Sky eye

* We all know police cars have rooftop identification markings. Well, the Merseyside Police Air Support Unit in the United Kingdom has taken it a step further by marking public buses to help bust crime and improve response to transport incidents.

The Unit has teamed up with operators to paint numbers on bus roofs to make identification from the air easier and enable police to pinpoint where any incident involving a bus is taking place. Although the helicopter may not be able to land alongside, the crew can quickly and accurately direct officers to the scene, weeding them through traffic.

Seems just the ticket for Hong Kong . . . or is it?

Kids look back

* A new scheme is seeing Northern Irish primary schoolers time travelling to experience Victorian-era policing. The innovative Royal Ulster Constabulary project sends children back to a working Royal Irish Constabulary station of 1890 with performers in period costume.

The actors present a pre-scripted scene about life and law-breaking in a fictional village and the kids are encouraged to interact with the characters, discuss dilemmas facing them and offer advice.

In the first two weeks of the scheme some 1,000 children from 32 schools took part. The Living History project is part of the Constabulary's Police Education Programme for students which also includes road safety advice, stranger danger warnings and information about the history and role of the RUC.

Cuffs stuffed!

* Our Australian sources have given us this titbit about a literal handicap encountered during a seemingly routine arrest in a recent high school break-and-enter case.

We were told a security guard caught and handcuffed the offender with his personal issue antique-style handcuffs, the key to which was said to be handed to the local police lock-up keeper. However, once back at the station, he couldn't find the keys. There wasn't a duplicate, so while the offender's wrists turned purple, an emergency services officer was called to help. However, within minutes the charge room was awash with emergency officers debating whether giant metal cutters or an angle-grinder would be the best way to remove the cuffs. Obviously not wanting to risk chopping his hands off, a locksmith was said to be called in but he too was unsuccessful.

The mass turnout of emergency officers, however, proved useful as they scoured the field where the keys were initially handed over and soon found them, just as the offender's hands were said to be turning blue!

One of the cuffs was removed but the other cuff lock was so battered by previous attempts to open it the key would not fit! Finally a hammer and other tools managed to break them off.

Tough cuffs.

*If you have, or have heard, any up-beat policing yarns of late suitable for CUFF STUFF, contact OffBeat on 2866-6173.

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