Have you wondered how many kids when asked what they want to become, 60% would reply “Police”. A lot of my class mates replied the same. Most of the people are attracted towards the uniform, power, authority, respect, catching bad guys, becoming a hero, the employment benefit and many more. People feel it is the most lucrative job with lot of under the table income. But have you wondered how their life is, what are the professional challenges at work, what are the repercussions in their personal life.
In this blog I have shared the other side of a Police man which most of us tend to ignore or we don’t even consider that they also can have a personal life.
1. Risk:
A police officer’s prime duty is to protect the society at the cost of their own life. They have to deal with criminals, anti social animals on daily basis. There is danger everywhere, the threat of getting injured or death is at every step. It is a very challenging and a thankless job.
2. No respect:
Although it is termed as a respectable job but there is a saying, “One fish can dirty the entire pond” it holds true here also. Bribery has become very common in this profession and people look at every police men with the same eyes. But still there are few who consider this as a respectful career.
3. Pay is pathetic:
The pay of a police man is not enough if you compare it with the kind of danger they face every day. The pay structure is very low and also insufficient to take care of their family.
4. Stressful job:
The job profile of a police man is quite disturbing and very stressful. They have to be a part of human misery on daily basis. Police men are expected to respond promptly on every situation. They have to work on long shifts without getting proper sleep, rest, food. Their life is revolved around people and dealing with human being is the most difficult job. Even if it’s the worst day of their life, they still have to take care of other’s problem. They have to deal with a lot of pain mental and also physical which they can’t even share with their family and keep everything inside.
5. No festivals for them:
Have you ever seen a cop sitting at home during diwali, holi or other festivals. During festivals they have to work longer hours to protect us from any mishap. Have you ever thanked a police man for letting you celebrate your favorite festival with peace? Their families do miss them and also want them to be around. But, they are on their feet for our safety.
6. No fixed hours:
A police men job is a full time job. There are no weekends, no public holidays. They have erratic schedule which disturbs their entire family life. The irregular hours pays a lot of toll on their lifestyle and also their health. They have no fixed time to sleep or eat.
7. Scrutiny:
A police officer is under scrutiny all the time whether off duty or on duty. They are in public eye just like a politician and a celebrity. People judge their actions on the basis of lot of negative publicity prevailing in the society.
8. Dealing with the stereotypes:
We have a preconceived notion about police that they are corrupt and harsh. People often misinterpret them as unpleasant, loud and rude where as the reason is they have to deal with bad people and difficult situations therefore their profession demands them to be serious. Public have a lot of distrust on them but majority of the police officers are ethical. Movies, media and televisions are responsible for this stereotype as police men are portrayed in a bad manner.
9. Dissatisfaction in the job:
There is a lot of frustration and dissatisfaction sometimes due to political pressure, media, their superiors, public image and many more. The motivation level decreases with time and they also start feeling bad about their job. Of course, pay structure is also not that great.
A cop is a human first then a cop. We should not judge them on their every action. People feel it is a very happening and an exciting job but you don’t have any idea of what it is like to be a police man. They are also baby sitters to human beings, dealing with the danger alone, driving endlessly without any destination, risking their life, staying away from their families. They sacrifice their personal life for society.
Last but not the least, not every cop is same. Be kind to them and treat them as human being. Trust me they will help you with all their strength and power. Next time you see one, go and hug them and say THANK YOU.
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