Thursday 26 January 2012

Remind Me Again? The Point Of ASBOs Was..?

A homeless man who threatened staff at Winchester’s hospital has been jailed for nine weeks.

Otto Bingeris, of the Night shelter, Jewry Street, Winchester, pleaded guilty to threatening behaviour at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital on January 3.
On the one hand, a welcome sentence, but…
Magistrates at Winchester heard the incident was his sixth breach of an antisocial behaviour order since it was imposed in Guildford last March.
His sixth?

Why not his second, or his fourth? Why does he get five more chances to make a nuisance of himself?

6 comments:

Captain Haddock said...

The point of ASBO's was the Blair government's knee-jerk way of creating the impression that they were actually doing something to address low-level crime & nuisance ..

In fact all that ASBO's have created is the "gift that keeps on giving" (especially if you happen to be a lawyer) ..

I could, perhaps be accused of cynicism, were I to suggest that the two are not entirely unconnected ..

Woman on a Raft said...

Oh well, at least he has somewhere to live for the next 9 weeks.

Unknown said...

CH-I totally agree. No senior police officer had the guts to stand up to New Labour as they shovelled money into the bottomless pit that is the police budget.You don't get promoted by rocking the boat and those knighthoods aren't given to off message officers.

If only my ACPO chums had put some money away for a rainy day i.e NOW, then we wouldn't be experiencing the cutbacks that are happening.

The ASBO units are a classic example of the police over-staffing back-room staff at the expense of the front-line.

blueknight said...

...was the Blair government's knee-jerk way of creating the impression that they were actually doing something to address low-level crime & nuisance .. see PCSOs AKA Blunkett's Bouncers.
The ASBO system might work if the courts enforced it properly

JuliaM said...

"... the Blair government's knee-jerk way of creating the impression that they were actually doing something to address low-level crime & nuisance..."

Yup the 'something must be done, this is something, let's do it' approach.

"Oh well, at least he has somewhere to live for the next 9 weeks."

It won't be that long!

"The ASBO system might work if the courts enforced it properly"

Could say that about so many other laws!

Anonymous said...

One has to ask the question, Why is this man not being given the help and support he quite clearly needs to address the alcohol issues instead of throwing him in jail? I feel like the 'system' will just keep repeating this vicious cycle until something really unfortunate occurs either to Otto or someone else.