Why do people become police officers?
I retired from the Police Service after 30 years service. When I decided to join I was very young (in my late teens) and I had an idealistic view of what the job entailed, I wanted to help people and to catch criminals. I never gave a thought to the hours of boredom that surveillance involves, the hours of paperwork or the pain of seeing the effects of violence at close range. I can say with certainty that the helping people part of my early imaginings is the part that gives the most lasting pleasure and the witnessing of the dark side of life is what gives the longest lasting pain.
