Police Involvement

Today, we were on the way home from doing a few things in the city centre when we happened to stop into Poundland to check and see if they had any of several things that we have been keeping an eye out for. It turned out to be a good thing we did.

As we were getting ready to leave, we started to hear sirens outside. This isn't particulary unusual, as police cars frequently run up or down the High Street with lights and siren going. However, there were about ten police cars, and they were stopping and their occupants were pouring out into the street. One car even had a police dog get out and start running, following a large crowd that was moving down the street.

It took us a little while to figure out what was going on, but (to put the events in a particular order), there was a soccer match at St. James's Park today, and, apparently, a fight broke out. The fight spilled out of the soccer grounds onto Old Tiverton Road, down that road to the traffic circle at Old Tiverton Road, Blackboy Road, Paris Street, and Sidwell Street, and then continued up Sidwell Street. We first saw it when it was at the High Street end of Sidwell Street. Reportedly (based on traffic over the police radios), some of the fight broke off at Fleet Street and headed toward the bus station, while the rest continued up Sidwell Street (this being the part we saw) going toward the city centre train stations. Presumably, they ultimately got the fight under control.

We hung around inside Poundland for a few minutes until things calmed down a bit outside, and then we began our walk up Sidwell Street toward home. Once we got outside, we realized that there had been a soccer match, and from the disposition of the people working their way toward the City Centre from behind the fight that something bad had happened. We continued to pass people all the way home who were coming from the stadium (as it's on the next street over). We actually saw one person who looked like she had been hit pretty hard on the side of the head and busted open (there was a good bit of blood on her face). Thankfully, we made it home without incident.

Tonight, we went to Subway for dinner because there are a few coupons that we are trying to use up before they expire. While we were there, a taxi pulled up outside and someone got out and walked inside. It took me a moment to realize it, but he had gotten out of the driver's side, leaving his cab unattended. About 90 seconds later, a police van pulled up behind the taxi. The cab driver saw it, and remarked to the person serving him, "I wonder if this guy is coming in because he's hungry, or to give me a ticket."

Soon, he got his answer.

Cab driver: "Hello there."

Police Officer: "Hello."

"You come to eat?"

"Yep. Didn't you?"

"Yeah, but why didn't you go to the Subway up the road?"

"It was closed! And you weren't parked outside."

"Yeah, I thought you might be here about that."

"Yeah. At least you're not blocking the bus stop. As long as you're gone before I get my food, I won't ticket you."

"Thanks."

The cab driver duly paid for his food, and darted back out the door to move his car. The cop, who was behind him in line, finished his order, went back out to his police van, and went his merry way.

Incidentally, police cars here aren't used to transport people who have been arrested. They have special large vans for that, which presumably got a good deal of use today during the fight that raged through town!