Another Constable

There is nothing quite like the feeling of catching a burglar in the act… even when it’s actually one of your colleagues that does the deed. The urgent call came out on the night before Christmas Eve, we were in for our break, and a few miles from the scene. Other colleagues were already out and about when we were told that a person had caught an intruder in their home, and were struggling to hang onto him.

Our colleagues went at scene, and then came the assistance call as Billy Burglar was hanging out of the first floor window trying to escape, but being held by a copper and a householder.

It was in proper Starsky and Hutch style that we shoved our food to one side, scooted out and over the bonnet of the car, lashing our drinks over the roof of the car in the general direction of the bin, and headed out on our IRIR. It was quite some distance, and early evening traffic was very heavy, Christmas shoppers all out to grab the last minute presents. It’s about the longest run you can do, and stay within our area, so there was plenty of “driving” to be done. My colleague even commented “This is some good jockeying this is” which was a complement to my driving (not that the complementer is any real judge of driving standards… his own being somewhat “obscure” to say the least).

As we arrive, about 4th on the scene as it happens, he’s still hanging out of the window but is swiftly brought in and arrested. He looked a bit the worse for wear… the reason being that the householders had filled him in a bit first, which is why he was trying to bail out of the window. Then when the first Bobby on scene had tried to grab him and pull him through the window, he attacked the Bobby in an effort to escape. The Bobby clung onto him but there was much “resisting arrest” and therefore chummy got a bit more of a filling in (which is all perfectly reasonable force of course).

I think Billy was pleased to be led from the house and placed into the safety of a police vehicle. The householders were distraught, and yet had done a great job of defending their belongings and detaining the offender. The presents were still under the tree, and the jewelry still in the bedroom, albeit strewn across the bed.

Billy’s house was subsequently searched under the proviso of Section 18(1) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, whereupon more evidence of his miscreant behaviour was found. Stolen items from another burglary in the area a day before. We reckon that there are half a dozen more that he has committed too, so he’ll be looking at a nice stretch. Billy was kept in police custody. Such a shame for him that there was no court the next day, Christmas Eve, so he had to remain in the police cell. And Christmas Day. And Boxing Day. Oh how my heart bled for him.