SHELTER FROM LIFE’S STORMS
Offer a helping hand to those who are alone at Christmas
So many times in policing, a routine call can develop into an event that is far from routine. It may not be the magnitude of the call that makes the event memorable. Rather, it may be the uniqueness of the incident that causes it to stick in your mind.
Such was the case many years ago when I was the field training officer for a newly minted recruit. It was just before Christmas and we were working a rare day shift.
With Christmas just around the corner, downtown was particularly busy when we received a call of a house break-in. It was in an older walk-up apartment building and we trundled up the stairs to the suite. We were greeted by a distraught woman in her late 60s who had returned home to discover her apartment door kicked in and her home ransacked.
Her possessions were meagre and she was perplexed as to why anyone would pick her apartment to break into, and why they would leave such a mess. As a result of the damage to the door, it could not be closed, let alone locked.
We asked the victim if she had family who could come and stay with her while she made arrangements to get the door fixed. But she was alone in Calgary and had no kids, her sister lived in another city and there was no one she could call. She also shyly admitted that she could not afford to have someone fix the door even if the landlord repaid her upon his return after the holidays.
We couldn’t leave her in such a situation and hit upon the idea of replacing the door with one from the communal laundry.
It matched exactly so we swapped out the doors, switched the lockset from one to the other. The tenant could now close and lock her door and be able to sleep in relative peace and security.
We figured the landlord would probably be a little ticked upon his return but, on balance, we hoped he would understand the spirit behind our actions and not burden Internal Affairs with a complaint.
What sticks in my mind the most was our conversation as we drove away. We talked about how lonely it must be for so many at this time of the year. Imagine what it must be like, especially at Christmas, to experience a traumatic event and not have anyone to call.
We are not all equally blessed in this city. There are many people who are alone for a variety of reasons. Many of them never have a need to reach out for help as they are solitary souls and get by in their lives, as was the case with our victim. There are others who may be battling a mental illness and, but for the assistance of agencies such as Alpha House or the Canadian Mental Health Association, may find themselves on the street and alone. There are others who are victims of domestic abuse or sexual assault, and it is only with the aid of the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter or Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse that they find help and support in their time of greatest need.
All of us are willing to help a person in need when we can. But too often we are not there to assist first-hand. In funding the Herald Christmas Fund you are doing the next best thing. You are ensuring that when people reach out for help, someone will be there to assist them.
These are the agencies your dollars help to support — not just at Christmas but all through the year.
On behalf of all the men and women of the Calgary Police Service, I wish you all a happy and safe Christmas.