Police heard screams and explosions … then crashed 8-year-old’s Nerf gun birthday party
IT’S tricky coming up with something to make your child’s birthday bash stand out from the rest.
Lisa Green decided on a Nerf gun party to celebrate her son Oliver turning eight – including letting off a few bangers for good measure.
But it was the unexpected guests that really made it a memorable day. Police turned up after the screams and bangs from the party were mistaken by a neighbour for the sounds of a machine gun attack.
Three officers arrived in a squad car to discover nothing but a bunch of excited children wielding plastic toy guns. After the initial shock of being confronted by the law, the youngsters had the unforgettable experience of having the officers join in the celebrations and pose for photos.
Mother-of-three Mrs Green, 47, said: ‘The kids loved it. They were asking if they were real police officers and they stayed for a little while to talk to them. They didn’t make a big deal out of it at all.
‘We made sure not to let off too many bangs after that, just so that no one else would feel concerned. But I am grateful for what they did because they made my son’s birthday one he will remember for ever.’
Oliver had 18 friends over for his party in the village of Yaxham, Norfolk, on Saturday afternoon. Most were armed with Nerf guns, which fire foam darts, discs or balls.
Mrs Green, who runs a fundraising business with her husband Jonathan, 43, was in the kitchen making tea when one of the other mothers told her a squad car had pulled up in the driveway. ‘I approached the officers and asked if there was a problem and they said they had been called following reports of machine guns going off in my garden,’ she said. ‘I told them that there were some guns but they are only Nerf guns. We all had a bit of a laugh and I asked if they would want to come in and see what was happening.
‘They were brilliant with the kids. As soon as they realised it was a children’s birthday party they were fab.’
The thrilled youngsters got to fire off questions about the officers’ jobs during the tenminute visit. ‘They didn’t have to stay and chat to the kids but they did,’ said Mrs Green. ‘The kids loved it.’
Norfolk Police confirmed they were contacted at 3.40pm on Saturday by a member of public reporting gunshots and the sound of children screaming. ‘No offences were committed,’ a spokesman said.