Unbreakable?

I do really start to despair as to the general lack of fibre of our 'customers'
Some of the nonsense they report as crime to police has to be seen to be believed.
Incapable of sorting their own lives out or having some sense of 'c'est la vie' they turn to the police.The Harassment Act for instance has to one of the most abused pieces of legislation going. I spent another recent chunk of my shift giving advice on someone who was screaming about a racial incident. Turns out that this individual had had a spat with someone and although no evenly remotely racial thing was said. they insisted they could tell because it was in their 'tone of voice'.

On the last set of Lates there was so much crap on the 'box'(police parlance for the computer at which we spend so much of our time) that I had to make a cup of tea and wander outside of the nick.This was firstly to get a breath of fresh air and secondly to check our traditional blue lamp was still in place and had not been replaced by some joker with a sign saying 'Reporting centre for the socially inadequate'

There's not much in the other 'box' when I get home either to cheer me up.
The last set of 'Ashes to Ashes' went out last night and I have to wait another year before I get another wave of nostalgia from the 'Gene genie'.

There was a good scene in last nights episode when DCI Hunt went 'into one' at Lord Scarman. Basically he was saying that despite whatever the government or the anguished ranks of the liberal elite try to do to us we would be unbreakable.

Stirring words but I wonder in this day and age are we? This Government is certainly trying to finish the job.

I recall ages ago, in my first few years in, it had been a particularly heavy snowfall and only myself, another PC and a skipper had managed to make it in for the 6am Early's.The skipper looked at us as we had our first cuppa and sorted our postings out. He said 'Do you know what lads, if at least one PC turns up for the start of the shift, no matter what,the job will eventually get done.He nodded up to the next floor where the senior management lived.....'it doesn't really matter whether they turn up or not'

I thought they were wise words then and they are wise words now. Unbreakable still? I'd like to think so.

Kiplings rules.

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.”

from The Elephant’s Child, Just So Stories

I have found myself being involved in dealing with a number of suicides over the years and the Why? of the six above is the most problematic.
Why? Why Here? Why now?
The recent publicised 'suicide's of Ian Hardwick, Richard Fuller and apparently now Michael Todd have made my internal concerns resurface.This is not because they are Job as such,although we always tend to feel a greater sense of loss if it is one of our own, but simply why? and why now?.

As coppers we want answers, we want reasons. Some of those that take their lives give us one, sometimes they don't.Sometimes we can put together the reasons from background history sometimes we cant.

The worst thing about suicides is dealing with the family afterwards

They are in shock, grieving and wanting answers and a lot of the time I cant give them any.They go through the emotions from deep,grieving sorrow, to anger,to blame.

At the scene the only thing I do know is that the person who could give me any answers is lying broken in front of me.
I have experienced deep sadness for the person who has reached that level of despair that they felt it necessary to take that action.
But my greater sympathy always lies with the family and friends they have left behind.

That sixth honest serving man Why? stands alone unheard and unanswered.