One city, two tales

I’ve taken this news story from the BBC and rearranged some of the paragraphs to highlight the two versions of this story.

Version A:

Queen safety police wheel-clamped in Portsmouth
The two unmarked police vehicles were clamped during the surprise royal visit to Gunwharf Quays on Wednesday for lunch aboard a luxury yacht.

Wheel-clamping firm Shoal Enforcement said the police officers had declined to prove they were on duty when asked, and had subsequently arrested their member of staff.

Shoal Enforcement said: ‘A plain-clothes police officer produced his warrant card and requested that both vehicles be released.

‘Our member of staff confirmed he would release the vehicles if the police officer would provide confirmation that he was on duty.

‘The police officer declined and arrested our member of staff for obstruction.

‘There were no officers in the vehicles at any time during the incident and our member of staff was correctly displaying his SIA licence.’

Version B:

Queen safety police wheel-clamped in Portsmouth
The two unmarked police vehicles were clamped during the surprise royal visit to Gunwharf Quays on Wednesday for lunch aboard a luxury yacht.

A Hampshire Constabulary spokesman said the incident had prevented ‘the officers, who were at Gunwharf as part of a security operation, from conducting their duties’.

The officers had not left the vehicles at the time they were clamped’.

The alleged clamper, Gareth Andrews, 37, from Fareham, has been charged with obstructing police.

Mr Andrews, of Privett Road, is due to appear before South East Hampshire Magistrates’ Court on 3 June.

Mr Andrews was also charged with contravening the Private Security Industry Act for allegedly not displaying the appropriate licensing badge.

Original source