Hackney police have shared some of their more unusual nighttime encounters on Twitter, showing that an officer’s job is full of surprises.
In one tweet posted yesterday, the east London force shared an image of a moped-rider’s bold attempt to transport a widescreen television on his bike.
The cumbersome package is fixed onto the vehicle with nothing but strands of sticky tape.
In a caption accompanying the photo the force wrote: “Sometimes during night shifts you think your eyes deceive you due to tiredness. A quick blink, and no, you confirm what you thought you first saw.
“Whilst on patrol in E5 we spotted this rider who had a 55" TV precariously perched across his moped, held on by sellotape,” they added, followed by a face-palm emoji.
This morning, they documented the latest episode in their “bizarre run of night shifts.”
Posting a photo of a car lodged into a slanted pathway, they wrote: “This driver mistook the canal towpath for a road. She tried to barge (scuse the pun) through metal bollards (sic).
“On seeing police she jumped in the canal. After we rescued her, she was arrested on suspicion of drink drive.”
The force shared more details on the two incidents with the Standard, explaining how both came about.
The moped rider was spotted as officers conducted burglary patrols around Clapton in the early hours of Tuesday morning, drawn to his innovative but potentially dangerous sticky tape method.
“Checks were completed both on the rider and the TV, which turned out to be legitimate,” a police spokesperson said.
They added: “In relation to driving offences the matter is ongoing.”
The following morning, just before 5am, they were called to Queensbridge Road in Haggerston following reports of a car hitting a wall.
“On arrival the vehicle, a black Alfa Romeo Mito was found abandoned on pedestrian/cycle towpath, with extensive damage,” they said.
Officers searched the surrounding area and found a woman who, panicking, proceeded to throw herself into the canal.
She was returned to the canal bank by the officers and given a check-up by paramedics who had arrived at the scene. She did not attend hospital, they confirmed.
“A 29-year-old female was arrested on suspicion of drink drive and taken to a north London police station where she remains,” the force confirmed.
