As I was walking home through Westfield, I was a witness to a crime - one man assaulted another, in broad daylight, right outside Waitrose.
The victim, pushed violently against a wall, slumped to the ground, and didn't get up again, while his assailant sauntered off. He lay on the ground groaning, clutching his shoulder.
So I dialled 999 and, initially, asked for the police, but it quickly became clear that an ambulance was needed. How long do you suppose it takes to get an ambulance to Westfield on a busy Tuesday evening?
Ten minutes? Twenty? The answer, unfortunately, was forty minutes. Not unusual, said the policeman, who worked with the Westfield security folks to help the injured man while we all waited in the rain for the ambulance to show up.
Forty minutes is a long wait - and a sobering thought when one considers how long you'd like it to take if you yourself lay on the ground. To be fair, the PC did explain that this was a "Cat 2", and in the case of a "Cat 1" (presumably when you are literally bleeding to death) then the service would be much quicker.
On the plus side, the Westfield security people were capable and effective, and clearly had emergency training. The police handled it all as a matter of routine, all in a day's work. Would they catch the criminal? I asked? Not very likely, replied the PC.
I waited until the very end, to see the victim carried off on a stretcher until it was just me, standing in the rain, alone, as if none of it had ever happened.
Just an ordinary Tuesday in Shepherd's Bush.
The Shepherd's Bush Blog offers a personal view on life in Shepherd's Bush. If you would like to contribute a story about our neighbourhood, email us at shepherdsbushblog@gmail.com.
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