Pam Smith/TwitterA 93-year-old woman was arrested yesterday, June 25, after saying she’d been good all her life and wanted to tick the experience off her bucket list.
The woman, Josie Birds, had committed no crime, but wanted to have the experience of being arrested ‘before it’s too late’.
The heartwarming incident was instigated by Josie’s granddaughter Pam Smith, who asked Greater Manchester police if they would ‘arrest’ her grandmother as part of the 93-year-old’s bucket list.
Pam Smith/TwitterTaking to Twitter, Pam wrote:
A big thank you to @gmpolice for “arresting” my Gran Josie today. She is 93 years old and her health is failing, and she wanted to be arrested for something before it’s too late. She has a heart of gold and thoroughly enjoyed it today. Thank you for granting her wishes.
Pam added that Greater Manchester police had ‘made an old lady very happy’.
A big thank you to @gmpolice for "arresting" my Gran Josie today. She is 93 years old and her health is failing, and she wanted to be arrested for something before it's too late. She has a heart of gold and thoroughly enjoyed it today. Thank you for granting her wishes. pic.twitter.com/hi1qkJESwv
— Pam Smith (@sterlingsop) June 22, 2019
Pam added:
[Josie] has never put a foot wrong all her life. She is quite poorly now and wanted to do something “naughty” while she still has the strength to enjoy it. This has definitely put a bit smile on her face!
They were all out with their phones lol! She's well-known locally and has never put a foot wrong all her life. She is quite poorly now and wanted to do something "naughty" while she still has the strength to enjoy it. This has definitely put a bit smile on her face!
— Pam Smith (@sterlingsop) June 25, 2019
She said she has never done anything bad in her life and wanted to be arrested! She thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing and they even gave her tea and cake afterwards 😂
— Pam Smith (@sterlingsop) June 23, 2019
Pam elaborated:
[Josie] is quite poorly and wanted to do something like this while she still has the strength to enjoy it. She’s been good all her life (she says….) and wanted to have an experience to remember! She’s a star
Thank you. She is quite poorly and wanted to do something like this while she still has the strength to enjoy it. She's been good all her life (she says….😉) and wanted to have an experience to remember! She's a star 😇
— Pam Smith (@sterlingsop) June 25, 2019
In a statement, Greater Manchester police said, via The Guardian:
A few weeks ago, a member of the community approached a GMP PCSO from the North Manchester division with a slightly unusual request.
The woman mentioned that her 93-year-old grandmother had a request on her bucket list that she was hoping GMP would help her fulfil.
The request was for the grandmother to be ‘arrested’ and be taken to one of our police stations so she could experience what it was like to be on the wrong side of the law.
Pam Smith/TwitterChief Inspector Denise Pye, from GMP’s City of Manchester division, added:
The focus of our PCSOs is heavily driven by our community and how we can support them … On this occasion, and for a short period of time, we were able to fulfil the wishes of an elderly lady, and give her a day to remember.
We can reassure the rest of the community that while this was happening, officers from across the area were continuing with their duties to ensure this short visit had no impact whatsoever on the wider area.
We’re glad to see that we were able to make an elderly lady smile and tick one thing off her bucket list.
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Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.