Date - 11.08.2005 Thursday
Time - 20:30
Venue - Camden RoadThe husband and I were having an evening stroll around the neighbourhood after dinner. We were just rounding the corner of St. Pancras Way to head back onto Camden Road when we noticed a no.29 bus nearing the bus stop just opposite the road.
Out of nowhere came sirens. Then we saw a police car approaching from behind the bus. Police cars on a chase along this road is a common scene. These chases tend to occur more frequently on a weekend evening. However, it was merely Thursday. Naturally curiousity is a human instinct, all pedestrian eyes focused at the police car.
Initially we didn't notice anything special, only thinking that it's yet another silly chase. When we were just resuming our attention back to the road ahead, we saw in the corner of our eye, the police car cutting swiftly pass bus no.29, swerving around in front of it and plonking itself still right there! The uniformed policemen got out from their car and approached bus no.29, the front doors opened, they started talking to the bus driver. How unusual indeed.
In a split second, another car came speeding up and stopping parallel to the bus, right in the middle of Camden Road. People from this estate car came rushing out. They looked like ordinary people in plain civil clothes, except that they had gun holsters around their shoulders.
The mind registered this fact - they must be plain clothes detectives!
The moment they approached the bus, we could see some interaction between bus driver and detectives indicating a 'stop and search'. A very unusual scene now!
Now, up till this moment, as a passer by who stands just a mere 20 odd feet away across the road spectating this, many thoughts raced passed my mind.
Two possibilities were formed:
- A suspect terrorist bomber on bus no.29.
- A suspect criminal whom the police have been tracking for a long time.
Of course the first possibility registered much strongly as the London bombing incidents are still fresh on the mind.
We could see what was going on in the bus clearly as the bus was lit brightly by that time of day. The detectives went onto the bus and did a round on the lower deck, then moved upwards to the upper deck.
My eyes followed their movement, thinking will there be a capture? Will there be a running and fighting suspect?
Alas, there was none!
The detectives came off the bus empty handed, and the uniformed policemen bade the bus driver farewell. Off they went on their cars. Off went the bus driver with his bus load of passengers still dumbstruck at what happened, brain swimming and wondered what was all the action about.
So there you go for an unusual policemen in action scene. Sorry to have to disappoint you after reading so far... but that was definitely it. Nothing more, nothing less.
Though I have to say, it struck me... what would happen if there was really a suspect on board? The whole scenario would be so different. Wouldn't all the passengers on board the bus be in grave danger? Wouldn't the pedestrians and passer by be in danger too?
