Did anyone watch the ITV News this evening? There was a report about the Oxenholme rail crash where it stated that workmen were manning road blocks instead of the Police due to a manpower shortage. There was a film clip of, presumably Cumbria C C workmen, with a truck and bollards across the road.
This Government is quite willing to pay over £3,000,000 per day for the occupation of Iraq, yet will not finance a much needed resource in thei Country. How much longer can we tolerate this? We rarely see traffic cops on our motorways, and we hardly ever see a policeman in our village.
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If you can get your local police chief to admit to how many police are on duty outside of office hours to deal with emergencies, i think you'd be firstly amazed and then secondly frightened
the number is incredibly small
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On a night shift, I have four officers to cover 500 square miles!! Rural roads with lots of travelling criminals and rtcs.
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Do think we should set up a petition similar to the one for road charging?
I'm sure it could attract almost as many signatures.
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Where I live the police have had roadside checks for Tax discs for 4 days, lately, complete with low loaders. Plenty of police for revenue collection!
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Do you really need trained Police Officers to stand around and man roadblocks? Surely County Council Highways staff can perform the job adequately given that they work on the highways day in and day out. I'm sure during a major incident such as this, especially out of hours, officers would be better deployed on other tasks like identifying the injured and contacting friends and relatives.
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The >> Do you really need trained Police Officers to stand around andman roadblocks? Surely County Council Highways staff can perform the job adequately given that they work on the highways day in and day out. I'm sure during a major incident such as this, especially out of hours, officers would be better deployed on other tasks like identifying the injured and contacting friends and relatives.
What powers do the County Council staff have if they encounter a problem? Make them temporary special constables?
The whole issue here is the shortage of police officers. We are constantly told that there are more police officers than ever, yet one hardly sees one.
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No need to make them Specials - they could be made Traffic Wardens, as they have sufficient powers for the task. I'd imagine that the local CC put in place their disaster plan, or a part of it, for which they'd planned a team to man road blocks etc, just as you'd need with any other type of incident.
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Round my neck of the woods. The Police provide the initial road blockage. If the incident is protracted the council then provide all the necessary signage and lighting to complete a safe road closure and detour and then the road blocks are left unstaffed.
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Fullchat
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>>What powers do the County Council staff have if they encounter a problem? Make them temporary special constables?
What like someone 'running' the road block etc? If properly constituted, i.e. the roadlblock or other traffic restriction/control
is carried out by the due authority (thel CC) under (I'm sure they must exist) CC Highways dept. guidelines, then it's fairly
certain they have a recognised (and law court enforcable) authority. After all, you see traffic control , be it temp. traffic lights or
'stop/go' placards everyday in rural areas - they don't seem to have any bother.
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What like someone 'running' the road block etc? ....
No doubt you will have no objection when traffic wardens and Highway Agency patrols can book you for speeding and other traffic offences.
There is no problem if roads have to be closed with cones etc. I object strongly to policing on the cheap.
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40% of police time is spent on administration.
Lots of police form filling...and very little on policing...
No wonder there is a crime problem...
and these are OFFICIAL statistics... so probably spun to make them look better....
"..... the ratio of police time spent on paperwork which was currently 40%, compared with patrolling which currently stood at 17%"
www.number-10.gov.uk/output/page2222.asp
If it was a commercial organisation....the ratios would be quickly reversed....but it's funded by taxpayers so that's all right then:-((
madf
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you know how they get these figures? By making everyone participate in a 2 week form filling frenzy whereby you have to account for every 15 mins of your working day and..yes wait for it....fill it in on a form!
a mate of mine is a sales rep in the States......got into trouble with his boss for refusing to go to a meeting 600 miles away......he stated he could make more money for the company being left alone, than having some form filling twerp making him go to unnecessary meetings........ that for me sums up many professions inc the Old Bill nowadays
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Good old 'activity analysis'. The bean counters then send a significant proportion back because they think you haven't entered the appropriate code. As a supervisor, I'm also responsible for checking everyone else's!!
It's a complete farce!
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