Andre Owen understands that a day in the life of a policeman is not easy. As a police constable, he understands how hard law enforcement officers throughout the globe fight to keep people safe. Furthermore, he understands best of all that such dedicated people need a vacation from time to time. After all, they may save lives and seem to be superheroes, but they are still human.
However, one lady disagreed when the Brighton-based police constable halted at a Burger King while on duty. Surprisingly, the anonymous female tried to humiliate Owen by accusing him of purchasing food during his shift. That’s when the cop gave the best retort he could muster.
PC Owen was taking a small lunch break during a 12-hour duty when he was embarrassed by the stranger. Owen turned to Twitter to tell his tale after being astonished by how the lady responded to him taking the time away from assisting others.
The 25-year-old officer’s tweet started, «To the woman who ridiculed me for purchasing lunch on duty.» «I haven’t taken a break since 07:05 this morning, not even for [a] restroom break.» «I’m almost 100 miles from my station and I’m due off in 45 minutes… with a two-hour commute at least!» he tweeted, sharing a picture of his fast food lunch.
It didn’t take very long for the post to become viral, with hundreds of likes and shares, gaining Owen, a five-year Sussex Police officer, more exposure than he could have anticipated. He told the UK’s Mirror that he’d had a very busy day before the lady called him out.
That day, it was 2 p.m., and he was weary, hungry, and eager to conclude his shift at 3 p.m. Sadly, he still had a hundred miles to go before arriving back at the station. Before he could go home, he had to finish a stack of papers.
«I was assigned to a critical task in Brighton five minutes after beginning my shift.» «I dealt with it before having to travel continuously to Oxford as part of the same task, single crew,» he said. «I halted at a service station half an hour into the return ride for my first restroom break of the day!» I also bought a dual whopper meal, an apple pie, a Coke, and a cappuccino while I was there. »
Of course, when the stranger saw the officer in uniform, she opted to draw conclusions about the scenario. «While I was waiting, a woman eating her own lunch started gazing at me,» Owen recounted. I took the meal, and as I went away, she muttered something along the lines of «while you’re here filling your face, there are criminals out there who need to be caught.» I smiled, and simply walked away without saying anything.»
His quiet, however, did not last long. «I put it on Twitter, and the message gained so much momentum with such a positive response,» Owen explained, adding that the tweet wasn’t meant to elicit pity but rather to expose the world to the harsh reality of his profession.Furthermore, the nasty interaction was not the end of his difficult day.
Owen stumbled upon a broken down automobile on his way back to the station. Despite the fact that it was beyond the end of his shift, he stopped and helped, stopping traffic and bringing a couple and their children to safety. «I then waited for recovery to pick them up, utilizing my blue lights to protect everyone around me.» «It made my already long day even longer,» Owen stated. He concluded his shift at 7 p.m.
«While it’s lengthy and the woman irritates me at the moment, I enjoy my work and wouldn’t trade it for anything,» PC Andre Owen said. Even though the hours are hard and unpleasant, most police officers like their employment. There’s no question that it requires love to help them through the challenges they endure.
After all, it takes a significant degree of devotion to risk your life for total strangers, many of whom would mock you for the trivial infraction of taking a lunch break—something that ordinary people may do without hesitation. When you notice an officer taking a fast snack, smile instead of making an assumption. You have no idea what he or she has been through or what they will go through — and keep in mind, they are also human.