I've reported two incidents to the police in as many days.
Yesterday whilst I was walking Roly at Faringdon Cricket Club (there's a lovely path that circles the ground and is used by dogwalkers, joggers, mums and buggys etc) I witnessed an Audi backing into, and seriously damaging a fence.
He'd driven up the approach drive to the cricket club only to find the gates locked, and he had to back out. It's a private drive and he attempted to reverse 3 point turn, but as his car was so big (A6?) it took him 5 goes. I wasn't spectating on purpose. He just happened to be executing this manoeuvre as I was taking the dog that way, the way I go most mornings. But when his rear bumper kissed the fence the first time I thought 'eh-up, we've got one here'....
The fence in question is about knee high, and is made up of wooden 4x4 posts with metal (scaffold type) rails in-between. As I walked past I saw his car kiss the fence 3 times. He may have done it more, but I was also trying to keep my eye on Roly's chosen spot for his 'business', so I could do my business - pick it up...
However, when he flat-backed into the rail, split the post, and knocked it awry I decided to make a note of his registration number. Easier said than done that. I do have a mobile phone - a 'brick'. I use it as a phone. I also use it for text. I wasn't confident that I could write his number in a text message if I wasn't sending it to someone, so after some amount of fiddling with my phone I found a note 'app' and put it there.
He drove away and I continued to walk the dog ... and pondered. Should I have got involved? Could I have prevented it? Would he have thanked me for helping - 'you're all right, you're all right, stop!' or given me a mouthful for interfering? And could I have (should I have?) anticipated that he had the driving skills of ... an angry jelly?
Non-verbal communication is a vital skill. A sixth sense. Intuition. Something we use every day without even knowing it. Sad to say, but in these times we're living in there are certain situations where it's best to keep your nose out. Lone female dogwalker -v- aggressive Audi A6 driver. Hmm. So why did I report it down at Faringdon Police Station that morning?
A point of principle. I'd seen something happen. I also wanted to apportion the blame correctly. In as much as the approach drive to the cricket club is also parallel to the skate park, and I didn't want people to assume the damage had somehow been done by the youngsters larking around on their skateboards.... so that's what compelled me to report the incident.
The second trip to the police station was at lunchtime today, in Wantage.
Non-verbal communication again. Body language. Yesterday I'd seen a man walking along the driveway of our elderly neighbour, Mary. Nothing wrong in itself, but he caught my eye, and held my glance and I mouthed to him, from where I happened to be, my bedroom window, 'Are you going to see Mary?' to which he looked blank. Something about his manner made me slightly uneasy, so I went downstairs, took the dog outside, and had a quick look down Mary's drive.... nothing, so I left it at that.
Whilst in town today I bumped into Mary, and she expressed concern as to whether I received the bag, with magazines and money for the eggs I give her, and which she leaves for me on my doorstep. I said yes, I had thank you, and she said she was worried because after she'd left it she'd had this man round her house.....
So I had a good chat with her, and said funnily enough I'd seen a man, and she said he had knocked on her door, she'd opened it a little way, and asked him what he wanted and he said window cleaning and she said no thank you I've got a window cleaner and she closed the door and went to her kitchen to watch him leaving down the garden path, but she couldn't see him, so she wondered where he'd gone and she went down her hallway and he was peering in at the window having a good look, and she asked him what he wanted, and he said to get to the house next door, and she said to go back down the path, and he went... but she said she'd not slept properly, and I said I'd walk with her to the police station and we could tell them together what had happened and even if nothing could be done she'd get a bit of peace of mind, and the police would have some 'intelligence' and may be able to put a picture together and maybe he'd been reported already, and at least if the police knew then we'd done our bit, hadn't we?
Mary is 88 years old, widowed years ago and lives alone in her home where she's lived for 50 years, is visited daily by her only son, is fiercely independent, and we keep our eye on her, because that's what you do, isn't it.
So this evening at 7.30pm the nice young policeman knocked on my door, to say he'd just visited Mary, and taken a statement, and there would be a follow-up visit by the local PCSO (Police Community Support Officer) on Saturday, and they were taking it seriously and would keep an eye things.
Job done.
Kat.
Yesterday whilst I was walking Roly at Faringdon Cricket Club (there's a lovely path that circles the ground and is used by dogwalkers, joggers, mums and buggys etc) I witnessed an Audi backing into, and seriously damaging a fence.
He'd driven up the approach drive to the cricket club only to find the gates locked, and he had to back out. It's a private drive and he attempted to reverse 3 point turn, but as his car was so big (A6?) it took him 5 goes. I wasn't spectating on purpose. He just happened to be executing this manoeuvre as I was taking the dog that way, the way I go most mornings. But when his rear bumper kissed the fence the first time I thought 'eh-up, we've got one here'....
The fence in question is about knee high, and is made up of wooden 4x4 posts with metal (scaffold type) rails in-between. As I walked past I saw his car kiss the fence 3 times. He may have done it more, but I was also trying to keep my eye on Roly's chosen spot for his 'business', so I could do my business - pick it up...
However, when he flat-backed into the rail, split the post, and knocked it awry I decided to make a note of his registration number. Easier said than done that. I do have a mobile phone - a 'brick'. I use it as a phone. I also use it for text. I wasn't confident that I could write his number in a text message if I wasn't sending it to someone, so after some amount of fiddling with my phone I found a note 'app' and put it there.
He drove away and I continued to walk the dog ... and pondered. Should I have got involved? Could I have prevented it? Would he have thanked me for helping - 'you're all right, you're all right, stop!' or given me a mouthful for interfering? And could I have (should I have?) anticipated that he had the driving skills of ... an angry jelly?
Non-verbal communication is a vital skill. A sixth sense. Intuition. Something we use every day without even knowing it. Sad to say, but in these times we're living in there are certain situations where it's best to keep your nose out. Lone female dogwalker -v- aggressive Audi A6 driver. Hmm. So why did I report it down at Faringdon Police Station that morning?
A point of principle. I'd seen something happen. I also wanted to apportion the blame correctly. In as much as the approach drive to the cricket club is also parallel to the skate park, and I didn't want people to assume the damage had somehow been done by the youngsters larking around on their skateboards.... so that's what compelled me to report the incident.
The second trip to the police station was at lunchtime today, in Wantage.
Non-verbal communication again. Body language. Yesterday I'd seen a man walking along the driveway of our elderly neighbour, Mary. Nothing wrong in itself, but he caught my eye, and held my glance and I mouthed to him, from where I happened to be, my bedroom window, 'Are you going to see Mary?' to which he looked blank. Something about his manner made me slightly uneasy, so I went downstairs, took the dog outside, and had a quick look down Mary's drive.... nothing, so I left it at that.
Whilst in town today I bumped into Mary, and she expressed concern as to whether I received the bag, with magazines and money for the eggs I give her, and which she leaves for me on my doorstep. I said yes, I had thank you, and she said she was worried because after she'd left it she'd had this man round her house.....
So I had a good chat with her, and said funnily enough I'd seen a man, and she said he had knocked on her door, she'd opened it a little way, and asked him what he wanted and he said window cleaning and she said no thank you I've got a window cleaner and she closed the door and went to her kitchen to watch him leaving down the garden path, but she couldn't see him, so she wondered where he'd gone and she went down her hallway and he was peering in at the window having a good look, and she asked him what he wanted, and he said to get to the house next door, and she said to go back down the path, and he went... but she said she'd not slept properly, and I said I'd walk with her to the police station and we could tell them together what had happened and even if nothing could be done she'd get a bit of peace of mind, and the police would have some 'intelligence' and may be able to put a picture together and maybe he'd been reported already, and at least if the police knew then we'd done our bit, hadn't we?
Mary is 88 years old, widowed years ago and lives alone in her home where she's lived for 50 years, is visited daily by her only son, is fiercely independent, and we keep our eye on her, because that's what you do, isn't it.
So this evening at 7.30pm the nice young policeman knocked on my door, to say he'd just visited Mary, and taken a statement, and there would be a follow-up visit by the local PCSO (Police Community Support Officer) on Saturday, and they were taking it seriously and would keep an eye things.
Job done.
Kat.
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