South Yorkshire Police Have Another Coloured Horse

It wasn’t a bad day for a ride and as they did at Barnsley, the Police gave the horses some exercise.

Police Horses At Hillsborough

it’s nice to see that the South Yorkshire Police doesn’t seem to mind what colours their horses are. This one doesn’t appear to be the one I saw earlier in the season. Incidentally, I can’t remember seeing a grey police horse for many years.  But then to groom a grey so that it looks good, is a lot of hard work.

I Locked Myself Out For The First Time Since 1969

This morning the recyclers turned up, and in the rush to dispose of my green sacks, I managed to lock myself out, as the door slammed behind me.

Luckily, I had my coat on, so I wasn’t too cold and I also had my wallet in the pocket.  But my phone was in the house, so I couldn’t call my son, who has spare keys.

Eventually, I borrowed a phone, but he was in a meeting, so I had to go to Walthamstow to get them from our builder.

The journey didn’t start well, as roadworks round the corner, meant I couldn’t find a 56 bus to get to Leyton for a bus to where my son lives and the builder is working. So I went the other way to get the Victoria line from Highbury and Islington.

it was bitterly cold and I was without my hat and gloves and then the train was delayed.

But eventually, I got the keys  and was able to get back into the house.

The last time, I locked myself out was in 1969 and a very pregnant C and myself called the Police to get us in. They did with a well-aimed boot. I’ve since used the technique a couple of times.

They also said never call the Fire Brigade in this sort of emergency, as they love to use their axes.

The Best Of British In Gibraltar

Gibraltar has lots of things that we would recognise as some of the best of British icons, standards and design.

I also liked the main shopping street, which was tidy and neat and reminded me of some of those shopping centres in seaside towns.  It was even a bit like how I remember Hamilton Road in Felixstowe in the 1960s.

It was certainly, a well signposted place and I must have counted six or more of the large street maps. To contrast, I’ve never seen one in Blackpool.

The Royal Gibraltar Police incidentally, are the second oldest force in the Commonwealth.

Here Come The Cavalry!

I was surprised to see this phalanx of Police motor-cyclists today at the Angel.

Here Come The Cavalry!

I assume they were trainees or on some sort of exercise, as there didn’t seem to be much crime about.

The Long And Short Arms Of The Law

I suspect this picture shown in the Mirror and The Times, will make its way round the world.

The story is already in the Australian under the headline, “Big Police Guard Over Queen” and on this other Australian site with a picture.

I’m even a couple of centimetres or so taller than the shorter policeman. And I’m not that tall!

I suppose though the story is one of those classic page fillers with a good feel and an excellent picture, for which newspapers and web sites are always looking.

Children In Trouble

I’m just watching a recording of the BBC documentary; The Railway.

In one section, they have to go and tell a mother, that her son has been hit by a train and killed.

I might not have been a saint, but one incident in my life made my mother think the worst.

I’d been driving back to Liverpool University in my faithful Morris Minor; VKX 156, when just before Peterborough, a guy in the slow lane of the northbound A1, decided he needed to turn right.  But he missed the turn and was hit fair and square by the car in front of me.  I would have gone right into him, but for the quick thinking of another driver in an Austin 1800 in the slow lane, who slowed and waved me through in front of him.  I then pulled directly on to the verge as I thought things would now go seriously wrong.  They did, but not around me, as the car that caused the accident bounced across the central reservation of the dual carriageway and then hit someone going south.

The Police turned up some minutes later and I gave a detailed statement about what had happened.

Nothing further happened until that summer, when I was on a boating holiday on the Thames, when a Police Sergeant turned up at our house around midnight and said I was wanted in Court in the  morning to give evidence about the accident.

Seeing him there, had given her an awful fright, as she thought I’d fallen in the Thames or a lot worse.

Obviously, that hadn’t happened, but it does show the sort of reaction expected, when something serious happens.

I know the heartbreak of losing a child, so we should all take care.

I certainly do, as best as I can, after all I’ve been through in the last few years.

It’s A Pig Of A Job, But Someone’s Got To Do It

I saw this story about a pig being used to train firefighters, in The Times, but it is also here in the Daily Mail.

I’m reminded of the time C and myself caught an escaped pony and Suffolk Police turned up as they had had reports of damage to flower beds being caused by the escapee.  At the time, the police used Escort vans for local officers and we almost convinced him to put it in the back to take it to the station.

So perhaps, animal training is something that is now more common with the Fire and Police Services.

A Korean Police Car

There was a time, when the Police always had British made vehicles.

A Korean Police Car

Not any more! But then a trip to Seoul is much more interesting than one to Ellesmere Port to see them being made.

This Policeman Isn’t Fat!

This policeman, who the Mail claims is at the heart of the Plebgate affair, was virtually told he was fat on Radio 5 this morning in the Double Take program.

If I were to be his size, I’d consider myself obese.  No wonder he has to carry a gun in his job. He wouldn’t be able to run after the average criminal. Even in my state, I might even be able to outrun him over a hundred metres.

David Mellor On Plebgate

There was an interesting non-meeting of minds on Double Take this morning, when David Mellor and a representative of the Police Federation clashed. Perhaps the most interesting part was when Ken Macdonald, a former DPP and probably not a Conservative supporter,  was quoted as saying that the Police were the last unreformed public service.

The Police needs to sort itself out and top of the list are these questions of mine.

1. Why do the Police not have to go through annual medicals to see that they are fit for the job?

2. Why are the Police involved in incidents such as shootings, not cross-examined by lawyers for others involved?

3. Why do we have so many ranks? Especially, as various reports have recommended simplification?

4. Why do Police officers always seem to be rushing around in cars, making a lot of noise?

5. Why in Lancashire, when I ask directions of an officer, they inevitably say, they are not from round these parts.

6. Why when any reform is suggested, do the Police always say no?

I could add a lot more, but I don’t want to spend time, assembling the evidence. Or is it making the evidence up?

On the subject of Plebgate, I asked a human rights lawyer, who is not a supporter of any political party, what they thought about the affair. They just shrugged their shoulders and indicated these sort of cases go on all the time.