The Sleeping Policeman: A Former Police Officer's Blog

                                  Another Arrest Caused by the Police

I was out on foot patrol in the town recently in company with a young PC. It was about 2.30 a.m. and we were standing minding our own business near one of the towns nightclubs. Club patrons often congregate here and it is not uncommon for arguments and fights to break out between those who have had too much to drink. A police presence usually provides a deterrent to this sort of behaviour.

As people walk past us I give some cheery 'Good Nights' and hope they all find a taxi and go home quietly. Two lads walk by and I bid them a good night. One says "It's the filth. I don't like you lot." The PC with me suggests he has a word with him. No, I say, just ignore him and hopefully he will go home. The two lads stop about 20 yards down the road. A minute later the one who spoke earlier comes back. He says. "Why are you hanging around here? Instead of picking on innocent people you should be catching murderers and rapists." Most police officers have heard this a dozen times. I politely tell him why we are there and wish him good night." He doesn't go. "I don't like you lot. In fact I hate pigs. You're all a bunch of arseholes." No one else has heard this comment and, of course, I am not at all offended by it as Justice Bean has decided such language should not offend me.

The lad has had a good drink and I could arrest him for being drunk and disorderly but I really just want him to go home, so I say. "Fair enough, we're all entitled to our opinion. Good night." We walk away towards the club hoping he will just go home. The lad follows us. "Yeah, go on. Fuck off! Fuck off and do something useful. Bunch of fucking arseholes." Now, I don't care what Justice Bean says, if you tell me to fuck off you are going to be arrested. I turn around and walk back to the lad. I arrest him for being drunk and disorderly. As soon as I take hold of him he resists. He tries to pull away, thrashes his arms around, then says he is going to knock me out. There is a torrent of abuse and threats while I subdue him. His friend decides he is going to intervene and the PC with me has to keep him away while I end up with the drunk lad on the floor.

He is eventually handcuffed and I await a vehicle to take him to the police station. He is continually being abusive and threatening. His friend is still hanging around nearby. A police car arrives and the arrested lad doesn't want to get in it so we have another scuffle and a little pain compliance until he gets in. I can then hear air escaping. His idiot friend is round the back of the police car letting one of the tyres down. He gets arrested too.

I wrote an article several months ago about working with probation officers and how they generally accepted that many public order incidents are caused by the police. This has become so commonplace that I believe magistrates almost accept there must be some truth in this. The penalties certainly reflect this.

The idiot who let the tyre down sobered up and was given a Fixed Penalty to pay. The idiot who got arrested in the first place has a history of violence and public order offences. He has eleven previous convictions. He was charged with being Drunk and Disorderly and Resisting Arrest. He pleaded guilty at Magistrates Court. In mitigation his solicitor stated on his behalf that the arresting officer had been rude to him and the cause of his poor behaviour. He was fined £50 with £30 costs.

I have little confidence that this penalty will deter this man from any similar behaviour in the future. So this man will become another crime statistic and it is the police, not the rest of the failing justice system, that will take the blame for not reducing crime.

Sorry about the language but this is a reminder to readers and the SMT that this is what the frontline put up with every day.

I don't get out as much as I would like but I do love getting out and am pleased that I still know most of the local offenders. I was out on patrol with one of my officers when we got sent to a report of a domestic in a street nearby. Residents are reporting a disturbance in the street. From the location I knew exactly who we would be dealing with.

Jane has been living with Tony for about two years. This is a record for her. Jane has a council house, she is 38 but looks at least 50. Her 18 year old daughter also lives with her. Jane has never had a job that I am aware of. She regularly gets arrested for shoplifting and drunk and disorderly. She likes a drink and is drunk most nights of the week. Jane has had a series of waste of space boyfriends, who she moves in and out on a regular basis. Tony is a full time thief and preys particularly on the elderly, fleecing them at every opportunity. He is in and out of prison. He too likes a drink and most nights the pair of them are drunk and fight and the police are regularly called.

Jane's mother lives four doors from Jane, also in a council house. She doesn't work, but at least she doesn't get drunk all the time. About three months ago Jane found out that Tony had been sleeping with her daughter. About a month ago she found out that Tony had also slept with her mother. Three generations, probably not a record, but class. After each revelation Jane threw Tony out for at least 24 hours and since then the drinking and fights have escalated.

We arrive in the street and there is Jane as drunk as a skunk shouting and swearing at Tony. She seems to still be upset about him sleeping with her mother. I thought she would have got over it by now! For some reason she still sees her mother is an innocent victim in all this and they are still on good terms. Tony, for once, is sober and trying to calm her down. We try and talk to her and the only response I get is "Fuck off, yer mother's cunt." We try and calm her down and get her in the house but she is having none of it. She gets arrested and I take her to our vehicle. Tony is trying to stop her being arrested (He does love her really!) and has to be told to go away. Jane is repeatedly saying to me. "Yer mother's cunt." Unprofessional, but I just couldn't help myself. I said "You want to ask Tony about 'yer mother's cunt.' He knows it very well." It took a moment to sink in but when she finally realised what I had said she takes a haymaker of a swing at me, which is easily avoided. "Yer mother's cunt." She says.

Jane gets charged with drunk and disorderly (not assault, that would have been unfair) and is sentenced to one days imprisonment. She has already served the days imprisonment having spent a night in the police cells, so she is free to go and do it all again.