Do people ever stop to think about how much sacrifice is made by our police officers?

CGIV76

Nice question.
You deserve the 10 points for this one.

As a Police Officer, I always went out of my way to thank others in any type of service industry, and in retail.

It always made my day to have someone thank me, just for doing my job. Money and benefits don't mean as much as being appreciated.

Bear

Thank you for the thought. It is appreciated.

Most members of the public do respect the police. The detractors on Yahoo are in a small minority.

I do accept that the government are pushing the police to give them statistics and figures in order to achieve funding. This obviously works its way down to the officers on the streets, who take the brunt of that. Regardless most officers are willing to go out and get stuck in. I have chased numerous people into derelict buildings, houses and unknown areas, where it clearly could be dangerous. Although I could just let them go I accept that I should do all I can and therefore make the effort to catch them. I deal with the situation as I find it. One day I could come unstuck, but that's the territory I work in.

I am painfully aware of the number and manner in which UK police officers have died whilst on duty. Those officers made the ultimate sacrifice.

Yes the pay is OK and the pension too (serving officers pension contributions cover the pensions paid out by the way), but equally I could do a desk job with no risk for more money. I'm not moaning because I choose to do what I do.

Thanks again.

SFC_Ollie

Wow, I thought maybe I was all alone in the world.

Yes I have, and have even helped direct traffic during emergencies until other units showed up.

Some of us know that our law officers first and foremost duty is to protect the people. And a few of us do appreciate it.

trooper3316

Thanks for the kind words.

By the way, Stormy, we pay taxes too. And most of us contribute to our pension.

joan k

Yes i have actually, a CID Officer who went out of his way to help and support. Am I in the minority?.

Mr Abba

I believe they do an excellent job and deserve respect.

Emily & her mommy love Da Bears!

I have many relatives, including my dad, who are police officers. What a lot of people don't really think about or even understand is that EVERYTIME a cop kisses his wife & kids good-bye when he leaves for work may be the last time they see him alive. It is a very dangerous job. They risk their lives everyday just to protect and to serve the public. Police officers should be respected & thought of as heroes. I'm not sure if I've ever said "thank you", but I am very appreciative of the sacrifices of my relatives & their brethren.

Pete

Having lived around the world you realise just how great the UK police are... professional, polite and helpful. Without doubt the best in the world.... people moan about them but where would we be without them?

203

Maybe some do but it's easier for the spineless to snivel and criticise behind their keyboards at those doing a job they will never have the backbone, strength of character or balls to do themselves as long as they live.

firebobby

Police officers are only enforcing the laws of the land.
We all have different attitudes to the way we carry out our own jobs or conduct our own lives and have time to make adjustments and decisions. A police officer has to make split second decisions that could result in his/her death or that of a member of the public.If you truly have nothing to hide, why worry?
Don`t knock them, one day you may need them.

airforcewolf

Well, I never said it although I certainly respect all of them. It's a hard job and it's also dangerous. It takes a lot of courage and a lot of willpower. It can also be very stressful. So yes, I commend them.

rookie

Your statement/question should be posted all over the world!! I think everyone needs to ask themselves that question -- people say how much the Police bother them, etc..... but, who is the first person they call when THEY need help?!?

resignedtolife

I'm extremely grateful for them but no I never have said thank you to them.

Call Me Babs

Some cops don't deserve to be told the time of day, but yes, I have said thank you to many police officers. And yes, I think they are under appreciated.

Antioch

Yes, I sincerely appreciate them doing a job I, frankly, have no interest in doing nor the ability.

But, no, I would never approach an officer and thank them - they might think I'm a wierdo.

I work really closely with the police where I live and they have said that it stuns them when a member of the public says thanks. I rang an office I knew once just to say hi, how you're doing and he said no one had ever done that before. It goes both ways too - their boss recently emailed and thanked me for my support. Community should be fully inclusive.

Ian UK

I'm not going to enter into a debate about this as it will get me nowhere.

I will however thank you for your support.

bill

I would never approach them and say that, they would probably lift me on a breach of the peace because they think i am taking the piss

Robert G

No, and I know better than to be so naive.

I've ridden along with police. I've seen things and become privy to things that are SO injust that it doesn't even begin to warrant a thank you by anybody.

I've been deputized thrice.

I've been authorized to start putting bullets into a guy if he did one of a short list of things, and he did three of those things, but he didn't do the one thing that I knew would actually make him a threat to anybody's safety, so I didn't pull my trigger, and the guy is still alive, with no idea that his very own death warrant had been consciously ignored over some very understandable misunderstandings.

Did he ever thank me for that? No. Nor do I expect him to. I hope he never learns. I don't EVER want him or his family to learn just how readily the rest of the local law-enforcement community was willing to snuff out his life without even BEGINNING to give him the benefit of any doubt.

Any law enforcement officer who expects any kind of grattitude for doing his job right, is someone who should be switching careers to something like being a commission-only salesman.

Just remember, the next time you thank an unknown-to-you police officer, you might actually be thanking the one who shot and killed the amber alert suspect who had the missing kid stow away in his vehicle because the custodial parent didn't want the kid spending any more time with the now-dead-suspect.

Or you might be thanking the officer who was too illiterate to read the instructions that come with every box of bean-bag shotgun rounds, killing the suspect who was at that point being a threat to nobody.

Or you might be thanking the officer who will wind up shooting a bunch of his former schoolmates to death.

Or you might be thanking the guy who goes around in an undercover role of convincing the populace that something illegal isn't so bad and doable and even demonstrate how impunable the perpetrators of such (like him) are, all in order to then allow others to come in and catch those people on camera, giving probable cause to arrest and prosecute otherwise upstanding citizens.

A good police officer is one who does his job, does it right, and accepts praise from nobody out of the full knowlege that by doing his job right, nobody is going to be completely happy with his actions and decisions.

All the rest are NOT good police officers, and therefore not even minimally worthy of anybody's thanks.

washerl

thanks for what???
perhaps for 3+ points in the licence; I bet you are police too.

Are you serious! Thank a cop for what? Acting like they are all above the law? Beating up people? Tasering old people
and tasering just for fun? lying? Being rude? Cops are to be ignorned and not a one of them should be armed!

Catman Do

No one is forced into the service of law enforcement. They all made the choice and persued their careers. If the "sacrifices" are too great, they can always seek other employment, but, there seems to be ample enough rewards and benefits to keep most of them on the force

david b

people do thank them when they do someting useful but that is unheard of nowadays

papuman2000

Government lackys.

TURANDOT

Want to walk up to a hero and say thanks? Thank your sacrificing mother for all the lost nights nursing your fevers, the warm meals on the table, the times she made it through the month wanting for anything so you could have food, clothes, and lunch money instead!
Why thank a very well paid cop who will not do anything he isn't paid for?

ghost

They get paid to do their job. I get paid to do my job. Nobody thanks me, I do not intend to thank them. A few of them have contributed to destroying my life. I had a hand in it as well.

INSOMNIAC

They do a service to the community but they have an attitude that it is us against them , and that includes anyone who is not in law enforcement, further there are always a few bad ones who make the entire department look bad.

gortamor

No, they are brutal and I do not trust them.

mac1hull

As much as I totally HATE and dispise the police, I actually congratulated a traffice cop today in Boston BECAUSE this is the first time in over 30 Years I have seen a traffic cop in Boston (they've been using 'cadets). It's about frickin time!!

So a real cop and not a cadet was out there in the cold on Tremont street near Park Street Station directing traffic. I couldn't believe my eyes - its only been 30 YEARS.

If I see a beat cop I'll faint!

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