I was a bit nervous parking my car with its rear tyres overlapping the double yellow lines. Most of the car was OK but those rear tyres were on the double yellows. And I was parking outside the police station.
I went into the cop shop, I won’t say which one (it’s good to keep an air of mystery sometimes), but it was in the north of England, a little while ago. I approached the desk and rang the bell.
A police lady came out to see me. She smiled, but she also looked like she would be quite good at throwing drunks out of pubs so I didn’t mess about.
I immediately regretted how I started this conversation:
‘I expect this will seem a bit of an odd request but I’d like some advice please‘
The police lady looked as though she’d be very surprised if I could come out with something odd enough to impress her.
‘I’m organising a peaceful protest near here on 10 August and I thought I ought to get advice to make sure that I don’t break the law.’.
The police lady did not gasp in shock but asked a few questions and looked a bit bored when I told her about the plight of the Hen Harrier. She moved to a filing cabinet and pulled out a form.
Apparently I have to fill in a form. It’s six pages long and you can’t fill it in on the internet. And the form doesn’t actually say where you should send it, but it’s good to know that there is a form. I’ll be filling it in and sending it back to a police station somewhere in northern England.
Keep the day of 10 August free if you would like to participate in peaceful protests against the illegal persecution of Hen Harriers. Five protests are being planned in Lancashire, Northumberland, Durham, Yorkshire and Derbyshire. I’ll be in Derbyshire, by the way – in the Peak District National Park. Join me there to protest at the illegal persecution of this magnificent bird.
Visit this blog at 1800 on Mondays to get updates on Hen Harrier Day – and see the Birders Against Wildlife Crime website.
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