Southend Council wants to give its counter-fraud teams new powers so they can carry out investigations independently of police and other law enforcement agencies.
The new powers would enable council officers to execute search warrants and seize assets that could be the proceeds of crime.Note that: 'could be..'
These are the people that can't collect your bins without a song & dance, are always unprepared for ice & snow on the roads and would rather you didn't have any right of reply.
Martin Terry, leader of the council’s independent group, cautiously welcomed the plans.So much for 'independence' then...
He said: “It seems a bit draconian for council officers to be able to search people’s homes and my biggest concern is that at some point they get it wrong.Gosh, really?
“But, in principle, I support this, if it is to seize back money from people who have genuinely defrauded the taxpayer.”And are we going to let them decide that?
Still, it'll give them something else to recruit a network of junior spies for, I suppose...
'Under the new plans they would not need police back up'
ReplyDeleteIn which case they'd might need an ambulance instead.
Not to mention the courts can and do impose "Punitive" measures when they fuck up!!!
ReplyDeleteRemarkable turnaround for councils. I wonder how they jiggled their budget? A former colleague worked for a borough council as an `enforcement officer`. Without being specifically tasked he was detecting all sorts of offences, not petty stuff but things that would really make a difference if they were pursued. He was ideal, a `professional witness`, so no need to try and get the public to step up to the plate and expose themselves to all the bad shit that witnesses get. What did the council say to him? "We can't afford the cost of prosecutions". So the stuff that really impacts on day to day `quality of life` stuff can sit and rot.
ReplyDelete...presumably the start of a long road that will see Southend District Council deploying paramilitary SWAT teams and, eventually, tactical nukes.
ReplyDeleteFace palm.
ReplyDelete"could be..."
ReplyDeleteThat is seriously scary.
"In which case they'd might need an ambulance instead."
ReplyDeleteHeh!
"...the courts can and do impose "Punitive" measures when they fuck up!!!"
Ah, if only they had the power to impose that this would come out of the council head's own pocket too...
"What did the council say to him? "We can't afford the cost of prosecutions"."
Of course not! There's all those barmy schemes to pay for!
"That is seriously scary."
I know!