PC Bill Barker – Officer Down.

Message from the Chief Constable on the Cumbria Constabulary website.

Chief Constable Keith Bristow Speaks Out

Chief Constable Keith Bristow said: “I am disappointed that Mark Connolly, who is serving a prison sentence for assaulting PC Pete Doherty, has been allowed day release. Pete is a hero who could have lost his life protecting others”

“Every day in every police force officers face danger as they carry out their duty to protect the public”

‘‘They bravely face the risk of being hurt or even being killed because they care about other people’s safety before their own. An assault on a police officer is also a serious attack on the community that the officer serves.”

He added: “People who harm police officers must be dealt with robustly by the criminal justice system.”

Killer Free On Shopping Spree

As regular readers  will be aware, I have launched a series of my own exciting Ruralshire Constabulary ‘outward facing straplines’.

My very own bleedin’ obvious motto, joins the small selection shown below:

Quite apart from the fact that our leaders seem to be admitting, by publishing such blindingly obvious phrases, that the public are no longer sure what we do (neither are the staff by the way) there is at least one central theme; the fact that we want to prevent mayhem and death, Zimbabwe style, on what is left of the streets of this country.

Imagine my surprise then, to read that this is still going on:

Here in modern Britain, where a person has already killed someone and police describe that person as ‘dangerous’ and not to be approached, why on earth are they out shopping? Does the fact that she ran off make her dangerous? Or was she too dangerous to be approached before she ran off? In which case, why is she out of secure custody? All these questions rush into my head as I ponder the fact that I may have to change my motto.

Gadget Note: “Ruralshire Ambulance Service: Transporting ill people to hospital” or perhaps “Ruralshire Fire Brigade “Putting out fires using loads of water and cutting passengers out of vehicles”. Can you ever imagine seeing that? Why, yet again, are we in the police so embarrassingly childish. (Hides head in shame).

Put Those Bloody Spears Down!

Harry Brown Trailer starring Michael Caine

Best bit in the film for me is when the detective says

“I think….. this Harry Brown……. is doing us a favour”

Well, we can always dream.

Teenager charged with pigeon death

A teenager has been charged with killing a pigeon after it was allegedly seen being hit with a skateboard.

The charge against the 19-year-old follows an incident in Parliament Street, Exeter, in Devon, on Thursday.

Officers were called after reports that a wild bird had been killed by being struck with a skateboard.

The accused teenager, who has been bailed, will face a charge of “killing a wild bird” when he appears at Central Devon Magistrates’ Court on 1 December.

Dave and his rescued bird in my car

Usually, he would be eligible for a Caution however, if he were to go free and kill a whole flock, the public would never forgive us. Things are different here in Ruralshire, where Dave Gadget rescues at least one animal per week, including pigeons, as seen above on route to the animal rescue centre. The detectives amongst you will have spotted the Army face veil which Dave uses as a net to catch the wounded beasts.

Meanwhile, down the road a bit from Exeter, Police fired a Taser “stun-gun” at a dog after it bit an officer trying to break up a fight in Plymouth.

You see, here in the rural forces we have all kinds of problems with animals.

Quote of the week:

‘The argument that people re-offend when they leave prison is an argument for keeping them in for longer’

Theodore Dalrymple, BBC Radio 4 ‘Law in Action’