Toy Cops Catching the Big Time Criminals
Trafalgar Square in London was as safe as could be on Saturday afternoon as a couple of those toy cops or if you prefer there official name Police Community Support Officers were patrolling and making sure that everything was in order. They both looked alert, their beady little eyes were on the lookout for people up to know good, I bet the pickpockets were quaking in their boots…
I had just spent a couple of hours soaking up the beautiful London weather, along with the sights and sounds of Trafalgar Square, when enough was enough and I decided it was time to head home. Just as I was leaving I stopped to listen to a street busker. A teen girl with a tambourine, she was pretty much useless, she couldn’t play the instrument to save her life, but she was a trier and she looked like she was having fun. I popped a quid into her hat and went on my merry little way.
I turned around to take a few last pictures before I came out of Trafalgar Square, when I noticed the two toy cops heading towards Tambourine girl. I hoped the girl had seen them sneaking up on her and would stop playing the tambourine, pick up the hat and get out of there. However she wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer and she kept on playing even when the toy cops were standing next to her. You see unofficial busking isn’t allowed anywhere in London. She was breaking the law. In my eyes she was brighting up the place, adding to the unique atmosphere of the location, but sometimes the law is an ass and those administering the law are even bigger assholes!
White toy cop had his collar, he looked a happy man, another major criminal had been dealt with successfully – his Indian colleague was in no mood to be out gunned, he spotted some movement on the grass outside the National Gallery, he swooped like a hawk. He had his own collar, he arrested a can of lager that somebody was enjoying in the sun. The guy wasn’t harming anybody, he was just enjoying a drink. He gave the guy a lecture and then took the arrested can of lager and put it in the bin. The second major criminal was dealt with in the space of a few minutes.
Watching those two toy cops in action I felt my heart fill with pride and tears started to form in my eyes, knowing that they had given their all to make London a safer place – what a pair of jokers if that’s the best they can do they are having a laugh. I have been down at Trafalgar Square many of times and watched the down and out boozers openly knocking back cans of cheap cider and wine and teens smoking weed, and amazingly the toy cops were never going around. What about later on at night when all the undesirables are lurking in the shadows, where are these toy cops then, I will tell you where they are, tucked up in their beds dreaming about being a real cop.
I was heading up to Leicester Square when I passed an old man in a wheelchair blasting out a few tunes. A few seconds later a stern looking Police woman appeared, I thought oh no, some more madness, the cop will give him a lecture and tell him to stop playing. But give the cop her due she just walked on by pretending she hadn’t seen the old man. I’m sure if the toy cops had noticed the old man they would have been fighting over who got the collar!
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Whilst you may view the actions of these PCSO’s as draconian and excessive, making it clear to people that ANY infraction of our laws will result in punishment is essential to keeping somewhere as huge, and full of gullible tourists as London is, safe.
As you may or may not be aware, unlicensed busking is begging, something which is illegal ANYWHERE in Britain. Talentless chancers like the girl you described have no place ‘performing’ in public, and she quite frankly sounds as though she deserved to have her tambourine shoved sideways up her talentless rectum.
And the ‘harmless lager drinker’? Harmless until he’s finished the 4/8/12 pack he brought with him, and decides to unleash his alcohol and impotency fuelled rage on an arbitrarily chosen stranger.
Finally, if you don’t like our laws, I’m sure a PCSO can direct you to the nearest airport…
I would rather that the jumped little twats of PCSO’s got on the next plan out of here because in my mind they are waste of time. They are poor replacement for real cops and you can take that to the bank.
I pass by loads of gang bangers, beggars and drunken louts all over London every night, where are the PCSO’s then? Tucked up in bed! It is just another Government con to save money and make it look like they are doing something to fight crime…
I wonder why it is every single day outside the bookies where I live there are low life’s knocking back the cheap cans of lager and bottles of wine, where are the PCSO’s I know where they are hiding, pretending they don’t see a thing. You see the only people they harass are people like the girl and the guy who was no low life by the look of him.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion and like it or not that’s mine…
Oh dear. James sounds a little upset! On the one hand, he is right. In South Africa, we love laws because we have so much fun breaking them and then we get all upset when we become victims of crime. I often tell people that English people are more acquiescent than South Africans and that goes a long way to bringing down the crime.
My problem is that the police you tal about are not able to actually think for themselves as was evidenced last year when they watched a child drown.
Emm´s last [type] ..Isle of Wight- Carisbrooke Castle part 1
I would love to see those PCSO’s doing a night shift in South Kilburn, Stonebridge park or Peckham…they wouldn’t come back to work the next day..!
I think the Community Police officers are just doing their jobs, they turn up for work bust a few petty criminals and are done with it. I live in a pretty rough area of south London and I’ve gotta say that they are doing a great job.
Trafalgar Square is a touristy place so of course they are picking up people drinking in public. Still I understand where you’re coming from when talking about livening up the place but there’s tons of places you can go to find a great atmosphere
Thanks for the interesting read.
Gemma´s last [type] ..Out and About- London Underground
The toy cops do their so called job when it suits them. Every single day I see toy cops walking up and down Kilburn High Road, every single day I see low lifes outside William Hill bookies downing the cheap lager… It seems like the toy cops are doing a really good job! They don’t make any difference whats so ever! More real cops who actually care about the job they are meant to be doing is what is required!