As a Senior ranking Special Constable as well as Civilian Staff I had a good all round knowledge of what “The Boys” were like. How wrong was I. My perpetrator was a Senior Ranking Police Officer who for eighteen months made my life hell, drove me to the brink of a breakdown and the actions taken from the investigation into his behaviour convinced me that as a woman you can never beat the funny hand shake brigade. You can get away with anything if you’re in the right gang. They all stick together.
My horror story began as an innocent comment in passing to this individual that he stank of whiskey and to be careful as he was on his way to a meeting. From that day on I became his confessor of all things as he thought I would look after him. This resulted in constant harassment, phone calls at all hours of the day and night, visits to my home, again at all hours, just because he needed someone to talk to. This was a married man with over 20 years service. Things just got worse and worse over time until I came home one afternoon to find him parked on my driveway in his car. He opened the door and screamed at me for making him wet himself because I wasn’t in and he needed to talk to me. Things escalated from there to him smashing things in his face, hitting walls, following me and turning up in the early hours when he was on night shifts and I was on days so I hardly slept.
My breaking point was when I begged him to leave me alone after yet another of his middle of the night phone calls and he threatens that if I didn’t talk to him he would obtain the keys to the Forces gun cabinet and go blow the heads off Control Room staff. It broke me and I made a complaint that morning. I was contacted by welfare to be told they had known for some time this had been going on but had needed me to make a complaint before they could do anything. Other Senior Officers then got involved and the perpetrator was asked to go on sick leave. It was then things really turned on me. They tried to make out the “poor man” wasn’t well. They tried to get evidence I had started to gather which included a letter he’d written that clearly showed he was unhinged. I was sent to the Force Doctor who was more concerned about “The poor man who had given so much to the Force and why was I intent on making trouble as he was due to retire in eighteen months.” He went on sick leave and I had to continue to work while the investigation went on. I was told not to tell anyone and was completely on my own.
The outcome? He went out on a full pension no questions asked. I was ostracised, moved into lesser jobs until it was decided the section I was in was no longer viable and they couldn’t offer me anything other than put me back in the position I had been forced out of in the first place. He however was brought back to the station while I was in the building and wasn’t even told. You’d never have guessed that this was the same man. Everybody was going on about what a “Good Old Boy” he was and it was such a shame. They put it down to his not being able to put up with all the new changes that were occurring within the Force. It was at this point I broke and went off sick as I just couldn’t cope any more. The outcome was my being asked “what more did I want as the poor man had lost his job because of me.” I eventually resigned as I knew the knives were out for me as I’d dared to report one of their own. I’ve never been the same. Have had Counciling, CBT Therapy and light therapy for PTSD. Suffer from acute anxiety to this day and depression. I was totally let down and thrown to the wolves. I’ve heard it all and seen more. Police Officers get away with far too much and believe me your’e no safer if you work for them either. As a woman you’re just a “Bird”.
Constabulary: N/A or Prefer not to say
Timespan: Twenty four years
Did you report it to the police?: Yes
Your ethnicity: White British
Have you experienced suicidality due to this?: Prefer not to say
Are you disabled as defined under the Equality Act 2010?: Yes
