PC Peter Gallienne and Sgt Jane Henaghen patrol St Peter Port.
POLICE time will be freed up as part of proposals set to be announced by the Home Department.
The department has confirmed that it is intending to bring a report on the future of law enforcement to the States in September.
And a spokesman said that making the police more efficient was a major part of the plans. ‘It is envisaged that one crucial element of these proposals will enable the reallocation of resources to free up valuable police time to focus on community and core policing issues,’ they said.
The announcement of the report follows the Scrutiny Committee’s move to carry out a study on the causes of vandalism in the community. However, Housing minister Dave Jones is in no doubt as to where the problems lie.
He believes that the criminal justice system is failing the public and that its priorities are wrong and have been for a long time.
‘There are simply no real deterrents left. If you can get a case into court these days, you will be one of the lucky ones.
‘If you have suffered acts of criminal damage, your chances of getting a case before the magistrates are pretty slim, unless of course you happen to put up a couple of illegal fence panels that don’t affect anybody,’ he said.
Deputy Jones does not believe age should be taken into account when determining punishment.
‘As a victim of criminal damage, you will be given reasons why the vandals were allowed to walk away with a slap on the wrist. One of them will be the cost or the legal system not wanting to clog up the courts, mostly because of age, or not wanting to give people a criminal record so young in life,’ he said.
The Home Department strongly disagreed, saying that the issue was being tackled as strongly as possible.
‘We acknowledge the distress and anxiety caused by mindless and petty vandalism and we continue to do everything in our power to address this type of unacceptable crime,’ a spokesman said.
However, it believed that it was being realistic by making sure that people realised violence in Guernsey was not on the same scale as in the UK.
‘Although we are not and never should be complacent about community safety, we are nowhere near suffering the escalation of offending and levels of crime, such as the high level of knife related incidents, theft and property crime, which is being seen in the United Kingdom.’
Exact details of the proposals have not yet been released.
Article posted on 10th July, 2008 - 2.30pm
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