Comments on: Cuts and Lies in Police budgets

By: Dave Miller

Dave Miller — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 09:03:37 +0000

David - do you have any updates on when you're doing talks in London, which cinemas/ dates, to accompany the film "Inside Job"?

Am 2/3 through your book now and am really enjoying it!

By: DAD

DAD — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 19:27:53 +0000

It is not only now that there is a problem of, at times, a lack of Police on duty.

In the early 1980s my daughter did not come home in the evening at her usual time. Normally she and her two friends spent the evenings together at our house or at one of her friends' houses. At midnight I went to the Police Station to report that she was not at either of her two friend's houses. I was amazed that the Policeman at Holyhead Police Station said that his fellow officer was on a meal break and, so, he could not leave the Police Station.

You must remember that this was during the 'troubles' in Northern Ireland, and that the Ferry from Ireland was due to arrive at 3AM with probably 500+ passengers. It is no wonder that the IRA could enter and leave the country with no restraint. Yet the official line was that our borders were protected.

This incident opened my eyes to political lies and now I do not trust anyone in authority to tell me the truth.

By: dah_sab

dah_sab — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 18:17:31 +0000

opening the door wide for more Private Security corporations, who will of course 'regulate' themselves

This is a terrifying possibility. Especially in light of the evidence from Iraq, which seems in hindsight to have been an experiment in private policing. God help us all if that model is exported to the west.

By: john

john — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 13:46:13 +0000

I remember a friend of mine having their drink spiked and ending up in casualty. Needless to say they found it near impossible to report the crime.

Got hit on my bike by a vehicle coming into the cycle lane and even going down the police station with the vehicle's registration number was told as I (miraculously) wasn't seriously hurt nothing could be done about it!

Anecdotally, I'd agree that in anything that could be argued as a grey area you will find it very difficult to report a crime.

jms452

By: dave from france

dave from france — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 12:39:24 +0000

"A plague of target meeting, greasy-pole climbing, wasters who will deny the truth for as long as they are paid to do so."

Inspector Gadget's archives are full of examples! I don't agree with him on everything, but his blog is a mine of useful info.

In France they are cutting police numbers, probably amalgamating Police and Gendarmerie, and opening the door wide for more Private Security corporations, who will of course 'regulate' themselves.
frog2

By: jonathan

jonathan — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 12:30:00 +0000

I too, dah sab, and puzzled that police officers and other public servants keep concealing the truth about the reality of the cuts.

For example, in Vronsky's example above, why didn't the officer just tell the truth (we've only got one police car and it's broken) instead of making an excuse? The public can only act on what they know, and if the people in the know conceal the truth all we are left with is the lies of politicians and their acolytes.

By: reneecharles

reneecharles — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:31:20 +0000

In the main the ordinary police officer desires to stop patrolling and to join another aspect of policing . As there are many and various opportunities ranging from CID to Diversity most officers move . If there were less specialist squads and a new accent on beat policing with the role and status of these officers enhanced ,this might go some way to solving the "lone PC" problem. Then we come to the gross inefficency of IT and general equipment procurement . I do not not believe that it affects local policing if all officers wear the same sort of shirt and drive the same cars ,just to quote 2 examples . Then there is the vast expense of overseas travel ,I wont even start to write about this aspect. needless to say a vast swathe of efficiences could be made if the sclerotic command structure would stop protecting their own little empires and start to think how things could be done efficiently and openly. I feel a little better now and will stop here before I go into a real rant at least I think I have been somewhat constructive instead of just criticising

By: Vronsky

Vronsky — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 10:54:51 +0000

Precisely the same story has been reported to councillors in my area. A policeman friend also told me that there are similar problems with equipment. He said that he had had to lie to a member of the public about a delay in attending an incident. The embarassing truth was that only one car was available, and it wouldn't start.

While accepting that at an extreme there is a risk of increased crime from inadequate manning levels, isn't it also true that much of the talk of adding more bobbies to the beat is just political posturing, as beyond a certain level there is no correlation between increased police numbers and reduced crime?

By: myopia

myopia — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 10:37:10 +0000

If the police force is anything like other large government organisations I've no doubt that there's massive room for efficiency improvements. That said your point about the Tories now hacking at Labour's dysfunctional and crony rewarding legacy is a fair one.

If I were forced to find a silver lining to the coalitions actions so far it would be an inclination to data openness. Without transparency "the lazy, the liars and the dishonourable" will stay at the top.

How long this inclination for data openness lasts is another question.

By: dah_sab

dah_sab — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 05:21:58 +0000

You'd think that the rank & file police would realize the tremendous power they could wield should they choose to do so. Whatever the political stripe, most people agree that some sort of effective policing is necessary & desirable (some of the laws they enforce could use changing, but that's not their fault.) But I have yet to see much sign of this in the US or UK. I hope I am wrong & just haven't been paying attention.