A Waikato police officer on holiday in the UK intervened after protesters smeared custard on the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London on Saturday.
Custard Protest at Tower of London
Senior Constable Mark Strongman, a 29-year veteran of the police force, was visiting the tourist attraction with his family when four people defaced the display case holding the Imperial State Crown.
Strongman reported hearing a commotion before discovering that a substance – believed to be custard and fruit crumble – had been thrown at the display case.
Four individuals have been arrested by the Metropolitan Police Service for the politically motivated vandalism, which has attracted international media attention.
“I walked up to the two female suspects and introduced myself, informing them that I was arresting them for criminal behaviour and advised them of their rights,” said Strongman.
“I took an oath to the Crown so I figured my arrests procedures would stick. One was in possession of a backpack so I was concerned about what could be in there so quickly removed that and waited with the females until the Metropolitan Police officers arrived.”
“As you can imagine, the whole place shuts down when the Crown Jewels are at risk, some very thick steel doors slammed closed.
“My wife Carmen and my brother and sister-in-law were ahead of me and had no idea what was happening. I just dropped straight back into work mode and felt I represented New Zealand police well and in line with our values.”
Metropolitan Police thanked Strongman for his “timely intervention and use of his police skills in detaining the suspects which assisted in ensuring there was no further damage to the Crown Jewels”.
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