West End Extra - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Published: 23 May 2008
Bring back beat bobbies
• Lawless Britain!
Or is it? Much time and effort
has been put into a random stop and search operation recently which was given the
inevitable publicity and laudation.
Was it worth it?
Are these tactics productive or do these tactics merely drive the problems to another sphere?
I would be keen to witness some police action in my neighbourhood, which is deemed to be “safe” in some eyes.
Yet this is almost non-existent as we endure almost constant anti-social behaviour in the form of dangerous cycling on pavements, loitering with intent, dog-fouling and other associated disturbances perpetrated by a small group of individuals with no other aim in life than to annoy members of the public.
If we call the police we are told this is a job for the police community support officers. Yet they do not operate late at night.
So what is the point of calling the police?
If they do attend, inevitably the problem will have disappeared.
Motor scooter joy-riding seems to occupy little of the time accorded to the emergency services despite the obvious dangers both to the riders and others on the roads.
Why don’t the police simply send officers to deal with these problems?
The only answer to this type of unruly behaviour is for the reinstatement of police “on the beat”, unfortunately derided in some quarters, but in my opinion the sole remedy coupled with suitable deterrents. I Walker
Dalgarno Gardens, W10
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