So many of us have busy days where we rush from one activity to another in an effort to finish everything by a certain time.
Everybody has experienced those days when finding time to use the restroom, much less plan our meals, is difficult.
But when we do have a break, it’s wonderful to have five minutes to unwind and eat. A police officer has the same right.
One woman chose to humiliate PC Andre Owen for stopping during his one and only break in a 12-hour duty to get lunch.His social media answer has gone viral, and thousands of people have expressed their support for the dedicated officer.
Andre Owen is aware that an officer’s day is not an easy one. He is also aware of the effort put forth by law enforcement personnel worldwide to maintain public safety because he is a police constable.
Of course, dedicated individuals like our police officers and cops occasionally need a break.Even though they appear to be superheroes and save lives, they are still simply human.Police Constable Owens had been working nonstop for seven hours and still had a 100-mile drive and paperwork to finish when he took a break.
He made a brief stop at Burger King because he knew he needed to eat to get through the remaining hours of his shift.
Unfortunately, there was one customer in the restaurant who didn’t give a damn.Unexpectedly, she made the decision to humiliate Owen by pointing out that he had purchased food while working.PC When Owen was getting ready to go back in his car and drive the considerable distance back to his station, a woman spoke to him:
“Whilst you’re in here stuffing your face, there’s criminals that need catching out there.”
The officer then launched the strongest possible defense. After spending what seemed like endless hours serving others, Owen was shocked by the woman’s response when he took a break to eat. He then shared his experience on Twitter.
He claimed that the woman who had criticized him for purchasing food had been staring at him while he was waiting to pick up his order before making the remark.
Following PC Owen’s viral post, many of people expressed their support for the dedicated officer. Five years into his employment with the Sussex Police, Owen received more attention than he could have ever dreamed.
“I put it on Twitter and the tweet gathered so much momentum with such positive support. The tweet wasn’t for sympathy, but to show the public the reality behind what is commonplace in the UK,” he said, according to the Evening Standard.
Before the woman yelled at him, the policeman stated that he had a very busy day. He was hungry, exhausted, and prepared to conclude his shift at 3 o’clock that day at 2 p.m.
“Five minutes after starting my shift, I was assigned to a serious job in Brighton. I dealt with that and then had to drive nonstop to Oxford as part of the same job, single crewed,” he said.
“Half an hour into the return journey, I stopped at a service station for my first toilet stop of the day! While there, I also got a double whopper meal, apple pie, Coke and a cappuccino.”
When the unidentified female saw the officer in uniform, she decided to assume the worst about the circumstances.
“A lady, eating her own food, kept staring at me while I waited,” Owen recalled.
“I collected the food and as I left she said something similar to ‘while you’re in here stuffing your face, there’s criminals that need catching out there,’ I smiled, and just walked away without saying a word.”
The cop claimed that after offering to assist a family with a broken-down automobile, his already lengthy shift—which had already been extended to 12 hours—became much longer.He didn’t hesitate even though his shift had already ended. Owen intervened, stopped the flow of traffic, and helped a family escape danger.
“I then waited for recovery to pick them up, using my blue lights to provide protection to all around. It added another hour onto my already long day,” Owen explained.
Unfortunately, he still had a hundred miles to go before reaching the station again. He had a mountain of papers to finish before he could go home. He finally finished his shift at 7 pm.
“Whilst it’s long, and the lady annoyed me at the time, I love my job and on the whole, wouldn’t change it for the world,” he added.
Police ARE also people! I’m sure a lot of police can identify with PC Owen’s experience, and we appreciate all that he has done to keep our streets safe. Even if the hours are hard and unappreciated, the majority of police officers genuinely enjoy their work.
Risking your life for complete strangers, many of whom would loathe you for the little transgression of taking a lunch break, requires a great deal of commitment. So, instead of making assumptions the next time you see an officer grabbing a quick bite, smile.We don’t always know what they have gone through or what they may soon encounter.
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