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A Waikato police officer on holiday in the United Kingdom has been praised for his quick intervention after protesters attacked the display case holding the Imperial State Crown at the Tower of London.
Senior Constable Mark Strongman, who has served with New Zealand Police for more than 29 years, was visiting the historic attraction with his wife and family on Saturday morning when he stepped in to detain two of the offenders.
Strongman said he heard a commotion ahead of him before seeing that a substance had been thrown over the glass case containing the Crown Jewels.
“I walked up to the two female suspects and introduced myself, informing them that I was arresting them for criminal behaviour and advised them of their rights,” he said.
“One was in possession of a backpack so I was concerned about what could be in there, so quickly removed that and waited with the females until the Metropolitan Police officers arrived.”
The incident drew global media attention. The Metropolitan Police Service has since arrested four people over what it described as politically motivated vandalism. The substance thrown at the display case is reported to have been custard and fruit crumble.
Constable Strongman, who previously worked as a police negotiator, said he reacted instinctively.
“As you can imagine, the whole place shuts down when the Crown Jewels are at risk, some very thick steel doors slammed closed. My wife Carmen and my brother and sister-in-law were ahead of me and had no idea what was happening.
“I just dropped straight back into work mode and felt I represented New Zealand Police well and in line with our values.”
The Metropolitan Police has formally thanked Strongman for his intervention, acknowledging that his actions helped prevent further damage and meant the Tower of London could remain open to the public.
Strongman is nearing the end of a month-long trip through Europe and will return to New Zealand before Christmas to resume his role with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Team.
The protest was claimed by the civil disobedience group Take Back Power, which advocates for a permanent citizens’ assembly and a tax on extreme wealth. The group stated on its website that two of its supporters had thrown dessert over the display case while two others were also arrested.
“Two supporters of Take Back Power have smothered dessert over the crown jewels,” the group said in a statement dated December 6.
“At around 09:50 this morning, two Take Back Power supporters covered the glass containing the crown jewels in custard and apple crumble. They then held a sign which read ‘Democracy has crumbled – Tax the Rich. By around 10:30, the two action takers and two others had been taken into custard-y by police.”
