Hey there dear Lighty friends,

What a funny old week it's been - particularly energy wise. It's almost been impossible for me to navigate these vibrations from one day to the next. From my personal perspective, they have felt really boggy and thick - for a time there I felt completely stuck. I found the overall experience, completely frustrating and 'titchy ditchy bitchy' lol. Thankfully, as this week draws to a close, these frequencies seem to be somewhat lifting and easing to a great degree. It's like this week, these overwhelming energies reached a crescendo, a peak and now are beginning to gently subside - thank goodness. I was on the verge of completely exploding, almost pushed to the brink of no return. I guess I can relate a lot of this adverse and negative expression to a lot of 3D 'crappola drama' that has been currently going on in my life. Yes, I decided to take this stuff on, but I have my personal reasons behind undertaking such, let's say - rebellious action.

I happen to work in probably the most disciplined, controlled, heirarchial environment that you can imagine. The Police Service. Not much room for autonomy, but I manage my own sovereignty in a very confined and restricted environment. I guess, I'm regarded as a bit of a maverick and unconventional by the Services standards - but hey, aren't we all??? I regard what has eventuated, as my own little private Waterloo heehee. Let me elaborate further.

You see - every year the Police, along with the army and emergency services conduct, what they call a JIG exercise (JIG meaning Joint Intelligence Group). This incorporates a fake scenario, where there is an immediate threat to the safety and welfare of the community at large. It's as close to reality as you can possibly get, even victims acting out serious injuries with fake blood and all that kind of stuff. You've probably seen or observed one of these events being undertaken or broadcast on the public media at some time in your life. It's a more like a exercise in First Response - how we handled the scenario and what we could have performed better is identified on debriefment.
 
A couple of weeks ago, we performed a statewide JIG manouver. So staff and officers of the Police Service are nominated to serve on the JIG, five days are set aside and the JIG operates 24/7 during the full week from a forward command post, in an MIR (Major Incident Room), which is usually established at Police Headquarters. We are required to work in shifts, (well I got most of the 'doggo' shifts 10p - 8a), I was placed in registry unit with four other officers, which is the first command post where information from the field is relayed, registry then disseminates this information to the relevant intelligence cells for immediate action.

To cut a long story short, we worked our ring holes off for three days straight. The situation was alleviated by Wednesday, everything was under control - case solved, book closed. We were all completely knackered, because it's a very intense and stressful environment to perform in. You have to keep a cool head, and be extremely flexible and be able to reprioritise at a moments notice. So those of us in the registry unit, were basically sitting there twiddling our thumbs and doing nothing and anything to fill in the time, we were even playing 'hangman' at one stage lol. To our complete relief, our OIC (Officer In Charge) entered the room and told us to go home, that we could have the next two days off to recuperate but to report for muster at 0800hrs on Monday morning - BAU (Business As Usual). Great, bonus a four day weekend - which btw we really needed as most of us were utterly exhausted. We were just following the directions of our superior.

The following Monday morning we all rock up for muster, then after muster they (TPTB) called those of us who were working in registry aside. Took us into a private interview room and said that we were not surposed to leave the MIR. Even though a direction was given by our OIC, it was unauthorised from a higher ranking officer. They wanted us to take the two days off as LWOP (leave without pay) or, if we had accrued enough time on ATA (Accrued Time Allowance - extra time accrued if you work beyond your rostered hours) we could use that. Naturally, we were all a bit upset, but I was livid. I refused to sign the paper that would allow payroll to deduct our wages accordingly. Apparently if we all didn't consent to this edict, they couldn't actually do anything. I was furious, that they could do this to us because of somebody elses mistake. I refuted, saying that if we were on on unauthorised leave, they should've informed us immediately on the following Thursday or Friday and asked us to report for duty asap. Why wait until the following Monday to let us know of this discrepancy. We were NOT responsible, so why should we wear the brunt of managements careless error. Naturally, my attitude went down like a lead balloon with the upper echelons of power. The other three officers just sat there, they never said a word.
 
I was rather harshly informed that I WOULD sign this piece of paper or suffer the repercussions of disciplinary action. Defying a direction from an OIC. I just stood up and said 'Go your hardest - but I'm not signing that bloody piece of paper' and then, promptly stormed out of the room. Consequently, the other three officers refused to sign it as well. We all conferred together at lunch break and were complaining about the injustice of it all. That the specific officer who gave the instruction should be held accountable, strange thing - he was one of the OIC's who confronted us with this unfair decision. Covering his arse I guess. I thought I had better get some legal advice regarding this matter, so I contacted my Union and was told there was no legal recourse they can take unless we all sign the submission. So I just thought - well that is that. They really couldn't do anything in the long run.

Well it was far from over as far as 'they' were concerned. So this is how 'they' work - the old divide and conquer technique, works in 99% of cases, to break a suspect down. They decided to interview us all individually, set one against the other. I was last to be interviewed, by this time I knew the other three had signed the submission to have their pay deducted. I guess TPTB regarded me as the 'ringleader' with complete mutiny in mind. During the course of the interviews between management and the other officers, I had even been confronted and singled out in the Lunch Room, by the OIC who gave the initial directive. He said to me, whilst I was making a cuppa 'You know your name is being mentioned in very high places?' I just responded, 'Well I'm glad I've given somebody something to talk about'. Then walked out of the room. Definately did not want to engage further.

So as it goes, it goes. I was called into my interview with the Big Guns, including the Assistant Commissioner, Superintendent and Inspector of our region. I wasn't the slightest bit nervous, which was weird on my behalf. I just sat down at the table, across from the panel of inquisitors. I was waiting for them to pull out their plyers to commence painfully extracting my fingernails one by one heehee. The really were trying to intimidate me, all that blue and brass, I wasn't intimidated at all. They pushed the piece of paper in my direction and ask me to sign it. I just shook my head - 'Nup - not doing it'. 'Why not?' they asked very sternly. 'Because it's not my fault, I was following a direction from a superior officer, so basically at the end of the day, we were just doing as we were told'. There was a bit of a silent Mexican standoff between us for a few minutes, then the Super asked me 'Well what would you like to see happen in this instance?' I said, 'Sir, I wish to see a win/win outcome - where nobody is out of pocket. Look it was an innocent error, a mistake on somebody in mangements behalf. So why don't we just all admit there was a stuff up and leave it at that?'. The AC leaned across the table, 'So your definately not going to sign it then?' 'Sorry Sir, with all due respect, I will not compromise my morals or ethics regarding what is right or wrong in this instance - so NO - I'm not going to sign it'. With that I was dismissed from the interview, and returned to my normal workplace.

The last couple of weeks have kind of coasted along, albeit I've had a few snide remarks personally made to me from the higher ranking officers. So I've more than likely been targeted for some sort of bullying or harrassment in future. Whatever - I don't care. This afternoon I received a phone call from my Inspector, advising me that there will be no further repercussions and our leave will not be deducted from our pay. A small and shallow victory perhaps, sure I could've just signed that piece of paper and averted all this unnecessary drama and trouble, but it's the principle of the matter that I was standing up for. The other three officers were over the moon when they heard the news - pats on my back all around. As I walked out of the office this afternoon as I was leaving, I shouted down the empty corridor, because I couldn't help myself, those famous lines from the movie Braveheart 'You can take our lives - but you kinna take our freedom'. One small lonely head, that of the Superintendents, stuck out through his door - he just shook his head in disbelief and somewhat amusement and popped it back into his office.  I'm just asking for trouble I guess lol. I just can't help my wild heart.

Much love to you all
Ish )O(