The Crime Prevention Website

I read the Police Oracle each week and every week is, frankly, gloomy

These are just a few of the headlines:

Met Police could scrap PCSOs

It seems that the next Met’s management board meeting will be discussing the PCSO’s future. The three options are to retain them as they are (1017 of them), reduce them to one per ward (leaving 629) or disbanding them altogether.

Projected Police numbers show service is not scaremongering

New figures released are suggesting that the 25% police budget cuts will result in the loss of 22,000 police officers; levels last seen in the 1970s. There’s even a suggestion that budget cuts could go to as high at 40%!

Volunteer plan is no solution to policing problems

The Vice Chairman of the Police Federation (England and Wales) reckons that the government’s recent proposal to recruit volunteers to help the police is little more than a nurse putting a little plaster on a patient that is bleeding to death.

I joined the police service in 1978 when the police service was shrinking and crime was rocketing. The pay was poor, but at least then we got free accommodation and a boot allowance. In 1980, after completing my probationary period, I was let loose in a police vehicle (an Allegro – remember those?).  I worked in Acton then, in west London, which was a busy old place with lots of calls to the police. Sometimes, during night duty, I might have been only one of two motorised units available to attend those calls.  It looks like the wheel is going to turn a full circle!

But let’s not all get depressed!  There’s a lot we can do to help ourselves to reduce the reasons why we might have to call the police. Crime prevention has NEVER been so important!

Source: Police Oracle – you’ve got to subscribe - http://www.policeoracle.com/

blog comments powered by Disqus