One of the suggestions the current Government put forward when they came up with the daft notion of Police and Crime Commissioners was that PCC's would bring innovation to improve and change policing in this country.
The great British public voted in their hundreds to show their support for these wonderful new beasts, who are irrelevant to most people but wield considerable power when it comes to hiring and firing Chief Officers. PCC's are now drawing up their Police and Crime Plans following consultation with the public. God help us!
David Lloyd, Conservative PCC for Hertfordshire has come up with the grand idea that offenders should pay when they do something wrong. One of his big ideas is that offenders should pay for the time they spend in police custody. I have some sympathy with the idea. After all, we used to rely on the Courts to punish offenders but that no longer happens.
The reality though is that, as we feared, this is just another unworkable, daft idea that will never work but might just catch a few more votes at the next election. It won't work because many people arrested are not charged. (Some of them are even innocent.) Many of those charged are on benefits and can't pay £300 a night for a room in the cells. There are more than a million court fine defaulters, how will we enforce payment of police cell accommodation? This will be an administrative nightmare which will cost more to administer than it raises.
I look forward to some more innovation from our PCC's when they are dreaming up their Police and Crime plans.
The great British public voted in their hundreds to show their support for these wonderful new beasts, who are irrelevant to most people but wield considerable power when it comes to hiring and firing Chief Officers. PCC's are now drawing up their Police and Crime Plans following consultation with the public. God help us!
David Lloyd, Conservative PCC for Hertfordshire has come up with the grand idea that offenders should pay when they do something wrong. One of his big ideas is that offenders should pay for the time they spend in police custody. I have some sympathy with the idea. After all, we used to rely on the Courts to punish offenders but that no longer happens.
The reality though is that, as we feared, this is just another unworkable, daft idea that will never work but might just catch a few more votes at the next election. It won't work because many people arrested are not charged. (Some of them are even innocent.) Many of those charged are on benefits and can't pay £300 a night for a room in the cells. There are more than a million court fine defaulters, how will we enforce payment of police cell accommodation? This will be an administrative nightmare which will cost more to administer than it raises.
I look forward to some more innovation from our PCC's when they are dreaming up their Police and Crime plans.
I've got a new invention. Came up with it myself, after consultation with the public of course.
ReplyDeleteI call it The Wheel. It's a bit rough round the edges but I think it will work.
OK it has been a slow night and the fish has bitten. £300 a night? We are talking a bare cell with a shit hole and some sort of sink (new cells only) plus "Reliant Security" blankets at a few quid a pop. Where does £300 come from? Hourly wage for some scum to peer in every hour or so? Those mini bars of soap for a wash? Oh pulezze wake up and smell the cawfee.
ReplyDeleteBut Broxted (Rehill/Mcfarlane etc etc) what about the cost of storing your DNA for life? It adds up you know.
ReplyDeleteJaded.
But Broxted (Rehill/Mcfarlane etc etc) what about the cost of storing your DNA for life? It adds up you know.
ReplyDeleteJaded.
Indeed or basic literacy classes such as those the army used to run for squaddies.
ReplyDeleteBroxted,
ReplyDeleteif you add up the entire running costs of almost any institution and divide it by the inhabitants present, it adds up to a surprisingly large figure.
Given the security element, admin and personnel ratios I am surprised its as little as 300 quid.
Lex- the idea seemed unworkable to me from the word go- defaulting, as you say is already an issue.
Jess are political prisoners more or less expensive?
ReplyDeleteJade DNA is not filed for life, and knowing police mendacity the deletion process must be transparent and independently verifiable, after all if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear. Now, what is the closest match on the PNC to my sample?
Broxted-
ReplyDeleteThats an odd question- I wouldn't know the answer.
What were you driving at?
That cells ought to be just for criminal prisoners.
ReplyDeleteJess, no use trying to have a sensible debate with the cretin Broxted. Being a complete bellend, he thinks most prisoners in this country are political prisoners.
ReplyDeleteBroxted and Council,
ReplyDeleteOh I see- well surely Broxted you would accept most criminals are not political- assault, drunkenness, non fine payment, domestic abuse, rape, murder etc are not political?
Getting fined for waving a placard, wrong. Getting fined for pissing on cenotaph, ok. I see we have D**k H***m back.
ReplyDeleteI think they are a minority of offences surely?
ReplyDeleteI think urinating on the cenotaph is pretty offensive myself anyhow.
I also doubt the 'waving a placard' would in itself be the reason for a custodial sentence.
There would be other details pertinent to the cases I am quite sure.