EXACTLY 100 years after the Public Hall opened in 1852, I was on duty outside while a dance was in progress.

I was examining the cars on the Silver Street car park when I heard the sound of breaking glass and looking up, I saw a man crouching on top of a small annexe to the Hall.

"Hey you, get down immediately," I shouted, but the man didn't seem to want to, so I started climbing up the side of a lorry to grab him and while I was trying to do so, he jumped down. I ran after him and he turned and aimed a "haymaker" at my head, but happily I ducked and it glanced off my ear.

We fell and in the melee a passer-by managed to handcuff his wrists in front of him.

We started off towards the Nick, but going up Mealcheapen Street, he flung his arms in the air and threw me off balance and did a runner towards The Cross. He was now nicking my handcuffs!

My luck held and at The Cross he turned left into High Street and right into Bank Street by Bobby's, now Debenhams.

I thought, he's going to give himself up at the Nick, but then the poor bloke tripped himself up and slid along the road, mainly I found using his nose as a rudder!

It had knocked the stuffing out of him and he came meekly with me to see the station sergeant.

"I've knocked him off for malicious damage and assault on yours truly," I said and then had to explain how my prisoner looked like he had been hit by a train!

The next morning in Court I gave my evidence and the Magistrate said: "And where did the prisoner hit you?" Fortunately, there is some honour among wrongdoers and the prisoner backed up my story.

Happily, I thought, he was only fined not imprisoned, as I felt he had had his punishment in Bank Street. JOE WALTER,

Worcester.