Thursday 14 April 2011

Carrot Or Stick? Hmmm, Tough Choice...

Police are to hold US-style ceasefire summits with London's most dangerous gang members in a new attempt to tackle gun and knife violence.
Wha..? Why accord these thugs the status of enemy combatants?
The ceasefire project has been launched as a trial scheme in Waltham Forest but is expected to be rolled out across boroughs worst hit by gang violence. So far nine criminals and their families are being offered help with housing, addiction, education and jobs in a bid to tackle the causes of gang problems.
And if the bribery and soft-touch treatment doesn't work?
If support is refused, police advise people they will be targeted relentlessly. The spokesman added: "There is a zero tolerance approach to those who persist in their gang activities and do not engage with us."
OK, now, I realise I'm not a police officer, but given that upholding the law is your actual job, why don't you cut to the chase and try the zero tolerance approach first?

After all, it's not so long ago that one of your number was bleating to the press about how his members were being 'forced' to act as social worker/mental health worker/youth worker by the awful cuts.

It's a bit much to undermine his speech by willingly adding council worker/jobseeker advice coach to the list, isn't it?

9 comments:

DerekP said...

"a new attempt to tackle gun and knife violence"

In other words, yet another futile attempt to ask criminals nicely.

I wonder why that doesn't work? Oh wait, they use weapons because the rewards are greater than carrots, and the only sticky consequences they fear come from their criminal competitors - not from the law or the law-abiding.

I'm sure there's a clue to some effective government policy there, although I suppose that depends on what effect they're after.

Still, if that chat fails I'm sure some senior policeman or ACPO can come up with some excuse that requires ever more repressive laws against the law-abiding citizens.

Laws which the criminals will continue to ignore.

If the police want to even be noticed they should stick the carrot where the criminals wouldn't like it.

Mark Wadsworth said...

The idea did strike me as a bit weird, I must say.

Rob said...

The police are going to "target relentlessly" these gangs, are they? Are these gangs planning on a mass smoke-in at a bus stop perhaps? Planning on forgetting to tax their car for a few weeks? Have a picnic with a bottle of wine in the park?

Anonymous said...

Such policies are not new, not originally American and make me sick. Why should gang members get help with housing when it is in short supply? What happens to the people forced to live next to them?#
Utter crap that should get anyone peddling it the sack.

Ranter said...

Once again assistance and a full range of other resources is given to the criminal, feckless, workshy etc. It is a disgrace. These little bastards should be hunted down and then, in the absence of the death penalty, locked up for a very long time. The message that actions have consequences might have a better effect than this sad and craven business.

Captain Haddock said...

Can't see the problem ..

The more of these little "Gangsta" shits who top each other, the more it saves the Taxpayer in keeping them in prison ..

"Operation Trident" merely slows the process down & gets in the way ..

Let 'em get on with it .. they're doing a good job ..

Ancient and tattered airman said...

In the old days there was hanging and transportation among the punishments meted out. As we are not allowed capital punishment and nobody else wants or needs these vermin so we cant transport them - how about finding a suitable island that has a harsh climate where tents provide accomodation? Guards can be provided by suitably strict disciplinarians (like those who run the military prison service).

JuliaM said...

"In other words, yet another futile attempt to ask criminals nicely."

Pretty much, yes...

"Are these gangs planning on a mass smoke-in at a bus stop perhaps? Planning on forgetting to tax their car for a few weeks? Have a picnic with a bottle of wine in the park?"

Heh! ;)

"What happens to the people forced to live next to them?"

Well, that isn't going to be either cops or council officials, and certainly not judges, so why should they worry?

"Can't see the problem ..

The more of these little "Gangsta" shits who top each other, the more it saves the Taxpayer in keeping them in prison .."


I'd agree, but the collateral damage is a bit high. Maybe the police could teach them to shoot straight, instead (Yorkshire cops exempted, of course)..?

Angry Exile said...

If the police are going to go to the trouble of getting all these scroats, er, I mean these troubled young people together around a table then having got to the happy place of knowing where the fuckers all are, why not just nick 'em?