Well?
Tell us what you want!
The police service is asked on a daily basis to deal with issues from terrorism to anti-social behaviour. This is a huge array of services under one roof.
What do you want us to concentrate on? Ensuring that dogs don't foul the pavement, combating anti-social behaviour or pursuing terroist suspects?
Can we reasonably expect all of these issues to be given equal attention?
What issues face your local area?
Tell us what you want!
The police service is asked on a daily basis to deal with issues from terrorism to anti-social behaviour. This is a huge array of services under one roof.
What do you want us to concentrate on? Ensuring that dogs don't foul the pavement, combating anti-social behaviour or pursuing terroist suspects?
Can we reasonably expect all of these issues to be given equal attention?
What issues face your local area?
Here is the speech delivered by Sir Ian Blair, Metropolitan Police Service Commissioner in 2005 on the very issue.
Sir Ian has agreed to be interviewed on the very issue for the show; what would you ask him?
6 comments:
What I realy have concerns about is the issue of Wildlife crime in Wales.
This issue seems not to be taken seriously in Wales with only two (very dedicated and efficent) officers) dedicated to this across the whole country.The Countryside Council for Wales support the police in employing them but surely there should be a much wider covereage of dedictaed offciers across Wales and at least 1 based in the Dyfed Powys Region as the region covers 1/4-1/5 of Wales.
There have been sucesses and failures but with increased amount of wildlife crime,crime that affects wildlife( such as off road biking across sensitive habitats and affecting stcok grazing for wildlfie) a greater coverage of officers and a higher priority with the police forces in Wales for this issue is required.I note CI Brunstrom is going to be on your program. Does he not lead on this issue in Wales so perhaps a discssusion could be had with members of CCW, the police, and other people affected detrimentaly by wildlfe crime and crime that affects wildife directly and indirectly. This could in principle cover the whole of the UK but hgighlight isues from Wales.The segment could highlight successes ie Bluebells in N Wales, failures- Marsh Fritallry In Ystradgynlais etc etec and include detailed disection of the reasons behind some of the failures.This could then lead to discussion and planing a constructive way forward.
I would just like to reitrate what Charles Morgan has said and emphasise the role the police and CCW have to play. There have been improvements in the way the Police handle Wildlife Crime yet so much more can be done. The annual 'Wildlife Crime' conference is all very well yet those attending are already very much aware of the problems facing habitats and species in Wales. I personally have seen no form of public awareness being made, which should be the target audience. The role of the media in communicating this is essential. With more people aware of the problems facing wildlife in Wales the hope would be that the number of wildlife crime incidents would decrease. This is by no means a definitive answer and the role of, and increase in, officers on the ground is still a must. I have a great respect for CI Brunstrom and know he has led on many initiatives in the past. Why not make this one a priority?
There is a suggestion in your phrase, “what do you want us to concentrate on?” that attending to crime in general simply isn't possible. I imagine that most people would like all offences to be included. If this isn't possible then, given that nobody would benefit from any type of industrial action by the police, perhaps the general public needs to take on the campaign on your behalf. After all it is we, the general public, who commit most home-grown crime.
Good luck with the programme.
Yes, wildlife crime is significant and may get worse now that the UK Habitat Regulations have been tightened up.
Illegal off roading is on the increase and can also disturb wildlife, damage important habitats (including SSSIs) and cause increasing carbon emissions as a consequence of disturbance to fragile organic soils in the uplands.
Illegal speeding by motor cyclists is on the increase too, so how about working with the Trunk Roads Agencies to slow down the trunk roads? Safe traffic movement is more important than speed.
Dear Richard,
Please could you consider some political and operational questions?
Whose interests does the Police serve? Is there a contract/compact between the Public and the Police or between Police & the State. Do the performance indicators bend operational priorities towards political needs? How much control of local policing plans is held by the Home Office, Police Authority, the local Community Safety Partnership, or the local media? Do other countries manage this relationship better than us?
Could the relationship between the Police & State be damaged by a pay dispute? The UK Police has a good record for not being corrupt, do politicians value this record?
There is a perception that in the last 10 years the resources given to roads policing has been reduced in favour of safety camera partnerships. Is this true? Are there any worldwide examples of success in reducing the number of road traffic collisions?
In a context of continued growth of road use is the dialogue between interest groups and the national regional & local authorities good enough to stimulate working solutions to road safety? Who is best placed to provide leadership to deliver a very safe road network? What does the Government say?
Every time I attend a conference of parish councils in Cambridgeshire in my role as Parish Council Chairman I find that speeding is top of the agenda for almost every parish council present. Our own experience in Dullingham (near Cambridge and Newmarket) is typical.
Policy on speeding seems chaotic at best and there is no evidence of the law being enforced - we do not know of a single driver being prosecuted for speeding in our village whereas the statistics derived from a survey we requested are striking:
1.26,000 cars break the 40mph limit on the B1061 through our village each week.
2. 8,100 (or 31%!) of these break the speed limit.
3. So we have more than 8,000 antisocial acts a week in a community of 700 people and we cannot get anything done about it. Talking to other parish councils I know our experience is not unusual.
4. We have petitioned for a 30mph limit but are told by Highways that the police will only support this if it is self-enforcing and this will required £100,000 of traffic calming, FOR WHICH THERE IS NO BUDGET.
5. The simple fact is that the 40mph limit is not self-enforcing and we would prefer a 30mph limit that is not self-enforcing.
6. The law falls into disrepute when it is disregarded with impunity - this is what has happened to speed limits, at least in Cambridgeshire.
7. What the police should campaign for is that revenue from speeding fines goes to the local authority and the police rather than central government - this would mean that police forces would immediately have the resources to do something meaningful and effective about enforcing this law. It would make a marvellous contribution to the safety and enjoyment of village life overnight!
Adrian du Plessis
01638 507872
aduplessis@waitrose.com
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