Story Archive

Keep Calm and Blunder On

“The constabulary is not complacent regarding incidents of public safety which we take very seriously,” noted Inspector Ashley Bennett of the Cumbria Police in Workington, England. Police closed their own station in Workington when a “suspicious” package was noticed inside a “suspicious” unattended vehicle parked outside. A nearby highway was also closed, and the bomb squad conducted a “controlled explosion” of the package. It turns out that the “package” was a metal water bottle, and the car was parked unattended at the station because officers put it there: they had assisted a man who became ill, parked his car at the station when he was taken to a hospital, and apparently forgot to log it in as authorized to be there. Bennett says they contacted the owner, who was still in the hospital, “explained the situation,” and offered to pay for the damage to his vehicle. Finally, Bennett says, “The constabulary will review this incident and will take on board any learning.” (RC/Carlisle News & Star) ...The readership guffaws politely at his embarrassed stiffness.