The universe wants to play with you (part 22)

The Babble-on working
8.15 am Dunedin

A man in his early 60s walking two dogs through the park, heading toward the road, passed by young woman carrying gym bag, in shorts, running vest and trainers, turns to admire her rear and carries on. Lots of school children on both sides of road. Beginning to cross the road, the dogs, Azmud and Dumi, pulling on their harnesses, growling, drooling, baring their teeth, straining to get at a package wrapped in black bin bags on the other side, their owner tugging back hard. Police car driving towards them, pulling up on the left, Senior Sargent Pat Marker and Constable Dwayne Fraenkel get out.

I don't know what was in the bag but the dogs started going crazy before we even crossed the road. Could hardly hold them back when we got over. There was something in that bag they wanted. Just when I was getting them away, the idiot policeman ran towards us waving his arms and right up to the dogs. No wonder, Azmud bit him, what a twat and then he tried to get the other one to arrest me. I just walked away, it was his own fault. God knows what was in the bags, something disgusting probably.

Bad news, I'm afraid, Jackie 1. It was unbelievable what happened, honestly. The moment I passed the man with the dogs, I was worried but as I was looking back, it looked like he was crossing diagonally but then the dogs must have got the scent and they were pulling and barking back to where the bag was, so it was a real relief when the cop car turned up. Two got out but the older one went over to someone by the park and looked like he was arguing with him about something. The younger one crossed the road so the bag on the bench was between him and the dogs and the man started pulling the dogs away but then the other one came running across the road shouting at the man and his dogs, grabbing at the bag. Both dogs lunged at him and one of them bit him on the back of the leg. I was walking closer by this point and he was going mad, swearing and shouting, 'you're under arrest' but the guy just dragged them away and the other cop was telling him to calm down and get the bag in the car. There was about 9 or 10 people standing by them watching so I crossed over to join them, I know I shouldn't have done but it didn't matter, I just couldn't believe what was going on. That was when it got worse. The older policeman started trying to open the bag while the other one was saying no, take it back to the station. He was holding it with one hand and trying to rip it open with the author. There were about 5 kids crowding around him and he didn't tell them to move away or anything. The other one looked like he was going to explode with rage. Then, the bag tore open and the head shot out, hit a parked and bounced back onto one of the kids who were all screaming. The young cop scooped it up while saying really loudly 'Ha, ha, it's a model head from a shop. I really thought it was real for a second, he put it under his jacket and walked  off to the car and drove off leaving the other cop just standing there on his own.

 I have never been so appalled by the behaviour of a fellow officer, disregarding orders from a superior officer who had trusted him enough to go out on patrol with him, leaving him on the street and spreading lies about him to superiors. I just can't believe that I've been suspended from the force after 23 years of loyal, dedicated and much rewarded service for an incident I had no control over. This isn't the end of the matter and I'm going to fight this all the way. I refuse to be witch hunted out of the force for standing up for what is right.

His behaviour was incredible. I told him I was stopping because of a suspicious package and he gets into an argument with a guy who was smoking outside the park. He would probably have arrested him if I hadn't kept calling him over.

The owner had calmed his dogs down and was pulling them away when he ran straight over to them shouting, waving his arms at them. No wonder he got bitten. It was his own fault and he wanted me to arrest the dogs' owner. The package could have been anything but a severed head is bad enough. It was as if he just didn't care what it was. If he gets to stay in the force I'm resigning.

Sit down Pat. No, I'm doing the talking. You've gone too far this time. The whole business of the head is a matter of national security. Thank god for Dwayne thinking on his feet. I think the time is overdue for you to retire. We'll come up with a story as to why. I don't care this time Pat. It's your choice; you can retire on a full pension or we'll prosecute you for what's on your computer. I've got a statement for you to issue about the head for the press. That's all. You can go now. By the way, you're now on paid sick leave.