Saturday 2 August 2014

Why Don’t We Import Some Good Ideas From The States..?

…instead of the bad and illiberal ones?
People who repeatedly commit alcohol-related crime will be forced to wear ankle tags that monitor if they are still drinking, under a year-long pilot scheme.
So, rampant alcoholics will be included?

Well, no. Of course not:
Offenders will be screened before being tagged, and the scheme will not be used on people who are alcohol-dependent and require specialist support.
So…what’s the point? Given that these are the most problematic? Are we going to simply use these tags on violent chavs who have just happened to have had a few shandies instead?

Oh. Right. It seems we are...
The scheme, being introduced by the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, builds on a similar scheme in the US and aims to reduce alcohol-related reoffending, ease pressure on the police and courts, and make streets safer.
Alcohol-related crime is estimated to cost the UK between £8bn and £13bn every year, while 40% of accident and emergency attendances are linked to alcohol misuse. Johnson said: "'Alcohol-fuelled criminal behaviour is a real scourge on our high streets, deterring law-abiding citizens from enjoying our great city, especially at night, placing massive strain on frontline services, whilst costing businesses and the taxpayer billions of pounds.
"I pledged to tackle this booze culture by making the case to government for new powers to allow mandatory alcohol testing as an additional enforcement option for the courts.
"This is an approach that has seen impressive results in the US, steering binge drinkers away from repeated criminal behaviour, and I am pleased we can now launch a pilot scheme in London."
I’m unconvinced. Deeply unconvinced.

8 comments:

Mac the Knife said...

Wearable police? If that's progress, they can jam it...

Bucko said...

So the chavs can just say they are alcohol dependant and need specialist support. And probably get their benefits upped at the same time.

Lord T said...

I though Boris was supposed to be a conservative.

Seems that he has turned to the dark side.

Are no conservatives worth saving?

James Higham said...

No, Boris is now for uncapped immigration.

Mr Ecks said...



Johnson is a prime FUB --(fat useless bastard)--Ken Leninslime was the only reason that anyone should ever have voted for the turd.

PJH said...

I'm just waiting for the health fake-charities' calls for pregnant women to be forced to wear these as well...

Furor Teutonicus said...

XX 40% of accident and emergency attendances are linked to alcohol misuse.XX

Including HOW many people like my granny who slipped on a wet stair case, and was entered as "an alcohol related accident" because it was Jule day, and she had drunk, LITERALY one small glass of sherry???

(It was only about five years later, when she finaly snuffed it, that we found from that day on, her doctor had her marked as an alcoholic on her file! ONE glass of sherry per year!!!"! And sometimes she did not even finish all of THAT.)

JuliaM said...

"Wearable police? If that's progress, they can jam it..."

When they can make it small enough, they probably will...

"Are no conservatives worth saving?"

Are there no conservatives?

"I'm just waiting for the health fake-charities' calls for pregnant women to be forced to wear these as well..."

I'm amazed they haven't already done that!

And as FT points out, the statistics on this are not to be trusted.