Yorks cops bust Bradford guinea pig farm
Cannabis 'hothouse' alert ends in cavy anti-climax
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Yorkshire cops have apologised after swooping on a suspected Bradford cannabis "hothouse", only to find a couple of pampered guinea pigs languishing by an electric heater.
Six officers in three vehicles descended on Pam Hardcastle's house after a police chopper's dope-busting camera picked up a suspicious infrared hotspot.
Yorkshire's finest also dispatched a plod to request that the 42-year-old primary school learning mentor return pronto from work. She told the Yorkshire Post: "The officer said they wanted me to go home. He said my garage lit up when the police helicopter was out and they believed I could be growing cannabis."
Back at the scene, meanwhile, Hardcastle's mum explained to the anti-drug SWAT team her daughter "had guinea pigs in the garage and would have a heater in there to keep them warm".
The coppers, however, pressed on with the operation, and having gained entry to the facility, "took one look at the guinea pigs, then left".
Hardcastle concluded: "My neighbours told me police were everywhere. Everybody was asking what I had done wrong. It is embarrassing."
West Yorkshire Police Inspector Darren Brown offered: "I would like to apologise for the distress this may have caused. However, I would point out that these tactics are essential in tackling drugs across the district."
He reassured: "I can also reassure the occupants that their details will not be kept on police records and I will be personally visiting them to discuss any concerns they may have."
The guinea pigs - named Simon and Kenny, the Sun helpfully notes - are apparently none the worse for their ordeal. The paper has a snap of Hardcastle and Simon, plus a grab of the glowing garage, right here. ®
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COMMENTS
Fail!
If drugs were legalised and you could get them via prescription (thus generating revenue for the govt), we could save millions of quid in man-hours and expensive copper choppers. Maybe then they can tackle real crimes.
Shock horror
'Victimless crime feels the full strength of the law'
Meanwhile thieves and scum stealing everything from everybody isn't worth investigating as it's so common.
So how many other less news worthy crimes were ignored so they could go in mob handed.
So the question is will she lose her job on the bases of soft evidence.
war on drugs
isnt working. stop trying to criminalise people for smoking something less harmful than alcohol and tobacco (yes, some people have a brain meltdown but plenty of studies can prove that those people would likely have underlying problems anyway). nice use of our tax money plod
also anyone with half a brain on a scan would tell you that an electric heater boots out far more heat than a HPS light. did they think they had found some 3000w grow lamp that would light a garage? arent these guys even slightly educated in what they are trying to catch?
maybe if you spent more time investigating burglaries (took them a month to come to swipe for fingerprints when it happened to me) they might get the public more on side.
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