Brickbat: The Right Tools for the Job

Police in England arrested Samuel Rowe outside his Manchester home and gave him a warning for possession of an offensive weapon after he was spotted with gardening tools. Rowe had returned home from his allotment—a small piece of property leased from the local government for gardening—with a basket of vegetables and some tools, including a trowel and a sickle, when a member of the public reported him for having a knife in public. Armed police later handcuffed Rowe and took him into custody. He explained the tools were for gardening, and that he carried them because the storage sheds at the allotment could easily be broken into. Rowe was questioned without legal representation and accepted the warning to secure his release; he is now pursuing legal action, arguing the police overreacted and failed to listen to his explanation.