OK, I admit to hating dealing with drunk women and give them extra leeway. Am I alone in this? I think not. I first noticed this flaw in policing when as a young probationer I was sat in one of those old station vans with the bench seats. The senior PC had arrested a drunken howling aggressive female who was going nuts. She took a dislike to him and ended up kicking him in the face with her high heels. Despite his facial injury she was only sheeted for D and D. He was ribbed by his peers (not me) for this unfortunate incident and it was only because she was a woman and his embarrassment that she got different treatment.
I don't know why but the female of the species when drunk is particularly scathing and abusive to all and sundry. They won't listen to reason or warnings and when the inevitable happens and they have to come, they will kick off screaming that they can't be arrested and you're a bully picking on a woman. The custody officer is never best pleased either, having to put up this conduct until they sober up. Once a bloke hits the cell he tends to get his head down in a drunken slumber. Women will keep up the spiteful comments and door banging for a considerable amount of time.
Only the other week I came across a drunken melee in the street, usual Friday night stuff. I could just about make out who was swinging the punches between the crowd of men and women. I've got a couple of probs with me and get out the car to break it up before trying to see who's started it. Initial fracas over, it starts again with the men squaring up. I arrest one idiot for threatening behaviour and cuff him up. He knows me, I can't remember him but he's nicked and this calms the males, but not the women in the group. I'm this, I'm that, I'm grabbed and I could easily begin to fill up the cell space. As it is we end up arresting two males from one group, which just happens to be the one with the gobby women. At the time I believed we ended up dealing with the trouble making group so we left it at that.
Back in custody the one I've arrested is calm and peaceful and not even drunk. He tells me how one woman in his group started the whole disturbance and that it all got out of hand. He knows he was out of order but was now calm and compliant as was his mate. I think he called it right when he stated that the women in his group deserved to be there. There was some bloke bonding all round and we all instinctively knew we'd prefer it this way. They'd backed up the women and would have been for it if they hadn't. I booked him in and booted him out NFA IM 2:16 applies, on condition he'd have a word with the girlfriends. The mate got a PND as he'd been throwing punches.
Maybe I wanted to readdress the gender inequality on what is classed a crap job and as we're not chasing detections was able to do so, or was it an admission to not wanting to deal with the real catalysts? See we can be sensible and fair sometimes, even when there are offences committed.
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When I was in my teens/twenties and we girlies got a little inebriated we used to get alternately giggly/silly/depressed (usually about a bloke!). I don't recall anyone getting abusive or violent. I don't really understand why women have changed so much - the ladette culture seems to have gone one step too far :( Good post and interesting blog.
It's because alcohol is a testosterone stimulant so under alcohol their bodies produce testosterone in addition to oestrogen. It's usually equivalent to a mans normal levels, but we are used to it whereas it's not the dominant hormone in women so it 'influences' them more hence lower inhibitions, heightened aggression etc. I hate dealing with women who are way too drunk, easy ticket to getting scratched or bitten and you can't exactly restrain them in the same way. All to easy to pop a shoulder or do some nasty nerve damage on most normal sized women so you have yo use much less physical force which leaves you wide open to a gouge, kick or scratch. I've still got a nasty scar on the back of my hand from one particular harpie, even though we stopped her getting dragged into a car by a bunch of blokes, she never knew what was happening because she was so off her face it was ridiculous. And ripped the back of my hand up as we were stopping her running off into the road. Thankfully it doesn't happen too often even where I am.
I did not know that, Mr MCM.
SOC - interesting post. Do you think that some women know that they are less likely to get arrested and so play up more? Do female officers find it easier to deal with aggressive women?
Blue Eyes -
Having seen some of these kick-offs, I've always thought that police are "damned if they do & damned if they don't". They can't leave the ladette to scream & carry on, but try & arrest her as a last resort & it can be portrayed as "brutality". Classic example being that idiot who kicked off outside a nightclub in Sheffield about 5 (?) years ago & had to be restrained. Ended up making UK television news, even though the police were actually being as restrained as possible when dealing with a screaming nutter attempting to tear chunks out of anyone within a few feet of her. A batoning would have done the trick, but they used weight of bodies instead & still got flak for being heavy-handed.
Like yours, my first thought was that if a woman officer was on hand, things might go a bit better - but not easier for the actual copper.
I mean to say that the "policeman thug being heavy-handed with Kylie" perspective is then a non-starter. However, my guess - and only a guess - is that the woman doing the arresting would get even more agression (verbal & physical) directed at her than her male colleague would get.
So perhaps easier from a PR point of view, but no less grief for whoever makes the arrest.
Why should women get an easier ride from the police? It's bad enough that when they get to court they get lower sentences for the same crime.
We all, supposedly, have equality before the law. Perhaps we should see some real equality when it comes to drunken, violent behaviour.
If you can't stand the time, luv, don't do the crime.
Testosterone promotes aggressive and impulsive behaviour.
Speaking from personal experience as an officer, MCM points out real dangers when alcohol has enhanced testosterone levels in women.
The best way to deal with crazed drunken Amazons, you ask? Only the Devil knows.
CambridgeLady
Welcome to my blog. That's because you are a lady and probably respect others and society.
MCM
I'm with you they scare the shite out of me. Give me a out of control bloke anytime.
BE
They push it and get away with murder, but there's always a line. Unfortunately once they cross it they get even worse.
Merlin
They are more likely to get lamped and then we have to get hands on.
MarkUK
We are not all equal - it's the way it is. The little petite polite lady presented to court is unrecoginisable from what bounced around the custody suite the night before.
MTG - You are correct - I can't understand them either and am quite happy to retreat to the potting shed ..! After all we all want a quiet life.
I couldn't agree more with you chap, a woman can be kicking out, screaming, biting, scratching and hurling abuse, but the second a male Police Officer lays a hand on her, or tries to, he risks being called a misogynist, arrogant bully!
I have to agree all round here. Especially with the Cambridge Lady re the excessive violence emanating from drunken females which now far exceeds what was the norm during the bulk of my 30 years service. I see such a lot of this as I'm out and about quite late in our fair town. Sad, disgusting sights - thankfully most of them aren't armed with a 9 Iron and out looking for their errant husbands or we'd really see some damage.
I think its such a shame the way girls act now, its as if they feel they have to act like lads. Thats exactly the reason I don't go out into town much now...too much trouble.
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