A LUNCHTIME pint at their local pub took a more sinister turn on Wednesday when two disabled men found themselves at the centre of a police search operation.
Bob Hamlen, 47, and Michael Burbidge, 31, were stunned when they were surrounded by uniformed officers as they sat on a bench outside the Westcliff Tavern in West Cliff Road, Bournemouth.
**The new face of Al Quada according to Dorset plod.
The pub patio area overlooks the security checkpoint at the entrance to the Highcliff Marriott Hotel where top-ranking politicians are staying during this week's Labour party conference.
Bob said: "We were treated like terrorist suspects. I've arthritis and brittle bone disease and have been registered disabled for five years.
"Michael has been paralysed down his left side since he was one and, on bad days, relies on a wheelchair and crutches to get around. He couldn't rob a bank to save his life, but they just wouldn't listen.
**Hardly the top of the range terrorists or hardened lags out on a job by the sound of things.
"It was so over the top, there were about eight officers around us asking questions which was very frightening.
**Must have been a quiet day for eight of them to get involved.
"We told them we lived round the corner and this was our local pub. But, while an armed officer pointed his gun at us from the other side of the street, they made us empty our pockets and put all our possessions on the table. Then they checked all our credit cards and documents.
"I was carrying my disabled bus pass but it didn't make any difference. I needed to go to the toilet and an officer went with me in case I escaped. After radioing through the information, they asked us to accompany them, in separate police cars, to the police station.
"It was very embarrassing because some of our friends were sitting nearby. Michael suffers from stress and was getting very agitated.
"They said the reason I was being taken to the police station was because I had been seen passing a white envelope.
**Ah, those white envelopes, sure sign of an international terrorist, well maybe not but a good enough excuse for the plod.
"But all I did was take my post out of my jacket pocket and open an electricity bill.
"On Michael's stop and search form they said they wanted to speak to him, under the Terrorism Act, because he had been looking at a police officer.
**WTF - Looking at a police officer, since when has that been illegal? Must have slipped that one on the statute books rather quietly. So the plod have the chaps cards, papers and other effects yet still regard them as suspects and haul them off to the local nick.
"That area of town is saturated with police officers and, from where we were sitting, it would have been impossible not to be watching one."
Bob, who has lived in the area for seven years, said: "Once at the police station we were taken to separate rooms and questioned for about 45 minutes.
**What is commonly called a fishing expedition, they fucked up, realised that they had fucked up and so decided to fish and see if they could find something, anything to justify hauling them in.
"Then officers went with us to our flat and searched it before returning us to the pub. We feel violated and want an apology from the police."
The Westcliff Tavern manager Tony Cartwright said: "Bob and Michael have been drinking here for years. They are locals and two of the least likely terrorist suspects you could find."
**Note to Dorset police, not that I claim to be an expert on terrorism here but for fucks sake, eve I could do a better job than your boys and gals. Look its quite simple, most of your terrorists have a touch of the tar brush about them, have names like Mohammed(and assorted spellings thereof) and tend to pray 5 fives a day.
Even the dumbest member of Her Majestys force could work out that a couple of disabled chaps having a pint(another thing that the moslems don't do by the way) are hardly likely to be a major threat to the state, even if they do happen to "look at a policeman" and own a "white envelope."
A Dorset police spokesman said both men had attended the police station voluntarily, "Mr Burbidge gave an explanation to officers as to why he was watching police officers very closely and it would not be for Dorset police to discuss the reason he gave.
**Had they not gone of their own free will I am sure an arrest would have followed and an even bigger hole would have bee dug by Dorset plod.
"Once officers were satisfied of the men's identities and that they posed no threat to conference security they were returned to the pub.
"Dorset police is only too willing to investigate any formal complaint they may wish to make."
**Lets hope that Bob & Michael get themselves a rather good legal team and tear Dorset plod a new arsehole.
Tags: Bob Hamlen, Michael Burbidge, Cool Britannia, New Labour, Policing
3 people have spoken:
My God, what has this country come to!?
Anyway, knowing how utterly stupid Plod is, and after that terrible case of the Brazillian, it's a wonder these two are still alive!
I gather in London Plod is also stopping a high percentage of white men and ignoring yer usual suspects: Mo and his friends. Seems Plod thinks John, Jack, Sid and his friends pose a far greater threat and fit their profile of would be terrorists.
These two, BTW, should get an apology and why hasn't the press picked up on this?
The envelope must have been hideously white
That's just dreadful, i can understand Police have to be very careful and thorough, but a bit of common sense could have avoided all this, perhaps ask the owner of the pub.
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