tip top toker
Well-Known Member
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bradford-west-yorkshire-12169711Officers arrived last week after the West Yorkshire Police helicopter detected a hotspot on the roof of the garage in Huddersfield Road, Odsal.
A hotspot is often a sign of specialist heating systems used to grow cannabis.
Police have apologised for any distress the raid caused to the guinea pigs' owner, 42-year-old Pam Hardcastle.
Mrs Hardcastle, a learning mentor at Bradford Moor primary school, said: "On Wednesday I'd gone to work and got a call from my mum who said you need to come home.
"The police came on the phone and said: 'We think you're growing cannabis in your garage.'
"I said: 'No, it's a heater to keep my guinea pigs warm because it's been so cold.'
"I went home and there were two policemen who came in the house with me and I've got a big picture of Bob Marley with cannabis growing behind him so I thought: 'Oh my God, don't turn round'."
Mrs Hardcastle said that despite the embarrassment the incident had caused, she did not criticise the police.
"I think the police do a really good job and I do understand why they did it," she said. "It 's just unfortunate it was me."
Insp Darren Brown, of the Queensbury, Royds and Wibsey neighbourhood policing team, said: "A majority of operations of this nature are intelligence-based and often rely upon swift action.
"Due to the location of the garage, we could not make further observations without alerting the occupants.
"On this occasion, it transpired that the significant heat source coming from the property was not connected to the production of cannabis.
"Officers who attended explained the full circumstances to the occupant and discussed any damage.
"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 Mrs Hardcastle that her details would not be kept on police records.
Ahahahahaha, what a cockup, although it does make you wonder about the threshholds that the police chose to work with, it would have to be a hell of a heater or a hell of a gamble to move on such a small heat source/reading although naturally i don't know the whole story.
It appears that no warrant was obtained and they did not have proof of anything even when they were on the phone, they needed him to let them in and view the inside, i assume that his wife had refused them a search until she had spoken with her husband.
There is a similar story from a london address where the police violated diplomatic laws and diplomatic protection, only to find that when they raided his house he had simply had the heating turned up.
So remember, if you have something to hide, never let a piggy in your house, if you don't, well say no the first time, wait for them to come back in force and then embarrass them heavily
I've always wondered what kind of protection the public have in a situation where the police force entry and find nothing. I now suffer mental trauma i may never recover from, pay me bitches. (if this was the case, hell, i'd make a living setting up indoor tomato grows and get busted lots via bad policing
And on a humerus note i like how hotspots are caused by specialist heating equipment. All i can say to that is it's a freaking lightbulb genius glorifying what it is to grow cannabis i think. Make it sound like a high stakes high money game, nah mate, cost me a tenner.