NIGEL THORNTON

When I asked Mrs T “will you marry me?’’ that was a proposal.

When she hesitated and I said “if you don’t you can put your ownbins out’’ that was a threat.

It’s a distinction that Peterborough police need to grasp fairly rapidly or risk losing the trust of city residents after their handling of 84-year-old businesswoman Eve Taylor’s problem with travellers.

As exclusively revealed by Stephen Briggs in the Peterborough Telegraph and followed up by other media, Mrs Taylor turned to the police after travellers parked up at her business in Bretton.

They then demanded £1,200 to leave, warning Mrs Taylor it would cost her more to evict them via the courts.

In desperation, Mrs Taylor called the police who told her the travellers’ words amounted to a proposal not a threat!

Who took the call at Thorpe Wood?

Vito Corleone?

And, of course, police were helpless as they rolled out that old cop out “it’s a civil matter’’.

Mrs Taylor then contacted this newspaper and surprise, surprise, the police returned and this time moved the travellers on.

Although how they did this remains unclear as it was a civil matter.

If the PT and MP Stewart Jackson hadn’t got involved Mrs Taylor would still be going through a costly legal process to get her unwanted guests off her land.

The suspicion might be that some poor frontline grunt simply made a poor decision which was rectified when more senior officers got involved.

There might be some truth in this but it wouldn’t have happened if the police’s default position – which is set by senior officers – is to not get involved with any traveller issue.

It would be interesting to see what would happen if travellers plonked caravans in the car park at Thorpe Wood police station.

I have a feeling the police might have a proposal for them.