Some days, that’s the way the custard crumbles.
A New Zealand Police officer has proven once again that an officer is never off-duty, even during an overseas holiday, after he intervened when protesters targeted the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London.
Senior Constable Mark Strongman of Waikato has been in the police for over 29 years. He was visiting the tourist attraction on Saturday morning with his wife and family when four individuals defaced the display case holding the Imperial State Crown.
Strongman, who has previous experience as a police negotiator, said he heard a commotion going on ahead of him before seeing that a substance had been thrown all over a display case. The incident, which has attracted global media interest, has seen four people arrested by the Metropolitan Police Service for the politically motivated vandalism, and the substance is being reported to have been custard and fruit crumble.
“I walked up to the two female suspects and introduced myself, informing them that I was arresting them for criminal behaviour and advised them of their rights,” Strongman said in a release. “I took an oath to the Crown so I figured my arrests procedures would stick. One was in possession of a backpack so I was concerned about what could be in there so quickly removed that and waited with the females until the Metropolitan Police officers arrived.
“As you can imagine, the whole place shuts down when the Crown Jewels are at risk, some very thick steel doors slammed closed,” Strongman added. “My wife Carmen and my brother and sister-in-law were ahead of me and had no idea what was happening. I just dropped straight back into work mode and felt I represented New Zealand Police well and in line with our values.”
The Metropolitan Police have already sent their thanks to Strongman. They acknowledged his timely intervention and the use of his police skills in detaining the suspects, which helped prevent further damage to the Crown Jewels and ensure the Tower of London remained open to the public.
Strongman has been traveling around Europe for almost a month and is due to return to New Zealand before Christmas to his role as a member of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Team.
Be the first to comment