Inspector Cops It Sweet
Illawarra Mercury
Monday December 24, 2007
BRUCE Griffin knew when he signed up to the NSW Police Force more than 20 years ago that his job did not automatically include time off on weekends and public holidays, even Christmas Day.
And as it turns out, the Wollongong officer, now an acting inspector, has worked about a dozen times on Christmas Day and tomorrow will be his second in a row.But he takes it all in his stride."I'd rather be at home with my family but it's a job you've got to do and I take that as it comes," he said."Christmas Day is another day. We don't have a Monday to Friday job, we've got a seven-day-a-week, 24-hours-a-day job."I have worked a lot of (Christmas Days) in my career. If the roster falls on Christmas Day and you're working, you work it, it's as simple as that."Insp Griffin is expecting a slow start to his 6am-6pm Christmas Day shift, with work increasing throughout the day."Christmas Day is generally quieter than most days in the morning," he said."However, after lunch it's a lot busier as people move out and about going to various places for lunch and dinner."As people consume alcohol too, there's more jobs for police as the day wears on." But the officers do attempt to have a little Christmas cheer."The crews usually bring Christmas lunch in," he said."But we can't always get everybody in at the one time. It really depends on what happens on that day."
© 2007 Illawarra Mercury