ACT Policing and cutting your hair in the park

dexi said :

Yep, I cut my own hair.

Lol, I pay that one.

Yep, I cut my own hair.

Happens a lot? No. But what would I know…

Sounds like you have plenty of dealings with police. Wonder why.

Back to your govt housing flat with no foxtel 😉

“To suggest they try to provoke people so they can lock them up or use force on them is a pathetic comment.”

Pathetic maybe but it happens lots. Back to your safe little suburban ranch and foxtel.

Spot on, Ant.

dexi said :

The young pups do like to press buttons and exercise their new found power. Don’t engage them. Yes sir, no sir, can I go now. Its not a game of right or wrong. Its survival, they can hurt you.

Rule of thumb, is always avoid people with guns and leave the hair cutting to the professionals.

That’s a particularly silly statement. Survival? You have got to be kidding. Biggest load of crap on this thread. By ‘young pups’ I assume you mean recruits out of college, who aren’t always young (average age about 28). To suggest they try to provoke people so they can lock them up or use force on them is a pathetic comment.

farnarkler said :

At Xmas 07 a mate, who was drunk, and I were hassled by two young pup cops who said my mate should go home. At 38 and 36 I think we know when we should go home. Neither of us needed a young pup straight out of the Weston Creek cop school telling us how we should go about our business after a few beers.

Your mate was drunk after a few beers? You were hassled, were you? More likely you were both smashed and gobbing off to cops because you don’t want to listen to ‘young pups’. By the way, there is no cop school in Weston Creek.

apply the Canberra Times test here. First, run the story of the cop checking out what the bloke was doing. Hmm, fairly innocuous. Then, run the story of how some bloke who was cutting his hair in the park then did something weird/bizarre/illegal, and how minutes before, a cop observed him cutting his hair in the park, and did nothing.

readers would expect the cop to have at least checked it out, which the cop did.

If someone was trundling into Woolies and a cop stopped them and asked what they were doing, that would be troubling. But if someone is behaving in an odd manner, it’s appropriate for the police to just ensure that it’s only odd and nothing more.

Its different if your homeless or have mental health issues. Police will test your attitude. They are more than happy to provoke, to get a response. If you respond with indignation, emotion or anger, then you can expect a trip to the station. You should never challenge or contradict a person that wears a gun. Say what you have to, so they can take their gun somewhere you are not.

The young pups do like to press buttons and exercise their new found power. Don’t engage them. Yes sir, no sir, can I go now. Its not a game of right or wrong. Its survival, they can hurt you.

Rule of thumb, is always avoid people with guns and leave the hair cutting to the professionals.

If I saw someone unkempt cutting their hair in Haig Park with scissors it would cross my mind that they might be on ice or mentally ill, and it would be worth checking that they’re OK (just, you know, some kinda soi-disant genius). Which is exactly what the police did, and it read as though their response was totally professional. Because there was a sharp object involved I’m glad the police checked. With the ice epidemic causing the community so much human damage and grief, they should be proactive. The article is hilarious – and I don’t think the author intended it to be accusing the police of inappropriate intervention …

farnarkler said :

ant I remember how they tried the community policing strategy with the surfie dude and the cop walking by ever day exchanging more words day by day.

It didn’t work. We had a cop by the name of Rugendyke who was one of these community policemen and he turned more people against him than got them on his side.

At Xmas 07 a mate, who was drunk, and I were hassled by two young pup cops who said my mate should go home. At 38 and 36 I think we know when we should go home. Neither of us needed a young pup straight out of the Weston Creek cop school telling us how we should go about our business after a few beers.

Obviously you were drunk and didn’t realise that the ‘pup’ didn’t go to Weston Creek cop school… and you should have gone home or been locked up if that was your attitude.

ant I remember how they tried the community policing strategy with the surfie dude and the cop walking by ever day exchanging more words day by day.

It didn’t work. We had a cop by the name of Rugendyke who was one of these community policemen and he turned more people against him than got them on his side.

At Xmas 07 a mate, who was drunk, and I were hassled by two young pup cops who said my mate should go home. At 38 and 36 I think we know when we should go home. Neither of us needed a young pup straight out of the Weston Creek cop school telling us how we should go about our business after a few beers.

I’ve got to say I think the police did the right thing.

Simply because someone cutting their hair in the park could so easily be someone in extreme emotional distress.

If we got more used to police taking a friendly interest (as I hope we get the chance to) it would make it less confronting.

Hmm, lots of needless comments on this guys quirky behavior in this thread.

Panhead said :

If I was a cop I would of arrested his ass for being a weird nerd. Who cuts there hair in a park? I can just imagine this guy, frekain’ loony.

“They’ll talk to ya and talk to ya and talk to ya about individual freedom. But they see a free individual, it’s gonna scare ’em.” Seems appropriate here

wow, that’s an erudite post.

If I was a cop I would of arrested his ass for being a weird nerd. Who cuts there hair in a park? I can just imagine this guy, frekain’ loony.

Then it goes on to another ‘They could of been doing this…’ shit.

PM said :

astrojax said :

i second ant’s comment. the thin blue line should be across a range of ‘goings on’ and be paying attention to all and sundry oddnesses. chap was spoken to, all sorted and ok, move along to next thing. if he’d been on the lam then he’d have been nabbed, becuase of good old curiosity.

no, PM, scissors are not illegal and were duly placed in the custody of our narrator. but what if said narrator had been, well, mentally unstable, and had some intentions toward self-harm, or harm of others?

But isn’t this the slippery slope towards a police state? I mean, anyone MIGHT be carrying a gun, or a knife or a menacing cucumber, or MIGHT be someone on the run from the law.

I don’t mind police being friendly, saying hello etc – I just don’t like the whole presumption that something wrong is going on simply because it’s different.

I’m sorry – I’m just in a non-conformist mood today.

Or if they are trying to establish if different is a threat to the community.

Look out for that slippery slope PM, it’s a dangerous world out there…..

But isn’t this the slippery slope towards a police state?

no, it would be a slippery slope into anarchy if they didn’t quiz this oddity. seems all they did was chat, get a story, go corroborate it with the hotel – sensible lads – and move along. if they started about stopping simply everyone who went near the park, or something, then that’s a police state.

i was disappointed the chap didn’t post a pic of his coiffure on his blog.

I reckon the cop was OK to hassle the guy. Hope he picked up all of his hair when he was done, otherwise the cop should have given him a ticket for littering. Imagine if every manky hobo went to the park to cut their hair and left it lying around – ewwww!

.”Erm, i needed a haircut so i went and bought some scissors and here i am cutting my hair,” i innocently replied.”Yes, but why are you cutting your own hair, here?” he enquired again.”Umm, it’s what i do. Every three weeks my hair requires cutting, so i cut it!

Stylish chap!

poptop said :

You’d need quite a long extension cord to do that in the park.

Cordless rechargable clippers? Welcome to the 21st century!

Not like the Rozzers hosed him down with mace and dragged him off to the watch house, is it.

I think it’s just a slightly goofy anecdote and nothing more. All part of life’s rich tapestry, innit.

Maybe they suspected he might run with the sissors, or that he was abusing his mother’s good sissors?

I am not usually one to defend the actions of the police, however in this circumstance I think it would be fair enough for the police to question this fellow. Not so much because he was cutting his hair, but because cutting your hair in a public park is out of the ordinary, by questioning him about it the police could ascertain if he was a looney, or in the middle of some type of breakdown and maybe needed some help, or was potentially a threat to the public.

You do know Kenny Koala is a fictional puppet with a policeman fist up his date.

Actually, Kenny is a real puppet, not a fictional one.

It is a funny story though. It all comes down to if the police were friendly and curious, or over bearing and threatening. Since his story makes them sound like the former to me, looks like they did the right thing.

The reason for being outside is pretty normal. I get my hair cut outside all the time. Usually in my yard, but then I live in Canberra. I do not however cut it myself. That’s just plain whacky.

What a great use of resources. Far better than following up on a filmed road-rage incident which resulted in injuries to a cyclist and damage to another car. Brilliant.

Haven’t they replaced this cop with a speed camera yet? What the hell are they doing real work for?

I like the “engaging with people” bit very much, but not the “poking about” part. Semantics, I know.

I’m pleased to hear that the police are out and about, getting involved in mundane things. For a while there, you only ever saw them blasting around in their sealed spaceships, waiting for terrorists, or monstering people with breathalyzers on the roadside (once, usually around Xmas).

Having them actually poking about, engaging with people, is excellent.

Fair enough. It’s hard to say either way from the poster’s comments.

I don’t mind if they’re friendly either – I’m going by the poster’s impression.

PM, there’s a difference between “different” and just plain weird. I agree with VY on this one, ie. friendly is better, as opposed to rude/intrusive questioning.

Either way though – you’re brandishing scissors in a public park cutting your own hair – you could probably expect a question or questioning look from a passer-by, let alone a cop!

And for those who say they wouldn’t pay any attention to someone doing this in a park, I ask why? Probably because you think they’re strange and/or mentally unstable.

astrojax said :

no, PM, scissors are not illegal and were duly placed in the custody of our narrator. but what if said narrator had been, well, mentally unstable, and had some intentions toward self-harm, or harm of others.

Depends on the quality of the cut – could have been classed as self-harm for all we know.

H1NG0 said :

Probably just another stupid emo. Who cuts their hair in the park? Dumbass.

True. guy sounds like an idiot.

astrojax said :

i second ant’s comment. the thin blue line should be across a range of ‘goings on’ and be paying attention to all and sundry oddnesses. chap was spoken to, all sorted and ok, move along to next thing. if he’d been on the lam then he’d have been nabbed, becuase of good old curiosity.

no, PM, scissors are not illegal and were duly placed in the custody of our narrator. but what if said narrator had been, well, mentally unstable, and had some intentions toward self-harm, or harm of others?

But isn’t this the slippery slope towards a police state? I mean, anyone MIGHT be carrying a gun, or a knife or a menacing cucumber, or MIGHT be someone on the run from the law.

I don’t mind police being friendly, saying hello etc – I just don’t like the whole presumption that something wrong is going on simply because it’s different.

I’m sorry – I’m just in a non-conformist mood today.

Attention seeking idiot.

Depends on what really happened, whether the police were demanding and cranky (as some of them are) or friendly and curious (as some of them are). Storm in a teacup.

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

Number 4 all over – can’t get more even than that!

You’d need quite a long extension cord to do that in the park.

Probably just another stupid emo. Who cuts their hair in the park? Dumbass.

Number 4 all over – can’t get more even than that!

FC said :

I used to cut my own hair a few years back.
It was very long and layered and it was just easier to give it a trim myself when I felt like it.
And plus I was a poor student so wasn’t keen on paying the ridulous amount charged by hairdressers to cut my hair..

Fair enough then! 🙂

I just thought you’d never get a very even cut when you cut your own hair?

His excuse for being out side is a bit lame. I use the shower then wash, dry and trim. The hair can go in the hotel bin. Ive clipped my dog in a hotel room. They where none the wiser.

i second ant’s comment. the thin blue line should be across a range of ‘goings on’ and be paying attention to all and sundry oddnesses. chap was spoken to, all sorted and ok, move along to next thing. if he’d been on the lam then he’d have been nabbed, becuase of good old curiosity.

no, PM, scissors are not illegal and were duly placed in the custody of our narrator. but what if said narrator had been, well, mentally unstable, and had some intentions toward self-harm, or harm of others?

good lads, well done. now, go find them lads damaging the fence…

I used to cut my own hair a few years back.
It was very long and layered and it was just easier to give it a trim myself when I felt like it.
And plus I was a poor student so wasn’t keen on paying the ridulous amount charged by hairdressers to cut my hair..

You do know Kenny Koala is a fictional puppet with a policeman fist up his date. I do miss him. Kenny would be far more interested in educating young drug addicts than arresting them. Far more useful.

Feels like a bloody police state sometimes. Are scissors illegal? No. So, no need for police involvement.

Next I’ll be banned from using chopsticks in public because there’s the potential that I might choose to sharpen them and use them to poke out people’s eyes.

What sort of tool cuts their ownn hair anyway.

The Police should have tasered him for being a tight arse!

It actually sounds like a bit of proper community/beat policing to me. I didn’t know they did that in Canberra any more. Back in the olden days, cops would wander around taking an interest in things. Anything odd got a second look.

I hope that bloke was planning to put his hair in the bin when he’d finished! Although birds like hair, to make nests.

A bully

Perhaps constable Kenny Koala should’ve been rounding up drug addicts in Garema place ie doing something useful.