Another side of police

Sir,

I read your letter, page 141 February issue, from Police Officer Harding. Accordingly, I make some comments below.

Mr. P. G. Williams really has not much to complain about since he was taken for doing something more than 40 per on two occasions. If, on the other hand, his offence had been for, say, 34 m.p.h. whilst I expect he would have been convicted, he could well maintain that his offence was purely technical. I gather from your remarks below Officer Harding’s letter that you have in mind the 11th Commandment, “thou shall not be found out”?

If you have time to read on I should like to tell you what happened to me within the last couple of weeks. It was necessary for me to be in the West End at 5.45 p.m. to keep a dreary business appointment and the traffic had made me a bit late. In consequence I was having difficulty in finding a meter. But by nipping smartly about and around a couple of corners in my magnificent Jaguar 420, I actually found two vacant ones fairly close together. After several attempts I actually fitted the car in, but upon contemplating the scene decided that the rear and forward cars would be unable to get out, so I disengaged and moved up several places to the other vacant meter, which had more room. So I dismounted and pressed two tanners into the slot provided, checked the door lock and with a feeling of great satisfaction wheeled round—right into the arms of two enormous but very young policemen.

Now, bearing my ever-ready cheery smile and literally exuding high pressure bonhomie, I claimed: “It’s OK, officers, I have put a couple of tanners in the meter!” The reply I received could have easily sunk the QE. “We know, sir, we have been observing you, but you have just motored the wrong way down a one-way street!” Clearly I was now at a disadvantage, so employing my usual procedure, which I have found satisfactory for many years, and in all walks of life, I smiled and said: “I will tell you what we shall do—you look the other way whilst I turn the car round.” Which they did and I did. So, with three cheery smiles, we went our different ways with no skin off anybody’s nose.

Well, I think the cops are OK; we should be in a sorry state without them. They are, probably, underpaid and I suppose one could say Prime Ministers are overpaid. So there it is.

London, NW2.
J. Lemon Burton.