A park attendant called for police “back-up” after threatening a woman
for arrest over an elusive dog poo. Amber Langtry, 35, was walking her
dog with a friend in Victoria Park, London on New Year's Day when a lone
Tower Hamlets Enforcement Officer accused her of not clearing up after
her pet.
When she explained to the officer that he'd made a mistake and asked to
see the offending evidence, he refused to show her, then pointed to a
spot in the opposite direction to where Miss Langtry's dog had been.
He then proceeded to issue her with a ticket and called the police. Miss
Langtry said: "Our dogs went to the toilet and we cleaned up the mess
as we do every time. Forty five minutes later a man in high-vis shouted
at us from across the park and tried to give me a ticket for
prosecution, which could mean a court hearing and a £1,000 fine. I asked
to see the mess and he said ‘no'. He tried to get my details and then
started reading me my rights and telling me I'd be arrested, and then
called for police back-up."
Miss Langtry and her friend repeatedly ask him where the dropping was,
but he doesn't answer the question, instead asking Miss Langtry to give
him her details again. He says the friend is "aggressive." Miss Langtry
added: "I remember thinking, ‘This is ridiculous. Why does he need
police back-up for a five-foot-four woman looking for a dog poo?' When
the police got here they were as bemused as I was, and they didn't have a
problem with me or my dog." Under Schedule 5 of the Police Reform Act
2002, Enforcement Officers have the right to ask for a person's name and
address, but they have no power of arrest including the reading of
rights.
In a five page letter to Miss Langtry Tower Hamlets council outlines that it will not be continuing with prosecution, but that
"the officer has power to deal with an offense of failing to remove dog faces [sic]." It
goes on to state that "the officer was on single patrol at the time and
made a dynamic risk assessment for his own personal safety. "The dog
barked at the officer and this is also admitted by the owner." A
spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: "Police were called to a
request for police assistance in Victoria Park on 1st January. Police
met with an Enforcement Officer and rendered assistance before leaving.
No allegation of crime was made to police."
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