Chief Inspector declines offer of Acid drop, Alley-Oop, or Benihana

Just in case you were wondering, it’s nothing sinister – they’re all skate boarding terms and Chief Inspector Garry Sims APM from Hawkesbury Police Area Command came across them – and many more – when he dropped in for a chat with the folks at the Hawkesbury Valley Way skate park on Friday.

The Chief Inspector is Customer Service Duty Officer for the Hawkesbury PAC and is well known and well liked across our region for his people skills and the ability to engage with all members of the community. He goes out of his way to help and he’s a first class example of a great community police officer.

So on Friday, the Chief Inspector decided he’d go along to the park unannounced and just shoot the breeze with the folks there, a mix of youngsters and parents.

“These young people are incredibly talented on their skateboards and scooters,” Ch Insp Sims said.

“What also impressed me was how polite and appreciative they were in having the opportunity to talk to me about their sport.

“It was a real positive being able to talk with them about the passion they have for what is a very difficult and demanding activity.”

Speaking with the parents who were there, the Chief Inspector was told that the skate park was a respectful place for riders, with experienced skateboard and scooter riders regularly helping and encouraging new talent.

Chief Inspector Sims also said, “This is a great place and activity for youth in the Hawkesbury.”

Despite numerous invitations, the Chief Inspector did – he feels wisely – decline the opportunity to have a go on a skateboard.

And just for the record, an Acid drop is a skateboarding move where you ride straight off of something and free-fall to the ground; the Alley-oop is when a trick is performed in the opposite direction of which the skater is moving, and the Benihana is a grab trick in which the skater performs an ollie, pulls the board forward with the front foot, leaves the back foot hanging in the air, and grabs the tail before pulling it back under the feet. An Ollie is a trick in which the skater uses his or her feet to pull the skateboard up into the air.