Last night, when I was coming out of Streatham Hill station, there were over a dozen police officers, and a couple of plain clothes people, who could have been railway revenue inspectors or police, plus a police dog. Each one of us had to show our passes or tickets and be subject to a sniff by the dog.
Strange really. Streatham Hill is not exactly the crime station of London. It's not even the most crime-ridden station in Streatham. At that time, it is characterised by two or three hundred people shuffling off the train, coming back from work. Not very intimidating.
Have I ever told you about me and dogs? I make dogs nervous. I know that, so that makes me nervous, which makes them even more nervous. It was a deeply traumatic experience anticipating a police dog going berserk in the enclosed space that is Streatham Hill ticket office.
I am curious to know what it is about. Talking with a colleague this morning, he said 'drugs'. Feasible, credible, but...isn't that treating me as a suspect? And, indeed the other hundreds of people? I am all for anything that will work in eradicating crack and smack from my community, but sceptical at how effective treating a bunch of commuters, who almost certainly won't have their dope, charlie or Es on them, as suspects. Also, all the officers were men - would I have been within my rights to refuse a rub-down by a male officer?
The dog must have been very well trained - it seemed oblivious to my nervousness.
