Beware carrying gardening tools in public

[Bigends]

Interesting one. Regularly see and old chap outside ours wandering down to the allotments with garden forks and other pointy gardening tools in a wheelbarrow - he'd better be careful.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/jul/28/ma...

Edited by Bigends on Monday 28th July 15:14

[cml24]

Whilst I agree this person does seem to have a valid reason for carrying these, the specific tools and the way they were being carried is probably at the very end of what is acceptable.

Walking with a wheel barrow with some forks and spades in, and a pair of secateurs feels a lot more acceptable. This chap had the tools in holsters on his belt, one is a small dagger (fixed blade, above 3 inches, sharp on both sides with a point) and a serrated knife about six inches long.

I would probably agree that it was right to stop him if there was public concern. But I would also agree that it was right to let him go with out a caution and give him his tools back, probably with some advice to put them in bag and not holster them in full view of the public whilst you walk around manchester.

[Ridgemont]

He had to explain what an allotment was

Jeez.

[Zetec-S]

Just for reference these are the sort of tools he was carrying, you can see why someone might question it:





Doesn't excuse the (supposed) stty attitude from the police, but then we're only getting one side of the story.

[Zetec-S]

cml24 said:

I would probably agree that it was right to stop him if there was public concern. But I would also agree that it was right to let him go with out a caution and give him his tools back, probably with some advice to put them in bag and not holster them in full view of the public whilst you walk around manchester.

[ChemicalChaos]

Ridgemont said:

He had to explain what an allotment was

Jeez.

This.... How fking thick was the arresting officer?

What does being autistic have to do with being arrested for carrying garden implements?

And as for being interviewed without legal representation because they supposedly couldn't get hold of a solicitor? Surely any good lawyer would have an absolute field day with that

Edited by ChemicalChaos on Monday 28th July 15:34

[Lotobear]

...if I saw Samuel coming towards me with that 'just killed' look on his face and a Spear and Jackson in one hand I would probably be worried too.

[Bigends]

Zetec-S said:

cml24 said:

I would probably agree that it was right to stop him if there was public concern. But I would also agree that it was right to let him go with out a caution and give him his tools back, probably with some advice to put them in bag and not holster them in full view of the public whilst you walk around manchester.

Exactly this.
As well as the caution - he'll also have a weapons marker placed against his name on PNC

Edited by Bigends on Monday 28th July 15:58

[wiggy001]

If he was committing an offence of possessing a weapon, how is it possible for anyone to purchase one of these tools and take it home?

[Gareth79]

wiggy001 said:

If he was committing an offence of possessing a weapon, how is it possible for anyone to purchase one of these tools and take it home?

You'd have a "reasonable excuse, the proof whereof shall lie on him".

This guy had a reasonable excuse (he had walked from an allotment to his home, and was apparently using one of the tools at home at the time of his arrest), and I'd imagine most solicitors would have said to take it to court, and that the CPS probably wouldn't even go ahead, had he the chance to speak to one.

However I think it's extremely difficult to "undo" a caution?

[boyse7en]

wiggy001 said:

If he was committing an offence of possessing a weapon, how is it possible for anyone to purchase one of these tools and take it home?

Buy a 9" kitchen knife and you are OK to chop mushrooms in your kitchen, but they'll take a dim view of you waving it around in the high street

[ChocolateFrog]

Answering questions honestly was probably his second mistake.

Don't trust the police, they're not your friend, they're not on your side because you think you've done nothing wrong and common sense will prevail.

Some of them are also thick as mince. Tell them they're gardening tools and you were coming back from the allotment and then shut up.

[hairykrishna]

The Japanese gardening trowel does look like a big fk off dagger in the polices defence.

For the sake of a few more hours the guy should have shut up and waited for a solicitor, but it's easy to say that not being in the situation.

The one time I have been in a similar situation I was lucky that one of the policemen present actually knew the law. I was randomly stopped and searched at a railway station and was carrying a penknife, as I have done basically every day since I was ten. The guy who found it was quite excited and a bit aggressive until his superior told him that I was telling the truth and the fact that it was sub 3" and non-locking made it perfectly legal.

Edited by hairykrishna on Monday 28th July 17:27

[Downward]

Beware, Some folk out there are driving around with chainsaws in their cars.

[Wills2]

We really are living in an idiocracy, where do we get these officers from? The man was gardening at home at the time of the arrest, what's next bursting in to arrest you for chopping up vegetables for dinner?

FFS.

[Hoofy]

A quick google of funny words used in that article gives me:





He really ought to do a bit of research on knives.

If he's going to carry that kit in public, it needs to be wrapped up properly and not on his belt ffs.

[hairykrishna]

ChemicalChaos said:

This.... How fking thick was the arresting officer?

What does being autistic have to do with being arrested for carrying garden implements?

And as for being interviewed without legal representation because they supposedly couldn't get hold of a solicitor? Surely any good lawyer would have an absolute field day with that

Edited by ChemicalChaos on Monday 28th July 15:34

I interpret the article as saying that he agreed to be interviewed without legal representation, after waiting for several hours, rather than waiting longer.

[hairykrishna]

Hoofy said:

He really ought to do a bit of research on knives.

If he's going to carry that kit in public, it needs to be wrapped up properly and not on his belt ffs.

"This is clearly my US gardening assault rifle. Not quite sure why the police got so worked up about it."

[Foss62]

Hoofy said:

A quick google of funny words used in that article gives me:





He really ought to do a bit of research on knives.

If he's going to carry that kit in public, it needs to be wrapped up properly and not on his belt ffs.

The website I found actually had warnings about carrying in public - i suppose these might have been added recently…

The real crime here is buying idiotic and fashionable Japanese tools instead of the equivalents people have used here for generations and actually work better.
That aside, the police appear to have shown as little common sense as the ‘gardener’ here.

[bitchstewie]

I think this is one of those where more than one thing can be true.

He's an idiot if he's walked the streets with that on his belt.

You'd hope the Police might have been able to deal with him being an idiot in a bit more constructive way than it appears they did when they discovered him at home doing his garden.

One where you can see how it ended up how it did even if you think it probably shouldn't.