Officers are regularly called to the town centre to deal with up to 15-strong gangs of teenagers taking drugs, carrying weapons and terrorising traders and shoppers.
From today, however, officers have put in place dispersal orders throughout the week, granting them special powers to deal with antisocial behaviour.
What's wrong with the ones they already have?
It comes after Sgt Ian Hughes, from the community policing team, found knuckledusters, a lock knife and drugs paraphernalia discarded in a bush. He said: “On the High Street there has been groups of youths causing issues. They are gathering in large groups near McDonald’s, they have been carrying out assaults, possessing controlled substances, possessing controlled weapons, and being nasty to shopkeepers and shoppers.
“We want to send out the message that this behaviour won’t be tolerated by either the police, the youth offending service or the street rangers, who will all be carrying out patrols.
“We can make them immediately leave the location and send them home.
“If they return within 24 hours, then they can be arrested.”
Utterly futile.
And where are the regular foot patrols by plod in the area.
ReplyDeleteUntil they get back to the old way of policing with feet on the beat they will be fighting a losing battle.
“If they return within 24 hours, then they can be arrested.”
ReplyDeleteDo they have to return carrying the same illegal weapons and drugs, or does it count as a new visit if they're carrying a different knuckleduster and crack pipe?
'Until they get back to the old way of policing...' Why should this grotesque servant voluntarily dismount from the comfortable saddle it made on our back, Ivan? While it proves so difficult to dislodge, the parasite must be shamed and starved. Any undue exaltation of those unfit to hold significant power, produce those vices which disquiet society.
ReplyDeletegranting them special powers
ReplyDeleteI am disappointed; I thought it would be things like clinging to the side of tall buildings and dropping huge sticky nets on them, or yelling "Expelliamus" and instantly transporting them all to the paddling pool by the Sea Shell restaurant, so they could experience a bracing dip.
What the police really need are seasonal powers to force miscreants to take of their clothes and dress in festive costume. Big pixies and elfs with ridiculous curly shoes and thin green tights which are freezing in the cool Southend air. Giant fairies with tutus and tiaras. Snowmen in white leotards and beanie hats. Reindeer in high heels clad in ledderhosen with bells on the harnesses. A huge Christmas pudding with a hat of paper holly. They must be obliged to learn Christmas dances and perform them in a ring, where the public can come and be entertained at the forced exercise. Half the public should feel like they've accidentally dropped bad acid.
And if you really want to deal with the problem, let's have nice warm places called 'pubs' where they are allowed to drink weak beer and smoke cigarettes whilst watching telly and paying over-the-odds for a packet of crisps or maybe a bacon sandwich and a coffee. Anybody with drugs or weapons will be chucked out, but if you just want to stay and veg out, then that's the place for you.
We could put in sofas and maybe a pool table. Then we'd know exactly where they are and what they are doing.
“We want to send out the message that this behaviour won’t be tolerated”
ReplyDeletePlease. It has been tolerated - and allowed to gradually worsen over the years - for several generations now.
Welcome to "policing", 21st century style! Plod is never within hailing distance when a threatening event happens -- but, if the miscreants come back the next day, they might be?
ReplyDeleteTo have 'Plod' on hand to deal with this, you need bobbies on the beat. Unfortunately, the number of uniformed SJWs on the top floors of those Police stations which haven't been closed (and converted into flats, trendy wine bars, or mosques), have taken what Police officers remain from May's cuts and put them into diversity and racial partnership building teams, or hate crime squads dealing with complaints from Shaznay that Acapulco and some other stupidly named Chav have called her a slag. There are the CSOs, employed to try and fool the public into thinking successive governments care about law and order for the public, but they are as useful as a chocolate fireguard, having very little powers. You want this anti-social behaviour stopped? Demand that the numbers of Police be increased rather than the other way around and also that the courts deal with the miscreants properly.
ReplyDeletePenseivat
"And where are the regular foot patrols by plod in the area."
ReplyDeleteComing home on Friday night, I saw two cops get on my Tube, and get out at my stop. Both female, and both shorter then me. And I often have to ask men to reach stuff down off supermarket shelves.
Pretty pointless them pounding the beat.
"Do they have to return carrying the same illegal weapons and drugs, or does it count as a new visit if they're carrying a different knuckleduster and crack pipe?"
Oh, now you've done it! They'll spend so long trying to figure this out they'll never leave the station!
"I am disappointed; I thought it would be things like clinging to the side of tall buildings and dropping huge sticky nets on them, or yelling "Expelliamus" and instantly transporting them all to the paddling pool by the Sea Shell restaurant, so they could experience a bracing dip. "
Heh!
"It has been tolerated - and allowed to gradually worsen over the years - for several generations now. "
ReplyDeleteAnd it's nigh on impossible to put that genie back in the bottle.
"Demand that the numbers of Police be increased rather than the other way around and also that the courts deal with the miscreants properly."
I fear that would fall on deaf ears...