Lisburn PSNI officer hits back at criticisms from Nolan show caller

The emotional response came after comments from a caller on the Nolan Show who said that police should ‘suck it up and stop their whinging.’

In a lengthy post on PSNI Lisburn and PSNI Castlereagh Facebook pages, the officer said they took issue with the caller who said police knew what they are getting into.

The post said: “I, like my colleagues, am not that naive not to realise that when we joined this job that parts of it was going to include what many would consider the horrors of life.

“It didn’t take long before having to witness a family fall apart as their teenage daughter was receiving CPR after hanging herself and a wife scrambling to get to her husband in a smashed up car who’s already dead.

“I’ve been to houses where women have been raped and where children have been abused and more than once have had to change out of a blood stained uniform mid shift after dealing with a bad assault or a person that had been knocked down and lay dying as we tried to stop the flow of blood.

“I’ve watched as colleagues have returned from a cot death keeping a brave face but needing to take that little bit of time to themselves with a cup of tea before continuing on, because the calls don’t stop and the next person looking us, through no fault of their own, doesn’t think what we’ve just came from.

“Maybe I have been fortunate. I’ve worked with good people, Sergeants and Inspectors that have asked if I am okay, if I need to speak to anyone after dealing with something that could be particularly effecting. I’ve had good sections that will rally round especially if they think that he or she is getting it “tight” .

“Yes, we’ve been trained for certain events, incidents, call them what you may, but talking to that role player or doing that course does not prepare you for the reality of some of what we have to deal with. People have left because of it and many have “that call” that stays with them whether they talk about it or not. To ask for more help, to feel under pressure at times, or that things are just getting too much and being affected by what we do is not whinging, it’s human.

“Putting on a uniform does not take away our thoughts or feelings, does not stop us from relating to people and their pain, does not stop us from going home and looking at our children and thinking what if, or how could someone.

“We do accept that this is our job and during the course of doing our job we HAVE to deal with some unpleasant situations, because that is what we do. Nobody truly knows or can anticipate how that situation will effect them until put in that position. It’s a risk we are aware off but not something that Mr Nolan’s caller should pass off in such a dismissive way when it does effect some of us.

“In the end we are just like you, we are not flawless, we are not emotionless and at times some of us may need help too. What job someone does should not matter.”