AIBU to think that the Ambridge police are USELESS!

[Northernlurker]

So they have made arrests re the bashing of Adam and a trial is pending. The witness Archer has been continually harassed and threatened and the police have manged the sum total of bugger all. The threats and attacks are so frequent - how are they missing catching the buggers red handed? Now they're saying they could put them in a safe house? Eh? Eh? What about watching the 'gang' and protecting the Archers that way. And where exactly is Ruth going to stash them? With Heather? In South Africa with Kate?

YANBU. And why doesn't someone (the police? Usha?) point out that David can be compelled to give evidence, whether he wants to or not? That might shut Ruth up.

Yes I don't understand that either. She just keeps saying 'don't testify' like it's up to him. It isn't.

Can't believe the police are just saying 'yes hide away' rather than trying to make a case against the 'gang' for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Mind you this is the force that employed the apalling Dave Barry and was roundly crap at dealing with Clive Horrobin.

Anyone think that they have the Tony Martin case in mind? Maybe David will shoot one of them and end up being in trouble himself.

Yes, I was wondering whether David has a gun. I've never heard it mentioned, nor taking Pip or the boys out shooting rabbits or teaching them about gun safety. It will should be in a locked safe if he does; so if something happens he will need to find the key, go to the safe, get out the gun, load it ....

I don't understand why they have been so slow to involve the police. Surely what they should do with the phone calls is to keep the person talking in the hope the call can be traced? Probably quite difficult to think of that in the heat of the moment, though.

David made a comment about 'I can't just sit by the window with my shotgun all day Ruth' so presumably he does have a gun...

I don't get why they need a 'safe house' for the kids (which would presumably involve foster carers if Ruth isn't going with them). Can't she not ship them up north to her mum's for the Summer?

Of course he has a gun. He's been prosecuted for using it on an intruder in the past. (a badger in the grain store in the midst of their TB woes. Matt Crawford saw him disposing of the body and shopped him).

He's never going to get away from that badger you know!

I have to say I'm finding this storyline quite gripping. Tawdry and unrealistic but gripping nevertheless.

The episode where wee George and Ed did a sort of Lion King in the stampede number was fab.

David is turning into Ambridge's most prolific killer. First the badger, then Nigel. Do the gang know who they've taken on.

It's all going a bit Straw Dogs

Oooh...he's folliwing a suspicious character into the grain store !!!!!

Whoops...well good thing he didn't take his gun, would have been a bit of an own goal!

WHY doesn't he just tell everyone what's happening?

Most unbelievable story line ever.

I don't agree Voles - witness intimidation does happen, even in peaceful villages. I do agree that he should tell everyone, but the storyline is showing just how difficult it is to decide what to do. I completely understand why he doesn't feel he can tell Adam.

Intimidation has happened to someone locally that I know about & recently & in a hamlet/village, from their own neighbours over a planning issue! Local situation even progressed to bullying in school. But David being all secretive about it: No Need. That's the ridiculous part. These thugs aren't truly part of his community, I can see no need for the secrecy except to make the plot more exciting.

I cant understand why no one seems to be asking how they got Pipsqueaks number,it has to be someone that knows them, or the family well.

Good point heronsfly, I really don't want it to be Rosa's husband (Darrell?) though, it's just too obvious.

I mentioned on another thread that I could imagine they're not supposed to go 'public' re the intimidation as if it's widely known wouldn't it potentially prejudice a jury in a 'no smoke without fire' type way? Am surprised Adam didn't have a heart attack when David went for him in the grain store though... I wonder if as a sub plot to the whole thing David and Elizabeth will have some kind of rapprochement?

No, it won't be Darrell (I thought Rosa was the daughter?) - he's being tempted off the straight and narrow by Matt but Matt isn't a violent crime type. (TBH I wouldn't have thought he'd be getting kitchen units off the back of a lorry either, he's more white collar crime and sleazy deals not plain theft)

Oh I missed it yesterday.

You would have thought the police could be doing more.

I thought that the idea behind keeping it under wraps was to protect the DC. Pip and Josh now know but Ben is still relatively oblivious (still don't understand why he freaked about the lamb though - farmer's children must be used to nature red in tooth and claw surely). Also, David doesn't want to tell Adam because he doesn't want to make him feel guilty about putting Brookfield in danger on his account.

Pip is prominent in YF: she probs has her phone number on some contact list somewhere. Think how many potential stewards she phoned for Farm Sunday.

I agree with Grimma about Darrell. He is 'likely to be led astray' not violent. He went down for being someone's stooge, and is doing it all over again with Matt, but I can't see him being mixed up in this.

I still think that Clive is involved somewhere in all this....

I don't think it is Darrell either - the intimidation/ vandalism etc is happening now and he isn't behaving like someone who is cutting ram's throats when he gets home from work. But was anyone else a bit suspicious of John's son's step-father? He seemed to take an unhealthy interest in where Tom kept his quad bike when they visited

Noo, Eammon (was that his name?) seemed solid.

Hmm, Clive - well he's certainly a nasty enough piece of work.

I thought it was Keith (?) Horrobin, he mentioned Adam's red hair (I hadn't realised he had red hair before in 40+ years of listening), and seemed rattled when he heard Adam had been attacked. He also seems to be flashing money around.

yes mummy my money's on a Horrobin as well and the unknown Keith's turned up out of the blue with gifts etc. Although Eammon was almost too solid IMO grimma so thinking about it; it COULD be him or his friends. I'm not much cop at predicting plots either but it's fun trying.

That's a good line of reasoning mummytime. I hadn't realised either, in all my years of listening, that Adam was a redhead but I didn't twig that it might also be A Clue.

They never mention hair colour normally. I always thought of Shula as a golden blonde and Caroline as a glossy dark brown.