It’s the middle of the day. A criminal armed with a crowbar is smashing his way into YOUR HOUSE. You’re absolutely terrified so you call the Police.
They make their way to the scene and it doesn’t matter WHAT the threat is. They just find a way to deal with it. They’re bloody heroes.
(Hint: Don’t EVER turn to face a copper brandishing a crowbar. They won’t wait to see if you use it!)
Story care of Manchester Evening News.
A beat bobby has told how GMP is at ‘breaking point’ and struggling to answer 999 calls in a heart-felt resignation letter to Chief Constable Ian Hopkins.
Father-of-three Joseph Torkington, 37, who used to patrol Offerton in Stockport, has resigned after 12 years as a Police Constable.
The picture of him published on GMP’s website which states he is a ‘dedicated local officer’ is ‘beyond misleading, if not entirely fraudulent’, he writes before going on to argue that community policing exists in name only.
He describes a crisis where ‘response’ officers are sometimes not available for even the most serious 999 calls and how bosses ‘give out jobs to patrols that don’t exist’.
It leaves officers ‘being sent to dangerous jobs with little or no back up’ and he reveals he spent his last three years ‘in a permanent state of anxiety’.
He continues: “I’m happy to turn up to any job as long as I have colleagues with me. I’m brave, but I’m not stupid. I have three kids and a glass back, I need back up. I need that reassurance and assistance and it doesn’t exist. So Sir, it is with regret that I see no other option but to resign.”
He concedes to the Chief Constable that ‘you lead us in difficult times’ but delivers a withering judgement on the Coalition and Tory governments which have seen the force slashed from 8,200 officers to almost 6,000.
He concluded: “To the government I have nothing good to say whatsoever, they should hang their heads in shame.”
Mr Torkington emailed the letter to colleagues in Stockport which was then shared on social media.
He told the M.E.N. he had been off at home since March 31 with work-related anxiety and depression.
He said: “I just felt like I needed to be honest. The chief constable needs to know in case he doesn’t know, so he understands. This is probably the biggest decision I have ever made.”
The M.E.N has approached the Home Office for a comment.
To Chief Constable Hopkins,
I am PC 11834 Joe Torkington. I am currently a Neighbourhood Beat Officer (NBO) based on the J Division.
I write to inform you that as of this date – Monday 28th August 2017 – I hereby give notice of my resignation from my role of Constable with Greater Manchester Police…
“When I began this role in late 2009, Neighbourhood Policing still existed. I took genuine pride in walking my beat, getting to know my community and having the responsibility for tackling any problems that came my way. I had great supervision and colleagues and felt valued and happy in my work.
“Unfortunately, as the years have passed, the role has been gradually eroded and marginalised, to the extent I have genuinely struggled at times to understand exactly what is expected of me. Despite remaining an NBO, I have increasingly done anything but Neighbourhood work, yet my photo remains on posters and the like, thus giving the community the impression that they have a dedicated local officer! I actually consider this in itself to be beyond misleading.
Indeed, I firmly believe it was this continuing deception to both staff and the public alike that gave birth to my now deep rooted mistrust of the Government and our entire organisation. Other factors followed further compounding my lack of faith and belief…Windsor (changes to terms and conditions); the Pay Freeze; the demolition of the terms and conditions of our pensions; the heavy cuts to frontline resources; the increasing bureaucracy despite constant promises for its reduction; the constant changes of systems, focus, direction, priorities, shift patterns, teams, geographical beats, policies, process, protocol, all without any apparent benefit to anyone other than those in the upper echelons of the promotion system.
“The result of the aforementioned? Plummeting morale. I can only truly speak for myself, but I am fairly certain my views are shared by the many not the few, that the Police Service is, all clichés aside, at breaking point…
“How some of my colleagues can turn up to work knowing they could be walking into a nightmare alone is beyond me. I have more than admiration for their individual and collective resilience. I would never claim to be the hardest of men, but once upon a time I could do this job well and was not afraid of confrontation. However, for the last two to three years at work, I have been in a permanent state of anxiety and stress.
“Despite what the Government says, this job is all about numbers. I’m happy to turn up to any job as long as I have colleagues with me. I’m brave, but I’m not stupid. I have three kids and a glass back, I need back up. I need that reassurance and assistance and it doesn’t exist.
“So Sir, it is with regret that I see no other option but to resign. I’d love to say I was riding off into the sunset, walking into a well-paid job etc., but I’m not. I’m going to be earning minimum wage and no doubt struggling financially, but hopefully I’ll be able to recover from my anxiety and depression away from what Policing has become.
“I wish all my colleagues of every rank I leave behind, all the luck in the world and they will always have my upmost respect. I nod in respect to you to Sir, I know you lead us in difficult times and I imagine with many constraints and restrictions placed upon you.
To the government I have nothing good to say whatsoever, they should hang their heads in shame.
As for me…what can I say…I am more than a number.”
Deputy Chief Constable Ian Pilling said: “GMP continues to provide the best service it can to the public whilst facing challenging times with less funding, fewer resources and increasing demand. Sadly, this is a challenge faced by police forces nationally.
“It is always regrettable when someone chooses to leave the police service under circumstances such as this. Being a police officer is a difficult job and this is particularly the case in a busy force such as GMP where the complexities create unique demands for our officers and staff, who do a fantastic job day in and day out.
“Despite these challenges, only a small number of officers leave each year through resignation. That said, I understand and accept PC Torkington’s decision.
“We wish him the best of luck for the future. On behalf of GMP and all those who worked with Joe, I would like to thank him for his dedicated service over the past years.”
Whether you’re in the Emergency Services or not, this is truly harrowing to listen to…
“… and three children are still trapped inside their flat, over.”
Words that no-one should ever have to hear.
Thank God for the fearless boys and girls of the #ThinRedLine – running into that Hell to save lives – with no idea if they’d make it out themselves.
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What does this show? It clearly demonstrates that one Officer isn’t enough against a single non-compliant person of similar strength and build. Throw another into the mix and they’re hopelessly outnumbered.
Yes, they have basic training. That’s it. It’s not great by any means. They’re not cage fighters, yet sometimes they’re expected to be.
As for the ABSOLUTE scumbag recording “the Fed got banged” (utterly hilarious…) – you buddy are everything that’s wrong with society. If, one day, you get “banged” ‘coz someone wants your mobile, innit, don’t dare call the Police for help. Man up and sort it yourself. He should be traced to his school or college and asked to explain his actions in front of his year group with parents and Police there to assist.
As we say, complete kudos to this Bobby for keeping his cool and not losing the suspect.
Only thing to add is, DON’T BE AFRAID TO START THROWING HAYMAKERS JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE BEING FILMED. If your safety is at risk – you can justify it. Hell, you can justify almost anything if someone has their arms around your neck.
Stay safe out there.
UKCH
EDIT (19/02/2015): Care of Police Survivors have also issued a Press Release which you can also see by clicking the link below.
After an insane amount of media interest – mainly jumping on the non-existent “political” angle – we thought it best to set the record straight!
Bear with us – we’ve never written a Press Release in our lives!
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The following was written by a Detroit Police Lt. We know it is American but we’re sure a number of British Police Officers will be able to relate.
Today, I stopped caring about my fellow man. I stopped caring about my community, my neighbors, and those I serve. I stopped caring today because a once noble profession has become despised, hated, distrusted, and mostly unwanted.
I stopped caring today because parents refuse to teach their kids right from wrong and blame us when they are caught breaking the law. I stopped caring today because parents tell their little kids to be good or “the police will take you away” embedding a fear from year one. Moms hate us in their schools because we frighten them and remind them of the evil that lurks in the world.
They would rather we stay unseen, but close by if needed, but readily available to “fix their kid.” I stopped caring today because we work to keep our streets safe from mayhem in the form of reckless, drunk, high, or speeding drivers, only to be hated for it, yet hated even more because we didn’t catch the drunk before he killed someone they may know.
Nevertheless, we are just another tool used by government to generate “revenue.” I stopped caring today because Liberals hate the police as we carry guns, scare kids, and take away their drugs. We always kill innocent people with unjust violence. We are called bullies for using a Taser during a fight, but are condemned further for not first tasing the guy who pulls a gun on us.
And if we do have to shoot, we are asked “why didn’t you just shoot the gun out of their hand?” And when one of us is killed by the countless attacks that do happen (but are rarely reported in the mainstream media) the haters say, “Its just part of the job.” I stopped caring today because Conservatives hate us as we are “the Government.” We try to take away their guns, freedoms, and liberty at every turn.
We represent a “Police State” where “jackbooted badge-wearing thugs” randomly attack innocent people without cause or concern for constitutional rights. We are Waco, Ruby Ridge, and Rodney King all rolled into one lone police officer stopping to help change an old lady’s tire. I stopped caring today as no one wants us around, but instantly demands answers, results, arrests, when a crime takes place.
If a crime isn’t solved within the allocated 60 minutes it takes CSI on television, we are inept, incompetent, or covering something up. If we do get “lucky” it was just that and everyone with a Facebook account can post wonderful comments of how “they” would solve the case and how “we” are not nearly as clever.
I stopped caring today because a video of a cop six states away, from a department that you never heard of, screws up and forgets his oath of honor, thus firing up an internet lynch-mob of cop haters even though 99% of us work twice as hard not to end up in the news and to still be “the good guys.” We are “militarized” because we wear body armor and kevlar helmets when shots are fired or rocks thrown at us and carry scary looking rifles even though everyone knows that they are easier to shoot and are more accurate than a handgun or a shotgun.
I stopped caring today because the culture of today’s instantly connected youth is only there to take and never give back. To never accept responsibility for ones actions, but to blame everyone else instead of themselves. To ask “what is in it for me?” versus “what can I do for you?”
To idolize gangsters, thugs, sexually promiscuous behavior, and criminals over hard work, dedication, and achievement. To argue that getting stoned should be a right, yet getting a job or an education is a hassle. To steal verus earn. To hate versus help. Yes, I stopped caring today.
But tomorrow, I will put my uniform back on and I will care again