Did i do the right thing?

Question

I went out for a drink after work last night, and on the way home saw this girl being robbed by this guy.
He had hold of her bag and she was very distressed and i asked her if she was ok and she said no and wants this guy to leave her alone.
I got between them and told the guy to leave this girl alone and leave, it basically ended in a scuffle and punched the guy in the face making his nose bleed.

At this point the police turned up and i get arrested for ABH.
After 13hrs and being treated pretty badly by some of the police, i left the police station without charge, but only after some really nice robbery squad officers got involved and whilst not condoning my actions felt i really shouldn't have been there as i tackled what was violent crime.

I've never had a situation like that and feel that after what i just experienced (the whole police thing) i don't know if i'd do the same if it happened again and that really upsets me.

Thanks for your kind words ;o)

Yeah the girl backed up what i said, but didn't press charges against the guy.

Answer 1

Don't let what a couple of rogue police officers did stop you from doing what you think is right. I applaud your actions. Bless you.

Answer 2

Yes you did, it is a shame that there are not more people like yourself who are prepared to intervene when an assault occurs.
I would be inclined to make an official complaint to the chief constable regarding the way you were treated by the police personnel at the time and also inform your M.P.
If the victim is prepared to back you up then this would progress the matter, she or some other girl may not be so lucky next time.
Remember the police are no different to any other individual as they will always take the easy option until they are called to account for their action.
If you allow them to get away with this incident they will continue with this behaviour and the next person they pick on could well lose their liberty.

Answer 3

As a retired Police Officer I can see why they arrested you. These were not 'rogues' as one contributor has suggested, they were dealing with a situation that on the face of it was an assault resulting in injury. I don't know the full details so I can't say if your punch was justified. Normally restraint is the better option but if you were under attack yourself then your punch was self defence. You did the right thing by going to help a woman being robbed, so please don't let this incident sour your views of the Police. If they did treat you badly then console yourself with the fact that there are always bad apples in a barrell full of good ones. As for the future? You would be really unlucky to be put in a similar situation again but always help somebody that is being attacked. Too many people turn and walk away. Its a pity there aren't more good samaritans like you in the world.

Answer 4

Of course you most certainly did the right thing.

Was the guy still there when the police arrived? If so, why wasn't he charged with attempted robbery?

As for your treatment by the police, I'm very sorry to say that the quality of performance and those employed by the police force in this country has generally gone WAY downhill in the past seven years. After all, we have a President who condones torture, for God's sake.

If I were you, I'd write a graphic "Letter to the Editor" outlining your treatment at the police station. The behavior of uniformed officers needs to stay in the public eye.

Answer 5

Yes you did the right thing, because you helped stop a crime. However, when the police showed up they see some guy with a bloody nose. I bet the guy you hit said you tried to steal that lady's purse.

In the end, it worked out for you, but technically you did commit an assault, legally the self defense argument probably doesn't apply, since you intervened on your own.

You were probably not charged with anything, because when the truth came out it showed you were helping. With respect to the police, you have to understand, when they arrive on a scene not everything is cut and dry, it can be difficult to sort through the mess to get at the truth.

Answer 6

Yes, you did the right thing, but in fairness so did the police.

The police came upon a scene late at night where two people had been fighting with one ending up in a bloody nose. They had to investigate what had happened properly, so arrested you to interview you and find out what had happened. The police would not have had any idea what had transpired until the interview

Try not to let the experience put you off helping damsels in distress in the future.

And well done

Answer 7

You sound like a really great guy to do what you did.
It's hard to say if you did the right thing or not given today's world. I think you did. It sounds like the robbery squad officers were concerned for your safety. You could have been killed or injured. It's too bad that the woman didn't press charges.
It takes a very strong woman to press charges.

Answer 8

Thank goodness that there are still brave men like you around. You did the right thing. Had you allowed the poor girl simply to be robbed and shrugged it off, I imagine that you would have found it hard to live with yourself. I hope that she is feeling deeply grateful for your courageous action.

The behaviour of the police in these situations is a tremendous deterrent to the public spirited individual who comes to the defence of someone under attack. No wonder so many people walk away.

I like the words of a judge (albeit in a famous civil case, in the context of one's general duty of care to those around us), which seem to sum it up: "Thus, “the good Samaritan who tries to help may find himself mulcted in damages, while the priest and the Levite who pass by on the other side go on their cheerful way rejoicing..."

Answer 9

Good on you for protecting that girl.

You can't control how the police are going to view your intervention, so unfortunately next time it would probably only be worth getting involved if the victim was in grave physical danger.

I'm still impressed that you stepped in though, sounds like the guy deserved more than a bloody nose.

Answer 10

Yes, you did the right thing. You have restored my faith in human nature. many people would not have helped and you are a hero. Political correctness has gone so far that people are too afraid to help and experience exactly what you did at the police station. You should write to the newspaper about what happened.

Answer 11

All I know is that ten years ago i would have said yes you did the right thing, but now I know that I think you did the wrong thing, I have learnt my lesson also and now I always think about myself and my family and walk away, I would never be a witness for anything either, and society and the government have only their selves to blame.