Yesterday Police Constable Richard Arnold appeared in Magistrate's Court on a charge of theft, accused of stealing a cell phone and a gold chain from a detainee. Well, today Richard Arnold came to our studios to tell us it is all a big misunderstanding. He admits that he did pawn the gold chain and did have the phone but adds, that the items were given to him by the detainee in exchange for his freedom and, as they say, a fair exchange is no robbery.
Richard Arnold, Charged with Theft
"Someone alleged that I stole one gold chain which is not so."
Alfonso Noble,
Explain to me what happened. How did the gold chain and the cell phone come into your possession?
Richard Arnold,
"The person went into custody without a charge and the person decided to give me his cell phone and chain to let me release him and that is what I did but at no time did I steal anything from that person. He is the one that made the offer to me and gave me the cell phone and chain."
Alfonso Noble,
You released him. Is this within your legal right, can a policeman just arbitrarily, if I am detained, and I give you say a $100 to release me, can you do that?
Richard Arnold,
"As long as the person is detained for nothing we can do that."
Alfonso Noble,
So he was detained for nothing?
Richard Arnold,
"That is what I am saying. They just locked him up for nothing."
Alfonso Noble,
So you are collecting a gold chain and a cell phone from somebody to release him but that seems kind of weird, it seems kind of out of your duty. If somebody is detained, for nothing then they don't need to pay you to release them.
Richard Arnold,
"The reason why he made that offer to me is because the police that was dealing with him, two days after, the police officer was supposed to come in but he didn't and that is the reason why they released him. He made the offer to me."
Alfonso Noble,
So if anybody is detained and they offered you money to release them, you would do that?
Richard Arnold,
"Let me set the record straight, I don't take any money from no one so I don't know what you're talking about money."
Alfonso Noble,
The gold chain, if I am detained and I have a gold chain and I am detained for no reason and I give you that gold chain and tell you to release me, will you release me?
Richard Arnold,
"It depends."
Alfonso Noble,
Depends on what?
Richard Arnold,
"The person and the circumstances of the arrest."
Alfonso Noble,
What about the size of the gold chain, would that make a difference?
Richard Arnold,
"No it doesn't make a difference. The young man just made a offer to me and that is why I released him and he gave me of his own free will."
Alfonso Noble,
How can he say that this is for you and then he says I am coming back l for it?
Richard Arnold,
He says he will come back for it, just to hold it and he will bring something for me, I don't know what is that something. Some sergeant set up the man to go to Internal Affairs and the allegation came up."
Alfonso Noble,
It seems to me that it is irregular to say the least for a policeman to be accepting something from a prisoner in exchange to be released. That is kind of irregular, it doesn't seem like something that would happen everyday and something that a policeman should be accepting any gift or any thing from a prisoner.
Richard Arnold,
"Like I said before that doesn't normally happen at the cell block. We are not supposed to do that but I just took the chance and did it because he was like a youth and I trusted the young man. That is why I decided to do that."
Alfonso Noble,
Do you regret having done that?
Richard Arnold,
"Yes I do because I didn't know the young man would go to Internal Affairs. He went to Internal Affairs and said that he doesn't want anything, he just want back his items. He got back his items and Internal Affairs is still pressuring me."
Alfonso Noble,
What you did was wrong, to accept something from somebody.
Richard Arnold,
"I don't see that I did anything wrong because the young man made the offer and gave it to me so I wouldn't say that I did something wrong."
Arnold says he has appeared before a police tribunal in which there is a recommendation for his dismissal. This recommendation must wait on the outcome of the criminal charge proceedings against him.
