Well it would appear that the population of Oxford are hell bent on trying to kill each other, got to work today to discover there had been another GBH overnight!! That is three in twenty four hours.................and I am sure it will turn out that alcohol has played its part in all three. Those that know me, know I like a drink as much as the rest of them, I love alcohol...wine, beer, spirits, wine......have done several courses on wine, so know my stuff, and I have no problem with people having a drink and having a good time. However, since I have started working for the police I have come to the conclusion that the majority of incidents they have to deal with are either due to alcohol or exacerbated by alcohol.
Today definitely started out quieter than yesterday, though I did manage to lock myself out of the police station at 7.30 am. I should explain, that for security reasons (obviously!!) access to the police station is restricted. Those of us that work there have access via a fob system - pass your fob over the reader and you are let in. Officers and staff from other stations are allowed in by us and can move about unaccompanied and visitors have to have visitor passes and be accompanied at all times. I went out into the back yard to exchange the CPS mail with the courier and as the door closed behind me I felt for my keys, to which my fob is attached. Bugger.....they'll be on the desk back in the office then. Okay, few options here...........go round to the front of the station and hang about until another person comes in and lets me in (bit embarrassing); knock on the window of the briefing room and interrupt the briefing and get them to let me in (mega embarrassing) and then the facilities manager, whose office opens into the back yard (least embarrassing)....phew!
We had a visitor from Abingdon with us today who was a good laugh and it is always nice to meet colleagues from other stations.....we often talk on the phone, but don't often meet face to face. She was with us to learn about registrations, that those foreign people (who we are no longer allowed to call aliens) have to do. Being the start of the university year we are inundated, so much so that during September and October, all our spare shifts are turned into middle shifts and all you do is registrations, as it makes it easier to have one person doing this. Not all stations do registrations, and previously Abingdon didn't, but they have started doing so, hence the training.
My small victory today was small, but sweet. A 'legal representative' (more about them in a minute) came into the station and said he wanted to see a client in custody. He gave me the name, and let us just say that the individual is known to police, so I knew the name (also know the person). Now when known people are in custody you tend to know, and I thought....I haven't seen the name on the custody board. Well I checked and sure enough, not there. So I went back to 'legal rep' and said 'person isn't in custody here'. I then got back 'person is here' and he starts to spell the name. Let's just say it is quite an unusual name and I know how to spell it. Well I said in my politest voice (okay, I'm lying here) 'I know how to spell it and the person is not on the board'. Response 'I don't care if person is on the board or not, person is here...call custody' Always obliging me, so I call custody and ask about said person, saying that the 'legal rep' is insisting that said person is here, even though person is not on the board. Well, turns out said person is in custody at another station. Oh, imagine my joy, having to go back to stroppy 'legal rep' and say 'person is in custody at another station'. Did I get an apology, did I heck, but the look on said 'legal reps' face was reward enough!!!!
I should explain that when people are in custody they have the right to legal representation. This can be a solicitor, but often, especially if they are on legal aid, it is a legal representative. Now they are not solicitors, though they do have legal training, and some of them are okay, but most of them are so up their own arses, you would think they are QC's. This particular one is one of the later category, hence my sweet victory.
Hubby has done day two on his own, and Slough is still on the map and the company's reputation is still intact. He is enjoying his new life as a bus driver though strangely is finding it hard to get back into the shifts. After many years of working all hours gods sends in hospitality (early starts and late finishes), he then has three weeks of doing Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm when he was a trainee, and oh how quickly did he adjust to that life. He is not finding the hours hard though and how did he enjoy his shift the other day; start about 7am, finish about 7pm, but a four hour paid break in the middle.........he came home and was paid for it. He didn't get any sweeties today though!
I have to confess, I got it wrong in my post yesterday, the pope doesn't go until tomorrow. I did tell you I wasn't interested.
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