Police bid for more officers as report shows rise in crime
Wednesday 28th July 2010, 2:29PM BST.
GUERNSEY Police are making a bid for more officers.
Chief Officer George Le Page. (0881637)
It comes as the 2009 annual policing report shows that crime has risen by 11.5%.
In his introduction to the report, chief officer George Le Page said a strategic review of the force had been completed in 2009, including a comprehensive review of staffing.
‘A report will be presented to the board of the Home Department from which an appropriate establishment of police officers and civilian support staff will be created to meet the policing needs of the Bailiwick,’ he said.
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For the previous 3 years crime figures have fallen. A massive 12% in 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/guernsey/8283411.stm
So how does one year of hikes (the latter of which just cancels the previosu years wins) justify a recruitment drive. Surely wait a year or so to see if this is or is not a result of an economic dowturn.
Too simplistic?
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It doesnt surprise me the recruitment process seems to be deeply flawed.
I would like to know how many recruits from the last 5 or so years even finished their 2 year “training” and of those that did how many are still patrolling our island?
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A thriving Special Constabulary is a cheap solution.
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I see George is on it again, asking for more Police. Thing is, he doesn’t have to pay for them, he doesn’t have a profit and loss account to worry about.
Scare tactics always works George, crime up, therefore we need more police. The sad thing is most of the Deputies buy it every time.
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Typical public sector attitude. We’re failing at this so let’s throw more money/ staff/ time at the problem.
How about the Police are held to task for not, er how can I put this simply?….. policing?
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As with all depts they should look for efficiences from within to fund any new services. Why for instance do the police need a substantial garage (in-house)service when local garages could maintain the fleet much cheaper? How many police officers could this fund?
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The increase in crime is directly related to the increase in immigration into the island.
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@GG shush now adults talking. Take your wooden spoon somewhere else.
Completely agree Neil. Up one year, down the next, up again…
I thought the police had just done a big recruitment drive?
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GG, that is a sweeping comment, please would you justify this statement with supporting facts and evidence. I am intrigued. Where in Mr Le Pages report does it state, “out of all robberies, 21% were latvian, 40% portugese, 0,7% Guernsey etc?” or did i miss that bit?
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GG
The increase in crime is also directly related to the number of new laws the States keep on churning out
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Dave
This usually happens when top cheeses retire – one final push for more money and people; ….enter new boy!
I seem to remember the previous CoP (no pun intended) doing similiar, as did Wyeth of old.
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There are more than enough police officers in Guernsey. Get the ones that sit in the office all day to walk the beat and hire civilians to do the support work. As for GG’s comments….you really are the most ignorant person that writes on this forum. You never have any facts to back up your ridiculous claims…and to say you have a law degree worries me to no end. If you are the result of Tertiary education then heaven help us all. You recently stated that you do not pay tax…so in my opinion you have no ground to stand on regarding any public services as you do not contribute to having them in the first place. At least the “foreigners” you are so quick to blame for everything contribute to the services by paying taxes in the first place!
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So many armchair experts as usual.
Perhaps the reason George is asking for more officers is because the police need more officers? Or is it too hard to believe someone with 43 years experience might know more about policing that you lot do?
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GG
The increase in crime reported is more to do with the economic downturn and drug trade than any immigration. So I say prove your statement now or shut up!
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ah GG me old fruit. I thought you had gone away. Alas…
jsimpson – GG is and always will be a wind up merchant. Don’t believe a word they way, they have contradicted themselves and been caught out several times. Apparently SHE is 17 and has a law AND architecture degree.
Hmmm….so go on I’ll throw you a bone, why do you think it’s ‘The Immigrants’? :)
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Lynnie…point taken! It just irritates me when people who say things like that. All this anti-foreigner nonsense and blaming them for all Guernsey’s problems is beyond belief. To think that someone from outside Guernsey may read this stuff and form an opinion that everyone thinks this way bothers me. The fact of the matter is that poeple from outside Guernsey who have come here have contributed more to the island than people who sprout this garbage. They are the ones who do the work that the benefit cheats and lazy people are not even bothered to do. I would welcome people like that over the scroungers any day. Why oh why do people put up with this? I am sure that if a proper annalysis is done one would find that it is locals who fill the jail with the stuff they do, and not the foreigners. Yes, there are people who are not from here who commit crime, but I am convinced they are the minority. Just read the newspaper for goodness sake…those surnames sound local to me. Funny thing is…they where once foreigners as well. Pity that small minded idiots can get me to ignore my sunday roast….time to eat my foreign lamb with foreign veg and a foreign wine!!!!
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jsimpson,
Spot on!
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“Crime has risen by 11.5%” is a meaningless statement. What crime is the Chief Officer refering to? Have the number of arrests increased? The number of prosecutions? The number of searches made? The number of 999 calls requiring a police response?
Without further detail underpinning the Chief Officer’s statement, this article is misleading and scaremongering. There are any number of reasons why “crime” may have increased. A rise in prosecution of minor offences, a change in reporting regulations, reclassification of some criminal offences, criminalisation of previously legal activities (e.g. possessing mephadrone).
Use of statistics in this manner is irritating, unprofessional, misleading and naive. Printing such uninformed and inflamatory articles is a sign of poor journalism, commonly found in the Daily Mail.
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Ray
“The increase in crime is also directly related to the number of new laws the States keep on churning out”
Couldn’t agree with you anymore. Under the previous labour government 4,300 new crimes were created, one per day since 1997.
How about time and thought contributed by States politicians in researching the root of where crime stems and resolving this?
Having a review of existing legislation to make sure its sensible, forceable and fit for purpose?
Makes a lot more sense then throwing tax payers money into recruiting more officers.
Rex
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jsimpson, how ignorant you are. Vegetables can easily be produced here in Guernsey.
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The crime stats in my mind have nothing to do with immigrants to the Island, apart from day trippers over indulging on duty free and causing a bit of a nuisance the majority of arrests followed by prison sentences are on a whole local residents. The majority of the time the same people who ‘cannot find any work’, are bored etc., so proper facts may help before outsiders once again have to take the blame for everything that goes on here.
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Rex
For the latest batch of 23 go to page 43 of a 2/8/10 Guernsey Press near you
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GG is right, jsimpson! You can get vegetables AND lambs here in Guernsey. Buy local and help the local farming market instead of buying from supermarkets and feeding greedy fat cat supermarket chain manager men.
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Patricia,
The amount of reported crime is what the Chief Officer’s report always refers to. Detailed in that report (which is not referred to in the article) will be the number of crimes solved. The Press always used to give full datails of the annual report. It always gave a lot of information that was very interesting and always made comparisons with the previous year.I wonder how much of the current reports are released to the press
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@Jimm
GG is right? First time for everything I suppose! As for his immigrants statement, lets have the facts then GG?? or not! as is the case with people who make such infantile comments.
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GG – what a wind up you are (and i should know). immigrants to blame for more crime? what a novel idea – i had never come across that before! are those the same immigrants who work in our A&E department, our specialist trust companies (albeit with a tax avoidance smell about them), in our nursing homes, in our mental health and dementia hospital wards, in our cleaning, and retail, and fulfilment, and horticultural industries, to mention but a few? a few immigrants commit crimes and that is because they are no different to anyone else, including guernsey people, who also commit crimes. the vast majority are hard working decent people whose work ethic is to be admired and might set an example to others. GG – if i did not know you better i would say your post is simply, and blatantly, racist.
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Not sure if traffic matters could be classed as crime but it does seem that an awful lot of people with foreign sounding names fail to grasp the need to have Third Party insurance cover when driving on Guernsey roads
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GG, where are your facts? I asked for them 5 days ago. This is Guernsey, may i suggest that such brash unfounded comments are not printed withough anything to support them?
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There is a direct relation between the rise in crime and the rise in immigration.
Crime has been growing for a number of years, sometimes falling. But this all time high is an anomaly, in my honest opinion.
As crime has been growing, so has immigration.
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I feel I agree with GG on this, I know you’ll all say that this is her on a sockpuppet account but it really isn’t.
She says that crime and immigration have both risen (which they have, just go in to town on a Saturday night to find out!)
Whilst Guernsey is still not as bad as Jersey in that regard, it certainly is getting to that point and I think it’s time that people stopped worrying about who’s offended by what’s being said and do something about it!
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GG – actually the population has been increasing. This means’s birth rates are increasing, death rates decreasing and even Guernsey people returning to the island as well as immigrants.
There’s no direct link to say that the crime levels have increased due to immigrants.
Jimm – It’s amazing how you could comment on GG’s post before it was actually advertised on this forum (6 mins apart in posting???) I checked this website about 3pm and that post wasn’t up there, therefore you couldn’t have read it and responded.
GG/Jimm…give it up.
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No, I just know GG personally and she sent me the message before she posted it.
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GG, do you like fishing by any chance?
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‘lets blame a minority for all our problems – example no. 56′ –
if it ain’t benefit people, states tenants, single mums or teenagers, then it must be ….. yeah, that’s right, it has to be immigrants! run for your lives!!
(GG – even if, factually, there has been a rise in crime and a rise in immigration , that absolutely does not prove the latter CAUSED the former!
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Don’t you kids have anything better to do than to wind people up on here?
I had far more interesting things to do when I was 18
@Jimm some other people had the same thinkings…KKK…nazi’s…just to name a couple.
This is not an immigration issue, keep your racist xenophobic comments to yourself please. You don’t have the facts to back up your absurd acusations and they can offend people. You state that people shouldn’t be concerned about offending other people? it’s called respect. Learn some. Until then no one on here will take you seriously.
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Dave, what I’m saying is that the influx of foreign migrants in to the island has caused tension among some of the locals and this is easy to spot on a Friday or Saturday night when in town.
I think that there should be some sort of cap on immigration or a set of rules on who should be allowed in.
As it stands, residents of the EU can come and settle here because we’re attached to the UK (not physically but legally or something) but we can’t go and live and settle there. This is something which may need to be addressed, but pardon me I’m being racist and xenophobic.
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Jimm
Foreign migration should not be capped due to the ignorance of SOME of the local community. These people you mention would probably be quick enough to pick a fight with someone who looked at them the wrong way as they would Johnny Foreigner. By limiting migration due to fights we would be condoning that behaviour rather than dealing with the issue that they shouldn’t be fighting in the first place. Regardless of the reasons why!
By your same reasoning we should ban alcohol as this is the main reason for Friday/Saturday night brawls. If you look at the brawls which have resulted in fatalities recently neither party were foreign…
I wonder if crime levels is a direct result of increased alcohol consumption levels? Or I wonder if the nice summer is a direct contribution, or the world cup or any other hundred or so factors that has happened this year.
I think you’ll find that if you are a member of the EU that does NOT give you right to come and live in Guernsey as we are not part of the EU. You can go and set up home in the UK but you still need a licence to live and work in Guernsey. Actually the majority of Guernsey people can up sticks and move to any part of the EU as most of them hold an EU passport these days.
This is just a variation of “leave Guernsey for Guernsey people” and is indeed xenophobic. I suggest you look up the word if you don’t know what it means. There seems to be a lot here that you have already gotten wrong.
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Jimm, it amuses me how similar your style of writing is to GG.
You talk as much nonsense and similarly have very little evidence to back your claims.
I also think you need to review your rule book as i dont know any EU residents being able to settle here short of buying an open market house.
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Jimm
That is not true, EU citizens only have the right to pass through the common travel area, of which we are part under protocol 3 of our agreement, NOT to settle because we are not members of the European Union. Nor are we part of the United Kingdom or Great Britain.
The reason those with Guernsey passports cannot live or work in the EU is simply because Guernsey is not a member of the European Union. Also all people who come and work in Guernsey need a housing license or right to work document and that applies to UK residents as well. There are exceptions but only if you have a Guernsey partner or have strong family connections.
Housing Minister
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Dave Jones
Is the first para of your 2.40pm posting today definitely correct ?
My understanding is that if an EU citizen comes here and resides in open market property, then there isn’t anything at all to stop them settling here for ever, and that they are automatically entitled to a right to work document.
Obviously non-EU citizens have no such rights.
Can you please clarify?
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It would be interesting to see some stats from the Home Department regarding the proportions of offences per nationality here on the island. Perhaps there is a correlation between crime/offences and immigration, perhaps there is not. But let’s face it, we don’t know, because we are not being told.
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Dave Jones -
Thank you for clearing that up, I’ll pass it on to my mother! :P
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Dave Jones:
Are you sure? I know a few people who live on the open market. They have settled here from the UK and I am sure have done so legally.
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Any EU national can buy, occupy and work from an Open market property (deep pockets allowing). They can also buy local or rent local market although not get a full work permit, but as everyone knows there are ways around that as well.
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Paul
AGreed re. open market. Not sure though that you quite right re. local market. There’s no restriction on EU citizens buying (or possibly renting) local market property, but they are unable to lawfully occupy them, which is quite an effective provision to prevent them from settling here. Yes, of course there are ways around that (being granted a local housing licence, marrying or living with a locally-qualified person, possibly living en famille etc.), but none of those constitute “settling” here in the individual’s own right, always being dependent on other persons or factors. Whereas with open market property there is no dependence on other persons or factors for EU citizens.
I’m interested to read Dave Jones’ response because based on his last posting on this thread it would seem that he might be unsure of the provisions of the very Housing laws which he is responsible for applying!
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David
I am not unsure, I just cannot remember every single detail of the HCL. Your points on being able to purchase property but not live in it without a licence are correct. And that applies to lots of other countries too.
Anyone who lives in open market is free from housing control restrictions; although there are different categories that have different rules applied to them (see below) I should have explained it more fully. I was referring to the fact that although we are in the EU common travel area, that does not give EU citizens an automatic right of residencen in Guernsey, as is the case with member states of the EU
THE OPEN MARKET
Background History
The “open market” was effectively established in 1957 when the Housing Law was amended to exempt dwellings over a specified Rateable Value from control. At that time it was to encourage wealthy entrepreneurs to Guernsey to create jobs and contribute to the Islands economy.
During the 1960’s the relevant Rateable Value level was amended from time to time and a housing development at Fort George was specifically exempted from controls. Very controversial at the time.
In the 1969 Law a Housing Register was set up to establish whether a property was open or local market.
In 1982 the Register was split into Part A (private dwellings) and Part B (hotels/guesthouses).
In 1988 the Register was further divided to create Part C (nursing/residential homes) and Part D (lodging houses).
Parts B, C and D are all subject to controls.
Generally the Register is closed for new inscriptions – this means that any dwelling not currently inscribed in the Housing Register is a controlled “local market” dwelling.
The Housing Register
The Register is split into four parts as follows:
Part A = private dwellings
Part B = hotels and guesthouses.
Part C = nursing/residential homes
Part D = lodging houses [multiple occupation]
Part A – private dwellings
Occupants
An open market dwelling will be inscribed in Part A if it is used as a single family dwelling.
A Part A dwelling can be occupied by the owner/tenant and their immediate family for an indefinite period without the need of a licence. However, each occupant would require a Declaration of Lawful Residence if it were their intention to take up employment in the Island.
These notes are NOT exhaustive and are not to be taken as an authoritative statement of all the provisions that apply to Registered dwellings.
If in any doubt contact should be made with the Housing Control Section.
Part B – hotels and guesthouses
An open market dwelling that is used as a hotel (see definition below) under a valid Boarding Permit issued by the States of Guernsey Tourist Board is inscribed in Part B of the Register.
Occupants
The following are able to occupy a hotel inscribed in Part B without the need of a licence:
• Qualified residents;
• The owner and his immediate family;
• The principal tenant and his immediate family;
• The manager and his immediate family;
• Full time staff of the hotel [provided they are not employed elsewhere];
• Bona fide tourists (for up to 90 days in any period of 12 consecutive months).
ALL OTHER OCCUPANTS WILL REQUIRE A HOUSING LICENCE.
The terms “hotel” and “tourist” are defined in the Law as follows:-
“hotel” means a dwelling, other than a self catering unit, in respect of which there is in force a boarding permit and which, in the opinion of the Authority, is being used for the business of providing sleeping accommodation for reward to tourists in accordance with the provisions of that permit.
“tourist” means a person who is present in Guernsey -
(a) for the purposes of a holiday; or
(b) for an aggregate of not more than 10 days in any 30 day period for the purposes of his employment;
but does not include a person who has been physically present in Guernsey for an aggregate of more than 90 days in any twelve month period.
Part C – residential and nursing homes
An open market dwelling that is registered as a nursing or residential home by the Board of Health under the Nursing Homes and Residential Homes [Guernsey] Law, 1976 is inscribed in Part C of the Register.
Occupants with the exception of the owners of the property, persons who are not qualified residents require housing licences to occupy any dwelling on Part C of the Register.
For information on the Nursing Homes and Residential Homes (Guernsey) Law, 1976, contact the States Board of Health, Princess Elizabeth Hospital, Le Vauquiedor, St Andrew’s, Guernsey.
Part D – lodging houses
If the Authority deems an open market dwelling to be in use as a lodgings house it will be transferred to Part D of the Register
Occupants
With the general exception of its owner and his direct family, all persons who are not qualified residents require housing licences to occupy any dwelling on Part D of the Register.
All Registered Dwellings
The owner of any Registered dwelling who wishes to alter the dwelling in any way, whether structurally or by change of use, is required by Law to inform the Authority in writing of the nature and extent of any such alterations at least seven days before such alterations are effected. The Authority will require to see any relevant plans to clarify the proposals.
This is in the interests of the owner as it is possible that the works proposed are such that the Open Market status of the dwelling could be jeopardised. It could mean that the following applies.
One of the most far-reaching provisions of the Law is that, if a dwelling is inscribed in Part A of the Open Market Register and is used or made usable as more than one dwelling, the Authority then has to delete the entry relating to that dwelling from the Register. This applies whether the matter has been brought about by alteration or by use. Another important provision is that if any Registered dwelling is combined, whether by alteration or use, with a “Local Market” dwelling so as to be used or made usable as a single dwelling then the single dwelling is no longer eligible to be Open Market.
Any person who acquires the ownership of a Registered dwelling is required by Law to inform the Authority in writing of that fact and the date of it within twenty eight days of the purchase or acquisition. This information is usually provided by the purchasers lawyer.
Hotels/Guests Houses – Part B
There are slightly different provisions made in the Law regards those Registered dwellings which are inscribed in Part B of the Register, because they are being used as Hotels or Guest Houses under a permit issued by the States Tourist Board.
Many Hotels and Guest Houses are not eligible for inscription in Part A of the Register if they cease to be used as accommodation for tourists.
Under the Law, only qualified residents, the owner, principal tenant, manager and their immediate families and full time staff of the Hotel and tourists are able to occupy without a licence. All other occupants require licences which are subject to the Authority’s policies.
The Authority considers all applications for licences on their merits, in the light of circumstances and policy prevailing at the time of application.
Residential and Nursing Homes – Part C
An “Open Market” dwelling which is registered as a nursing or residential home by the Board of Health under the Nursing Homes and Residential Homes (Guernsey) Law, 1976 is inscribed in Part C of the Register.
With general exception of its owners, persons who are not qualified residents require housing licences to occupy any dwelling on Part C of the Register.
Lodging Houses Part D
Any “Open Market” dwelling in which at least one room is being occupied by a person (other that the owner or principal tenant)who is, for example, a lodger or sub-tenant, may be deemed by the Authority to be a lodging house, and transferred to Part D of the Register.
With the general exception of its owners, persons who are not qualified residents require housing licences to occupy any dwelling on Part D of the Register.
The Authority considers all applications for licences on their merits, in the light of circumstances and policy prevailing at the time of application.
Owners of Registered dwellings are advised to make themselves aware of the provisions of the Law as it affects their dwelling. If in doubt owners should consult their legal advisers.
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Flip, I was just gona tell the bloke next door to clear off based on what the housing minister had reliably put on here……. luckily he wasnt home a!
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How do housing police these rules? Despite an increase in ‘regular’ seasonal workers I haven’t seen any taken to the harbour and not asked to come back even when they have commited crimes.
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Dave Jones
David asked you a very, very simple question i.e. can an EU citizen settle in Guernsey indefinitely if living in open market accommodation?
Your response of “I can’t remember every single detail blah blah blah” is not satisfactory I’m afraid. You weren’t being asked to remember any of the finer detail, just to answer a basic question that I would expect any civil servant who works in housing to know the answer to. The fact that the Minister doesn’t know is quite frankly astounding.
If I asked Charles Parkinson ewhat the basic rate of personal income tax was he would simply answer 20%, not “well actually it all depends on individual allowances blah blah blah”.
A similarly brief response was all that was required from you.
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Phil
First of all it is not a simple question and therefore cannot be covered by a simple response, it depends which part of the OM an EU citizen or anybody else for that matter wishes to occupy. The answer is as I have already posted, if you live in the open market in a private dwelling then you are free from the normal restrictions of the Housing Control Law, however they have to be immediate members of the family occupying the home or if they fall into another category, they will be permitted to live in the other categories available. Nevertheless, depending which section of the Open market you reside in under part A, B, C, or D there will be conditions on your residency as laid out in the detailed policy previously posted.
In part D for instance if you are not the owner of the property you will need a licence to occupy an OM lodging house. I think the policy I posted covers every aspect of the OM and is self explanatory and answers your question, I suspect you didn’t read it properly.
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Dave Jones
So let me get this right – originally you said “That is not true, EU citizens only have the right to pass through the common travel area, of which we are part under protocol 3 of our agreement, NOT to settle because we are not members of the European Union. Nor are we part of the United Kingdom or Great Britain.”
That does not seem to be correct as they obviously can settle if they own and live in a Part A private dwelling.
So your original statement was not correct. End of.
I don’t have any need to read the policy properly as I am a local person and I am not Housing Minister. Which is where we differ, on both counts.
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In response to Jimm is an early post Dave Jones did say ““That is not true, EU citizens only have the right to pass through the common travel area, of which we are part under protocol 3 of our agreement, NOT to settle because we are not members of the European Union. Nor are we part of the United Kingdom or Great Britain.”
It was only after this that the matter oof Open Market occupancy arose. Dave Jones then provided the answer to the Open Market status.
It is pedantic in extreme to say Dave Jones was wrong. He was right in his generalism about the right of EU citizens to live in Guernsey. He wasn’t asked in the original question about OP regulations just the general rights of EU citizens. The issue of Open Market came after this.
Anyone who has bothered to read the Housing Law will appreciate the time Dave Jones has given to answering the various questions. They would also appreciate that the Mimister is advised by his professional staff on the question of status. There are instances when the professional staff need to seek clarity from tthe Law Officers.
Time to be grateful that the Minsiter bothers to answer questions on these pages and not to seek to score petty points.
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Phil
Not to settle, as they would have the right to in any of the member states that make up the EU.
In all those countries they have an automatic right to settle, it come with the membership, they don’t here. That is the important point, if you want to choose any number of reasons why that doesn’t apply to some people, like open market residents or EU citizens who marry local people or have local partners or are here under 15 year licences then you can but the vast majority of the 650 million people in the EU will have no automatic right to settle in Guernsey.
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I thank Stephen John for his support, I take the time because I think it is important to have dialog with those who elect us. I don’t expect to be ridiculed because every single possible eventuality has not been covered in general conversation.
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so…fascinating stuff about the housing laws that this has all been, does it mean we get an extra policeman or not? (maybe it would be better to start with easier recruitment issues, such as housing licences, to maintain current staff levels to start with?). this debate, despite the best efforts of fair-minded folk, inevitably got tsumanied (oddly about the time dave jones deluged us with housing law stuff) with the assumption that non -local people are to blame for our crime increase, so we better debate immigration law. with no facts whatsover to back it up – only ignorance at best, prejudice at worst. (simple example – if locals and non-locals scrap, it is not necessarily the fault of the incomer, who may well be far more worldly and tolerant than the guern). when the home dept come up with thorough research proving a causal relationship between an increase in serious crime being caused disproportionatley by non- locals or immigrants or in-comers (and they will have to define very clearly what they mean by such terms) i will then agree that is the time to look at that particular issue – not before. to focus only immgration helps the police chief not one iota. well diverted mr jones.
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Dave Jones:
You’re in the wrong job then! In fairness to Phil, initially, he made the point that you were unable to, and failed to, answer a simply put question.
I also asked a similar question:
Can a non-local person settle here in Guernsey on the open market?
Yes or no in response would be fine.
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Truth Man
Yes
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Rex
Following on from the 23 new pieces of legislation in La Gazette Officielle on 2/8/10 see the next batch of 9 printed in the Gazette on 11/8/10
No wonder Mike Torode attempted to keep them out of the Press a couple of years ago
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I too think there might be a link between crime and immigration. Of course this is difficult to substantiate because the police are paranoid about being branded as racist and will never release statistics about the racial/national origins of criminals. I don’t study the court reports but on the odd occasions I have seen them ‘non guernsey’ names have seemed over represented to me. Perhaps the figures should be published then we will all know rather than just speculate.
Fortunately, here in the wilds of the upper parishes we hardly see a policeman let alone a criminal. But on one occasion I was at a hedge veg stall down at L’eree when two east European men selected a few choice items and shot off in their car with not even a pretense of paying. Hardly a crime wave, I grant you, but personal experience of the type which forms opinions. That hedge veg stall has gone now, presumably it was not paying its way.
I don’t think the police should have their budget increased, times are tight and like everybody else they need to tighten their belts.
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Beanjar:
A tightening of the belt by the police means reduced services for you and me. I for one think they should get more cash and then show us how it will be spent right down to the last penny.
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I disagree, Truth Man. It means they need to work harder and more efficiently just as everybody else does during a recession. I’m not overly impressed with the performance of our Police. We have little crime but when something does happen invariably they are ‘too busy’ to respond or just plead on the radio for help from the public. What happened to ordinary policing?
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Beanjar:
I’m not sure what your perspective on the police is driven by.
The police here are massively under resourced and under funded. Lack of funds = lack of resources = lack of service to the public (although the police here provide a far superior service to the public than their counterparts in the UK provide to theirs).
This is not about them ‘getting smart’. This is about the public (us) trusting that they (the police) know more about policing than we do. Let’s face it – do you know what they have on their plates? No. Do they? Yes.
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