A UK grandmother is checking off an item on her bucket list after she was recently arrested by the Greater Manchester Police. The 93-year old, Josie Birds, did not commit any crimes but instead, as her dying wish, wanted to go out with a bang. The woman's grand daughter, Pam Smith, stated that her grandmother is very sick and wants to have fun with the time she has left.
“She is quite poorly and wanted to do something like this while she still has the strength to enjoy it. She’s been good all her life (she says....) and wanted to have an experience to remember! She’s a star.”
In a tweet that has received nearly 7,000 engagements, Smith praised the police department for taking the time to do something nice for her grandmother.
“A big thank you to @gmpolice for ‘arresting’ my Gran Josie today,” she said. “She is 93 years old and her health is failing, and she wanted to be arrested for something before it’s too late. She has a heart of gold and thoroughly enjoyed it today. Thank you for granting her wishes.”
In a statement, Ch Insp Denise Pye of the force’s City of Manchester division said: “The focus of our PCSOs is heavily driven by our community and how we can support them … On this occasion, and for a short period of time, we were able to fulfill the wishes of an elderly lady, and give her a day to remember.
“We can reassure the rest of the community that while this was happening, officers from across the area were continuing with their duties to ensure this short visit had no impact whatsoever on the wider area.
The grandmother, however, was arrested and taken to the police station.
“We want the community to feel reassured in our presence and comfortable in approaching any of our officers when they see us out and about," Pye added.
“We’re glad to see that we were able to make an elderly lady smile and tick one thing off her bucket list.”