A New Zealand police officer who interrupted his London holiday to detain four people after they allegedly threw custard at the Crown Jewels says he was pretty sure his arrests would stick, despite the fact he was almost 20,000 kilometres away from his usual jurisdiction.
Senior Constable Mark Strongman was lining up with his family to see the Crown Jewels on Saturday as part of a European holiday when he heard a commotion ahead of him. He then saw a substance – reportedly custard and fruit crumble – had been thrown over a display case holding the Imperial State Crown, and immediately switched into work mode.
Take Back Power activists pose in front of a dessert-smeared Crown Jewels case at the Tower of London. The State Crown was not damaged during the custard and crumble incident.Credit: Take Back Power
“I walked up to the two female suspects and introduced myself, informing them that I was arresting them for criminal behaviour and advised them of their rights,” Strongman, who usually works with commercial vehicle safety in New Zealand, said.
“I took an oath to the Crown so I figured my arrests procedures would stick.”
London Metropolitan Police rushed to the Tower of London after the incident and officially arrested four people over the protest against wealth inequality.
A group called “Take Back Power” has taken responsibility for the incident, which saw protesters smash fruit crumble into a cabinet holding the crown and pour custard over the glass, before unfurling a sign saying “Democracy has crumbled; tax the rich”.
Strongman, who has previously worked as a police negotiator during his 29 years with the New Zealand police force, said he noticed immediately that one of the alleged protesters had a backpack. Concerned about what was still in it, he removed the bag before waiting with the women for the local police to arrive.
“As you can imagine, the whole place shuts down when the Crown Jewels are at risk, some very thick steel doors slammed closed,” he said. “My wife, Carmen, and my brother and sister-in-law were ahead of me and had no idea what was happening … I just dropped straight back into work mode.”
