Policeman threatens to arrest child armed with a toy gun.

A policeman was criticised yesterday after he ordered an eight-year-old boy to smash up his toy gun – because it was an "imitation firearm".

The officer confronted Samuel England, of Pinehurst, Swindon, Wilts, as he played with the black and orange plastic toy outside his home. He told the boy to destroy the "weapon" or he would be arrested.

Samuel's stepfather, John Standen, 34, came to his aid but was warned it was an offence to have an imitation firearm in public.

The officer only left when Mr Standen had snapped the toy in half – leaving Samuel in tears. But he returned five minutes later to warn his stepsister Sophie, six, about riding her battery-powered Barbie car on the pavement.

Samuel's mother, Sarah, 30, said: "Samuel was so scared that he would be taken away. I had to explain to him that they can't do that."

Wiltshire Constabulary confirmed the incident took place, but refused to name the officer involved.

**WTF? Why is this arsehole not been issued with his P45 and shown the door? Would that this was an isolated incident but alas it seems that the police are now becoming the pc police...

First off:Five thousand pound court case over 1p damage...

• The 16-year-old, who cannot be named, yesterday pleaded guilty to snatching a carrier bag from a 13-year-old girl and breaking its handles.
• Magistrates ordered him to complete six hours' community work after hearing that the incident left the younger pupil too scared to walk to school.

Next: Girl fingerprinted for using a crayon on a wall

• GIRL Guide Shannon Smith, 10, was fingerprinted by the police and fined £40 after marking a neighbour’s wall with crayon. The tearful little girl was also threatened with an Asbo.
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• Last night the fine was withdrawn but Shannon’s mother Helen said: “It is obvious the police didn’t have anything better to do at that time of day" – like chasing proper criminals.
  

And there is more:12 year olds hauled in for damaging a tree

• To the 12-year-old friends planning to build themselves a den, the cherry tree seemed an inviting source of material.
• But the afternoon adventure turned into a frightening ordeal for Sam Cannon, Amy Higgins and Katy Smith after they climbed into the 20ft tree - then found themselves hauled into a police station and locked in cells for up to two hours.
• Their shoes were removed and mugshots, DNA samples and mouth swabs were taken.
• Officers told the children they had been seen damaging the tree which is in a wooded area of public land near their homes.
• Questioned by police, the scared friends admitted they had broken some loose branches because they had wanted to build a tree house, but said they did not realise what they had done was wrong.

It gets worse: Police haul in hopscotch criminal

• When Lisa Badland gave her five-year-old son Ryan some coloured chalks to mark out a hopscotch court outside her home, she expected him to have an afternoon of innocent fun.
• Little did she imagine that he would end up in trouble with the police.
• Yet that is what happened when two policemen, acting on a tip-off from a neighbour, arrived in a quiet cul-de-sac, lined up Ryan and five young friends and told them off for drawing "graffiti".

And more: Elastic band criminal hauled in

Then a ten year old charged with being "tooled up" with some fruit, oh and this was after he was attacked by a Slovakian with an iron bar. 10 year old may be charged over assault with fruit.

Mind at least when arresting/warning these "serious criminals" the police are not standing about watching children die.

Tags: Nanny State, Big Brother, Cool Britannia, Political Correctness, Samuel England

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