Photo: YouTube
Whoever is managing the Twitter account of the West Midlands Police Road Harm Reduction Team couldn’t help but mention an incident that occurred the other day in Coventry, during a police chase.
An officer on his bike was following a man believed to be riding a stolen yellow dirt bike. The officer was thrown off his own bike in the chase and bystanders, instead of rushing to help him, rushed to take out their cell phones to film the whole thing.
Understandably, the cops are mad. Understandably, they want the public to know it. After all, if the situation were reversed, they (the cops) would rush to the bystanders’ aide and not even consider taking the time to get it all on video.
“Very disappointed to report that when one of our team was knocked off his bike while pursuing a stolen bike the first thing people thought to do was to record the incident on their mobile phones rather than help the rider,” the initial tweet reads.
“For those filming our injured colleague, the difference between us and you is if you ever need our help in future, we still respond,” the message continues, chastising this type of reaction.
Then again, this kind of reaction is a sign of our times. As a society, we’re obsessed with uploading content online, content that may boost our visibility on the internet and, presumably, make our lives better. In this particular case, it seems that people forgot to be just that, people.
For what it’s worth, the officer is ok. The BBC reports that he was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for bruises and bumps. He was in “a bit” of shock, but he will be making a full recovery.
His colleagues are urging possible eyewitnesses to the incident to come forward, to help them catch the bike thief. That includes the guys who stood by and filmed everything instead of helping out.
Understandably, the cops are mad. Understandably, they want the public to know it. After all, if the situation were reversed, they (the cops) would rush to the bystanders’ aide and not even consider taking the time to get it all on video.
“Very disappointed to report that when one of our team was knocked off his bike while pursuing a stolen bike the first thing people thought to do was to record the incident on their mobile phones rather than help the rider,” the initial tweet reads.
“For those filming our injured colleague, the difference between us and you is if you ever need our help in future, we still respond,” the message continues, chastising this type of reaction.
Then again, this kind of reaction is a sign of our times. As a society, we’re obsessed with uploading content online, content that may boost our visibility on the internet and, presumably, make our lives better. In this particular case, it seems that people forgot to be just that, people.
For what it’s worth, the officer is ok. The BBC reports that he was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for bruises and bumps. He was in “a bit” of shock, but he will be making a full recovery.
His colleagues are urging possible eyewitnesses to the incident to come forward, to help them catch the bike thief. That includes the guys who stood by and filmed everything instead of helping out.
Absolutely disgusting behaviour.
— WMP Force Contact (@WMPContact) August 29, 2018
If you have any information about this incident involving our @WMPRHRT @Trafficwmp friends please call 101.
For those filming our injured colleague...the difference between us & you is if you ever need our help in future, we will still respond. https://t.co/mPwcwtah8o
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