tiggers

Have been to the cruise-notts site and read the article from the local rag, seen the pics etc etc.

Now I really don't doubt that some of what's gone on is a big problem and hence I can understand the crackdown by the police, but if they can do this for motoring related offences why can;t they have a crackdown on other crimes.

I know it's easy to slag the police off, but when I see the amount of police at this incident and the offences people have been charged for (basically having their front foglights on when they shouldn't etc. etc.) I ask myself why can't they have a crackdown on other crimes such as the local petty theft and vandalism that occurs in several areas near where I live every single night.

Whenever I have called them over various incidents to do with this they are always too busy or don't even answer the phone - it's no wonder people are hacked off with them.

tiggers.

medders

There are crime crackdowns going on all the time. It doesn't make good headlines though. Do you think just because somethings not in the paper it's not happening ?

BOB.T

Ian, would you mind running that past me again...it is early in the AM for me

medders

You monitor local vandalism and petty crime in your area ???

Whats your opinion on the new way in which crime is recorded ?

DRUNKNORGY

Agree with getting the smack dealers off the street, but lets face it, In my town, there are families who consistently cause trouble. The decent hardworking residents of the council estates live in fear from these untouchables. The fines and sentences handed out are a joke and the government and police are IMO missing the point.
'To serve and Protect' LOL. There shouldn't be no go areas and people should feel safe in their houses and have reasonable protection for their property. We don't have this and the government and high ranking police are more interested in numbers of motorists they can catch than real problems on the streets. In my town, there is gun crime, gang problems and a big drug problem, there are no go areas in the suburbs also and at night the town centre isn't a safe place to be. Where do I live ? - genteel Cheltenham. The people in authority who make the decisions are out of touch with whats going on and because they don't live in it, they just don't care.

medders

drunknorgy - I agree in whole with your theory. Every town has the problems you have mentioned.
You are wrong about no go areas in Cheltenham though. There are none. There are times you wouldn't go on your own or even in a pair due to some peoples attitude towards the police.
As for Cheltenham being unsafe at night, I guess it comes down to your personal perceptions, but I would strongly disagree with you.
Gloucestershire as a whole is a relatively low crime area.

Paul

tiggers

medders,

I don't need to monitor it as for instance I have to drive round the broken glass from the latest attack on the bus stop and walk past the boarded up windows of any empty premises and stare at the latest arson attack on the local builders yard etc. etc.

I live in a reasonable area and all this takes place nightly not ten minutes from where I live - despite numerous calls the police are never ever seen in the area, but I see them every week ten minutes down the road behind the mobile speed camera in the back of their nice new Ford Galaxy - you can't argue - the motorist is persecuted whereas ALL other crime is being ignored by them.

As for recording crime - their new method seems to be to try and not record it as far as I can see. Don't tell me this is all the government's fault either as it started when the Tories were in power and the police can actually get off their butt's and decide to enforce the law if they choose to do so.

Just look at PhilsGT4's case to see how they can actually do something when they want to - unfortunately in this case it's wrong as usual.

I can understand the average copper saying they are told what to do so they do it, but surely if they think the policing policies they are carrying out are wrong they should lobby their senior officers to do something about it not just turn a blind eye and get on with it!

tiggers.
tiggers.

medders

Tiggers - I understand fully what you are saying , but this "all coppers are lazy" stance is BS. Saying all coppers ticket motorists is incorrect - they don't
If you actually knew what the average copper spends his time doing you would be amazed. I'm not going into a protracted argument on here. If you want to discuss what actually goes on then i'm happy for you to pm me, but i'm afraid your agrguments are extremely one sided.

Paul

tiggers

medders,

No need for pm - that's what an open forum is for.

Maybe I haven't been clear enough. I do know what I see. I don't see the police patrolling the areas local to me where there is a lot of vandalism, theft etc. I do see them in the mobile speed camera van. Motorists are being caught regularly for speedig, burglars and vandals are not (at least where I live) - I don't need any more evidence than that.

Having said that I do not blame the average police officer who is there to do his/her job - as I say he/she has to do what he/she is told to do. I am also sure that they have to do a lot of things where their time could be better spent elsewhere. I lay the blame partially with the home office policy makers, but mainly with the senior police officers.

I do think, however, that the police officers doing the day to day job of policing could make a difference if they lobbied the powers that be often enough and strongly enough. I'm sorry, but my impression is that many of them are happy to let things tick along as they are which frankly is worrying to me as a member of the general public and as a taxpayer that helps to pay their salaries.

If I'm completely wrong then I'm sorry, but I really don't think I am.

tiggers.

red_dog104

medders

tiggers - i agree completely.

drunknorgy - I also agree - but with regard to police resources being wasted let me ask you a question.

I work out of Cirencester which no doubt you will know (the area not me!). How many officers do you think are available on a friday / saturday night to cover our area (which covers wiltshire border, oxford border to stroud in a kind of radius around cirencester town centre (30 - 40 mins fast drive to each boundary)?

Paul

DRUNKNORGY

Probably about 4 or 5 if Cheltenham is anything to go by. I'm not blaming the bobby on the beat, He/she just does their job. Lack of resources and bad management is the root cause IMO

medders

bang on mate - 2 cars. When you consider an arrest can take upwards of 3 hours to deal with......Thats why people can get away with vandalising cars.....How on earth can 2 cars cover all that ground ....
So when someone phones up saying some minor offence has taken place with no witnesses or offenders, people wonder why no one attends for 5 hours !
Sad but true.

DRUNKNORGY

My personal take on this is that there are people who would be well capable of doing the job, but haven't been down the Uni roads and therefore are ruled out of the selection process.
Those clever people in personel can be a bit elitist when looking at selection if they themselves have been down the Uni route. Not every officer who joins will want to be a desk jockey looking for a bit of braid on their cap, and as long as your understaffed will feel like your in a thankless job. I'm not saying dumb down, but to look at other qualities than paper qualifications. They don't show the whole picture.

medders

Have you been knocked back ?

There are quite a few degree holders coming through these days, but not all by any means.

Jye

Whats the age limit for joining Police these days? I heard that most of the requirements including age and height have been dropped.

DRUNKNORGY

No I've never applied and have never had the desire to either, but there have been times when i've wanted to be a warrant card holder I work as a design draughtsman but I had to do it the hard way (without the uni).

IanW

http://www.policecouldyou.co.uk has all the details on it.

Ian

medders

jye see here http://www.policecouldyou.co.uk/default.asp?action=article&ID=24

18 for appointment at 18.5 up to 55....

Paul

medders

Damn, beaten - and by a clicky as well

IanW

Have to get up early to beat me Medders

BTW to do clickes click the BBS Code Syntax link to the left of where you type the post.

Jye

Cheers


Jye - old and small

logiclee

Just had a look at the Police link.

Pay is pretty crap then No wonder they can't recruit.

Lee

red_dog104

Just completing my on line application

Poor Guy

police **** me off.
road traffic think theyre so ace. ignorant gits.

we all do stupid stuff.even in the sixties my old man raced around in his spitfire with a few other lads in MGs Fords Minis and Triumphs. He did a dangerous over taking manouver when he was still learning after passing his test while in his anglia and got pulled, officer told him it was not a very good manouver and to use more caution next time.
Police just saw it as lads being lads.

Why are they being ******* with us? I know police peoples that used to bomb around in their mexicos and capris in the 70's with their mates.


arg!

evolucy

Just happened to have found this thread......................
Mate why would I break the law in front of the police? I didn't....they can take the car at their own discretion....Yes I had received a warning, even more reason why i would not break the law in front of the police!
The whole thing was a publicity stunt!!! All I did was drive my car, had only been in Nottingham for 5 minutes!
So **** OFF PAL YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT



QUOTE:
'This is a good bit of policing in my opinion. It's about time these little tw*ts were off the streets. It's because of them that we have all the bloody speed cameras and speed humps all over the place. Infact, it's because of them that 'legitimate' drivers get pulled and bollocked about doing f*ck all like me and my Mrs.

The one who got her car confiscated..... Evo Lucy wasn't it? At 28 years old, she should have known better ffs, she'd obviously been warned before and she goes and breaks the law again right in front of the police. Very clever! She needs to f*cking GROW UP!

Then again SK I can see where you are coming from. I mean, who will you sell your coloured kitchen lights to if they all get their cars confiscated? '

[Edited by Big_Dog666 - 10/7/2003 8:50:36 PM]

[Edited by evolucy - 1/21/2004 4:19:33 PM]

Scooby96

Did the car get returned?

evolucy

Yes I paid the release fee the next day.
Saw a solicitor who looked into it and said it is at the discretion of the Police, their word against mine! Apparently I was speeding right in front of a police van that had cameras in it......but somehow there was no speed gun or any evidence of speeding on camera, cause I didn't!
Could start contesting it, but at over 100 quid an hour for the solictor perhaps not. The Police can bend the rules however they like!

Scooby96

What was the release fee?

Boss Hogg

Another way is to link it to low-level nuisance crime that makes the 'general public' feel uncomfortable. The experiments in NY policing show that when minor 'nuisance' crimes such as graffiti, vandalism and littering were eradicated then high level crime also moved on. I think there is a strong argument for reclaiming the streets, 'street racing' is a nuisance crime an just another part of making our towns and cities feel like lawless hellholes after dark.