A good job
In amongst all the chaotic breathlessness that follows a terrorist incident anywhere in the country struggling in amongst the huge volume of calls regular police work still goes on.
Got called to an old dears flat recently. Her neighbours hadn't seen her for a couple of days and there's no reply to the door.
I put two and two together and thinking the inevitable make my way along. I check the PC en route is taking some of the door forcing kit with him. I'm expecting the routine run of reports that accompany a "sudden" death. I've never really agreed with the term sudden death. Many occasions I've been to a death the last thing it is sudden. Prolonged and lonely are more often accurate.
Anyway, we get there and speak to the caller. She's a bit more excited than I would expect someone to be who thinks their friend is dead behind a door. Turns out she's got a response from Gladys inside.
Gladys has had some kind of fall and can't move herself off the floor. She's managed to pull herself to her hallway. We shout some encouragement through the letterbox to her and set to work dismantling her door.
The door is mostly glazed and Gladys is too near it for our liking. Police methods of opening locked doors tend not to be subtle and a shower of glass is not what we need. The door is not really ideal.
The windows are wooden framed. A bit of work with a crowbar later and we're in. I won't forget her face. Exhuasted and barely enough energy to hold her head up she greets us with a smile that spoke volumes. A mixture of such relief and happiness her 3 day ordeal is over. Old eyes moist with tears.
Our job done we the ambulance boys head in. The paramedic, a young lad, pseudo-flirts with the the old girl with cheeky comments as he lifts her into the wheelchair. The knowledge it is over has given Gladys a boost and she puts the paramedic back in his place with a couple of returns like how she'd have him for breakfast. Young man.
What with all the flooding and bombs and whatnot this job has been a bright point in the last few days.
