Gareth Pope was enjoying a stroll through Chinnor Hill Nature Reserve, near Thame, with his five-year-old twin daughters Kali and Asten and wife Kirsty on Bank Holiday Monday and picked up some twigs from the ground to use as firewood.
And that was his first mistake...
But when he returned to his car in Hill Top Lane, a nature reserve warden demanded he leave the twigs at the woodland and threatened to call the police. Mr Pope ignored him but spotted the police helicopter hovering above his home as he pulled into his drive in Stratton Road, Princes Risborough, about 15 minutes later.
Oh, boy! The exciting, enthralling life of an air support cop!
Doug Mackay, Chiltern Air Support Unit executive officer, said: “Information available to police suggested that a crime was in progress with a suspect still at the scene in a rural area.”
You poor, sad individual...
14 comments:
'Police spokesman Craig Evry said four officers in two cars were also sent and found no offences had been committed.'
A helicopter and two police cars - Mr Pope certainly got his money's worth.
Incidentally, Asten and Kali? One has to hope the child's classmates never see 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'.
"a nature reserve warden"
Oh, right. Presumeably a fully vetted, CRB checked, offical with full police training and powers of arrest?
Er, no. Just the usual arsehole in a peaked cap.
Cuts? What cuts?
If Mrs Exile and I have kids we're thinking of using random Windings characters for their names. That'll fuck everybody up.
I read on comments over at Grumpy Old Twat that taking kindling is an ancient Common Law right that the ranger tit should have known about before calling the cops. It was Banned so he might come along and expand on it here.
"Just the usual arsehole in a peaked cap."
There are many for whom such an unflattering description is rightly reserved - but hang on for just a second here.
The Commission acknowledge it is fine for someone to take a few twigs but an altercation allegedly ensued in this case as a result of a visitor's insistence upon taking six bags home.
This could never justify deployment of police resources on a terrorist alert scale and the story only makes news as a result of customary plod stupidity.
You know, if Hitler had invaded he would have foundly plenty of recruits to spy on and denounce ordinary citizens of this country.
The trouble with these jobsworths is they only react in a black or white way. There is zero discretion.
The trouble with these jobsworths is they only react in a black or white way
Saves 'em having to think.
"Saves 'em having to think"
They can't think FFS; they are brain dead up their own arses cretins. As soon as I saw this article and noticed the word 'warden' in it, I instinctively knew that was where it all went wrong, I didn't have to read any more. These people and all like them need exterminating. Does anyone know of a large, easy to seal building available where I could hold an enlightenment seminar for these fuckers, it would be free of course and by special invitation only.
"Does anyone know of a large, easy to seal building available where I could hold an enlightenment seminar for these fuckers?"
I have a PowerPoint slide show taken at a US Airforce base. It features a hangar where the fire extinguisher system suffered a "malfunction" during testing. The entire building got filled with foam, and it was blowing out of the drains, as well!
The security cameras captured the whole thing, and a couple of guys inside had a lucky escape - they had to clamber up to the roof.
I'm sure that avenue can be blocked off...
What this warden is alleged to have done pales in comparison to the pair of Hale criminals who used police powers to seize a high performance car from a 'drink driver'.
Rather than return the vehicle safely and directly to a compound, the pair decided to race it on a public road. The result of losing control at high speed was a written off car and a freshly ploughed private garden.
There would be no complaints from me if the force helicopter was used to drop these uniformed yobs from a great height.
"...Asten and Kali? One has to hope the child's classmates never see 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'."
That's probably where he got her name in the first place!
"Just the usual arsehole in a peaked cap."
Yup!
"I read on comments over at Grumpy Old Twat that taking kindling is an ancient Common Law right that the ranger tit should have known about before calling the cops."
Interesting...
I suspect that's never been repealed, just ignored.
"...as a result of a visitor's insistence upon taking six bags home."
Which may well be an ancient Common Right, as outlined above.
"You know, if Hitler had invaded he would have foundly plenty of recruits to spy on and denounce ordinary citizens of this country."
Yup. We can only blame the authorities for so much. They couldn't do what they do without help.
"As soon as I saw this article and noticed the word 'warden' in it, I instinctively knew that was where it all went wrong..."
Indeed!
"...the pair of Hale criminals who used police powers to seize a high performance car from a 'drink driver'. "
Oh, yes. That one's not going to be on 'Police, Camera, Action!' any time soon...
...Hale criminals who used police powers to seize a high performance car ...
The version on the Beeb http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-11174855 is amusing for quoting a local resident. Miffed by the inconvenience of having to walk his kiddies to school, he insists the crash caused 'carnage' ....
I have just read the story on the BBC local news website. It says that the helicopter was despatched because the phone call from the warden ended before all relevant details could be obtained. The warden had said he was in a 'confrontation' with the man. It seems the police operator was unable to re-establish contact with the original informant. In such circumstances and given that the nearest ground unit was some 15' away and there would be some concern as to the safety of the informant it does appear to be a reasonable response to send the helicopter. I suppose if no response was made you could all have a field day accusing the police of failing to respond when someone was in danger. FWIW it's worth I suspect that the male who was taking the firewood was probably somewhat exciteable and decided to get his retaliation in first. It does seem that most 'journalists' these days do no more than take the first version of a story and then ring the rent a quotes at the taxpayers alliance. All in all a non story.
Ex Cop
Here is the rest of the statement you omitted:
"The decision was made to dispatch the helicopter as it was only minutes away and there was a concern for the safety of those involved.
Puts a slightly different slant on it I suppose.
We can all selectively quote.
Ex Cop
"I suppose if no response was made you could all have a field day accusing the police of failing to respond when someone was in danger."
No, not really. Not if that 'danger' was totally unfounded, or worse, exaggerated to get a speedy response.
"Puts a slightly different slant on it I suppose."
No, not really. It's still a thorough over-reaction (or are you fogetting about the two - count 'em, TWO - police cars also sent?
Think I couldn't find a story where the response to a break-in or some such other offence was met with a bored 'meh' and a vague promise to show up some time in the future, maybe, if they've got nothing better to do, from the same force?
In point of fact, I don't even have to look - there are plenty of incidents quoted under that story, in the comments.
No, it's pretty clear this was yet another case of 'He's ignored an order - how DARE HE!' and blue-light syndrome sets in, no matter that - as the police themselves are forced yo admit - no crime was committed...
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