Breathe… and carry on
I cannot put into words the emotion I felt on New Year’s Day. We know the risks, the potential for harm to us, it’s drilled into every cop on every training day. But when the unexplainable happens because of the terrible consequences of someone’s evil intent, we seem so unprepared for the crushing emotions we feel in the days after. We’ve lost someone, a friend, a colleague, a boss, one of us. It hurts and it will for ages. It is up to us to keep moving forward. We have to, it’s our job, there’s more than 5 million people depending on it.
Keep your pants on!
I tried to order some work pants the other week. Nope. The supplier closed for six weeks over the Christmas break. Then someone told me the Aussies will be our new supplier of all NZ Police gear. So not only do I have to wait six weeks for new pants, but I also have to have faith that this new supplier won’t get Bledisloe Cup revenge on us by short changing the ordered size. I question the six weeks though. Businesses swap suppliers all the time so what’s so different with this? Was a signature missed on one of the pages?
Who gets an early bath?
Our head honcho is rearranging the top floors at Molesworth St and slicing and dicing. Now, I’ve got no issue with that. I’ve said it before, PNHQ is/was the fastest-growing district Police has ever seen over the past few years – the creation of job titles no mere mortal could decipher, and the steady flow of staff from districts to the big building and never the other way round. I trust the right decisions will be made, for the right reasons. My mum always said, “When you have a tidy up, be careful what you throw out with the bath water.” Bit old school I know, but maybe wise words.
When they cut and run…
Outstanding work by the three fleetfooted cops who chased down a ride-on lawnmower. Not something you see every day and it takes top marks for “better work stories”. You three looked pretty fit sprinting down the road, body armour and all. The only thing left is to get it as part of the physical competency test. I can’t wait, I volunteer to ride the mower.
Simple acts move mountains
I worked through the holiday season, and pretty much had a ball. We came to work on Christmas Day to find heaps of food left by our boss. That simple act meant more than all the emails of praise sent throughout the year. For the entire history of policing, no matter where in the world, just leave a feed, a box of chocolates, some fizzy drink and we will climb Everest for you. It’s simple really. Thanks boss, we appreciate it.
Not for all of the tea in China
Late in December, news broke of 33 Police staff who went off to China for some team building, or relationship building, for New Zealand’s “societal elite” according to the writer. Yes, it was an opinion piece and, to be fair, I’m so far removed from being societal elite, I couldn’t care less. All that spy stuff in the article had Netflix written all over it. Proudly being a simple and happy cop, trudging from shift to shift, I think they could have gone somewhere else or, better yet, stayed home and looked after each other. My view, no-one else’s, just saying.
Take care everyone, keep moving forward, you know you can.