A Twisted Tale

A Twisted Tale
w/c 787

Toby yawned. My word it was god to be home! He stretched out his long legs and settled a little deeper into the comfort of the overstuffed armchair.  Toby felt the warmth of the fire finally beginning to thaw his frozen feet. As he dozed he reflected on the days events.

It had been a long shift. Many thought that policing a football match involved nothing more than standing around for a couple of hours. If only that were the case!

The day had started at 8am with a final briefing at the station. Today’s match was a local derby and as such extra precautions had been put in place. The City fans were going to be directed straight off the motorway to the Ground, hopefully reducing the number of potential flashpoints. Of course, it was only possible to police the official coaches bringing the Away fans. Many of the expected nine thousand or so visiting fans would be travelling independently. It was these independents that had the potential to cause trouble and it was this group that Toby and his partner Mick, were charged (along with a fair number of their colleagues) with policing.

Toby and Mick had patrolled the town centre in the four hours leading up to the match. It was the last Saturday before Christmas and the town was heaving with shoppers, all eagerly searching for that illusive gift to bring a smile to the face of a loved one on Christmas morning. It was also unusually cold. There’d been three days of heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures.

The freezing temperatures were however no deterrent to those intent on spoiling the festivities for a few. Pickpockets and shoplifters were out in force, the pubs were doing a roaring trade and alcohol fuelled arguments and fights were a regular occurrence. Add to this the influx of football fans and the day had been a busy one.

Toby and Mick, supported by the Mounted Division and the Community Support Officers had, by and large, managed to keep the peace. There had been a few arrests for affray, they’d arrested three members of a gang who had been operating charity scam and seven people had been picked up on drugs offences.

As kick-off time approached, Toby and Mick made their way to the Ground. The Marshals had done a fantastic job in getting the Away fans into the Ground and other than some less than friendly banter between the two opposing groups of fans, the match started without event. A minor Christmas miracle!

The first sign of trouble came when City’s defender fouled Town’s striker in the box and the referee failed to see the incident. The Town fans were livid and there was the distinct possibility that there would be a pitch invasion. The referee was subjected to a tirade of abuse, mostly questioning his parentage and optician’s qualifications.

Toby and Mick kept a close eye on the crowd. They were positioned at the home end but other than verbal abuse coming from the fans, thankfully no one tried to get on the pitch and the game restarted.

Suddenly, a huge cheer and mass of wolf whistles erupted. Spinning round to see what was causing the unified commotion, Toby and Mick were faced with a streaker tearing across the pitch! Toby and Mick sprang into action, joining the Marshals and other police officers chasing the guy. One of the Marshals did an very impressive rugby tackle, bringing the man to the ground. As he was lead away in handcuffs, a policeman’s helmet strategically covering parts of his body, Mick commented on the man’s bravery for stripping off in the freezing temperatures!

The furore calmed and the rest of the match passed without incident, ending in a no score draw. With the Ground empty of fans, players and officials, Toby and Mick were finally able to sign off duty and head home.

Toby was roused from his thoughts by the welcoming aroma of roast chicken filtering through from the kitchen. His stomach grumbled and he realised he’d not eaten since breakfast. He was just about to follow the smells to the kitchen to see how long dinner would be when Sue called him.

He didn’t need a second invitation. His stomach thought his throat had been cut! He savoured every morsel of the dinner though Sue asked whether he’d actually tasted any of it.

Toby repaid Sue the only way he knew how. Rapid wagging of his long brown tail, a huge sloppy kiss and a nudge with his cold nose.

Being a police dog might not be the easiest of jobs, but Sue, Mick’s wife, certainly made coming home very worth while!