That Time my Business was Raided by the Police.

. . . And I Got Arrested

I have written before about some pretty big business struggles I have endured in the past. I thought I’d also share another event that happened, which was also very stressful and very unexpected.

An ordinary morning

It was a summer morning quite a few years back, when I received a call on my mobile.

“Hello, is this Mr[myself]’’ Me: “Yes it is, who’s calling please” “This is the police, there is an incident at your business premises and we need you to come straight away” — They wouldn’t say much more.

My heart sank. I thought my place had been broken into or worse. Dealing in used motorcycle spares attracted a lot of young bike thieves looking for something to joy-ride.

I arrived soon after. Getting closer to my business premises, I could see a number of large plain white vans and a group people, none of whom were wearing any type of uniform.

I introduced myself, upon which I was abruptly ordered to open up my premises as they had a search warrant. Surprised, I asked on what grounds and what was it all about? They told me they are searching for a stolen motorcycle they believe I have in the premises. Upon informing me of the make & model, I told them I had recently bought a small job lot of parts which were of the same, including a lock & key set.

I opened up the doors and immediately pointed out the parts, some of which, like the plastic fairings, were hanging in plain view.

In total, there were 8 plain-clothed officers who were all from the stolen vehicle division. I asked why they didn’t just force entry. They told me the landlady would not let them. This made me chuckle but I wasn’t surprised when they said it.

Although my landlady was about 4 foot 11 and in her 70’s, she did not take crap from anyone. I have seen her stand up to tenants who were big built guys who have served time, trying to give her cheek and pull the wool over her eyes. Those same big burly guys always ended up feeling smaller than her after she went through them.

Seemingly she told the police officers, that if they wanted to force entry, they would have to go through her. Also saying that I was a good lad, so if you want in, get him [myself] to open the door. By the call I received, they must have figured it was easier to phone me than tackle my landlady. I don’t blame them.

Anyway, they searched my premises for hours. Going through every frame and engine number, scanning for data tags [security chips that can be hidden on motorcycles] and microdots [UV reactant dots that when examined under a microscope, will show a unique code which can be matched to a bike].

Arrested

They were getting nothing, everything was coming back clean. I started to get asked where I keep the bikes. Explaining to them that this is everything here, but they were not convinced. Upon further questioning, it became clear that they thought I was a major figure in the stolen bike scene and the line of large empty unmarked vans were there for recovering stolen motorcycles & parts they thought I had.

For several hours this went on. My customers were getting turned away by the police, who told them they could not enter because the place was getting searched.

Eventually, they finished their search and took me to the station for official questioning. I had my mugshot, DNA and fingerprints taken, though only 7 of my fingerprints registered as the others were too worn away from work to be picked up.

I was questioned for hours. They eventually charge me with reset, then let me go. I was escorted to reception where, to my surprise, my grandfather was waiting on me.

I figured they realised I wasn’t such a big fish after all, and that is why they wrapped up the questioning. But later found out my grandfather was there the whole time and was getting ever more frustrated with how long they were questioning me over the matter of a few low-value parts.

My grandfather was an engineer and search & rescue in the mine. As a result of hand carrying machinery & tools through flooded mines & the gruelling work with search and rescue, he was very strong. Even now in his 80’s with his shovel-like hands and shoulders broader than mine.

He is very much a law-abiding person who has never been in trouble with the police. He is also very much a family man, a protector, and will let nothing stand between him and family. After what he had seen in the mines, there wasn’t much that phased him. During a follow-up visit from the police, an officer told me that my grandfather got so frustrated, he told them that if I wasn’t out soon, he would go in and get me out of the interview room himself.

My day in court

The first time I was in court was to plead. There were a few cases getting heard before mine. One of them stuck in my mind as I thought it was quite funny.

A man was charged with stealing a microwave from a shop. He picked it up and ran out of the shop with it, full thing, still new in its box. His excuse; he suffers from a really bad back which he treats with heated pads. He was in so much pain, that in a moment of desperation, he stole the microwave so he could heat his back pads.

Now correct me if I am wrong, but when I have had chronic back pain, the last thing on my mind would be to run out of a shop and down the street with a microwave.

Finally, it was my turn in the dock. I was so nervous. I could feel my guts churning and my heart rate increase. I was polite & respectful and I was the only one in the stand to wear a suit that day. I addressed the judge and confirmed some details. Then, heart pounding, I pled not guilty.

Weeks later, my trial date finally came round. It had felt like an eternity. I had ran through so many possible questions I may be asked, so many scenarios and possible outcomes. I had no idea what to expect.

Sitting waiting my turn, I was called to the dock. Even more nervous than before and feeling sick with worry, I confirmed some details as I did before. The prosecution and my defence exchanged legal jargon that I couldn’t understand. The judge then said some jargon and sounded his gavel. He smiled and said that I may leave.

I had no idea what just happened. I met my lawyer in the hallway. I asked him what happened, to which he replied with more legal jargon. I think he seen the confused look on my face and just said: “Your case was thrown out”.

The moment those words hit my ears, the tension just flowed out of my body, and for the first time in months, the worry had been lifted. They had realised that I had been sold stolen items unbeknown to myself, so threw out the case.

All this worry, all this hassle over a couple of boxes of parts that someone sold me. Customers driven away, people asking questions and many months of misery. Financial, emotional and reputational damage done by something that amounted to less than 0.01% of my stock.

Freedom

I am certainly glad it is in the past and wouldn’t want to experience something like that again.

My business quickly recovered and through the good reputation I had in the motorcycle community, rumours were quickly extinguished.

I am still very thankful to the 2 strong charactered senior citizens who stood up for me that day; My landlady and grandfather. I know it would have been a different story without their interventions and couldn’t write this story without mentioning what they did.