The Cops – Not Just a Job is not a book for the faint hearted or sensitive reader. However if you want a taste of the day to day life of a cop attempting to deal with people most of us would not like to encounter, this is the book for you.
It deals with events like break & enters, suicides, drug overdoses, thefts, home invasions, gang rapes and murders. All are seen through the eyes of a first responder and investigator of such events. The book is essentially in two parts – reflecting the author’s working life. The first deals with time as a general duties officer. Here the events occur rapidly leaving many questions to be asked– who were these people, what were their backgrounds, what happened. However, it reveals that a general duties cop often does not know these answers. He/she just has to deal with the event, on the spot, the best they can.
The second part of the book describes the author’s life as a detective. Here we begin to be able to understand the background to the crimes and what happened after the initial event. It is where we meet some very undesirable people – a group of teenagers who gang rape a woman. The experience, so horrific, that she hoped that she would quickly die during the ordeal; a man who kidnapped his partner who was attempting to leave him. He shot her and, as she was dying, raped her; an escapee, who was determined not to return to goal, attempts to knife the author.
Fortunately, for the reader, humorous incidents intersperse these crimes to give the reader some relief. After reading about many of these incidents, readers need to stop and digest what was being described, many are left wondering how a person could cope emotionally with going to work every day knowing that they would probably have to deal with the most confronting events imaginable and also with a reasonable chance of suffering injury. Answers to these questions may well deter many from wanting to join the police force.
The Cops – Not Just a Job gives an insight into a side of life most of us do not experience. It raises many issues – ethical, practical and psychological – which would be helpful for both serving and prospective police officers to discuss.
These tales include. # Burglary & pursuit. # Signal One wedding. # Person on premises. # Armed siege. # Drug overdose. # Suicide. # Brawls. # A.I.D.S.# Cold case shipwreck. #Murder. # Home Invasion. # Cannabis Plantations. # Arson. # Child sexual assault. # Gang rape. # Double attempted murder. #Escapee shot, recaptured.
About The Author
A former boilermaker, miner, barman, bus & tour operator, police officer, event manager and now author who enjoys telling a good yarn and anecdote.
Born and bred in the far west New South Wales town of utopian Broken Hill and at twenty years of age worked deep in the bowels of the earth digging for a living. While shut off from a world that he yearned to be a part of, well away from the barren plains, heat and flies.
After a close call underground where he was nearly entombed, he left the isolation for a flight aboard QF1, bound for London where at first he was baffled by the hustle and bustle of the city. That initial trepidation wavered for an enjoyable life among new people, work and constant travels to the continent. Within a year he was behind the wheel of a double decker bus taking young colonials around Europe with Top Deck Travel before taking on the arduous trips to the Indian sub-continent. That time with Top Deck ended after some four years with a final trip, a 20-week tour, Sydney to London.
With an uncertain future and accompanied by Mathilde, his new love from the Netherlands. Sydney was the location for this, the next chapter, along with a new career with the N.S.W Police. The cauldron of Cabramatta was the set for this episode. After a few turbulent years a new home and posting was found at Forster with his now wife and three sons.
After 21 years as both a uniformed officer and detective, early retirement was an unavoidable result of a serious 'Hurt On Duty' incident. This work 'The Cops, not just a job' was published in 2019. It follows 'Crossing Continents with Top Deck' published 2017. Both are self published, marketed and distributed. A third title, 'Berlin's Hollow Homes' will be released soon.
