Steve Maskery
Established Member
I am fortunate enough to live on a nice 1930's middle-class estate. We don't get drug-dealers and late-night brawls. Not often, anyway. But we do get otherwise nice-middle-class but totally irresponsible dog-owners who think the pavements are designated dog-loos.
We have a number of well-known offenders, the problem is actually catching them at it. Well today I did. I was walking back from town and the gentleman (I use the term loosely) and his friend (Compo and Clegg, if you like) were walking towards me. The dog stopped, performed, and they proceeded on their way, not 20 feet from me.
I rang the council and spoke to a neighbourhood warden who said they'd be in touch, Yeah, right, I thought. I went home, got in my car and went a mile up the road to the other end of the road I'd seen them enter, They had to come out. They did and I clocked them with my phone camera.
Less than 2 hours later the warden (an ex-copper) was in my lounge taking a witness statement and he is issuing a Fixed Penalty Notice. It's only £50, unfortunately, but the point is it's actual evidence, and the second time they get prosecuted in court.
So many of my neighbours are celebrating this evening, especially those with young children. We are going to form the Concerned Residents Against Pooh.
The bloke was very good really, just like an ex-copper, but one thing he said did worry me (apart from jokingly comparing me to Victor Meldrew). He said he retired from the Police at 50 and has his pension. Fair enough. He now has his Council job and will have a "very good" pension from that too. "But I've lost the shifts, the stress, the long hours, and instead of everyone running around trying to do a dozen things at once, everything is quiet and relaxed and peaceful". Hmmmmm, I wonder why that is, then?
We have a number of well-known offenders, the problem is actually catching them at it. Well today I did. I was walking back from town and the gentleman (I use the term loosely) and his friend (Compo and Clegg, if you like) were walking towards me. The dog stopped, performed, and they proceeded on their way, not 20 feet from me.
I rang the council and spoke to a neighbourhood warden who said they'd be in touch, Yeah, right, I thought. I went home, got in my car and went a mile up the road to the other end of the road I'd seen them enter, They had to come out. They did and I clocked them with my phone camera.
Less than 2 hours later the warden (an ex-copper) was in my lounge taking a witness statement and he is issuing a Fixed Penalty Notice. It's only £50, unfortunately, but the point is it's actual evidence, and the second time they get prosecuted in court.
So many of my neighbours are celebrating this evening, especially those with young children. We are going to form the Concerned Residents Against Pooh.
The bloke was very good really, just like an ex-copper, but one thing he said did worry me (apart from jokingly comparing me to Victor Meldrew). He said he retired from the Police at 50 and has his pension. Fair enough. He now has his Council job and will have a "very good" pension from that too. "But I've lost the shifts, the stress, the long hours, and instead of everyone running around trying to do a dozen things at once, everything is quiet and relaxed and peaceful". Hmmmmm, I wonder why that is, then?
