Many of us have hectic days where we frantically rush from task to task in an attempt to finish everything before a deadline.
Everybody has experienced those days when it’s difficult to find time to go to the restroom, much less plan our meals.
However, it’s always wonderful to have five minutes to unwind and take care of ourselves when we do get a break, and police officers are no exception.
One woman chose to ridicule PC Andre Owen for stopping during his one and only break during a 12-hour duty to get lunch.
His social media answer has gone viral, with thousands of people expressing their support for the dedicated police officer.
Andre Owen is aware that being an officer is not an easy job. As a Police Constable, he is also aware of the tremendous effort put forward by law enforcement personnel worldwide to ensure public safety.
Naturally, industrious people like our police officers require occasional breaks.
They may appear to be superheroes and save lives, but they are still just people.
After working for seven hours straight, Police Constable Owens still had a 100-mile drive and paperwork to finish when he took a break.
He made a fast stop at Burger King since he knew he needed to eat to get through the remaining hours of his shift.
Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to bother one woman in the eatery.Unexpectedly, she chose to call Owen out for purchasing food while he was working.
Computer As Owen was about to get back in his car and make the lengthy drive back to his station, a woman remarked to him, “Get yourself a burger, a soda, and some coffee.”
“There are criminals out there that need to be caught while you’re in here stuffing your face.”
At that point, the officer gave the best reaction he could muster.
Disturbed by the woman’s response when he stopped for a bite to eat after what seemed like countless hours of service to others, Owen shared his experience on Twitter.
He claimed that the woman who had criticized him for purchasing food had glared at him while he waited to receive his order before making the offensive remark.
Following PC Owen’s viral post, many of people expressed their support for the devoted officer. After five years of service with the Sussex Police, Owen received more attention than he could have ever dreamed.
“I tweeted about it, and it gained a lot of traction and supportive replies. According to the Evening Standard, he stated, “The tweet wasn’t for sympathy, but to show the public the reality behind what is commonplace in the UK.”
The policeman revealed to The Mirror that he had been extremely busy the day before the woman yelled at him.
That day, it was 2 p.m., and he was eager to end his shift at 3 p.m. Despite being exhausted and hungry.
“Five minutes into my shift, I was given a serious Brighton job assignment. After handling that, I had to drive nonstop to Oxford as part of the same job—I was the only crew member—he remarked.
“I made my first bathroom break of the day at a service station, halfway through the return trip! I also enjoyed a double whopper meal, apple pie, a coffee, and a Coke there.
At that point, the anonymous woman decided to assume certain things about the circumstances after noticing the uniformed cop.
Owen recounted, “A lady kept staring at me while I waited, eating her own food.”
“After gathering the food, she said something along the lines of, ‘While you’re in here stuffing your face, there are criminals that need to be caught.’ I smiled and simply left without saying anything else.”
The officer claimed that after offering to assist a family with a broken-down automobile, his shift lengthened even further to twelve hours.
He didn’t hesitate, even though it was after the conclusion of his shift. Owen came to a stop and offered assistance, causing traffic to stop and rescuing a couple along with their kids.
“I then used my blue lights to protect everyone around me while I waited for recovery to come get them. It made my already long day even longer,” Owen said.
Regretfully, he still had a hundred miles to travel before he returned to the station. He had a ton of paperwork to finish before he could head home.
At 7 p.m., his shift was finally over.
“I love my job and wouldn’t change it for the world, even though it’s long and the lady annoyed me at the time,” he continued.
Police are also people! I’m sure that a lot of officers can identify with PC Owen’s experience, and we are grateful for all of his efforts in keeping our streets safe.
Despite the hard and unappreciated hours, the majority of police officers genuinely enjoy what they do.
Risking your life for total strangers—many of whom would hate you for the insignificant transgression of taking a lunch break—takes a tremendous deal of commitment.
Thus, instead of making assumptions the next time you witness a cop grabbing a quick bite, smile at them.
Sometimes we have no idea what a person has gone through or what they are about to encounter. And never forget that police are also people.
