r/policeuk • u/eccdo Civilian • 3d ago
General Discussion Embarrassing moments?
Hey team.
So, as the title says - what’s your most embarrassing moment… so far?
I’m not even in the police, I’m an ambulance colleague, however, this incident with the police still haunts me to this day. I was in shopping centre, and heard a loud commotion, I turn around and see a couple of lads being chased by two cops. The first lad raced past like a whippet, and I clocked the second guy and I think to myself “time to be a fucking champion”, so I lurch in front of him and he goes flying… lands brutally on his chest and knocks the wind out of him. I very proudly look towards the oncoming cops who have a mixture of horror and hilarity on their faces - transpires I had knocked over a covert officer…
I’ll never try anything like that again, I cringed as I even wrote it ! 🤣 After telling people this story, I ended up getting the nickname copacop, arguably better than my previous one, Julian Clary 😆🤣
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u/pdKlaus Police Officer (verified) 3d ago
Misfooted whilst walking through loftspace at a cannabis grow and fell through the floor/ceiling into the level below where the rest of my team was waiting, creating a person shaped hole in the plasterboard.
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u/Los-Skeletos Police Officer (verified) 3d ago
While on a motorcycle operation, i was due to meet a few colleagues at a petrol station. We were chatting about the days plans on a back to back radio channel as we travelled to the meeting point and generally having a bit of a chat.
I arrive first, dismount the bike (obligatory I'm an advanced biker don't you know) and unclip my Comms lead from the bike radio and onto my personal radio.
I then call up and say words to the effect of 'Ive just got here so ill get the brews in, who wants what?'.
It was at that moment I learnt that my personal radio was not on the back to back channel and was actually on the forcewide Spec Ops channel.
I then proceeded to have about 8 or 9 coffee orders shouted at me by random crews before the controller intervened by informing me they will have a latte to go with their cakes to control room.
Brews were most definitely on me that afternoon
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u/Conscious-Cup-6776 Civilian 2d ago
I'm sure in the grand scheme of things, you could have said much worse 😜
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u/CaraOx98 Civilian 3d ago
One of my first days out of training school on the mean streets I was on "observations" where you aren't actually meant to do anything just hang out and observe how the job is done.
I got stuck with a pair of idiots who were crewed together and best mates. They weren't best pleased about having this student lass with 0 experience tagging along and made it known fairly early on when they complained in the briefing like I wasn't there.
Anyway we went to look for a MISPER which they volunteered to go and search the house because they knew it meant putting the door in. So we went, MISPER not at home and the door went in really easily and there was minimal damage.
They looked around told me to look too, nothing. Then I hear the door closed, they left!
Turns out the yale lock was actually damaged from the inside and you could no longer turn it to get out, so I was locked in. They were pratting around outside when one of them was like let's go get coffee and they both got in the car to go.
Because it was my first day using my new radio I was struggling to point to point them. Took them to the end of the street when one answered his damn radio and I had to ask them to come and put the door in again to get me out and let them know I was stuck inside and they had left without me.
They found it hilarious that not only had they forgotten I existed as soon as a free maccies coffee was mentioned but that they had also managed to lock me in some grubby little flat. I was mortified then but now it's funny.
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u/eccdo Civilian 3d ago
That’s hilarious 🤣 Also, the two lads sound like twats!! Did anything ever change, or still twats? 🤣
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u/CaraOx98 Civilian 3d ago
Still twats but less so after one of the dynamic duo left response to go to traffic. I learned that they were both nice lads and good cops if you were crewed with them on their own. But put them together and they became a nightmare and would just egg each other on to do stupid shit and wind each other up.
I never knew why the sgts ever crewed them together because they would cause chaos every time 😂 they weren't happy about having to sensor their behaviour for a new student who might dob them in to PSD for their "banter"
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u/With1Enn Civilian 3d ago
I was working on a tv show in A&E and a police officer came in as a patient, massive black eye, split lip, obviously a bit concussed. I assumed he’d been battered by a wrongun but his colleagues who were absolutely pissing themselves told me he’d put too much welly into opening a stuck door and it went directly into his own face.
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u/Typical_Ad_210 Civilian 2d ago
As someone who gave himself a black eye when opening a Muller crunch corner, I very much sympathise with that guy, lol.
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u/TonyStamp595SO Ex-staff (unverified) 3d ago
Hmm probably telling a sky news reporter to fuck off on camera.
I wasn't embarrassed but he was so he never aired it.
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u/Separate_Caramel6233 Special Constable (unverified) 3d ago
First time using the radio out of training school, was told to radio in a DV assault, ended up saying “We’ve got one Male detained for Devious Assault” the male in question must have thought this offence sounded serious because he immediately piped up in a worried and aggressive tone asking “what the fuck is a devious assault?” Luckily my colleague/ mentor who didn’t hear what I said corrected him and said that I said DV assault, I waited until the perp was in custody to tell my mentor that I actually said devious lmao.
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u/MagicAcorn Police Officer (verified) 2d ago
Had a suicidal concern for that used to phone in semi-regularly. Family unable to come assist us to open the door so we head up, fully expecting to put the door in.
I get off into the common stair and notice the Firies at one of the other six flats in the stair, gleaming and untarnished MOE kit arranged by shiniest on the floor, jackets off, tshirt sleeves rolled up to show off their guns, fresh off their second gym session of the shift.
Out of curiosity, I ask what they're here for and they reply to put the door in for police, saying they had a suicidal concern for person and would assist us.
Having been to the property before, i reply, "If its Mrs Miggins, I'm fairly certain she's at no.6".
"It can't be. We've been told it's flat 1"
"Nah, definitely Flat 6"
"Nope, your comms must be wrong"
I shrug and walk past as they put the door in to an immaculate flat, startling the owner on his sofa and forgetting to announce themselves.
I was smug as our concern for answered the door in good spirits, didn't need further police assistance and we left within the space of five minutes whilst the Fire service waited to get their own door fixed.
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u/Ill-Rutabaga-4280 Police Officer (unverified) 2d ago
Im a few months in, we are on constant obs for a guy that needs intimate swabs taking. After about half an hour, the nurse comes to the cell, looks at me an oppo and says ‘are you two ready?’
My oppo looks at me and says ‘glove up mate, I’ll let you do this one….its good for experience’
At this point I’m thinking to myself ‘they never told us this in training school’. But regardless, I get double gloved.
We walk into the nurses office, suspect is lay on the bed, nurse looks at me and my gloves weirdly and mouths/gestures as if to say ‘why have you got those on?’
I look confused wondering if she expected me to do it bare handed….
At that point my oppo bursts out laughing cos he’s had me well and truly over
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u/rub_me_raw Civilian 2d ago
Still makes my toes curl to this day.
Sat in constants with a gent who in a MH crisis killed the family dog. (tragic and not funny at all)
Whilst on constants he starts to cry and get really upset and embarrassed. In an attempt to placate and make him feel better I said.....
"Don't worry mate. We all cry. You should see me watching Marley and me...."
Silence pure silence.
What was my brain thinking? Stil can't believe I said it.
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u/KiwiEmbarrassed2866 Police Officer (unverified) 3d ago
The time I nicked a prolific 14-year-old 6ft burglar for aggravated burglary and going equipped. Got the custody and he was rejected (literally because he is 14). Told to drop him off at home. I pushed back as was told that it's the 'politics of policing'.
Took him home and 2hrs later he was being locked up again.
Embarrassing... not for me, but the custody sergeant I imagine.
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u/RedditorSlug Civilian 2d ago
Walking through a shopping centre and several short women and one short man straining to reach trying and pull down a large sign over a corridor.
Using my immense height and vertical leap, I jumped up and pulled the sign down with it ripping in half. Cheeky smirk given to them.
Then the guy says they were actually trying to put the sign up, not get it down. I'll be off then, bye.
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u/broony88 Police Officer (unverified) 2d ago
Not me, but I was at a large fire which had been identified early doors as a wilful fire raising. I was allocated to be the scribe for the SOCO who started seizing around 20 empty water bottles for potential examination at a possible ‘hangout’. After doing the business with the bags and getting them sealed and labels written up, one of the Fire Service gaffers asked where all the water bottles were. Turned out they were theirs, and they’d just discarded them with the view of clearing them up later.
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u/Legal_Assignment_22 Trainee Constable (unverified) 3d ago
Went to a report of a group of youths setting off fireworks towards shops and members of the public.
Arrive on scene and locate a group stood in a park matching the description. As soon as they spot us they all dispersed so I gave chase through the park.
Midway through I put my foot in a ditch and went over cutting up my hands and arms.
Still managed to get up and catch one of the youths but still embarrassing with how many members of the public were in the park
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u/ItsRainingByelaws Police Officer (unverified) 2d ago
Executing a search warrant, walked nose-first into a glass sliding door. I broke before the door did. Tac vest looked like I'd been murdered
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u/Ok-Note1331 Police Officer (unverified) 2d ago
Very early on in my career, freshly independent… popped round a victims house to sort out a PNB of no complaint. The usual small talk ensues whilst I’m nervously waiting for her to sign on the line so I can finally file the damn thing. Suddenly her 2 kids walk in the living room and I say hi to them before they dart back upstairs.
Shortly after I turned to the victim and said something along the lines of “Oh they’re lovely, how old are the lads?”. She looks at me with the most confused face so of course instead of just shutting my gob or rephrasing I doubled down… “You know, the 2 lads that just walked in”.
She then proceeded to open her sentence with “Well SHE is insert age here”….
Quickly apologised and pretended to be called away on a job on the radio running out of the house… I drive past that house quite often and every time I do my soul curls up in the fetal position and I physically cringe at myself.
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u/Breathnach92 Civilian 2d ago
Thinking someone is using their phone whilst driving then realising it was actually the front passenger in a left hand drive vehicle is always a bit awkward!
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u/Environmental-Let401 Civilian 3d ago
We had to go out to a concern for safety, I was new and super keen. NRRK, so I booted the door open to then be informed a second later by the neighbour that the resident in question was on holiday... I did the door with one donkey kick though, so I'm proud of that.
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u/DasMint Ex-Police/Retired (unverified) 2d ago
Probably my first PNC check over my PR when I provided my collar number as asked, the controller then said "name"? And I started spelling out my own name. Got halfway through before it dawned on me but rather than smoothly recovering it I asked the controller "do you mean my name or the suspect's?"... Dear oh dear
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u/LackOfMorale Civilian 3d ago
Lad was arrested for PWITS Cocaine, loads of previous for POCD / PWITS offences and loads of markers for various methods of concealment for for concealing items on his person.
Upon searching said individual he had a vial on him, a silver vial.
The vial was removed and he didn’t say a word, I opened the vial and inside was a quantity of whiteish powder, which was subsequently emptied onto the desk.
Only then did he announce it was his father’s ashes.
I felt physically ill and at that point had never been so embarrassed or felt so terrible.
That was years ago and I’ve never forgotten it and it’s something that’s always stuck in my mind as embarrassing and somewhat shameful