Pulling rank
Sir: I can cap Dominic Lawson's story about his car and the police, (Diary, 26 October). In November 1989 my car was parked in Church Street, Chiswick, where I live and where there are no restrictions. I was ill in bed, with asthma. I looked out of my bedroom window one morning and saw that it was no longer there.
I telephoned the Chiswick police to tell them that my car had been stolen. I was told that it had been towed away, since it had obstructed a fire engine. I denied this since I would have heard its alarm call. I was told that 1 would have to go to the Warwick Road car pound and pay £75 before it was released. They said that I could pay by cheque because I did pot have £75, in cash, in my house.
In my dressing-gown T called a minicab to take me to Warwick Road. My cheque was not accepted because 'I had no cheque-card. Still in my dressing gown, I took a taxi to my sister's flat in Knightsbridge. She let me have £100 in cash. I then took the money to the car pound. On payment of £75 my car was released to me and, still in my dressing- gown, I drove home and parked my car in exactly the same place from which it was towed away.
I called the police station and demanded that the PC should come to see me and I added that the then Home Secretary, Mr
LETTERS
David Waddington, was a personal friend of mine. We were at one time parliamen- tary colleagues. I was rebuked for pulling rank, but the PC came and agreed that my car had been properly parked.
He confessed that he thought that my car might obstruct a fire engine if one hap- pened to need to enter Church Street.
I wrote to David Waddington who sent me a letter of profuse apology. I received two cheques for £75, within several days of each other. I was, for a moment, tempted to keep both, but morality prevailed.
What would have happened if I had not, by chance, known the Home Secretary?
Humph?), Berkeley
Savile Club, 69 Brook Street, London WI
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