Did you hear the one about the shopkeeper who was slapped with a police
ban on his jokes?
By Rebecca Camber
Last updated at 10:46 PM on 18th December 2008
When a policeman called at Bob Singh's shop to offer him some advice on
his jokes, he thought someone was having a laugh.
But the smile was wiped off his face when the officer told him there had
been a complaint about the gags he prints on leaflets advertising his
corner shop's Christmas offers.
Even though the leaflets have amused customers for more than a decade,
police said they could offend people and warned the shopkeeper that he
could face prosecution for a public order offence.
Bob Singh
Bob Singh feels he has been gagged
Now Mr Singh, 36, has been forced to withdraw all his humorous leaflets
advertising seasonal discounts at his Landmark store in Port Talbot,
South Wales.
He said: 'I couldn't believe my ears. I thought they were joking - but
they were deadly serious.
'This proves the world has gone completely crazy. Why are the police
getting involved in something like this?
'The bizarre thing is that they wouldn't tell me which jokes were
offensive, what was offensive or who had complained about them.
'There's no bad language in them or racism although a couple are a bit
saucy - but they are not offensive.
'We've been doing this for years and I've never had a problem until now.
I get the jokes off the internet.'
Mr Singh has now put a sign in the front window saying: 'We would like
to apologise to anyone who may have been offended by the contents of our
Christmas leaflet. In future we will try to be more politically
correct.'
Shop assistant Debbie Llewellyn said: 'It is political correctness gone
mad. It is incredible that somebody could be offended enough to go to
the police about it.'
Enlarge Graphic
South Wales Police defended the officer's actions, saying that he gave
'appropriate advice' after a complaint from a member of the public who
found the jokes offensive.
Sergeant Simon Merrick said: 'The content of promotional material has
been brought to our attention as being potentially inflammatory and
offensive.
'The distributor has been appropriately advised and instructed to
withdraw the leaflets.'
Tory MP for Shipley Philip Davies, a patron of the Campaign Against
Political Correctness, said: 'I just think it's absolutely mindless that
police are wasting time on this kind of stuff when there are so many
violent offences being carried out in the country.
'The police officer would have been better off telling the person who
complained to develop a better sense of humour rather than going to call
on a shopkeeper.
'The jokes may not be very good, but that's a long way from being a
criminal offence.'
http://www.dailymai
slapped-police-
Friday 19 December 2008
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