Tuesday 7 September 2010

Clearly, The Adults Have Begun Fighting Back...

..so like all predators, they are targeting easier prey:
Litter louts as young as 10 can now be fined £80 if they drop rubbish in an Oxford street or park – and their parents could end up in court.

Oxford City Council’s executive board has sanctioned new powers to take the tough line with youngsters as part of its ongoing war on litter.
This will, of course, be welcomed by some.

It'll certainly be welcomed by those the good Captain pointed out to us.

It'll be welcomed by those who see gangs of youths behaving with impunity, and who assume that this will be used against them. It won't. The litter enforcers will be avoiding them; they might get a mouthful of abuse, or worse. No, they will be waiting instead to collar a 12 year old girl who goes to throw a sweet wrapper into a bin and has the wind blow it out of her hand and onto the floor.
John Tanner, the council's executive member for a cleaner Oxford, said: “At the moment anybody under 18 cannot receive an on-the-spot fine, but we know from experience some of the biggest litter droppers are under 18.

“This is another piece in the jigsaw of getting our streets clean. It is not heavy handed.

“If they don’t pay the parents will be taken to court.”
I think John Tanner need a new dictionary - his current one seems to have a very bizarre definition of the term 'heavy handed'...

And in case you think I'm making too much of this, or I would just like to see us all knee-deep in crisp packets and humbug wrappers, read on:
But Mr Tanner said the policy would not be used against foreign language students, who had blighted city parks with litter during late night parties, because they would have returned home before a fine could be enforced.
As I pointed out above: easy prey. Only. If the goal was litter reduction, and not fines, they'd be targetting everyone equally. Wouldn't they?

5 comments:

subrosa said...

Of course they would Julia. How will they handle it though? Will every under 18 be required to show some identification to prove their UK citizens before they're fined?

The answer really is that the little darlings who are the guilty ones will already have an address is Warsaw, or some such exotic place, tucked away in their little minds - all set to give it to the enforcers.

So that really just leaves the wee lassie with the sweetie paper doesn't it.

Anonymous said...

The Captain is right.

"...Another peice of the jigsaw..." - why do these morons speak in this language?

Watch the spoof PCSO doc where the fat one bollocks the woman reversinto a disabled bay to turn round but says nothing when the large young black man actually parks in a disabled bay! Sums it all up.

Anonymous said...

I grew up in Oxford. I'm afraid it's now run by people like Mr Tanner, which is why I now go there as seldom as possible.

JuliaM said...

"How will they handle it though? Will every under 18 be required to show some identification to prove their UK citizens before they're fined?"

Another brick in the wall for the ID card..?

"Sums it all up."

It's funny because it's true!

"I grew up in Oxford. I'm afraid it's now run by people like Mr Tanner..."

As are, it seems, so many other towns..

RantinRab said...

The simple fact that these local 'authorities' can grant themselves such powers on a whim is the truly frightening aspect of all of this.

The council is your enemy.