So, get this, a police officer has been suspended from driving because they were caught watching a football match while responding to an emergency. Can you believe it? The incident happened last year in South Wales, and someone managed to capture it all on video. The footage shows two officers in a police vehicle with flashing lights, but instead of focusing on the road, they had a game streaming on a phone that was resting on the dashboard. Talk about multitasking!
Now, you might be wondering what happened to these officers. Well, the police force takes road safety very seriously, as they should. They expect their officers to maintain the highest standards of behavior and professionalism at all times. So, it’s no surprise that the driver has been suspended from driving by the force’s driver training unit. They’re not messing around!
In the video, you can hear one of the officers laughing, and the siren is blaring in the background. The footage was filmed by the passenger and reportedly taken in The Woodlands, Llantwit Fardre. And guess what? The match they were watching was an Arsenal victory over Crystal Palace. I guess they just couldn’t wait to find out the score!
Local councillors Karl Johnson and Sam Trask were not happy when they saw the video. They released a statement expressing their disappointment and concern. They said, and I quote, ‘We are extremely disappointed to see footage of what appears to be a police vehicle traveling through our community on sirens whilst watching what looks like football on a mobile device.’ They also mentioned that they have been working hard to address issues of antisocial car driving and speeding in the area, so this incident was definitely not what they wanted to see.
The police force claims that they were made aware of the video on October 6. But get this, when the person who filmed the video showed it to an officer at Barry station, they were told, and I quote, ‘that’s not good.’ Well, no kidding! But then, they had to wait for weeks before getting an update. Talk about frustrating! The person who filmed the video believes that the officers’ distraction with the football match could have put people’s safety at risk. And honestly, I can’t blame them for thinking that.
So, what’s the lesson here? Well, it’s pretty simple. When you’re on duty as a police officer, your focus should be on the job at hand, not on watching football. I mean, come on, there’s a time and a place for everything. And when you’re responding to an emergency, that’s definitely not the time to catch up on the latest match. Let’s hope this incident serves as a reminder to all officers to stay focused and prioritize the safety of the public. After all, that’s what they’re there for, right?