Thieves Walking into Nottscops' Arms

 One day in August 1986 Colin Macdonald (left) and John Davis were at Rempstone cross-roads when a report came in of an attempted armed robbery at the Sandham Walk Post Office at Clifton. At this time John was a probationer on his two week rural attachment with Colin at Gotham. They offered to travel and meet up with Stan Watson (the East Leake officer) at Clifton Main Shops. The description of the two male offenders was passed to the officers and Stan and Colin agreed that, if they had committed the offence, they would make their getaway through Clifton Grove. Stan took the village end; John and Colin went to Wilford. It was one of those jobs that just 'goes right'. As they pulled onto the concrete bridge over Fairham Brook, they saw two youths walking towards them, carrying a blue holdall. The holdall contained a length of telephone wire, handcuffs, a butcher's boning knife and an imitation handgun. Fortunately the officers had called Force Control Room with their sighting and location and a Dog Section Officer made a timely arrival, just as the two lads tried to do a runner. (The clincher was that one the lads had a handcuff key in his back pocket, so they couldn't claim to have found the bag!).     Colin reckons he may have got promoted on the strength of this!