Hey. Here's a new one from me. Just need to rant a bit really, and this seems to be the most appropriate thread to do it, so bear with me, this will be quite long. My body is still all bruised and painful now, so it's on my mind a lot:
I'm not 100% sure if you could call it mental health related police encounter, even though there was depressive/suicidal reasons underlining why I drank and I had a Mental Health Assessment in the end anyway and was on suicide watch in an obs ward/room/thing, but I was sort of 'arrested' the other night for being Drunk & Incapable. The reason I say that, is because that is what I was told, but what really happened was I was strapped down in an Ambulance with police assistance (2 gung-ho officers who loved every second of it) and taken to that ward.
Now, although I was drunk, I remember most of what happened, and to a lesser extent, what was said by who. I remember looking for my key on this lawn after going out for a run after drinking a bottle cream sherry and some wine and then I remember being woken up (in my own vomit, ew) two officers and seeing flashing lights from an ambulance, now this has only kinda got back to me, but I remember sort of trying to get up and walk away, but the two officers just pushed me on the floor and I swear one kept his foot over me (I don't know if this is a false memory or if it did happen, my recollection is extremely weak at this point). This is where I went into the Ambulance (or was rather carried). During the trip, as I said, I was strapped in, and had some amazingly random conversations with the coppers about the army and it turns out one of them is an ex Royal Military Policeman (probably explains why he was so 'tough guy' like), and I think I said something about finding him hot or sexy or something, which I'm ashamed of now, partly because it turns out he was a proper c*nt. I kept trying to get out I think, but only to be restrained by everyone, so meh. At the hospital, I was held down on some bed in the obs ward by the two police officers, and they got extremely nasty. Like laughing about me and stuff. Being dead patronising. I hated being there, and when you're intoxicated, you're more confident I guess, so I kept trying to leave, only to be pinned back down on the bed by police + security several times, and two of the nurses were dead bitchy/sarcastic/patronising to me, like one quote I recall "Stop being a silly little girl, grow up and act your age (18)" and I was told I was being selfish and disturbing other patients. When I was getting my b/p taken, the two officers, and I remember this clear as day, held my hands by the wrists and knuckles in some sort of restraint tactic and told me that if I didn't shut up or fidget, they'd apply different "thresholds" of pain, and gave me an 'example' of it, and they both laughed about it. Then I remember asking/saying something about them getting off on doing it, and I swear one of the replies I got was "I do. I love my job for the fact I get to do things like this and lock up people, its why I joined the police." he weren't being sarcastic, because not only did he laugh, he then bent my wrist back really hard and made me scream to stop him and asked me if I wanted him to go to a "different" threshold. His colleague laughed, as did the security, and the nurses/other staff didn't give a damn either.
Then I remember I was was handcuffed to the bed railings at eachside and left in the room. I remember trying to chew through one of the cuffs and them laughing at me, then I was threatened with arrest for being drunk & disorderly and assault, but thankfully they never. They left soon after that (Thank God!), but I was then treated like crap by the security guards (getting pushed on the floor, my face was pushed against the wall, etc whenever I tried to escape, which I actually managed, but I was dragged to the room) and I was told I was just being an "attention seeker" and stuff. I don't really know who was worse, the police or the security or some of the staff there. None of this goes on my records because they never got my name til hours later, but I'm a bit miffed at the medical report, which was read during my MHA assessment (triggered by the fact that I begged the police to get armed police to shoot me) that said I was being "abusive to staff" and "resistant to treatment". I'm not an aggressive drunk.. just defensive, so God knows. I spoke to the police after I got home from the hospital, but that was because I officially went 'missing' during the hours I was detained at hospital, and they had no clue about what happened, which enhances my belief that the police involved didn't bother even writing up a report, so nothing was recorded against me I guess, which is a relief. I was bricking it when they said they wanted to talk to me "urgently" though, I thought I was gonna get arrested for what had happened earlier, but they turned out to be extremely friendly/concerned, so I suppose that restored my respect for the police a little bit, because during that episode, I could swear I was beginning to actually hate them. I understand that the 'general public' have no sympathy or time for 'drunken nuissances', and you know what, I generally agree, but I don't see any excuse for the belitting/borderline abusive behaviour I got from any of them. I may have been drunk (maybe not as 'incapable' as they made out), but I remember what happened, and I did not threaten or verbally/physically abuse anyone there, I only ever returned insults or lifted my hands up to attempt to defend myself, and not assault anyone. That's the first time I've been drunk in what.. 13 months? So it's not like I make a habit of it either, heh.
