So tonight I had the pleasure (is that the right word?) of spending the whole evening in the cell blocks at Waitakere City Police Station. A most enlightening and entertaining evening that introduced me to the wonders of just what police (and guards) have to put up with in the area.

Now, before you get concerned, no I wasn’t there on the inside of the cells. I was there doing a patient/suicide watch on a 17 year old girl who happened to be unfortunate enough to get herself arrested for pointing an imitation gun at a police officer. I say unfortunate because she was having a schizophrenic episode at the time and thought it was all a game.

Its a rather scary thing for a 17 year old to cope with. Even more so when her cell was pretty open to the world because she was under observation. She’d not slept in over 3 days, had managed to get herself fleas and lice and because she kept scratching, the police initially thought she was high on P (meth-amphetamine for those not familiar with the drug.) The story gets sadder when you start to understand just how she sees the world. And sitting there for 5 hours watching, I got a very small glimpse at just how frightening this girls world really is.

And it makes me so very glad I’ve never been in her place.

This girl was so scared, at one point she was crying so hard she threw up. Faces coming out of the walls trying to devour her, voices all around her abusing her, cursing her, telling her how useless she is and that she should kill herself. And all this happening on my watch.

What was really interesting was that when the shrinks and youth workers all left, she came over to the door and leaned with her head against it. She said the voices were telling her she could trust me and that as long as I was there she was safe. So she sat at the door where she could see me the whole time. Even more interesting was that it was almost like she trusted me. I brought her the first food she’d eaten in who knows how long, and I brought her something to drink when she asked for it. I gave her a blanket and turned out the light when she decided she needed to sleep. And because I was kind to her, she trusted me enough to actually sleep for a little while.

Thats not to say the police treated her unfairly or cruelly. They treated her much the same they treat any other person that has been arrested. That is to say, they gave her no special attention and didn’t sit and talk with her or tell her what was happening. If they’d been there when she wanted them, they’d have brought her the blanket and drinks. It just happened that my job was to stay with her (from the outside of the cell) and so I did those things instead.

The unfortunate part in all of this is that she’s a CYFS child. Her parents care but they can’t control her or take care of her, so CYFS do so. Another one lost in the system I guess.

The hardest part in all this? She just wanted to go home. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t go home. She didn’t understand that she’d been arrested for playing. She didn’t understand how serious that was and that because of her playing, she was in a lot of trouble. She may have been 17 years old, but she was still around 10 years old on the inside.

I learned a lot tonight. Probably the most important of it all that I learned is that the mental health system in Auckland is absolutely strained to breaking point. The girl was arrested at 2pm and the psychiatrists didn’t get to her till well after 7pm. She didn’t leave there till nearly 9:45pm tonight.

Its an extremely sad and frightening place for a young girl. Another girl was brought in while I was there. She’d been arrested also and was so scared and in hysterics. I couldn’t do anything for her as I had to watch the young girl, but I did feel sorry for her. She was confused and alone and had never been incarcerated before.

The hardest part of the night? Ignoring the guys that were making rude, obscene and absolutely disgustingly overt sexual suggestions towards the 17yo I was watching. It wasn’t so bad after her case worker left. One guy stood in front of the plexi glass of his cell and masturbated while looking at the case worker. She seemed completely shocked herself. I don’t think she’d ever been in the cells before either.

From the sounds of it, these types of jobs are going to the top of my list in the future. Apparently the police liked my manner and my presence and the fact that I was able to keep the girl calm. They also liked that one of the male inmates on remand tried to intimidate me when they were moving him and ended up more intimidated himself. Not because I got all staunch, but just because I laughed at him. Anyone thats ever heard my voice knows how scary my voice can be. ;-) Several people, both here and overseas, have told me I have an evil laugh that would scare the begebus out of Vincent Price. Well, if he were still alive I guess. ;-)

So it looks like I’m going to be getting a lot of work at the police cell blocks in Waitakere City. Joy. :-/

Bed for me. Talk to ya’s later.