Anti Winsor Network

It's an amazing media, Twitter. People who have never met each other, united for a cause, one that means much to them all.

In this case, it's united against the former Rail Regulator, Tom Winsor. This is the man who once stated to the government that they should keep their nose out of a business [railways] which it knows nothing about.

Mr Winsor, has obviously forgotten his very own words of advice and taken the big fat pay cheque, ironically from the government, in order to slash and cut the police like Dr Beeching did with the railway.

Mr Winsor has never been a police officer, never experienced the stress of the shifts and the dangers that go with it, never experienced the strains on relationships thanks to the sudden extended shifts due to arrests, cancelled rest days which ultimately lead to disrupted family events.

Lately, thanks to a large number of events, protests, football etc. I have had numerous rest days cancelled. I was due to go to a birthday party for my Nephew, a 60th birthday party for my Aunt but due to a lack of officers. I can't go to either.

It's going to get worse. With the Jubilee, Olympics, and mutual aid last weekend in Luton I have kissed goodbye to my last weekend off now till the end of September. The last two were cancelled, so no weekends off for me, from end of April till September.

I work the hours which entitles me to these rest days so when I have them cancelled it winds me up.

Then I see my wage slip at the end of each month. Little or no overtime. A huge chunk taken by tax and my pension, a pension which Ministers and Winsor say is "Gold plated"

Well, I've worked myself to tears sometimes. Seen stuff I don't want to see but have to carry on. Slept in the police station in order to double back due to a late job taking me beyond my hours for little or no thanks.

That pension is payed for Mr Winsor, with blood, sweat and tears. I have been punched, kicked, spat at, headbutted, knives pulled on me, a barrel of a gun pointed at me, hit with metal bars, dogs set on me, petrol bombs, bricks, bottles and stones thrown at me whilst I work the long arduous hours only for you and the media to say I'm fat and lazy and need to be pushed more.

I deal with the aftermath of death. Whether it be from a suicide, murder or car crash. I have been there to pick up the pieces, literally in many cases.

I have brought pain to many families when I tell them that their Mother, Father, Brother, Sister, Partner, Husband or Wife isn't going to be coming home, ever again.

It is a pain that we in the police feel every day. It never goes away and it feels like I leave a piece of me at every scene like that I go to.

How much of me is left to go round?

On May 10th we are protesting to this Goverment that us police officers have had enough. We've been hit hard enough as it is. We understand that there needs to be cuts, but hitting the front line is dangerous and opens the way for the streets to be taken by those who only want to do you harm.

Mr Winsor is playing with fire. He's playing with your safety on the streets. He's taking away what cannot be easily replaced. He's potentially endangering lives as calls could go unanswered, and longer response times.

Times in which you may be desperately waiting for us to arrive.

The government only see pound signs before them. They have no realisation of the potential dangers these cuts could bring as none have been in our shoes.

We have earned our money, leave our pensions and front line alone for us to keep the public safe and we will return you dividends.

I promise.



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