There were 2 cops in Piccadilly Gardens taking a trampish-looking dudes details. Me being me, I assumed the worst, I assumed the only "cause" they had to be doing so was that maybe he was begging, maybe he was trying to get his next meal sorted out. So I asked a few questions...which they refused to answer. Strike 1: obstruction of the free flow of information. The only free society is a transparent society. Fair enough if it was to protect his privacy, but I asked him what the problem was and they seemed to take offence at that and wouldn't let him answer.

They took my details too (strike 3: invasion of privacy without good cause) and threatened to arrest me for "showing an unnatural interest in police matters". Strike 4: suppression of free expression.

I eventually got "Jay" (as opposed to Silent Bob, who did nothing but stare through the whole interview) to admit that the reason they had been questioning the other guy was because he had been begging to raise money for a train ticket to go see his critically ill mother in hospital (personally, in his situation I wouldn't have bothered with a ticket, I would have just got on the train, locked myself in the toilet and stayed there till I reached my station so that I'd have no contact with the ticket inspector, but each to his own I suppose). Strike 5: penalising the destitute.


I accomplished 3 significant things:
The tramp guy was able to sneak off while the cops were talking to me, so I saved him from whatever would have awaited him otherwise.
He caught up with me afterwards to thank me for helping, and I gave him a Project Legacy newsletter, so I introduced someone new to Project Legacy.
Everyone who was present in that part of Piccadilly Gardens at the time would have seen 2 cops trying to intimidate the dude who asked questions.

The police accomplished 4 insignificant things:
Took an hour or so out of my life
Left me slightly annoyed
Same again with the other guy

Justice - 3, the state - 0.0000004