Parks Police Issue Criminal Warrant to 9 Year Old Fisherman!

4.52.14pm GMT Tue 31st Jul 2007

A nine year old boy, fishing with his mum in Bushy Park, was served with a stop and search warrant by Parks Police for fishing 'out of season'. Vincent Cable MP has taken up the issue with the head of the Parks Police, Commander Ovens and describes the action as "ridiculously disproportionate; it makes you wonder whether the police have any sense of priorities when, instead of pursuing criminals, they are spending their time chasing little boys for technical breaches of the by-laws governing the Royal Parks."

Harriet Helman's 9 year old son was fishing in one of the ponds in Bushy Park when the police stopped him (because it is currently not the fishing season) and instead of simply telling him to stop, issued a warrant normally used for carrying an offensive weapon. His mother was so furious that she contacted her MP who has now take the matter up with the police at a senior level and is demanding that the warrant be withdrawn and the matter properly investigated.