rant blog

Talking to the police...and other wastes of time

‘Never ever talk to the police’ – and that’s from a lawyer! What’s this got to do with smartsizing? Well it’s about time management and specifically not wasting time. I have already stated why I no longer bother giving Amazon reviews. I am here to reveal that I no longer talk to the police. Sometimes or even often - something happens in one’s childhood that only makes sense much later on, even years later. I was up from boarding school staying with my father when I helped a store detective stop a fleeing shoplifter and get him back to the shop. At the time I was not a little proud of my actions. It was one of the first times I had flexed my muscles in public as ‘twere and taken part in the grown up world. It is now one of those incidents where I cringe with embarassment and now understand why my father was noticeably pissed off.
What happened? I was in a Woolworths store at Christmas. I heard a furore and then witnessed a burly Irishman flying out the store followed by a skinny asian store detective in a suit. The Irishman threw something behind him as he was running out the door (the toy he had attempted to shoplift). I decided to follow them. The skinny store detective caught up with the errant thief in a side street. He was attempting to corral him back up the high street back to the shop. Here is where your now-humble author stepped in. I threatened and intimidated the burly Irishman as I was considerably burlier. I strong-armed him back to the store. And then the waiting began. We had to wait for the police. I had to wait to give a statement. It took hours for the police to show – even though the station was a couple of hundred of yards away. I had to call my father who was now back from work and wondering where I was. He turned up, cut through the nonsense of my heroic bluster and immediately summed up the situation as a huge waste of time, mine and his. I was slightly crestfallen at his attitude. I thought I had done a good thing. But -

• Was it my family involved?
• My community? No, London even back then had long since had any sense of ‘community'
• Do I owe anything to FW Woolworth? No.
• How much time is involved?

The past is most definitely another country in regards to this; nowadays I would barely glance at the hue and cry. And it's really not worth talking to the police according to that lawyer in the video above.

How to tell if you are doing a good thing or wasting your time? :-

Are you being paid? My father would often cut to the chase and ask about any 'coin' involved. People will try to get you involved in their 'projects' for free especially if you have any relevant skills.

Is this time that would be best served in other ways? – ie getting you closer to your goals Ask this to yourself all the time...I am click-clacking away at the key board right now. Is this a waste of time? No. Not only am I practicing touch-typing but I'm journalling and writing a blog.

Remember, Less is More when it comes to talking to the police, giving advice or writing on social media.

_{*I don’t condone shoplifting of course but they have store detectives for that. The fact that their man was utterly useless is besides the point.}