MacDonalds Sponsored Police, What Next?

We are already on this road, with PCSOs. What I have found on the doorstep (and elsewhere) is that nearly all those who have expressed an opinion -- which has been the vast majority, by the way -- want real police, not make-believe "support officers" in bright yellow jackets. They might look similar to proper police officers, but they aren't the real thing.

I'm intrigued by the concept of "burger-laries" -- not so much a case of "You're nicked!" as "You're flipped! We'll have you behind bars in two shakes -- one strawberry, the other vanilla."

The problem appears to have been the usual one during this past ten years -- lots of money being thrown at an issue (inputs) but little in the way of benefit in practice (outcomes). Not exactly competent...

This risible suggestion could only invoke a famous outburst by one John McEnroe applicable to Gordon Brown - "You can't be serious!"

Oh yes, he can!

While on patrol, police cars can contract to deliver pizzas with pizzazz, carry advertisements on every part of the police cars which when not flashing the "Stop! Police" sign can flash up the latest in designer clothes, and when the sirens are not in use to catch up with criminals, wail out catchy tunes that capture the consumers' attention. Endless possibilities for Chief Constables who find opportunities for enterprise!

But seriously, we are digressing. Our Party needs to nail the government for such degrading stupidity that makes us a laughing stock of the world, never mind the criminals. We must ready sound policies that unshackle our police officers from their paperwork to do what they are trained and paid to do for the community in preventing, fighting and solving crime.

We are letting the Number One culprit from Number 10 get away with murder. That won't do for the British public.

If we want to win the next General Election, we have to be serious. McEnroe, not McDonald.

Absolutely Teck, they are systematically destroying the very organisation that we all need, even criminals need to have faith in the police force.

Kent is a very important area for policing, being the gateway to the continent. I worked together with Kent County Councillors in a scrutiny role to establish evidence which was used to argue our case against a regional police force that joined around three police forces together; we saw this as a way of the government diverting resources away from Kent including Medway into other leafier parts of the zone where there were less police officers.

Of course as John has said the concentration has been on recruiting PCSO's, we have some in Strood and of course individually they are lovely and they give reassurance to a lot of people, including criminals. I actually think they are very brave as their training is very limited before they are sent on the streets, but they are no replacement for experienced police officers with full powers of arrest.

Today the TV was reporting that the nighbourhood watch should be more proactive ie making patrols of their communities. It could of course be good for the community by more worrying this could have the potential of vigilanties springing up; I'm sure the BNP will jump at this opportunity! It seems to me that rather than dealing with the amount of bureacracy the police have to deal with that takes them off the streets and feeling the collars of criminals and by that I don't mean easy targets such as normally law abiding people that are just a bit thoughtless. It's about time that this country gets real and removes the chains that prevents this happening and gives the police back their truncheons rather than a sharp pencil!

Teams of Neighbourhood Watch members are to be asked to do jobs previously left to the police. Details of the plan are contained in a leaked memo sent to chief constables in the last few days.

The timing of the memo - titled Neighbourhood Watch in Context: A Strategic Tool for the Neighbourhood Policing Agenda - will be viewed as highly suspicious.

The Home Office report by Sir Ronnie Flanagan, also published last Thursday, said retaining the current number of fully-trained police officers was neither necessary nor financially sustainable. Critics said it was significant the memo was sent on the day a Home Office report said police numbers should be cut.

Tory spokesman David Ruffley said: "Jacqui Smith's plan to cut police numbers in the next three years was bad enough. But now it seems she wants that gap filled by Neighbourhood Watch members taking on frontline policing duty. Neighbourhood Watches have done excellent work with the police but always as valued volunteers, not vigilantes”.

Proposals like this, confirm, that at the very heart of our disjointed police service is the attitude of the Government. It is a very simple one.

They do not take public concerns about crime seriously.

Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, told Parliament recently that, since peaking in 1995, "crime has fallen by 42 per cent, representing eight million fewer crimes".

A recent British Crime Survey of 47,000 adults was a damning indictment. Sixty per cent doubted the system dealt with cases efficiently, and 64 per cent had little faith that it even cut crime.

Any company with such little public confidence would have gone out of business long ago.

The problem begins with the very first contact after someone is mugged, their house burgled or their car stolen. Ring the police and you get through not to an actual officer but to a call centre.
Staff manning the call centres are the gatekeepers, the means by which the police manage public demand. Not every call is an emergency.

Some calls are not police business at all. Others can be answered in a few hours' time or even a few days. To filter calls, staff need time to question the caller, give advice or refer them elsewhere. They need time to understand a situation from someone who is often vague, panic-stricken or angry.

Like everyone else in the service, they have targets to meet, and that means they have to deal with 90 per cent of calls in 15 seconds. Fully investigating a call takes too long. It is quicker to log the call, send it to the dispatch centre and get a car out.

The call staff have to hit a certain number of logs a day. But to do that means passing on unfiltered calls, creating logs unnecessarily and wasting police time.

But few of those running the police service at the level where strategic decisions are made seem even to acknowledge this problem of undermanning.

On the contrary, the Government tells us that, with a force of around 140,000 in England and Wales as well as some 8,000 newly-created Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs)- the police community support officers, known as Blunkett's Bobbies - we have never had so many police officers.

In fact the numbers are low compared with other countries.

In 2003 there were 264 police officers in England and Wales to 100,000 of the population.
The European average is 357, and in New York, where crime has fallen dramatically in the past 20 years, there are 457. And it is not just the number of officers that counts but how that compares to the number of crimes they're confronting.

In 1921 there were two recorded crimes per officer. By 1981 that had risen to 23 and by 2003, it was 44.

This shortage of officers is compounded by what they have to do when on duty. Just 14 per cent of all police officer time is spent on patrol - which is where the public wants and expects them to be.
A flow of policies, guidelines, objectives and targets keeps them in the station, at their computers, counting, checking, auditing and e-mailing.

Various ruses are used to make the number of officers available appear larger than it is .

Those involved in specialist operations, such as firearms duty, are actually counted as response officers even if they never turn up for duty.

The figures might look good, but in the end it does not change reality.

There are two ways of probing that could be useful in finding out what support the police requires.

One is to have the views of frontline officers. I have had some illuminating insight into the unreported realities and difficulties with this channel of enquiry. Information from upstream sources such as Police Federation, Departmental reports and commissioned surveys give broad even sanitised perspectives in which vital details could be diluted or lost.

Another route to a good understanding of policing problems is either be a 'visitor' to the constabulary or work for a time in some frontline capacity that affords contact with law enforcement officers, offenders and victims. I have been fortunate to do that over 24 years, as senior police surgeon to Leicestershire Constabulary (where I was also advisor in firearms licensing) and currently as forensic physician for Northamptonshire Police.

It's one thing to gain knowledge through reading, but quite an incomparable experience to get a real 'handle' on the matter in question.