Cops in a south-west England port city have brought in a rather unusual 'prisoner' — a swan who have been involved in a night-time road accident.
Officers from Devon and Cornwall Police got an unusual call out on the evening of Wednesday February 1 of "a swan being removed from the Harbour by a drunk male."
The culprit had somehow managed to coax or drag the big bird around a mile from the Plymouth marina, through the busy city centre to Mutley Plain, a major shopping street and nightlife hub, where it was hit by a car.
Contact Officer Mel Rooks took the call from a witness who had "just passed someone stroking a swan" — which she called her "comment of the day."
Officers from the city's emergency response unit tweeted a mugshot of the swan in custody, shut in the back of a police car and wrapped in a blanket.
A swan sits in a police car in Plymouth, Devon, UK on the evening of Wednesday, February 1 2023
They said the unfortunate fowl had been "taken to the vets where they are nursing it back to health."
Swans' grace and beauty belie their often-fierce nature. The huge waterfowl can rear up to nearly human head height and hiss aggressively when they perceive a threat.