Just another Saturday Night in Acton... on a Thursday

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A Shift in Real Time: How Officers Make Decisions on the Ground

I wanted to try something a little different with this update — a closer look at how we, as frontline officers, make decisions in real time, often with limited information and limited resources. If people find this interesting, I’m happy to share more of these “from the ground” reflections. If not, I’ll stick to the usual brief summaries.

This is a look back at one moment in yesterday’s late shift, and the thought processes that sit quietly behind what can seem like fairly routine calls.

The End of a Shift… Or So I Thought

It was getting towards the end of the day. I’d been based around Morrisons on The Mount, where earlier I’d helped remove a couple of drug users from the disabled toilet and issued them Community Protection Warnings. A short while later, I’d moved on a small group in the car park for similar behaviour. Nothing dramatic — just the steady, necessary work of keeping a busy area safe.

My new officers arrive next week, and we have a long list of individuals we’ll be targeting together. For now though, I was on foot, on my own, and mentally winding down.

That’s when the radio call came.

A High‑Grade Call and a Five‑Minute Walk

Control reported an incident at the Red Lion and Pineapple:
“Drunk male refused service… now actively restrained by staff and customers.”

It was graded as the highest level of urgency.

I knew immediately I was about five minutes away — and I use the word “run” very generously when describing my attempts at speed. Realistically, I was fast‑walking up the hill, thinking through the risks before I even arrived.

But I wasn’t walking into this blind.

A fast car from the Emergency Response Unit had already accepted the job. They were on their way under blue lights, closing the distance far quicker than I could. So although I might reach the scene first, I wasn’t going to be alone for long. That matters. A lot.

At the same time, I was thinking about everyone involved: staff, the customers restraining the male, and the male himself. We’re trained in restraint. Members of the public aren’t. Most people don’t think about positional asphyxia — but we have to.

Inside the Pub

I reached the pub and updated control. Inside, the place was busy. The shift manager, a young woman, saw me and glanced instinctively behind me.

“Are you on your own?” she asked.

I said yes, and she quickly pointed out where the male was being held.

Two men — a staff member and a customer — were on top of him on the floor. They weren’t doing anything wrong; they were just doing what they felt they had to do to protect themselves and others. But their relief when I arrived was obvious.

With the situation contained and the male already on the ground, it didn’t take long to get handcuffs on him and take control of the arrest. Contrary to what films and TV suggest, the difficult part of any arrest is the initial struggle and getting someone safely under control. Once that’s done, the rest can be fairly straightforward.

I went back on the radio and cancelled the additional units — the man was secure and calm.

The Aftermath

That decision effectively ended my shift. Whenever you take an arrest, the paperwork becomes your new overtime partner.

The Emergency Response team were appreciative. The staff and customers could finally relax. And the male himself was safe, monitored, and no longer at risk of hurting anyone — including himself.

He will receive a simple Penalty Notice for Disorder: a £90 fine.