sure about who to call regarding a problem then they phone the Police.

We deal with missing people… and those who aren’t really missing but are reported as such so that particular agency has ‘covered their back’ and put the emphasis on us to solve their problem. An ideal example of this is someone reported as missing from A&E because they left prior to receiving treatment. The hospital watched them walk out but then phoned us. That isn’t a dig at hospitals either. I’ve seen first hand just how stretched they are and they just work with what they have. I know that because I’ve spent many hours sat in hospitals babysitting a prisoner who suddenly came down with chest pains upon walking through the custody door. It matters not that they were literally just out on the streets burgling someone’s shed. The artificial lighting within the custody suite has brought on a heart condition in a matter of seconds. I’ve also sat babysitting prisoners in the custody suite because they can’t handle being in a cell and might hurt themselves.

I can assure you that those are all jobs expected of any frontline response Bobby. There are many others that may surprise people;

I go to ambulance calls where the patient is described as aggressive or they’ve got a knife in the house (bear in mind that everyone has at least one knife in their kitchen) and the ambulance crew are standing off. We’re obviously being sent because the ambulance service don’t actually have a crew to send. I’ve actually known them be travelling from 60 miles away to a job.

I go to do welfare checks which have been phoned in by Social Services on Friday afternoon because they’re closed for the weekend.

I have talked people down from bridges over the motorway only to be sent from pillar to post because the mental health unit can’t accept them in drink, A&E want me to take them to custody but they haven’t committed an offence and custody is not a suitable place for them to be.

I have been first on scene at a house fire and carried someone from the building before the fire service got there.

I have settled neighbour disputes and civil disputes even though no crime has been committed.

I have witnessed death and then had to deliver that news to the loved ones left behind.

I could go on but I’m sure you get the idea.

I would like to point out that none of my comments are intended to be a moan and I am certainly not criticising any other service. Everyone is doing the best they can after facing huge cuts.

I am also not trying to hold myself up as something special either. I am just a normal cop doing what thousands of my colleagues do up and down the country every day.

Ultimately, it’s worth keeping in mind that every officer does the job with the constant risk of not making it home in one piece. This week has seen the second anniversary of two officers paying the ultimate sacrifice in the name of the job and with recent figures released showing that assaults on Police Officers have increased over the last few years highlight that the danger cannot be underestimated. I have been physically attacked a few times over the years and verbally attacked a ridiculous number of times. You grow a thick skin and get on with it with a shrug of the shoulders because you know that very little will happen at Court. Assaulting a Police Officer is seen as a nothing offence which, therefore, over time has sent the message to the public that we are legitimate targets for abuse.

I know I’m probably opening myself up for a lot of criticism for publishing this blog but I am just telling the truth and trying to add a bit of perspective to things.

Despite everything, I do love my job because I ultimately know that in one way or another I’m helping to make a difference.

Even if I do know deep down that I will never change the perception of my job that is held by many.

Ninja out.

Twitter: @mountain_ninja