Man carrying home his gardening tools arrested by armed police in Manchester
Guardian UK | 07 28 2025 | Hannah Al-OthmanA man who had returned home from his allotment with a trug of vegetables and gardening tools strapped to his belt was arrested by armed police, after a member of the public said they had seen “a man wearing khaki clothing and in possession of a knife”.
Samuel Rowe, 35, who works as a technical manager at a theatre, had come back from his allotment in Manchester earlier this month and decided to trim his hedge with one of his tools, a Japanese garden sickle, when police turned up on his doorstep.
“I just heard shouting behind me, and then two armed officers shouting at me to drop the knife,” he said. “And then they turned me around, pushed me up against my house, cuffed me, and then they arrested me, put me in the back of the van.”
The tools he had on his belt, he said, were a Niwaki Hori Hori gardening trowel in a canvas sheath, and an Ice Bear Japanese gardener’s sickle.
When he was arrested, Rowe said, the officer pulled the trowel out of its sheath, and said: “That’s not a garden tool.”
“I said it is, because it was in the Niwaki-branded pouch that you get at garden centres,” Rowe said.
“I like to watch…”
Not me man. I Like diving head first into a hot babe’s wing span with my Niwaki Tora Tora vibrating thingy for women.
As long as the roots are not severed ……..
This man knows his politics.
…”cut, cut, blood, spurt, artery, murder…” (controlling himself) “Oh thank God, thank God. (sigh of relief) It’s just an Ice Bear Japanese gardener’s sickle”…
“That’s not a gardening tool”, he said with a smirk. Pulling out a gas-powered Weed Whacker, he said, “Now, this is a gardening tool!”
— CrocusDahlia Dundee
Well, it’s a summertime outdoor activity. Good. Takes away from quality beer drinking time. Bad. Unless you can figure out a way to do it from the chaise lounge chair. Better, yet, I let the wife do it. Whilst I supervise.
“Ask for it by name: Ice Bear Japanese — Two out of three things you don’t want in your garden.”
“Um, who wrote this ad copy?”
(Same guy probably has the Hori Hori account, but this is a PG site.)
Just as a reminder, in case anybody’s forgotten: We trust these people with atom bombs.
Hey, man, you don’t want to get caught empty handed when you come face to face with a row of blighted heirloom tomatoes.
When, oh when, will we get commonsense Japanese gardening tool control? Think of the children!
Well, we can’t call a spade a spade.
My wife has one of those Niwaki Hori Hori gardening trowels. As I recall, your standard garden hoe has a sharper blade. As I think about it, a hoe has a striking resemblance to a Medieval Halberd. Sort of fits since they were used in the War of the Roses.
Ah yes, we all long for the days of pitchforks and torches.