As a serving officer with GMP I can only say that this is one of the most offensive and inappropriate threads I have read in along time.
I was in work yesterday when we heard the news and the overwhelming feeling of shock has been palpable. It has been like a black cloud has descended over Manchester. We then had to try and carry on doing our jobs despite the devastating news because we are professionals.
But I wept in the car on the way home. I was close to tears going to pick my children up thinking that maybe somewhere there were children waiting for a mother that may never come. I wept each time it came on the news and my youngest kept asking me what was wrong.
It was the first thing I thought of this morning when I woke up. I thought that only 24 hours earlier Fiona and Nicola would have been doing exactly the same not knowing it was the last time they would ever get ready to go to work. I thought of the people they had left behind and I shed a few more tears.
Today we had a minutes' silence at 11 o'clock but it was hardly necessary. Everyone had worked in almost complete silence with really only one thing on their minds. Colleagues went to the scene to lay flowers but I really just couldn't. It's been all so overwhelming.
I had never met Fiona or Nicola and never worked with them but the Chief Con used words to describe them as human beings not Police Officers in uniform. There have been many words used to describe their professionalism and dedication but the words used to their personalities, 'gentle', 'bubbly' chatterbox are so much more descriptive and meaningful. I am sure bubbly and chatterbox would be words used to describe me (in fact I think they were at a recent award ceremony)but I wouldn't think for one second that it in anyway was an attack on my professionalism because I would take that as read.
There have been a number of threads recently about 'why would a woman not want to be described as a feminist' and it's issues like this which mean I am one of those woman who will not refer to themselves as such. It is of so little consequence that the term 'girls' was used instead of 'women' (I imagine the word ladies would have offended some!!!) that I can't even waste a minutes thought on it. Personally I am extremely flattered if I am referred to as a girl due to my advanced age and as I am confident in my own abilities would never feel it was a reflection on my 'professionalism' which is how it should be.
Unlike a lot on this thread I will not upset myself over the use of insignificant words.I will instead go to work tomorrow and do the professional job I always do which involves managing a group of 20 officers most of whom are male. I know they respect me because I am good at my job and I really won't give a flying f**k whether they call me a girl, lady, woman, ma'am are boss because there really more important things to worry about................
RIP Fiona and Nicola