Saturday 3 January 2009

” But I think once you quit hearing "sir" and "ma'am," the rest is soon to foller...”

The papers yesterday were full of ‘Chav Britain!’ type stories that won’t be unfamiliar to anyone who reads police blogs like Inspector Gadget:
Violence scarred celebrations and led to a bloody New Year across the country as emergency services endured a chaotic end to 2008.

Ambulance control centres reported receiving 999 calls as often as once every seven seconds - the second highest volume of calls since the Millennium - as binge drinkers turned nasty in the freezing temperatures.

Many of the calls related either to alcohol-fuelled assaults or excessive drunkenness.
Why is it people are (apparently) increasingly unable to control themselves in public? And not just that, but apparently unashamed to get themselves into this condition in the first place...
Elsewhere, while large numbers were ferried to hospitals, in some areas injuries were treated by paramedics in 'booze buses' to leave ambulances free for more serious emergencies.

In Essex, so many drunk people were arrested that all 200 of the constabulary's cells were filled, and overflow revellers had to be shipped to neighbouring Kent to be held for the night.
So, why did Kent have spare space on New Year’s Eve, and Essex didn’t..? It can’t just be sheer demographics, can it?

Attacks on other emergency services are becoming commonplace too:
In one of the most disturbing incidents an ambulance was wrecked by callous thugs while parked outside the home of a sick baby boy in Tilehurst, Reading.

He eventually had to be sped to hospital in his family's own car.
Just before Christmas, waiting in a queue at traffic lights, I see a fire engine weaving it’s way in and out of traffic on the opposite side of the road, drivers making way for it as best they could. The lights for my side went to green, and the car in front pulled forward and to the side and put his hazards on while he waited to see which way the fire engine was going to go. I put mine on and stayed where I was, as did the car behind me. The car behind him decided not to wait, pulled out onto the other side of the road, overtook all three of us, and weaved in front of the fire engine just as it was turning, luckily (for the call they were on) missing him.

No doubt they are used to such displays of sheer callousness and impatience, but it’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen. I’d hate to think it was becoming more commonplace, but I wonder...
British Transport Police spokesman Superintendent Brian Pearce - whose colleagues helped control the huge crowds gathered for fireworks by the Thames, said: 'The nature of New Year's Eve in central London has changed. What used to be a relatively low-key, spontaneous night is now a world-class event that attracts thousands and thousands of people.

'Such large crowds create a challenging policing environment. In the main the crowds were good humoured.'
A ‘world-class event’...? In what – vomiting?

And why should it need to be noted that the crowd were ‘good humoured’ in the main? Shouldn't that be what is expected of people? Instead, it now seems to be odd enough to be remarked upon...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"...So, why did Kent have spare space on New Year’s Eve, and Essex didn’t..? It can’t just be sheer demographics, can it?...."

There must be less chav/pikey scum in Kent than in Essex, although I can't believe that. Cell space is now 'an issue' for many forces - including London where so much cell space has been lost due to poor planning, especially as smaller local stations are shut down by those blessed with 'vision'.

The words of Supernintendo Pearce (Met not BTP) tell the story. The usual ploddlygook, meaningless corporate drivel. His eye firmly on that bath star to accompany the present crown. Good stuff for the CV.

What is clear from these stories is how the government seems to encourage and support such appalling behaviour.
One minute they are warning the public about 'binge drinking', labelling and demonising anyone who has more than two large glasses of wine on one or two evenings a week; the next they are setting up 'booze buses' and 'Booze tents' (Liverpool St Station) to facilitate the masses to drink until they vomit uncontrollably. How much does all this cost 'US'?

The 24 hour drinking scheme will never work. The UK must be several millenia away from developing a 'continental cafe culture' (in the case of Newcastle several eons away), so why don't they bring back licensing hours so that alcohol availability can be controlled and proper planning ensured for the emergency services?
I find it all a bit sinister. Still the photos in the Daily Mail are marvellous - some people must be feeling rather proud of themselves and/or members of their family. And so many will too!

Anonymous said...

"Cell space is now 'an issue' for many forces - including London where so much cell space has been lost due to poor planning, especially as smaller local stations are shut down by those blessed with 'vision'."

I had a feeling it'd turn out to be something like that...

"One minute they are warning the public about 'binge drinking', labelling and demonising anyone who has more than two large glasses of wine on one or two evenings a week; the next they are setting up 'booze buses' and 'Booze tents' (Liverpool St Station) to facilitate the masses to drink until they vomit uncontrollably. How much does all this cost..."

If they resourced the emergency services properly, and declined to treat thiose who had, in effect, got themselves into this mess through overindulgence, then these extra 'services' may well not be needed.

"The 24 hour drinking scheme will never work. The UK must be several millenia away from developing a 'continental cafe culture' (in the case of Newcastle several eons away), so why don't they bring back licensing hours..."

i don't think we will ever turn back that particular clock. And to do so would be unfair on those that are able to cope with 24 hour drinking without losing all sense of proportion.

There must be some of those, surely...?

"Still the photos in the Daily Mail are marvellous.."

I expect the subject look at them and think 'Made it! In the papers at last..!'