Police: Take Aim, Shoot Foot...

After being blitzed with election pamphlets Roy Newman, 74, decided to tell other voters: "GET THE LOT OUT."

But 90 minutes after he put up the sign up in an upstairs room at his house two police officers arrived and accused him of being racist.

Eh..? Did they think he meant immigrants?

Well, as it turns out, they didn't think he meant anything - they were just responding to a complaint from a neighbour, who rather than ask Mr Newman what ge meant, called the police.

As you do...

Mr Newman, of North Anston, near Rotherham said: "My sign is up there because the MPs and council leadership we have in place at the moment are a load of rubbish and I want them out, nothing more.

"The police told me that due to the fact the words were written in red, white and blue my sign had racist connotations.

"What a load of rubbish. It certainly wasn't my intention to come across as racist."

But naturally, it doesn't matter any longer what your intention was. It's the peceived impression of the beholder that counts.

He claims he was threatened with arrest after refusing to change the sign or remove it.

The police apparently had received one complaint from a neighbour.

And one complaint was all it took to get an immediate response.

So at least Mr Newman can console himself that he lives in the most crime and trouble-free area in England, where the cops have so little real police work to do that, like the firemen in 'Pleasantville', they sit around all day waiting for the phone to ring with a petty complaint.

I mean, that's surely the case, right?

Mr Newman, a former Samaritan who is chairman of a local history society said: "Three years ago vandals put a brick through my window and when I called the police all they offered me was a crime reference number.

"Put up a poster and a police car and two uniformed officers arrive as quick as a flash. It's unbelievable."

Ah. Guess not...

He has now changed the colour of some of the letters on the sign to yellow but has not altered the wording.

And the police, on realising that there's yet another PR disaster looming for them in the media, have apologised and said that in futur...

Oh, I'm just kidding:

A South Yorshire Police spokeswoman said: "Officers responded to a call from a complainant who had seen the sign and interpreted it as being racist.

"Given thin sign was displayed publicly and seemed to be causing offence we did see fit to attend the address.

"Officer spoke to Mr Newman and were told that his words referred to councillors and MPs. We advised him that the wording could be changed to make that fact more clear.

"Following the officers' visit the complainant was contacted by us and the meaning of the sign was explained. They said they were no longer offended and were happy to let the matter rest.

"It is unlikely that any further action will be taken."

Gosh, that's awfully good of you...

What about if he decides to display a sign claiming that the local police are a bunch of box-ticking, politically correct, work-shy morons who evidently suffer from the impression they were hired as social workers?

He certainly won't be done for false advertising...