Police State

Being a Bank Holiday Monday I expected life to be quiet, and so it has been.  So quiet that I went downstairs against my bodies wishes, and began cutting down the even growing bush in the front.  Taking a Tesco plastic bag for the bits I was surprised as to how long the stems were considering I had only looked at the thing the other day.  Anyway, I clipped them down to prevent them from growing ten feet high again, and managed to bag it all up. 

As I began this, a strange small white van raced out off our car park, screaming tyres as he roared away up the road.  This was strange as I did not recognise the vehicle, and racing cars do not normally head into the one way system forcing to race back again. 

I pondered upon this as I took the hoe out and began shuffling the ever-growing weeds that were beginning to show themselves again.  For the most part I just shoved the hoe under them to make them die, most being too small to be worth gathering, the larger ones dumped with the bush.  

As I was finishing the white van reappeared.  

He screamed to a halt just at my door, the squat driver and his mate leaping out to cries of "Oi Stop!" and raced after another gentleman who disappeared into our car park.  Once again I pondered, fearing we had a drugs gang fight round the back.  Just then several uniformed police came panting down the road and went round the back to investigate.  

A handful of young women, no more than 20 years if that, followed, one crying, "I don't want him arrested, I said I don't want him arrested!" The driver of the white van returned to the van informing her in the best police manner to "Shut up!" and drove off at speed down the road.

Shortly after he left the uniformed branch returned with a large gentleman, less shirt, cuffed and obviously willing to help the police with their enquiries.  

By this time most people had stopped to watch, one or two passing understandable comments as they passed me, and another police car arrived to join in, just in case.  My neighbours, living round the back, would have had a close up view of the action there, and they popped out to watch them as they placed the gentleman in their vehicle.  I am not sure about the ages of the girls involved, but they returned to the skatepark across the road where I suspect the situation arose.  They may still be schoolgirls after all.

My neighbours smirked, I leant on my hoe at the door, all calmed down, and I realised that pushing a heavy trolley on Saturday, and attempting to work today, was not pleasing the bones.  I realised again that in spite of all the anti-police stories in the media, and there are indeed some bad ones, it is clear that we need such men, and one woman, to ensure we can sleep peacefully at night. However, now the jobs are done, and that man will be done, and now we eat and prepare for tonight's important football match.