Staff Reporter
Windhoek-Police in Tasmania, Australia, had the social media stunned this week when two of its officers escorted a drunken man home, tucked him into bed and babysat him until a friend arrived to look after him.
The officers also took a selfie with the inebriated man’s cellphone, so the man would know how he got home, when he woke up the next day.
The Tasmania police loaded the picture on its Facebook page together with a statement “encouraging party-goers to plan ahead so they can enjoy their night”.
But no one on Facebook or Reddit could believe it. The drunken man’s friend posted the selfie picture of the police officers with the drunken man, only identified as Reece, giving a thumps up in his bed.
“Let me get this straight,” wrote one person on social media, “You black out, cops find you, and you wake up in your own bed and not a jail cell/drunk tank? What fairytale land do you dwell in?”
But it is true. In the statement Senior Sergeant Craig Fox, of Northern District, said the Tasmania police did not normally drive people suffering from the effects of alcohol home.”
“However police always look for a place of safety for anyone who is affected by alcohol. On this occasion, a taxi company contacted police for assistance in getting the man home. When police arrived, they found out his address, took the man home and waited for a friend to arrive to look after him,” he said.
“Because he was a bit worse for wear, our officers took the opportunity to record the moment with a selfie in the likely event he could not remember how he got home.”
The drunken man woke the next day and discovered the image.
“So was just looking through my phone and turns out these good c**** took some banger selfies after they took my drunk ass home. Bloody legends,” the man wrote on social media when he sobered up the next day.
The post caused bewilderment and debate among people who commented that police where they lived were unlikely to be so generous, and that the man was likely to have spent the night in jail.
Nevertheless, the Tasmania police asked its citizens to “make a plan about how you will get home before you have a drink. Then there’s no risk to you, your family, friends or others on the road.”
“Consideration should also be given to arranging alternative accommodation for the night, at either a friend’s house or hotel/motel to ensure your safety.
“People should stick together and look out for one another when going out, or when heading home,” Senior Sergeant Fox said.