Monday 6 September 2010

Shocking, And Most Unexpected...

A police scheme which used cardboard cut-out policemen to try to prevent crime has been scrapped after it was found to have “very little effect” on reducing crime.
I know! Me too...
An Essex Police spokesman said: “It was an idea worth trying and we would always consider innovative schemes in our efforts to reduce crime.”
Oh, well. At least this bizarre effort only cost £2000...

But hang on! Someone was happy with these:
Despite the failure, staff at BP Connect, in East Mayne, Basildon, claimed the cut-out was a success.
Really?
James Chaplin, the petrol station’s manager, said it had worked, before being moved to another store in spring.
I don't understand. If it was working, why was it moved to...
He added: “It was moved to another store because theirs got stolen.”
Ahahahahahah...sorry, I just...Ahahahaha!
I have been speaking to them about getting it back.”
Just go steal it back, James!

6 comments:

richard said...

If he let himself get stolen then he wasn't cut out for the job.

Eckersalld said...

I wish things like that did work, would make buggering off down the pub a little easier on the ears ;)

Plus the flash and blood ones don't appear to be that fantastic either, local rag has a story about some narrowboaters threatened for cash and then having the locks drained on them.

Not a police issue apparently. Although I suspect has those threatened responded with a little violence of their own, the police would've descended forthwith...

Chuckles said...

If judged by their results, I'd imagine it would be quite difficult to discern them from the real ones. I suppose the real ones are more one dimensional though.

It does remind me of the fellow who was setting a mousetrap one evening and found he didn't have any cheese. So in a fit of inspiration, he cut a picture of a piece of cheese out of a magazine, and used that instead. And it worked. In the morning, he found a picture of a mouse in the trap.

Captain Haddock said...

Same thing happened in my Town ..

A cardboard cut-out PCSO was proudly placed outside Tesco in the Town Centre .. it lasted two whole days before being stolen ..

The irony is that Tesco and the main Police Station are only separated by a chest high brick wall & Tesco is usually crawling with Coppers doing their shopping... ;) :) :)

MTG said...

The cardboard variety were a tremendous success in Huddersfield and reluctantly, we let both of them go on account of a huge overtime bill they were running up every week.

JuliaM said...

"If he let himself get stolen then he wasn't cut out for the job."

*groan* :)

"Although I suspect has those threatened responded with a little violence of their own, the police would've descended forthwith..."

Indeed...

"If judged by their results, I'd imagine it would be quite difficult to discern them from the real ones."

Heh!

"..reluctantly, we let both of them go on account of a huge overtime bill they were running up every week."

:D