[jumpy]

Well, 'there's no smoke without fire' as they say.

As others have indicated, getting involved with anything these days carries a good deal more 'risk' than it seems it used to. Helping out your neighbours is one thing, helping a complete stranger in the street... you take your life into your hands sometimes with such acts of altruism. As for helping the police, well I cannot say that I would go much out of my way to do that. It's well known that they (the police) help themselves at the expense of ordinary people; "when the chips are down they close rank" and that's coming from an ex-police marksman/firearms specialist with over 15 years of experience.

It's a far cry from Dixon of Dock Green and the old style idea of a policeman as a helpful and respectful public servant who's a likeable fellow with impeccable integrity who occasionally dished out a thick ear to the local scallywags. Such figures were respected. I can't say I have the same impression of today's lot.