IABU to think I shouldn't be told off by the police by daring to be a woman out alone after dark?

[MsScarlettInTheLibrary]

I was walking through a deserted cut-through at around 11pm, on my way home. I'd been shopping and to the gym, as evidenced by the bags I carried.

I happened across a pair of policemen on bikes, who saw fit to brake and tell me I 'should be careful walking by myself at this time of night'.

IABU to feel angry and offended by this?

YABU - Why are you angry? Because they cared enough to give you a warning?

You should be grateful. If that's all you've got to worry about, you are very lucky.

Gorgeous- a warning against what? Can you define that?

ha! thanks Goblin....think you're right there...buggering back off now.....ive got some days off - does that mean i can smile/chat to people when out of uniform i wonder? mmmmmmm
if i had a beard now id be stroking it.

Hmm. Choose your company or your language carefully and you will be safe.
Be careful...

god these smileys are getting out of hand now...careful peeps....too many smiley bastards on one thread could be seen to be oppressive....

in for a penny - in for a pound

Just as a complete sidetrack Vic, isn't it strange?
All those years teaching our Aspies how to respond and when to smile and how to notice there are others in the world to interact with.
And it might have been safer to allow them to stroll through the world expressionless and focused on their internal drives, ignoring the rest of humanity. Incommunicado and thus inoffensive.

cant griind us down with and patter.and nae careful either
smiley police bastards

oppressive smiley police bastards....i know, coming on here and being smiley and fucking friendly...yeah....yeah....you want some do ya? eh? eh? here then
here
have a ....yeah go on...ave some of that ...
yeah im enjoying this...sticking the in...thats me all over...ey bastard thats me that is...

AVE IT!

I wouldn't be offended at anyone expressing concern for my safety, I am such a sap that i even feel the need to than JW's for caring enough to call and try to save my soul . But I still don't think the emphasis is right - it isn't always possible or desirable to be 'careful ' and warning a woman to be so emphasises her vulnerability in an unhelpful and unhealthy way.

well if we are 'aving it well 'ard.make mine a cuppa and tell me some rozzer stories too.and dont spare me any of the be careful details either

goblin...sad isnt it. you spend your life teaching them to respond appropriately, (we did all those exercises with eastenders with the volume turned down!).. and then it saddens me that some people try so hard to be so outraged by someone being friendly, making conversation,

perhaps our aspies had it right after all...though i suspect that people who want to find offence in the simplest friendly comment are few and far between? i hope?

thank!

Sorry LadyoftheManor, I was assuming everyone on here had passed their 11+ - a warning that she could be attacked.

Vicarinatutu - as a criminal defence lawyer I would prefer if you maintained your oppressive, mysoginistic, racist persona so we all know where we stand. It makes my job so much easier when I have something to shout and wave my arms about in the custody suite - my clients don't feel they are getting their taxpayers moneys worth if everything runs smoothly.

Although I have to say there has been a notable increase in the cups of tea I am offered in recent years. Except in Colindale where they are diligently slogging away at being good,old-fashioned miserable bastards as always.

ha! if only i could scottishmummy! its an eye opener!

its a great job, but frustrating and dangerous and i do wish i didnt personally when people hate me cos i wear a uniform - im spot on with everyone i deal with. in fact i keep getting told im far too nice.

obviously joe public doesnt want nice bobbies! ill get me coat. and ensure i make no contact other than to stare menacingly now and then.

duly noted kungfoopanda....im still learning! early days!

(oops - just cant help myself)

Well it depends - you should be careful. But I agree, if they were implying that you were in some way midguided or asking for trouble then no, YANBU.

Oh and I like the way you already know YABU with your opening title.

Back at ya, Vicar.... BTW, thanks for being out there.

LOTM- you've got to help me here as I truly don't understand what you are trying to say. From your posts I have gleaned (and correct me if I'm wrong on each point)

The police were wrong to speak to her and that is based on your belief that they should be better at their jobs thereby ensuring there are no criminals about in the first place? If I have read that correctly then surely you can see that that is nigh on an impossible thing to attain? If I have read it incorrectly then can you, in laymans terms for my benefit, reiterate what your stance on the matter is?

I also cannot for the life of me see where it has been expressed that "women are to blame". Can you point it out to me?

Thank you

thing is - and i really feel the need to say this and explain how this works - the police are evidence gatherers, not judge, not jury, not magistrate, not lawyer and not crown prosecution service.

so quite often what happens is you lock someone up on suspicion of an offence

then you go around shovelling up all the evidence.

then you ask the CPS what to do with it. and quite often the answer you get is not the answer you want. but thats not the fault of the police. if you want to look for blame then i suggest people look closer to home, some of the kids and some of the seasoned criminals i come across are just tragic. we see them at the very end of a process that has gone very wrong.

it is a rather thankless job, and for those who use the "i pay for your job with my taxes" yadda yadda - i pay taxes aswell, and my taxes probably pay for the saturday night beer of quite a few of my customers too. i dont judge, i actually often feel incredibly sorry for both the victims of crimes and the perpetrators, most of my regulars know me now and i know them, and just because i do the job i do doesnt give people the right to insult me personally because i wear a uniform.

i suggest that if people really really dont like us then they just dont ring us.

Vicar You're right of course.

There are a lot of ignorant people out there (and on here).

No reasonable person would be angry because someone asked them to take care - which is effectively what they did.

lol,and if i do like you does that mean i can ring too?

There is probably a special number for people who can prove they like the police - 888 or something.